Description
Ion channel that contributes to passive transmembrane potassium transport (PubMed:23169818). Reversibly converts between a voltage-insensitive potassium leak channel and a voltage-dependent outward rectifying potassium channel in a phosphorylation-dependent manner (PubMed:11319556). In astrocytes, forms mostly heterodimeric potassium channels with KCNK1, with only a minor proportion of functional channels containing homodimeric KCNK2. In astrocytes, the heterodimer formed by KCNK1 and KCNK2 is required for rapid glutamate release in response to activation of G-protein coupled receptors, such as F2R and CNR1