In retinal Müller glia cells, mRNA for both Kir3.1 and Kir3.2 was detected (Raap et al., 2002) and immunoreactivity for Kir3.1 was found in cultured astrocytes from rat cortex and spinal cord, as well as in glioma cells (Olsen and Sontheimer, 2004). Here, KCNJ3 is linked to central nervous system cancer.