Riel et al. screened K+ channels of the K2P family for sensitivity to polyanionic lipids, such as PIP2 and oleoyl-CoA. They show that these lipids activate or inhibit individual channels with different affinity and establish them as potential effectors to regulate channel activity.

This communication investigates the effect of extracellular BTP2 on electrically evoked Ca2+ release in intact skeletal muscle fibers. The results demonstrate that acute exposure to 10 μM BTP2 does not significantly affect the magnitude or kinetics of electrically evoked Ca2+ release.

Boukens and colleagues show that changes in ventricular repolarization in the ectothermic ball python are modulated by the sympathetic nervous system and not directly by changes in temperature. Their work shows that regulation of this process is conserved between pythons and mammals.

Millet et al. show that the C. elegans orthologue of the PIEZO family, PEZO-1, is a mechanosensitive ion channel involved in food sensation and in regulating pharyngeal function in the nematode.

Chen et al. computationally model the open conformation of the hASIC1a channel to predict that mutations that eliminate channel selectivity cause a widening of the GAS belt. Their findings implicate the GAS belt diameter in channel kinetics and ion selectivity.

Albadrani et al. studied the potential of angiotensin 1–7 to prevent the atrophy that normally ensues muscle denervation. Increasing angiotensin 1–7 levels do not prevent muscle mass loss in denervated muscles but maintain normalized tetanic force to cross-sectional area and membrane excitability for up to 28 d.

Morris et al. use a computational model of Pump-Leak/Donnan ion homeostasis to suggest that the Donnan dominated steady-state of skeletal muscle fibers underpins their longevity in the face of the structural and metabolic injuries incurred with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.