KCNMB1 Gene

HGNC Family	Potassium channel subfamily M regulatory beta subunits (KCNMB)
Name	potassium channel subfamily M regulatory beta subunit 1
Description	MaxiK channels are large conductance, voltage and calcium-sensitive potassium channels which are fundamental to the control of smooth muscle tone and neuronal excitability. MaxiK channels can be formed by 2 subunits: the pore-forming alpha subunit and the product of this gene, the modulatory beta subunit. Intracellular calcium regulates the physical association between the alpha and beta subunits. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
Summary	{"type": "root", "children": [{"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n The β1‐subunit of the large‐conductance, Ca²⁺‐activated K⁺ (BK) channel—encoded by "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "KCNMB1"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "—plays a pivotal role in modulating the channel’s biophysical properties and, in turn, influences smooth muscle excitability in several organ systems. In vascular smooth muscle, KCNMB1 enhances the Ca²⁺ sensitivity of BK channels and shifts their voltage dependence to more negative potentials, thereby promoting membrane hyperpolarization that opposes vasoconstriction (see."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "1"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " In the renal distal nephron, the β1‐subunit is instrumental for flow‐induced K⁺ secretion; loss of KCNMB1 leads to impaired kaliuresis, hyperkalemia, secondary hyperaldosteronism, and ultimately contributes to the development of hypertension."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "1"}, {"type": "fg_f", "ref": "3"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " Similarly, reduced arterial expression of KCNMB1 is associated with diminished BK channel–mediated currents, impaired vascular relaxation, and elevated blood pressure."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "4"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": ""}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n \n "}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n Beyond its fundamental role in channel gating, genetic variants in KCNMB1 are linked to cardiovascular phenotypes. Notably, the E65K polymorphism has been associated with lower diastolic blood pressure and a reduced risk of adverse cardiovascular events, with its protective effects being modulated by sex and age."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "5"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " Transcriptional control of KCNMB1 via serum response factor/myocardin and hypoxia‐inducible pathways further underscores its importance in maintaining the contractile phenotype of smooth muscle cells under both physiological and pathophysiological conditions."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "6"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": ""}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n \n "}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n In diabetes, enhanced ubiquitin–proteasome–mediated degradation of the β1‐subunit—via mechanisms involving FOXO/atrogin‐1 as well as NF‑κB–dependent induction of MuRF1—leads to reduced BK channel activity and vascular dysfunction."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "8"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " In airway smooth muscle, the β1‐subunit opposes M₂ receptor–mediated depolarization by maintaining a more negative resting membrane potential that restricts the recruitment of L‐type Ca²⁺ channels and limits contraction."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "10"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " Moreover, recent findings demonstrate that human β-defensin 2, an antimicrobial peptide, can activate BK channels by interacting specifically with the β1‐subunit, thereby linking immune signaling to vascular tone regulation."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "11"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n "}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n \n "}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n Collectively, these studies establish KCNMB1 as a critical regulator of BK channel function whose activity shapes smooth muscle contractility in the vasculature, kidney, and airways. The diverse regulatory mechanisms—from genetic polymorphisms and transcriptional control to protein degradation pathways and peptide modulation—highlight the multifaceted contributions of KCNMB1 to blood pressure homeostasis and cardiovascular health.\n "}]}, {"type": "rg", "children": [{"type": "r", "ref": 1, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Jennifer L Pluznick, Peilin Wei, P Richard Grimm, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "BK-{beta}1 subunit: immunolocalization in the mammalian connecting tubule and its role in the kaliuretic response to volume expansion."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Am J Physiol Renal Physiol (2005)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1152/ajprenal.00340.2004"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1152/ajprenal.00340.2004"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "15613616"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15613616"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 2, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "John P Morrow, Sergey I Zakharov, Guoxia Liu, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Defining the BK channel domains required for beta1-subunit modulation."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A (2006)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1073/pnas.0600907103"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0600907103"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "16549765"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16549765"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 3, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "P Richard Grimm, Debra L Irsik, Deann C Settles, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Hypertension of Kcnmb1-/- is linked to deficient K secretion and aldosteronism."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A (2009)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1073/pnas.0904635106"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0904635106"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "19556540"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19556540"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 4, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Yan Yang, Peng-Yun Li, Jun Cheng, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Function of BKCa channels is reduced in human vascular smooth muscle cells from Han Chinese patients with hypertension."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Hypertension (2013)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.111.00211"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.111.00211"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "23232643"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23232643"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 5, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Mariano Sentí, José M Fernández-Fernández, Marta Tomás, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Protective effect of the KCNMB1 E65K genetic polymorphism against diastolic hypertension in aging women and its relevance to cardiovascular risk."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Circ Res (2005)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1161/01.RES.0000196557.93717.95"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1161/01.RES.0000196557.93717.95"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "16293791"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16293791"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 6, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Xiaochun Long, Darla L Tharp, Mary A Georger, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "The smooth muscle cell-restricted KCNMB1 ion channel subunit is a direct transcriptional target of serum response factor and myocardin."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Biol Chem (2009)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1074/jbc.M109.050419"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M109.050419"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "19801679"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19801679"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 7, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Yong-Tae Ahn, Yu-Mee Kim, Eloa Adams, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α regulates KCNMB1 expression in human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol (2012)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1152/ajplung.00302.2011"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1152/ajplung.00302.2011"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "22114151"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22114151"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 8, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Dai-Min Zhang, Tongrong He, Zvonimir S Katusic, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Muscle-specific f-box only proteins facilitate bk channel β(1) subunit downregulation in vascular smooth muscle cells of diabetes mellitus."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Circ Res (2010)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.110.228361"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.110.228361"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "20966391"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20966391"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 9, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Fu Yi, Huan Wang, Qiang Chai, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Regulation of large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channel β1 subunit expression by muscle RING finger protein 1 in diabetic vessels."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Biol Chem (2014)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1074/jbc.M113.520940"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M113.520940"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "24570002"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24570002"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 10, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Iurii Semenov, Bin Wang, Jeremiah T Herlihy, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "BK channel β1 subunits regulate airway contraction secondary to M2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor mediated depolarization."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Physiol (2011)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1113/jphysiol.2010.204347"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2010.204347"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "21300746"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21300746"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 11, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Rui Liu, Zheng Zhang, Huan Liu, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Human β-defensin 2 is a novel opener of Ca2+-activated potassium channels and induces vasodilation and hypotension in monkeys."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Hypertension (2013)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.111.01076"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.111.01076"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "23734009"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23734009"}]}]}]}
Synonyms	BKBETA1, K(VCA)BETA-1, K(VCA)BETA, SLO-BETA-1, SLO-BETA, HBETA1, HSLO-BETA
Proteins	KCMB1_HUMAN
NCBI Gene ID	3779
API
Download Associations
Predicted Functions
Co-expressed Genes
Expression in Tissues and Cell Lines

Functional Associations

KCNMB1 has 4,298 functional associations with biological entities spanning 8 categories (molecular profile, organism, chemical, functional term, phrase or reference, disease, phenotype or trait, structural feature, cell line, cell type or tissue, gene, protein or microRNA) extracted from 109 datasets.

Click the + buttons to view associations for KCNMB1 from the datasets below.

If available, associations are ranked by standardized value

Harmonizome 3.0

KCNMB1 Gene

Functional Associations

Please acknowledge the Harmonizome in your publications by citing the following reference(s):

	Dataset	Summary
	Allen Brain Atlas Adult Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	tissues with high or low expression of KCNMB1 gene relative to other tissues from the Allen Brain Atlas Adult Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Adult Mouse Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	tissues with high or low expression of KCNMB1 gene relative to other tissues from the Allen Brain Atlas Adult Mouse Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Aging Dementia and Traumatic Brain Injury Tissue Sample Gene Expression Profiles	tissue samples with high or low expression of KCNMB1 gene relative to other tissue samples from the Allen Brain Atlas Aging Dementia and Traumatic Brain Injury Tissue Sample Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by Microarray	tissue samples with high or low expression of KCNMB1 gene relative to other tissue samples from the Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by Microarray dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by RNA-seq	tissue samples with high or low expression of KCNMB1 gene relative to other tissue samples from the Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by RNA-seq dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Prenatal Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	tissues with high or low expression of KCNMB1 gene relative to other tissues from the Allen Brain Atlas Prenatal Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	BioGPS Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles	cell lines with high or low expression of KCNMB1 gene relative to other cell lines from the BioGPS Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	BioGPS Human Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	cell types and tissues with high or low expression of KCNMB1 gene relative to other cell types and tissues from the BioGPS Human Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	BioGPS Mouse Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	cell types and tissues with high or low expression of KCNMB1 gene relative to other cell types and tissues from the BioGPS Mouse Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Carcinogenome Chemical Perturbation Carcinogenicity Signatures	small molecule perturbations changing expression of KCNMB1 gene from the Carcinogenome Chemical Perturbation Carcinogenicity Signatures dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles	cell lines with high or low copy number of KCNMB1 gene relative to other cell lines from the CCLE Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles	cell lines with high or low expression of KCNMB1 gene relative to other cell lines from the CCLE Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	CellMarker Gene-Cell Type Associations	cell types associated with KCNMB1 gene from the CellMarker Gene-Cell Type Associations dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles	transcription factor binding site profiles with transcription factor binding evidence at the promoter of KCNMB1 gene from the CHEA Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of KCNMB1 gene in low- or high-throughput transcription factor functional studies from the CHEA Transcription Factor Targets dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Targets 2022	transcription factors binding the promoter of KCNMB1 gene in low- or high-throughput transcription factor functional studies from the CHEA Transcription Factor Targets 2022 dataset.
	CMAP Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Small Molecules	small molecule perturbations changing expression of KCNMB1 gene from the CMAP Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Small Molecules dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components containing KCNMB1 protein from the COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025	cellular components containing KCNMB1 protein from the COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components co-occuring with KCNMB1 protein in abstracts of biomedical publications from the COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025	cellular components co-occuring with KCNMB1 protein in abstracts of biomedical publications from the COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	COSMIC Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles	cell lines with high or low copy number of KCNMB1 gene relative to other cell lines from the COSMIC Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles dataset.
	COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles	cell lines with KCNMB1 gene mutations from the COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles dataset.
	CTD Gene-Chemical Interactions	chemicals interacting with KCNMB1 gene/protein from the curated CTD Gene-Chemical Interactions dataset.
	CTD Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with KCNMB1 gene/protein from the curated CTD Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	DepMap CRISPR Gene Dependency	cell lines with fitness changed by KCNMB1 gene knockdown relative to other cell lines from the DepMap CRISPR Gene Dependency dataset.
	DISEASES Experimental Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores 2025	diseases associated with KCNMB1 gene in GWAS datasets from the DISEASES Experimental Gene-Disease Assocation Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores	diseases co-occuring with KCNMB1 gene in abstracts of biomedical publications from the DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Assocation Evidence Scores dataset.
	DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores 2025	diseases co-occuring with KCNMB1 gene in abstracts of biomedical publications from the DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Assocation Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	DisGeNET Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with KCNMB1 gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the DisGeNET Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	DisGeNET Gene-Phenotype Associations	phenotypes associated with KCNMB1 gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the DisGeNET Gene-Phenoptype Associations dataset.
	DrugBank Drug Targets	interacting drugs for KCNMB1 protein from the curated DrugBank Drug Targets dataset.
	ENCODE Histone Modification Site Profiles	histone modification site profiles with high histone modification abundance at KCNMB1 gene from the ENCODE Histone Modification Site Profiles dataset.
	ENCODE Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles	transcription factor binding site profiles with transcription factor binding evidence at the promoter of KCNMB1 gene from the ENCODE Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ENCODE Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of KCNMB1 gene in ChIP-seq datasets from the ENCODE Transcription Factor Targets dataset.
	ESCAPE Omics Signatures of Genes and Proteins for Stem Cells	PubMedIDs of publications reporting gene signatures containing KCNMB1 from the ESCAPE Omics Signatures of Genes and Proteins for Stem Cells dataset.
	GAD Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with KCNMB1 gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the GAD Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	GAD High Level Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with KCNMB1 gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the GAD High Level Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	GDSC Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles	cell lines with high or low expression of KCNMB1 gene relative to other cell lines from the GDSC Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	GeneRIF Biological Term Annotations	biological terms co-occuring with KCNMB1 gene in literature-supported statements describing functions of genes from the GeneRIF Biological Term Annotations dataset.