KCNJ16 and EAST syndrome: The fact that Kir4.1 (KCNJ10) and Kir5.1 (KCNJ16) function as heteromers in the distal convoluted tubule (DCT; Lourdel et al., 2002) suggested that the effects of loss-of-function mutations in Kir5.1 would be similar to those in Kir4.1 found in EAST/SeSAME syndrome.