Overexpression of a Short Sulfonylurea Splice Variant Increases Cardiac Glucose Uptake and Uncouples Mitochondria by Regulating ROMK Activity.

The mitochondrial splice variant of the sulfonylurea receptor (SUR2A-55) is associated with protection from myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury, increased mitochondrial ATP sensitive K channel activity (mitoK) and altered glucose metabolism. While mitoK channels composed of CCDC51 and ABCB8 exist, the mitochondrial K pore regulated by SUR2A-55 is unknown. We explored whether SUR2A-55 regulates ROMK to form an alternate mitoK.