M kanal je polahko aktivirajući i deaktivirajući kalijev kanal koji ima ključnu ulogu u regulaciji neuronske ekscitabilnosti. Nastaje asocijacijom proteina kodiranog ovim genom i jednog od dva srodna proteina kodirana genima KCNQ2 i KCNQ5, oba integralna membranska proteina. Strujanje M kanala inhibira M1 muskarinske acetilholinske receptore i aktivira retigabin, novi lijek protiv konvulzija. Mahane ovog gena uzrok su benignih porodičnih neonatusnih konvulzija tipa 2 (BFNC2), poznatih i kao epilepsija, benignog neonatusog tipa 2 (EBN2).[5]
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