Term Name: inward rectifier potassium channel activity
Synonyms: Kir channel activity
Definition: Enables the transmembrane transfer of a potassium ion by an inwardly-rectifying voltage-gated channel. An inwardly rectifying current-voltage relation is one where at any given driving force the inward flow of K+ ions exceeds the outward flow for the opposite driving force. The inward-rectification is due to a voltage-dependent block of the channel pore by a specific ligand or ligands, and as a result the macroscopic conductance depends on the difference between membrane voltage and the K+ equilibrium potential rather than on membrane voltage itself.
Ontology: GO: Molecular Function [GO:0005242]    QuickGO    AmiGO

Relationships
is a type of: ligand-gated monoatomic cation channel activity voltage-gated potassium channel activity
has subtype: ATP-activated inward rectifier potassium channel activity G-protein activated inward rectifier potassium channel activity
negatively regulated by: inward rectifier potassium channel inhibitor activity negative regulation of inward rectifier potassium channel activity