KCNJ18

gene
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Also known as KIR2.6TTPP2

Summary

KCNJ18 (potassium inwardly rectifying channel subfamily J member 18, HGNC:39080) is a protein-coding gene on chromosome 17p11.2, encoding Inward rectifier potassium channel 18 (B7U540). Inward rectifier potassium channels are characterized by a greater tendency to allow potassium to flow into the cell rather than out of it.

This gene encodes a member of the inwardly rectifying potassium channel family. Transcription of this locus is regulated by thyroid hormone, and the encoded protein plays a role in resting membrane potential maintenance. Mutations in this locus have been associated with thyrotoxic hypokalemic periodic paralysis.

Source: NCBI Gene 100134444 — RefSeq curated summary.

At a glance

  • Gene–disease (curated): thyrotoxic periodic paralysis, susceptibility to, 2 (Strong, GenCC)
  • GWAS associations: 1
  • Clinical variants (ClinVar): 15 total
  • Phenotypes (HPO): 54
  • MANE Select transcript: NM_001194958

Identifiers

Gene identifiers

FieldValue
HGNC IDHGNC:39080
Approved symbolKCNJ18
Namepotassium inwardly rectifying channel subfamily J member 18
Location17p11.2
Locus typegene with protein product
StatusApproved
AliasesKIR2.6, TTPP2
Ensembl geneENSG00000260458
Ensembl biotypeprotein_coding
OMIM613236
Entrez100134444

Gene structure

Transcript identifiers

Ensembl transcripts: 1 — 1 protein_coding

ENST00000567955

RefSeq mRNA: 1 — MANE Select: NM_001194958 NM_001194958

CCDS: CCDS74015

Canonical transcript exons

ENST00000567955 — 3 exons

ExonStartEnd
ENSE000026085002170273121704612
ENSE000037234362169252321692714
ENSE000037414062169598321696104

Expression profiles

Bgee: expression breadth broad, 18 present calls, max score 71.99.

Top tissues by expression

129 total, by Bgee expression score (0-100, higher = more expressed):

TissueAnatomy IDExpression scoreQuality
skin of abdomenUBERON:000141671.99gold quality
zone of skinUBERON:000001471.21gold quality
skin of legUBERON:000151170.90gold quality
tonsilUBERON:000237246.01gold quality
olfactory segment of nasal mucosaUBERON:000538644.63gold quality
skeletal muscle tissueUBERON:000113442.11gold quality
lower esophagus mucosaUBERON:003583441.45silver quality
colonic epitheliumUBERON:000039741.30gold quality
sural nerveUBERON:001548838.29gold quality
muscle tissueUBERON:000238537.48gold quality
apex of heartUBERON:000209836.97gold quality
ventricular zoneUBERON:000305336.48gold quality
cortical plateUBERON:000534336.47gold quality
bone marrow cellCL:000209236.16gold quality
ganglionic eminenceUBERON:000402335.49gold quality
granulocyteCL:000009435.21gold quality
right testisUBERON:000453433.69silver quality
bone marrowUBERON:000237132.98gold quality
prefrontal cortexUBERON:000045132.85gold quality
left testisUBERON:000453332.68silver quality
testisUBERON:000047332.51silver quality
hindlimb stylopod muscleUBERON:000425232.15gold quality
esophagus mucosaUBERON:000246932.08silver quality
muscle of legUBERON:000138331.92gold quality
gastrocnemiusUBERON:000138831.45gold quality
cerebellumUBERON:000203731.09gold quality
cerebellar cortexUBERON:000212930.87gold quality
cerebellar hemisphereUBERON:000224530.86gold quality
right hemisphere of cerebellumUBERON:001489030.06gold quality
leukocyteCL:000073829.93gold quality

Single-cell (SCXA)

Detected in 1 experiment(s), a significant marker in 0.

ExperimentMarker?Max mean expression
E-ANND-3no1.64

Regulation

Is transcription factor: no

miRNA regulators (miRDB)

25 targeting KCNJ18, top 30 by miRDB confidence (max_score; target_count = how many genes the miRNA targets in total — lower means more specific):

miRNAMax scoreAvg scoremiRNA target_count
HSA-MIR-428299.9975.366408
HSA-MIR-480399.9871.993117
HSA-MIR-515-5P99.9269.822343
HSA-MIR-519E-5P99.9269.622358
HSA-MIR-1211999.8768.351653
HSA-MIR-629-3P99.8567.991875
HSA-MIR-576-5P99.8470.462582
HSA-MIR-4713-5P99.7867.801794
HSA-MIR-518A-5P99.7069.012209
HSA-MIR-52799.7069.012209
HSA-MIR-4677-5P99.7070.091940
HSA-MIR-10393-5P99.6568.011368
HSA-MIR-4649-3P99.5666.901783
HSA-MIR-183-3P99.4169.411598
HSA-MIR-5011-3P98.6364.81638
HSA-MIR-6784-3P98.3964.88662
HSA-MIR-6867-3P98.1266.071305
HSA-MIR-6862-3P97.9264.86531
HSA-MIR-296-5P97.6164.02851
HSA-MIR-3121-5P97.3066.621146
HSA-MIR-431397.1863.15420
HSA-MIR-3194-5P96.8064.901027
HSA-MIR-6858-3P96.3764.41771
HSA-MIR-548AD-3P94.3966.04350
HSA-MIR-4707-5P90.9565.69110

Literature-anchored findings (GeneRIF, showing 9)

  • While sequencing candidate genes, we identified a previously unreported gene (not present in human sequence databases) that encodes an inwardly rectifying potassium (Kir) channel, Kir2.6. (PMID:20074522)
  • Kir2.6 regulates the surface expression of Kir2.x inward rectifier potassium channels. (PMID:21209095)
  • suggest that decreased outward K(+) current from hypofunction of Kir2.6 predisposes the sarcolemma to hypokalemia-induced paradoxical depolarization during attacks, which in turn leads to Na(+) channel inactivation and inexcitability of muscles (PMID:21665951)
  • TPP and SPP have the same susceptible gene variant rs623011 and may share the pathogenic mechanism of reduced Kir current in skeletal muscle independent of thyroid hormone. (PMID:22910584)
  • KCNJ18 alterations are seldom pathogenic (PMID:25882930)
  • 3.1% of thyrotoxic periodic paralysis cases had KCNJ18 gene mutations in mainland Chinese patients. Patients with KCNJ18 mutation had shorter attack duration, higher prevalence of muscle soreness and weakness recurrence than patients without the mutation. (PMID:25885757)
  • A novel KCNJ18 mutation, G169R, identified in the hypokalemic periodic paralysis patient demonstrated a significant functional defect in vitro. (PMID:27178871)
  • Study describes the functional consequences of a single amino acid change in Kir2.6 channel. The D252N mutation down-regulates the Kir2.6 activity, decreasing the K+ current density ( approximately 34%) when compared to the wildtype channel; whereas the mutation R386C shows no significant changes from wildtype. (PMID:28131627)
  • Single-nucleotide variant in KCNJ18 gene is associated with Thyrotoxic Periodic Paralysis. (PMID:31361309)

Cross-species orthologs

4 orthologs

OrganismSymbolGene ID
danio_reriokcnj12bENSDARG00000062618
danio_reriokcnj12aENSDARG00000104965
mus_musculusKcnj12ENSMUSG00000042529
rattus_norvegicusKcnj12ENSRNOG00000002303

Paralogs (15): KCNJ13 (ENSG00000115474), KCNJ5 (ENSG00000120457), KCNJ8 (ENSG00000121361), KCNJ2 (ENSG00000123700), KCNJ1 (ENSG00000151704), KCNJ16 (ENSG00000153822), KCNJ6 (ENSG00000157542), KCNJ15 (ENSG00000157551), KCNJ9 (ENSG00000162728), KCNJ3 (ENSG00000162989), KCNJ4 (ENSG00000168135), KCNJ10 (ENSG00000177807), KCNJ14 (ENSG00000182324), KCNJ12 (ENSG00000184185), KCNJ11 (ENSG00000187486)

Protein

Protein identifiers

Inward rectifier potassium channel 18B7U540 (reviewed: B7U540)

Alternative names: Inward rectifier K(+) channel Kir2.6, Potassium channel, inwardly rectifying subfamily J member 18

All UniProt accessions (1): B7U540

UniProt curated annotations — full annotation on UniProt →

Function. Inward rectifier potassium channels are characterized by a greater tendency to allow potassium to flow into the cell rather than out of it. Their voltage dependence is regulated by the concentration of extracellular potassium; as external potassium is raised, the voltage range of the channel opening shifts to more positive voltages. The inward rectification is mainly due to the blockage of outward current by internal magnesium.

Subunit / interactions. Can form heteromeric channels with Kir2.1/KCNJ2. Can form heteromeric channels with Kir2.2/KCNJ12.

Subcellular location. Cell membrane. Endoplasmic reticulum.

Tissue specificity. Specifically expressed in skeletal muscle.

Post-translational modifications. Probably phosphorylated by PKC; decreases single-channel open probability.

Disease relevance. Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis 2 (TTPP2) [MIM:613239] A sporadic muscular disorder characterized by episodic weakness and hypokalemia during a thyrotoxic state. It is clinically similar to hereditary hypokalemic periodic paralysis, except for the fact that hyperthyroidism is an absolute requirement for disease manifestation. The disease presents with recurrent episodes of acute muscular weakness of the four extremities that vary in severity from paresis to complete paralysis. Attacks are triggered by ingestion of a high carbohydrate load or strenuous physical activity followed by a period of rest. Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis can occur in association with any cause of hyperthyroidism, but is most commonly associated with Graves disease. Disease susceptibility is associated with variants affecting the gene represented in this entry.

Induction. Up-regulated by triiodothyronine.

Similarity. Belongs to the inward rectifier-type potassium channel (TC 1.A.2.1) family. KCNJ12 subfamily.

RefSeq proteins (1): NP_001181887* (*=MANE)

Domains & families (InterPro)

IDNameType
IPR003272K_chnl_inward-rec_Kir2.2Family
IPR013518K_chnl_inward-rec_Kir_cytoHomologous_superfamily
IPR013673K_chnl_inward-rec_Kir_NDomain
IPR014756Ig_E-setHomologous_superfamily
IPR016449K_chnl_inward-rec_KirFamily
IPR040445Kir_TMDomain
IPR041647IRK_CDomain

Pfam: PF01007, PF08466, PF17655

Catalyzed reactions (Rhea), 1 shown:

  • K(+)(in) = K(+)(out) (RHEA:29463)

UniProt features (32 total): sequence variant 14, sequence conflict 5, topological domain 4, transmembrane region 2, mutagenesis site 2, chain 1, compositionally biased region 1, intramembrane region 1, region of interest 1, short sequence motif 1

Structure

Experimental structures (PDB)

0 structures.

Predicted structure (AlphaFold)

ModelpLDDTFraction very-high
AF-B7U540-F181.100.66

Functional residue map

Curated UniProt residues grouped by drug-discovery relevance — catalytic, ligand-binding, modification, and mutation-validated positions. Source: UniProtKB sequence features.

Mutagenesis-validated functional residues (2):

PositionPhenotype
156increased expression at the cell membrane.
354decreases the single-channel open probability (po) without altering its conductance.

Function

Pathways and Gene Ontology

Reactome pathways

0 pathways

MSigDB gene sets: 137 (showing top): GOBP_POTASSIUM_ION_TRANSPORT, GOBP_MONOATOMIC_CATION_TRANSPORT, GOBP_IMPORT_INTO_CELL, GOBP_TRANSMEMBRANE_TRANSPORT, GOCC_TRANSPORTER_COMPLEX, GOCC_MEMBRANE_PROTEIN_COMPLEX, GOMF_VOLTAGE_GATED_MONOATOMIC_CATION_CHANNEL_ACTIVITY, GOMF_METAL_ION_TRANSMEMBRANE_TRANSPORTER_ACTIVITY, GOMF_GATED_CHANNEL_ACTIVITY, GOMF_PASSIVE_TRANSMEMBRANE_TRANSPORTER_ACTIVITY, GOMF_MONOATOMIC_CATION_TRANSMEMBRANE_TRANSPORTER_ACTIVITY, GOMF_VOLTAGE_GATED_POTASSIUM_CHANNEL_ACTIVITY, GOMF_POTASSIUM_CHANNEL_ACTIVITY, GOMF_INWARD_RECTIFIER_POTASSIUM_CHANNEL_ACTIVITY, GOMF_TRANSPORTER_ACTIVITY

GO Biological Process (5): regulation of monoatomic ion transmembrane transport (GO:0034765), potassium ion import across plasma membrane (GO:1990573), monoatomic ion transport (GO:0006811), potassium ion transport (GO:0006813), monoatomic ion transmembrane transport (GO:0034220)

GO Molecular Function (2): inward rectifier potassium channel activity (GO:0005242), protein binding (GO:0005515)

GO Cellular Component (4): endoplasmic reticulum (GO:0005783), plasma membrane (GO:0005886), monoatomic ion channel complex (GO:0034702), membrane (GO:0016020)

GO top-level categories

Rollup of top GO terms by namespace:

CategoryTerms
monoatomic ion transmembrane transport1
regulation of transmembrane transport1
regulation of monoatomic ion transport1
potassium ion transmembrane transport1
inorganic cation import across plasma membrane1
transport1
metal ion transport1
monoatomic ion transport1
transmembrane transport1
voltage-gated potassium channel activity1
ligand-gated monoatomic cation channel activity1
binding1
cytoplasm1
endomembrane system1
intracellular membrane-bounded organelle1
membrane1
cell periphery1
transmembrane transporter complex1
cellular anatomical structure1

Protein interactions and networks

STRING

360 interactions, top by confidence (×1000):

Protein AProtein BPartner UniProtScore
KCNJ18CACNA1SQ13698909
KCNJ18KCNE3Q9Y6H6753
KCNJ18SCN4AP35499723
KCNJ18FOXL2NBQ6ZUU3571
KCNJ18CLCN1P35523534
KCNJ18NOTCH2NLRA0A096LNW5402
KCNJ18RFPL1O75677397
KCNJ18LYG2Q86SG7349
KCNJ18CLEC2AQ6UVW9349
KCNJ18TYW1BQ6NUM6349
KCNJ18SPINK6Q6UWN8339
KCNJ18DLG1Q12959330
KCNJ18ZNF570Q96NI8325
KCNJ18KCNH2Q12809305
KCNJ18DEFB132Q7Z7B7305

IntAct

124 interactions, top by confidence:

ABTypeScore
KCNJ18KCNJ2psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.660
KCNJ2KCNJ18psi-mi:“MI:2364”(proximity)0.660
DLG1KCNJ18psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.620
KCNJ18DLG1psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.620
KCNJ18EMDpsi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.560
KCNJ18SYNJ2BPpsi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
KCNJ18PDZD2psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
KCNJ18DLG3psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
KCNJ18TIAM2psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
KCNJ18MAST2psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
KCNJ18ERBINpsi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
KCNJ18SCRIBpsi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
KCNJ18PTPN3psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
KCNJ18MAGI3psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
LIN7CKCNJ18psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
KCNJ18DLG2psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
APBA3KCNJ18psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
KCNJ18MAST1psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
KCNJ18APBA2psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
KCNJ18MAGI2psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
TJP1KCNJ18psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
KCNJ18PICK1psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
KCNJ18SNX27psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
KCNJ18MPP2psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
PDZRN4KCNJ18psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
KCNJ18NHERF4psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
KCNJ18ARHGAP21psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
KCNJ18DLG4psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440
RAPGEF6KCNJ18psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.440

ESM2 similar proteins: B7U540, E1BNE9, F1MYR9, F1NHE9, O02670, O02822, O18839, O19182, O70617, P35561, P48050, P48051, P48542, P48543, P48544, P48545, P48548, P48549, P48550, P49656, P49658, P52185, P52186, P52187, P52188, P52189, P52190, P52191, P52192, P63250, P63251, P63252, P63253, P70673, P97794, Q14500, Q14654, Q15842, Q4TZY1, Q5NVJ6

Diamond homologs: B7U540, E1BN00, E1BNE9, F1MYR9, F1NHE9, O02670, O02822, O18839, O19182, O60928, O70339, O70596, O70617, O88335, O88932, P35560, P35561, P48048, P48050, P48051, P48542, P48543, P48544, P48545, P48548, P48549, P48550, P49655, P49656, P49658, P52185, P52186, P52187, P52188, P52189, P52190, P52191, P52192, P63250, P63251

SIGNOR signaling

0 interactions.

Enriched among interaction partners

Reactome pathways and GO biological processes over-represented among this gene’s 81 IntAct physical interaction partners (hypergeometric vs the genome-wide background, BH-FDR, gene-set size 15–500, ranked by fold). A functional readout of the neighbourhood — distinct from this gene’s own memberships above, and biased toward well-studied / hub proteins, so read it as themes rather than proof.

Reactome pathways:

PathwayPartnersFoldFDR
Ras activation upon Ca2+ influx through NMDA receptor554.9×1e-06
Unblocking of NMDA receptors, glutamate binding and activation552.3×1e-06
Negative regulation of NMDA receptor-mediated neuronal transmission552.3×1e-06
Long-term potentiation545.8×2e-06
Assembly and cell surface presentation of NMDA receptors943.9×4e-11
Neurexins and neuroligins1037.9×2e-11
Protein-protein interactions at synapses630.6×1e-06
Neurotransmitter receptors and postsynaptic signal transmission59.6×2e-03

GO biological processes:

GO termPartnersFoldFDR
establishment or maintenance of epithelial cell apical/basal polarity1182.0×2e-16
protein localization to synapse658.9×7e-08
receptor clustering756.0×7e-09
regulation of postsynaptic membrane neurotransmitter receptor levels744.5×3e-08
protein-containing complex assembly913.1×2e-06
cell-cell adhesion1013.0×4e-07
chemical synaptic transmission76.9×2e-03

Disease & clinical

Clinical variants and AI predictions

ClinVar

15 variants total. Per-class counts are floors (≥ shown; pagination cap):

ClassificationCount (floor)
Pathogenic0
Likely pathogenic0
Uncertain significance4
Likely benign4
Benign3

Top pathogenic / likely-pathogenic (0)

SpliceAI

0 predictions. Top by Δscore:

AlphaMissense

2871 scored. Top likely-pathogenic:

VariantProtein changeam_pathogenicity
17:21703375:A:CS197R1.000
17:21703377:C:AS197R1.000
17:21703377:C:GS197R1.000
17:21703730:C:TS315F1.000
17:21703753:T:AW323R1.000
17:21703753:T:CW323R1.000
17:21702926:T:AV47D0.999
17:21702938:G:TG51V0.999
17:21703024:T:AW80R0.999
17:21703024:T:CW80R0.999
17:21703026:G:CW80C0.999
17:21703026:G:TW80C0.999
17:21703333:A:GK183E0.999
17:21703335:G:CK183N0.999
17:21703335:G:TK183N0.999
17:21703372:T:CF196L0.999
17:21703373:T:CF196S0.999
17:21703374:C:AF196L0.999
17:21703374:C:GF196L0.999
17:21703376:G:TS197I0.999
17:21703385:C:AA200D0.999
17:21703423:T:AW213R0.999
17:21703423:T:CW213R0.999
17:21703437:C:AN217K0.999
17:21703437:C:GN217K0.999
17:21703474:G:CA230P0.999
17:21703481:T:CL232P0.999
17:21703586:C:AP267H0.999
17:21703618:A:CS278R0.999
17:21703620:C:AS278R0.999

dbSNP variants (sampled 300 via entrez): RS1156247125 (17:21698083 T>C), RS1156341541 (17:21697564 G>A), RS1156569781 (17:21698853 C>T), RS1156629119 (17:21699532 T>C), RS1156688536 (17:21690718 T>C), RS1156829900 (17:21700813 A>G,T), RS1156875046 (17:21700072 C>T), RS1156897738 (17:21691819 G>A), RS1157008943 (17:21703853 G>A,T), RS1157086747 (17:21694974 CCCATCCATCCATCCCATTCGTCTAT>C), RS1157092491 (17:21703318 G>A), RS1157108823 (17:21695509 CCAGCTATT>C), RS1157225332 (17:21697066 A>G), RS1157369803 (17:21704789 G>T), RS1157391673 (17:21696266 C>T)

Disease associations

OMIM: gene MIM:613236 | disease phenotypes: MIM:613239

GenCC curated gene-disease

DiseaseClassificationInheritance
thyrotoxic periodic paralysis, susceptibility to, 2StrongAutosomal dominant

Mondo (1): thyrotoxic periodic paralysis, susceptibility to, 2 (MONDO:0013193)

Orphanet (1): Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (Orphanet:79102)

HPO phenotypes

54 total (30 of 54 shown, HPO-id order):

HPOTerm
HP:0000006Autosomal dominant inheritance
HP:0000016Urinary retention
HP:0000597Ophthalmoparesis
HP:0000836Hyperthyroidism
HP:0000853Goiter
HP:0000975Hyperhidrosis
HP:0001265Hyporeflexia
HP:0001284Areflexia
HP:0001337Tremor
HP:0001347Hyperreflexia
HP:0001513Obesity
HP:0001649Tachycardia
HP:0001657Prolonged QT interval
HP:0001663Ventricular fibrillation
HP:0001824Weight loss
HP:0001962Palpitations
HP:0002019Constipation
HP:0002153Hyperkalemia
HP:0002203Respiratory paralysis
HP:0002445Tetraplegia
HP:0002486Myotonia
HP:0002900Hypokalemia
HP:0002917Hypomagnesemia
HP:0003134Abnormality of peripheral nerve conduction
HP:0003201Rhabdomyolysis
HP:0003394Muscle spasm
HP:0003457EMG abnormality
HP:0003470Paralysis
HP:0003552Muscle stiffness
HP:0003596Middle age onset

GWAS associations

1 associations (top):

StudyTraitp-value
GCST005951_14Body mass index5.000000e-10

EFO canonical traits (1, from GWAS)

EFO IDTrait name
EFO:0004340body mass index

Drugs & pharmacology

Drug and pharmacology data

Is drug target: no

PharmGKB: 1 entry (VIP=true, CPIC=false)

CTD chemical–gene interactions

2 total (human), top 2 by PubMed support.

ChemicalActions (top 5)PubMed papers
abrineincreases expression1
Formaldehydedecreases expression1

Clinical trials (associated diseases)

0 trials via MONDO — disease-level, not drug-specific.