In this review, we describe key signaling pathways regulating potassium channels present in the inner mitochondrial membrane. The signaling cascades covered here include phosphorylation, redox reactions, modulation by calcium ions and nucleotides. The following types of potassium channels have been identified in the inner mitochondrial membrane of various tissues: ATP-sensitive, Ca²⁺-activated, voltage-gated and two-pore domain potassium channels. The direct roles of these channels involve regulation of mitochondrial respiration, membrane potential and synthesis of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Changes in channel activity lead to diverse pro-life and pro-death responses in different cell types. Hence, characterizing the signaling pathways regulating mitochondrial potassium channels will facilitate understanding the physiological role of these proteins. Additionally, we describe in this paper certain regulatory mechanisms, which are unique to mitochondrial potassium channels.

在这篇综述中，我们描述了调节线粒体内膜中钾通道的关键信号通路。这里涵盖的信号级联包括磷酸化，氧化还原反应，钙离子和核苷酸的调节。在各种组织的线粒体内膜中发现了以下类型的钾通道：ATP敏感，Ca ²⁺活化，电压门控和两孔域钾通道。这些通道的直接作用涉及线粒体呼吸的调节，膜电位和活性氧（ROS）的合成。通道活性的改变导致在不同细胞类型中不同的促生命和促死亡反应。因此，表征调节线粒体钾通道的信号传导途径将有助于理解这些蛋白质的生理作用。此外，我们在本文中描述了某些调节机制，这是线粒体钾通道所特有的。