[Mitochondrial ATP-dependent potassium channel. 1. The structure of the channel, the mechanisms of its functioning and regulation].

The modern conceptions of the structural organization and functional mechanisms of mitoKATP are discussed in the present review. Methods of the identification of the channel in the inner mitochondrial membrane and in intact cells are considered. The structure and properties of the channel, the mechanisms of its regulation with pharmacological modulators, redox agents (SH agents, NO and ROS), hormones etc. are reviewed. The authors adduce their own data concerning the structural organization, regulation, properties and the functional role of mitoKATP in the cell.