Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels represent the most complex class of voltage-gated ion channels from both functional and structural standpoints. Their diverse functions include regulating neurotransmitter release, heart rate, insulin secretion, neuronal excitability, epithelial electrolyte transport, smooth muscle contraction, and cell volume. This gene encodes a member of the potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily V. This protein is essentially present in the brain, and its role might be to inhibit the function of a particular class of outward rectifier potassium channel types. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]