The Emerging Role of Two-Pore Domain Potassium Channels in Breast Cancer

Abstract

Potassium ion channels are transmembrane proteins that selectively facilitate ion flow down an electrochemical gradient between intracellular and extracellular environments. There is accumulating evidence which suggest that potassium channel protein activity is important in the pathophysiology of cancer, and associations of the two-pore domain family of potassium channels and breast cancer are currently emerging. The aim of this review is to summarize data on mechanisms of action related to oncogenic properties and examine the role of the two-pore domain family in breast cancer.