Pathway candidateNCBI-verifiedprotein-coding

KCNQ4

potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily Q member 4

NCBI Gene: 9132 Ensembl GeneCards UniProt: P56696

Pathway candidate — not linked to PFS or PSSD by any record here

KCNQ4 is in the library because it belongs to the sensory & ion channels family. No study, report or commentary in the corpus names it, so a variant in KCNQ4 is not, by itself, evidence of anything related to post-drug syndromes.

Gene summary

A protein-coding gene on chromosome 1 (sensory and ion channels). The protein encoded by this gene forms a potassium channel that is thought to play a critical role in the regulation of neuronal excitability, particularly in sensory cells of the cochlea. The current generated by this channel is inhibited by M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors and activated by retigabine, a novel anti-convulsant drug.

Source: NCBI Gene, accessed 2026-10-07.

Protein reference (UniProt)

Protein: Potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily KQT member 4
Function: Pore-forming subunit of the voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channel involved in the regulation of sensory cells excitability in the cochlea. KCNQ4/Kv7.4 channel is composed of 4 pore-forming subunits assembled as tetramers. Promotes the outflow of potassium ions in the repolarization phase of action potential which plays a role in regulating membrane potential of excitable cells. The channel conducts a slowly activating and deactivating current. Current often shows some inward rectification at positive potentials. Channel may be selectively permeable in vitro to other cations besides potassium, in decreasing order of affinity K(+) = Rb(+) > Cs(+) > Na(+). Important for normal physiological function of inner ear such as sensory perception of sound.
Subcellular location: Basal cell membrane.
Tissue specificity: Expressed in the outer, but not the inner, sensory hair cells of the cochlea. Slightly expressed in heart, brain and skeletal muscle.
Associated conditions: Deafness, autosomal dominant, 2A (DFNA2A).

Source: UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot P56696, release 2026_03, licensed CC BY 4.0. This is the protein’s normal biology, not evidence about post-drug syndromes; associated conditions are inherited disorders of the gene, not PFS, PSSD or PRSD.

Why its pathway is in the library

Gap-junction and ion-channel genes; no established post-drug-syndrome link — included for completeness of the panel.

Written for the whole sensory & ion channels family, not for KCNQ4 specifically.

Mentioned in 0 corpus records

No corpus record names KCNQ4 directly yet. It is in the library because it sits in a pathway the corpus tracks (Sensory & ion channels).

Also in sensory and ion channels

All 7 genes

Browse by family on the gene families page.

Gene summary

Source: NCBI Gene, accessed 2026-10-07.

Protein reference (UniProt)

Protein: Potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily KQT member 4
Function: Pore-forming subunit of the voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channel involved in the regulation of sensory cells excitability in the cochlea. KCNQ4/Kv7.4 channel is composed of 4 pore-forming subunits assembled as tetramers. Promotes the outflow of potassium ions in the repolarization phase of action potential which plays a role in regulating membrane potential of excitable cells. The channel conducts a slowly activating and deactivating current. Current often shows some inward rectification at positive potentials. Channel may be selectively permeable in vitro to other cations besides potassium, in decreasing order of affinity K(+) = Rb(+) > Cs(+) > Na(+). Important for normal physiological function of inner ear such as sensory perception of sound.
Subcellular location: Basal cell membrane.
Tissue specificity: Expressed in the outer, but not the inner, sensory hair cells of the cochlea. Slightly expressed in heart, brain and skeletal muscle.
Associated conditions: Deafness, autosomal dominant, 2A (DFNA2A).