Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels represent the most complex class of voltage-gated ion channels from both functional and structural standpoints. Their diverse functions include regulating neurotransmitter release, heart rate, insulin secretion, neuronal excitability, epithelial electrolyte transport, smooth muscle contraction, and cell volume. This gene encodes a member of the potassium channel, voltage-gated, subfamily G. This member functions as a modulatory subunit. The gene has strong expression in brain. Multiple alternatively spliced variants have been found in normal and cancerous tissues. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008].