ROM-K Background Information ROM-K, an ATP-sensitive inward rectifying K+ channel (also designated KIR1.1), is a member of the Kir family of K+ channels that controls renal K+ secretion. These K+ channels more readily conduct an inward current rather than an outward current and are constituitively open. Inwardly rectifying K+ channels are a complex of four Kir (Kir1-6) subunits. ROM-K is activated by protein kinase A, and its activity is regulated by phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and intracellular pH. Alternative splicing of ROM-K mRNA yields various isoforms which are differentially expressed in nephrons of the mammalian kidney. Mutations in the ROM-K gene are linked to antenatal Bartter syndrome, an autosomal recessive disorder of renal electrolyte transport.
