Neuronal potassium channel subunits of the KCNQ (Kv7) family underlie M-current (I M), and may also underlie the slow potassium current at the node of Ranvier, I Ks. IM and IKs are outwardly rectifying currents that regulate excitability of neurons and myelinated axons, respectively. Studies of native IM and heterologously expressed Kv7 subunits suggest that, in vivo, KCNQ channels exist within heterogeneous, multicomponent protein complexes. KCNQ channel properties are regulated by protein phosphorylation, protein-protein interactions, and protein-lipid interactions within such complexes. To better understand the regulation of neuronal KCNQ channels, we searched directly for posttranslational modifications on KCNQ2͞KCNQ3 channels in vivo by using mass spectrometry. Here we describe two sites of phosphorylation. One site, specific for KCNQ3, appears functionally silent in electrophysiological assays but is located in a domain previously shown to be important for subunit tetramerization. Mutagenesis and electrophysiological studies of the second site, located in the S4 -S5 intracellular loop of all KCNQ subunits, reveal a mechanism of channel inhibition.KCNQ ͉ M-channel ͉ S4 -S5 loop ͉ potassium channels ͉ neuromodulation K CNQ2͞KCNQ3 heteromeric channels are voltage-gated potassium channels that limit repetitive firing of neurons. They underlie M-current (1), a slow, noninactivating potassium current named for its modulation by muscarinic agonists (2). Some KCNQ2͞KCNQ3 subunits reside in axon initial segments and nodes of Ranvier, where action potentials initiate and propagate (3-5). Thus, potent control over neuronal firing patterns exerted by KCNQ2͞KCNQ3 channels reflects both their functionality and their strategic subcellular positioning.Underscoring this physiological importance, mutations of KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 cause human disorders of neural hyperexcitability, including myokymia (6) and benign familial neonatal convulsions (BFNC) (7-9). Although BFNC is a penetrant, dominantly inherited disorder, some pathogenic mutations reduce channel activity as little as 20% (10). Transgenic mice expressing a dominant-negative KCNQ2 mutation show increased neuronal excitability, hyperactive behavior, and spontaneous epileptic seizures (11).Regulated inhibition of KCNQ channels by metabotropic neurotransmission underlies an important form of plasticity in vertebrate sympathetic and central neurons (12, 13). PIP 2 depletion is the likely mechanism mediating the classic muscarinic inhibition of M-current (14-16), but other mechanisms, including phosphorylation, may contribute to channel modulation by other neurotransmitters (16). Indeed, KCNQ1 and KCNQ2 subunits associate with a variety of kinases and phosphatases via A-kinase anchor proteins (17)(18)(19)(20), and mutational studies implicate KCNQ2͞KCNQ3 phosphorylation sites for channel regulation by protein kinase A (PKA), protein kinase C (PKC), and src tyrosine kinase (10, 19, 21, 22). KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 subunits possess large intracellular domains containing many additiona...