1
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Chen YN, Liu YZ, Sun Q. The Molecular Mechanism of Ion Selectivity in Nanopores. Molecules 2024; 29:853. [PMID: 38398605 PMCID: PMC10891634 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29040853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Ion channels exhibit strong selectivity for specific ions over others under electrochemical potentials, such as KcsA for K+ over Na+. Based on the thermodynamic analysis, this study is focused on exploring the mechanism of ion selectivity in nanopores. It is well known that ions must lose part of their hydration layer to enter the channel. Therefore, the ion selectivity of a channel is due to the rearrangement of water molecules when entering the nanopore, which may be related to the hydrophobic interactions between ions and channels. In our recent works on hydrophobic interactions, with reference to the critical radius of solute (Rc), it was divided into initial and hydrophobic solvation processes. Additionally, the different dissolved behaviors of solutes in water are expected in various processes, such as dispersed and accumulated distributions in water. Correspondingly, as the ion approaches the nanopore, there seems to exist the "repulsive" or "attractive" forces between them. In the initial process (
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Qiang Sun
- Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, The School of Earth and Space Sciences, Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; (Y.-N.C.); (Y.-Z.L.)
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2
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Wang Y, Wang H, Ding W, Zhao X, Li Y, Liu C. Effect of THz Waves of Different Orientations on K + Permeation Efficiency in the KcsA Channel. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:429. [PMID: 38203598 PMCID: PMC10779155 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Potassium (K) channels show the highest variability and most frequent alterations in expression in many tumor types, and modulation of K+ channels may represent a new window for cancer therapy. In previous work, we found that a terahertz (THz) field incident along the z-axis with a frequency of 51.87 THz increased the ion flux through K+ channels. In practice, it is difficult to ensure that the incident electromagnetic (EM) wave is strictly parallel to the direction of channel ion flow. In this paper, we found by changing the direction of the applied electric field that the EM wave of a specific frequency has the largest ion flux when the incident direction is along the ion flow, and the smallest ion flux when the incident direction is perpendicular to the ion flow, and that overall the EM wave of this frequency enhances the ion flow of the K+ channel. Changes in the direction of the applied field at a specific frequency affect the stability of the φ dihedral angle of the GLY77 residue and alter the ion permeation mechanism in the selectivity filter (SF) region, thus affecting the ion flux. Therefore, this frequency can be used to modulate K+ fluxes by THz waves to cause rapid apoptosis in potassium-overloaded tumor cells. This approach consequently represents an important tool for the treatment of cancer and is expected to be applied in practical therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yize Wang
- Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (Y.W.); (W.D.); (X.Z.); (Y.L.); (C.L.)
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
| | - Hongguang Wang
- Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (Y.W.); (W.D.); (X.Z.); (Y.L.); (C.L.)
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
| | - Wen Ding
- Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (Y.W.); (W.D.); (X.Z.); (Y.L.); (C.L.)
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
| | - Xiaofei Zhao
- Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (Y.W.); (W.D.); (X.Z.); (Y.L.); (C.L.)
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
| | - Yongdong Li
- Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (Y.W.); (W.D.); (X.Z.); (Y.L.); (C.L.)
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
| | - Chunliang Liu
- Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (Y.W.); (W.D.); (X.Z.); (Y.L.); (C.L.)
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
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3
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Wang Y, Wang H, Ding W, Zhao X, Li Y, Liu C. Regulation of Ion Permeation of the KcsA Channel by Applied Midinfrared Field. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 24:ijms24010556. [PMID: 36613998 PMCID: PMC9820211 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Ion transport molecules are involved in many physiological and pathological processes and are considered potential targets for cancer treatment. In the large family of ion transport molecules, potassium (K) ion channels, as surface-expressed proteins, show the highest variability and most frequent expression changes in many tumor types. The key to exploring the permeation of K+ through potassium channels lies in the conserved sequence TVGYG, which is common in the selectivity filter (SF) region of all potassium channels. We found that the K+ flux significantly increased with the help of a specific frequency terahertz electromagnetic wave (51.87 THz) in the KcsA channel using a molecular dynamics combined model through the combined simulation of the constant electric field method and ion imbalance method. This frequency has the strongest absorption peak in the infrared spectrum of -C=O groups in the SF region. With the applied electric field of 51.87 THz, the Y78 residue at the S1 site of the SF has a smaller vibration amplitude and a more stable structure, which enables the K+ to bind closely with the carbonyl oxygen atoms in the SF and realize ion conduction in a more efficient direct Coulomb knock-on.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yize Wang
- Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
| | - Hongguang Wang
- Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-18191765263
| | - Wen Ding
- Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
| | - Xiaofei Zhao
- Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
| | - Yongdong Li
- Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
| | - Chunliang Liu
- Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
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4
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Gomez DT, Pratt LR, Asthagiri DN, Rempe SB. Hydrated Anions: From Clusters to Bulk Solution with Quasi-Chemical Theory. Acc Chem Res 2022; 55:2201-2212. [PMID: 35829622 PMCID: PMC9386901 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.2c00078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The interactions of hydrated ions with molecular and macromolecular solution and interface partners are strong on a chemical energy scale. Here, we recount the foremost ab initio theory for the evaluation of the hydration free energies of ions, namely, quasi-chemical theory (QCT). We focus on anions, particularly halides but also the hydroxide anion, because they have been outstanding challenges for all theories. For example, this work supports understanding the high selectivity for F- over Cl- in fluoride-selective ion channels despite the identical charge and the size similarity of these ions. QCT is built by the identification of inner-shell clusters, separate treatment of those clusters, and then the integration of those results into the broader-scale solution environment. Recent work has focused on a close comparison with mass-spectrometric measurements of ion-hydration equilibria. We delineate how ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) calculations on ion-hydration clusters, elementary statistical thermodynamics, and electronic structure calculations on cluster structures sampled from the AIMD calculations obtain just the free energies extracted from the cluster experiments. That theory-experiment comparison has not been attempted before the work discussed here, but the agreement is excellent with moderate computational effort. This agreement reinforces both theory and experiment and provides a numerically accurate inner-shell contribution to QCT. The inner-shell complexes involving heavier halides display strikingly asymmetric hydration clusters. Asymmetric hydration structures can be problematic for the evaluation of the QCT outer-shell contribution with the polarizable continuum model (PCM). Nevertheless, QCT provides a favorable setting for the exploitation of PCM when the inner-shell material shields the ion from the outer solution environment. For the more asymmetrically hydrated, and thus less effectively shielded, heavier halide ions clustered with waters, the PCM is less satisfactory. We therefore investigate an inverse procedure in which the inner-shell structures are sampled from readily available AIMD calculations on the bulk solutions. This inverse procedure is a remarkable improvement; our final results are in close agreement with a standard tabulation of hydration free energies, and the final composite results are independent of the coordination number on the chemical energy scale of relevance, as they should be. Finally, a comparison of anion hydration structure in clusters and bulk solutions from AIMD simulations emphasize some differences: the asymmetries of bulk solution inner-shell structures are moderated compared with clusters but are still present, and inner hydration shells fill to slightly higher average coordination numbers in bulk solution than in clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego T. Gomez
- Department
of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, United States,
| | - Lawrence R. Pratt
- Department
of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, United States,
| | - Dilipkumar N. Asthagiri
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States,
| | - Susan B. Rempe
- Center
for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia
National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, United States,
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5
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Bauer D, Wissmann J, Moroni A, Thiel G, Hamacher K. Weak Cation Selectivity in HCN Channels Results From K +-Mediated Release of Na + From Selectivity Filter Binding Sites. FUNCTION (OXFORD, ENGLAND) 2022; 3:zqac019. [PMID: 36156894 PMCID: PMC9492253 DOI: 10.1093/function/zqac019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels generate the pacemaker current which plays an important role in the timing of various biological processes like the heart beat. We used umbrella sampling to explore the potential of mean force for the conduction of potassium and sodium through the open HCN4 pore. Our data explain distinct functional features like low unitary conductance and weak selectivity as a result of high energetic barriers inside the selectivity filter of this channel. They exceed the 3-5 kJ/mol threshold which is presumed as maximal barrier for diffusion-limited conductance. Furthermore, simulations provide a thermodynamic explanation for the weak cation selectivity of HCN channels that contain only two ion binding sites in the selectivity filter (SF). We find that sodium ions bind more strongly to the SF than potassium and are easier released by binding of potassium than of another sodium. Hence ion transport and selectivity in HCN channels is not determined by the same mechanism as in potassium-selective channels; it rather relies on sodium as a weak blocker that can only be released by potassium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Bauer
- Department of Biology and Centre for Synthetic Biology, TU Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstrasse 3, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Jan Wissmann
- Department of Physics, TU Darmstadt, Schlossgartenstrasse 7, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Anna Moroni
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | | | - Kay Hamacher
- Department of Biology and Centre for Synthetic Biology, TU Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstrasse 3, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany,Department of Physics, TU Darmstadt, Schlossgartenstrasse 7, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany
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6
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Zimmermann MT. Molecular Modeling is an Enabling Approach to Complement and Enhance Channelopathy Research. Compr Physiol 2022; 12:3141-3166. [PMID: 35578963 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c190047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Hundreds of human membrane proteins form channels that transport necessary ions and compounds, including drugs and metabolites, yet details of their normal function or how function is altered by genetic variants to cause diseases are often unknown. Without this knowledge, researchers are less equipped to develop approaches to diagnose and treat channelopathies. High-resolution computational approaches such as molecular modeling enable researchers to investigate channelopathy protein function, facilitate detailed hypothesis generation, and produce data that is difficult to gather experimentally. Molecular modeling can be tailored to each physiologic context that a protein may act within, some of which may currently be difficult or impossible to assay experimentally. Because many genomic variants are observed in channelopathy proteins from high-throughput sequencing studies, methods with mechanistic value are needed to interpret their effects. The eminent field of structural bioinformatics integrates techniques from multiple disciplines including molecular modeling, computational chemistry, biophysics, and biochemistry, to develop mechanistic hypotheses and enhance the information available for understanding function. Molecular modeling and simulation access 3D and time-dependent information, not currently predictable from sequence. Thus, molecular modeling is valuable for increasing the resolution with which the natural function of protein channels can be investigated, and for interpreting how genomic variants alter them to produce physiologic changes that manifest as channelopathies. © 2022 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 12:3141-3166, 2022.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael T Zimmermann
- Bioinformatics Research and Development Laboratory, Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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7
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Mashayekhi G, Vant J, Polavarapu A, Ourmazd A, Singharoy A. Energy landscape of the SARS-CoV-2 reveals extensive conformational heterogeneity. Curr Res Struct Biol 2022; 4:68-77. [PMID: 35284830 PMCID: PMC8902891 DOI: 10.1016/j.crstbi.2022.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has produced a number of structural models of the SARS-CoV-2 spike, already prompting biomedical outcomes. However, these reported models and their associated electrostatic potential maps represent an unknown admixture of conformations stemming from the underlying energy landscape of the spike protein. As with any protein, some of the spike's conformational motions are expected to be biophysically relevant, but cannot be interpreted only by static models. Using experimental cryo-EM images, we present the energy landscape of the glycosylated spike protein, and identify the diversity of low-energy conformations in the vicinity of its open (so called 1RBD-up) state. The resulting atomic refinement reveal global and local molecular rearrangements that cannot be inferred from an average 1RBD-up cryo-EM model. Here we report varied degrees of "openness" in global conformations of the 1RBD-up state, not revealed in the single-model interpretations of the density maps, together with conformations that overlap with the reported models. We discover how the glycan shield contributes to the stability of these low-energy conformations. Five out of six binding sites we analyzed, including those for engaging ACE2, therapeutic mini-proteins, linoleic acid, two different kinds of antibodies, switch conformations between their known apo- and holo-conformations, even when the global spike conformation is 1RBD-up. This apo-to-holo switching is reminiscent of a conformational preequilibrium. We found only one binding site, namely that of AB-C135 remains in apo state within all the sampled free energy-minimizing models, suggesting an induced fit mechanism for the docking of this antibody to the spike.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghoncheh Mashayekhi
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, 3135 N. Maryland Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53211, USA
| | - John Vant
- School of Molecular Sciences, Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| | | | - Abbas Ourmazd
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, 3135 N. Maryland Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53211, USA
| | - Abhishek Singharoy
- School of Molecular Sciences, Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
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8
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Ion permeation, selectivity, and electronic polarization in fluoride channels. Biophys J 2022; 121:1336-1347. [PMID: 35151630 PMCID: PMC9034187 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.02.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fluoride channels (Flucs) export toxic F- from the cytoplasm. Crystallography and mutagenesis have identified several conserved residues crucial for fluoride transport, but the permeation mechanism at the molecular level has remained elusive. Herein, we have applied constant-pH molecular dynamics and free-energy-sampling methods to investigate fluoride permeation through a Fluc protein from Escherichia coli. We find that fluoride is facile to permeate in its charged form, i.e., F-, by traversing through a non-bonded network. The extraordinary F- selectivity is gained by the hydrogen-bonding capability of the central binding site and the Coulombic filter at the channel entrance. The F- permeation rate calculated using an electronically polarizable force field is significantly more accurate compared with the experimental value than that calculated using a more standard additive force field, suggesting an essential role for electronic polarization in the F--Fluc interactions.
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9
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Guardiani C, Cecconi F, Chiodo L, Cottone G, Malgaretti P, Maragliano L, Barabash ML, Camisasca G, Ceccarelli M, Corry B, Roth R, Giacomello A, Roux B. Computational methods and theory for ion channel research. ADVANCES IN PHYSICS: X 2022; 7:2080587. [PMID: 35874965 PMCID: PMC9302924 DOI: 10.1080/23746149.2022.2080587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Ion channels are fundamental biological devices that act as gates in order to ensure selective ion transport across cellular membranes; their operation constitutes the molecular mechanism through which basic biological functions, such as nerve signal transmission and muscle contraction, are carried out. Here, we review recent results in the field of computational research on ion channels, covering theoretical advances, state-of-the-art simulation approaches, and frontline modeling techniques. We also report on few selected applications of continuum and atomistic methods to characterize the mechanisms of permeation, selectivity, and gating in biological and model channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Guardiani
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica e Aerospaziale, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - F. Cecconi
- CNR - Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi, Rome, Italy and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, INFN, Roma1 section. 00185, Roma, Italy
| | - L. Chiodo
- Department of Engineering, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy
| | - G. Cottone
- Department of Physics and Chemistry-Emilio Segrè, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - P. Malgaretti
- Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (IEK-11), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Erlangen, Germany
| | - L. Maragliano
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy, and Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - M. L. Barabash
- Department of Materials Science and Nanoengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - G. Camisasca
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica e Aerospaziale, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
| | - M. Ceccarelli
- Department of Physics and CNR-IOM, University of Cagliari, Monserrato 09042-IT, Italy
| | - B. Corry
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | - R. Roth
- Institut Für Theoretische Physik, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - A. Giacomello
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica e Aerospaziale, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - B. Roux
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago IL, USA
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10
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Jing Z, Rackers JA, Pratt LR, Liu C, Rempe SB, Ren P. Thermodynamics of ion binding and occupancy in potassium channels. Chem Sci 2021; 12:8920-8930. [PMID: 34257893 PMCID: PMC8246295 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc01887f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Potassium channels modulate various cellular functions through efficient and selective conduction of K+ ions. The mechanism of ion conduction in potassium channels has recently emerged as a topic of debate. Crystal structures of potassium channels show four K+ ions bound to adjacent binding sites in the selectivity filter, while chemical intuition and molecular modeling suggest that the direct ion contacts are unstable. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been instrumental in the study of conduction and gating mechanisms of ion channels. Based on MD simulations, two hypotheses have been proposed, in which the four-ion configuration is an artifact due to either averaged structures or low temperature in crystallographic experiments. The two hypotheses have been supported or challenged by different experiments. Here, MD simulations with polarizable force fields validated by ab initio calculations were used to investigate the ion binding thermodynamics. Contrary to previous beliefs, the four-ion configuration was predicted to be thermodynamically stable after accounting for the complex electrostatic interactions and dielectric screening. Polarization plays a critical role in the thermodynamic stabilities. As a result, the ion conduction likely operates through a simple single-vacancy and water-free mechanism. The simulations explained crystal structures, ion binding experiments and recent controversial mutagenesis experiments. This work provides a clear view of the mechanism underlying the efficient ion conduction and demonstrates the importance of polarization in ion channel simulations. Polarization shapes the energy landscape of ion conduction in potassium channels.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhifeng Jing
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas 78712 USA
| | - Joshua A Rackers
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia National Laboratories Albuquerque New Mexico 87185 USA
| | - Lawrence R Pratt
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Tulane University New Orleans Louisiana 70118 USA
| | - Chengwen Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas 78712 USA
| | - Susan B Rempe
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia National Laboratories Albuquerque New Mexico 87185 USA
| | - Pengyu Ren
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas 78712 USA
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11
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Negoro T, Hirata K, Lisy JM, Ishiuchi SI, Fujii M. Potassium and sodium ion complexes with a partial peptide of the selectivity filter in K + channels studied by cold ion trap infrared spectroscopy: the effect of hydration. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:12045-12050. [PMID: 34075971 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp00936b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Potassium channels allow K+ to rapidly diffuse, while the selectivity filter (SF) actively blocks Na+. The presence of water in the SF during ion translocation remains under debate due to the experimental and computational challenges in characterizing the interactions between water, ions, and the SF. Our bottom-up approach has been applied to a system composed of a partial peptide of the SF (Ac-tyrosine-NHMe) with a metal ion and a single water molecule to probe these interactions. The IR photodissociation spectra of M+Ac-tyrosine-NHMe(H2O) (M = Na, K) combined with quantum chemical calculations revealed that the water molecule binding sites are ion-dependent. In addition, the ion-peptide distances are elongated significantly for the K+ complex in comparison to the Na+ complex by the addition of a single water molecule. This striking structural difference with the water molecule is discussed in relation to ion selectivity and translocation within the K+ channel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takumi Negoro
- Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8503, Japan. and School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-8503, Japan
| | - Keisuke Hirata
- Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8503, Japan. and Tokyo Tech World Research Hub Initiative (WRHI), Institute of Innovation Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, 226-8503, Japan. and Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan
| | - James M Lisy
- Tokyo Tech World Research Hub Initiative (WRHI), Institute of Innovation Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, 226-8503, Japan. and Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Shun-Ichi Ishiuchi
- Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8503, Japan. and Tokyo Tech World Research Hub Initiative (WRHI), Institute of Innovation Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, 226-8503, Japan. and Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan
| | - Masaaki Fujii
- Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8503, Japan. and School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-8503, Japan and Tokyo Tech World Research Hub Initiative (WRHI), Institute of Innovation Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, 226-8503, Japan.
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12
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Gibby WAT, Barabash ML, Guardiani C, Luchinsky DG, McClintock PVE. Physics of Selective Conduction and Point Mutation in Biological Ion Channels. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 126:218102. [PMID: 34114848 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.126.218102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We introduce a statistical and linear response theory of selective conduction in biological ion channels with multiple binding sites and possible point mutation. We derive an effective grand-canonical ensemble and generalized Einstein relations for the selectivity filter, assuming strongly coordinated ionic motion, and allowing for ionic Coulomb blockade. The theory agrees well with data from the KcsA K^{+} channel and a mutant. We show that the Eisenman relations for thermodynamic selectivity follow from the condition for fast conduction and find that maximum conduction requires the binding sites to be nearly identical.
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Affiliation(s)
- W A T Gibby
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - M L Barabash
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - C Guardiani
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University, Rome 00184, Italy
| | - D G Luchinsky
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
- KBR Inc., Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Mountain View, California 94035, USA
| | - P V E McClintock
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
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Mashayekhi G, Vant J, Singharoy A, Ourmazd A. Energy Landscape of the SARS-CoV-2 Reveals Extensive Conformational Heterogeneity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2021. [PMID: 34013265 DOI: 10.1101/2021.05.11.443708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has produced a number of structural models of the SARS-CoV-2 spike, already prompting biomedical outcomes. However, these reported models and their associated electrostatic potential maps represent an unknown admixture of conformations stemming from the underlying energy landscape of the spike protein. As for any protein, some of the spike's conformational motions are expected to be biophysically relevant, but cannot be interpreted only by static models. Using experimental cryo-EM images, we present the energy landscape of the spike protein conformations, and identify molecular rearrangements along the most-likely conformational path in the vicinity of the open (so called 1RBD-up) state. The resulting global and local atomic refinements reveal larger movements than those expected by comparing the reported 1RBD-up and 1RBD-down cryo-EM models. Here we report greater degrees of "openness" in global conformations of the 1RBD-up state, not revealed in the single-model interpretations of the density maps, together with conformations that overlap with the reported models. We discover how the glycan shield contributes to the stability of these conformations along the minimum free-energy pathway. A local analysis of seven key binding pockets reveals that six out them, including those for engaging ACE2, therapeutic mini-proteins, linoleic acid, two different kinds of antibodies, and protein-glycan interaction sites, switch conformations between their known apo- and holo-conformations, even when the global spike conformation is 1RBD-up. This is reminiscent of a conformational pre-equilibrium. We found only one binding pocket, namely antibody AB-C135 to remain closed along the entire minimum free energy path, suggesting an induced fit mechanism for this enzyme.
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14
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Rao S, Klesse G, Lynch CI, Tucker SJ, Sansom MSP. Molecular Simulations of Hydrophobic Gating of Pentameric Ligand Gated Ion Channels: Insights into Water and Ions. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:981-994. [PMID: 33439645 PMCID: PMC7869105 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c09285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 12/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Ion channels are proteins which form gated nanopores in biological membranes. Many channels exhibit hydrophobic gating, whereby functional closure of a pore occurs by local dewetting. The pentameric ligand gated ion channels (pLGICs) provide a biologically important example of hydrophobic gating. Molecular simulation studies comparing additive vs polarizable models indicate predictions of hydrophobic gating are robust to the model employed. However, polarizable models suggest favorable interactions of hydrophobic pore-lining regions with chloride ions, of relevance to both synthetic carriers and channel proteins. Electrowetting of a closed pLGIC hydrophobic gate requires too high a voltage to occur physiologically but may inform designs for switchable nanopores. Global analysis of ∼200 channels yields a simple heuristic for structure-based prediction of (closed) hydrophobic gates. Simulation-based analysis is shown to provide an aid to interpretation of functional states of new channel structures. These studies indicate the importance of understanding the behavior of water and ions within the nanoconfined environment presented by ion channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanlin Rao
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K.
| | - Gianni Klesse
- Clarendon
Laboratory, Department of Physics, University
of Oxford, Oxford, U.K.
| | | | - Stephen J. Tucker
- Clarendon
Laboratory, Department of Physics, University
of Oxford, Oxford, U.K.
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15
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Lynch C, Rao S, Sansom MSP. Water in Nanopores and Biological Channels: A Molecular Simulation Perspective. Chem Rev 2020; 120:10298-10335. [PMID: 32841020 PMCID: PMC7517714 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
This Review explores the dynamic behavior of water within nanopores and biological channels in lipid bilayer membranes. We focus on molecular simulation studies, alongside selected structural and other experimental investigations. Structures of biological nanopores and channels are reviewed, emphasizing those high-resolution crystal structures, which reveal water molecules within the transmembrane pores, which can be used to aid the interpretation of simulation studies. Different levels of molecular simulations of water within nanopores are described, with a focus on molecular dynamics (MD). In particular, models of water for MD simulations are discussed in detail to provide an evaluation of their use in simulations of water in nanopores. Simulation studies of the behavior of water in idealized models of nanopores have revealed aspects of the organization and dynamics of nanoconfined water, including wetting/dewetting in narrow hydrophobic nanopores. A survey of simulation studies in a range of nonbiological nanopores is presented, including carbon nanotubes, synthetic nanopores, model peptide nanopores, track-etched nanopores in polymer membranes, and hydroxylated and functionalized nanoporous silica. These reveal a complex relationship between pore size/geometry, the nature of the pore lining, and rates of water transport. Wider nanopores with hydrophobic linings favor water flow whereas narrower hydrophobic pores may show dewetting. Simulation studies over the past decade of the behavior of water in a range of biological nanopores are described, including porins and β-barrel protein nanopores, aquaporins and related polar solute pores, and a number of different classes of ion channels. Water is shown to play a key role in proton transport in biological channels and in hydrophobic gating of ion channels. An overall picture emerges, whereby the behavior of water in a nanopore may be predicted as a function of its hydrophobicity and radius. This informs our understanding of the functions of diverse channel structures and will aid the design of novel nanopores. Thus, our current level of understanding allows for the design of a nanopore which promotes wetting over dewetting or vice versa. However, to design a novel nanopore, which enables fast, selective, and gated flow of water de novo would remain challenging, suggesting a need for further detailed simulations alongside experimental evaluation of more complex nanopore systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte
I. Lynch
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, U.K.
| | - Shanlin Rao
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, U.K.
| | - Mark S. P. Sansom
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, U.K.
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16
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Dashti A, Mashayekhi G, Shekhar M, Ben Hail D, Salah S, Schwander P, des Georges A, Singharoy A, Frank J, Ourmazd A. Retrieving functional pathways of biomolecules from single-particle snapshots. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4734. [PMID: 32948759 PMCID: PMC7501871 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18403-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A primary reason for the intense interest in structural biology is the fact that knowledge of structure can elucidate macromolecular functions in living organisms. Sustained effort has resulted in an impressive arsenal of tools for determining the static structures. But under physiological conditions, macromolecules undergo continuous conformational changes, a subset of which are functionally important. Techniques for capturing the continuous conformational changes underlying function are essential for further progress. Here, we present chemically-detailed conformational movies of biological function, extracted data-analytically from experimental single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) snapshots of ryanodine receptor type 1 (RyR1), a calcium-activated calcium channel engaged in the binding of ligands. The functional motions differ substantially from those inferred from static structures in the nature of conformationally active structural domains, the sequence and extent of conformational motions, and the way allosteric signals are transduced within and between domains. Our approach highlights the importance of combining experiment, advanced data analysis, and molecular simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Dashti
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, 3135 N. Maryland Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53211, USA
| | - Ghoncheh Mashayekhi
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, 3135 N. Maryland Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53211, USA
| | - Mrinal Shekhar
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 405 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
- School of Molecular Sciences, Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| | - Danya Ben Hail
- Structural Biology Initiative, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, 10031, USA
| | - Salah Salah
- Structural Biology Initiative, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, 10031, USA
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, City College of New York, New York, NY, 10031, USA
- Ph.D. Programs in Physics, Chemistry & Biochemistry, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Peter Schwander
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, 3135 N. Maryland Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53211, USA
| | - Amedee des Georges
- Structural Biology Initiative, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, 10031, USA.
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, City College of New York, New York, NY, 10031, USA.
- Ph.D. Programs in Physics, Chemistry & Biochemistry, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
| | - Abhishek Singharoy
- School of Molecular Sciences, Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
| | - Joachim Frank
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, 2-221 Black Building, 650 West 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, 600 Fairchild Center, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
| | - Abbas Ourmazd
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, 3135 N. Maryland Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53211, USA.
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17
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Shirts MR, Ferguson AL. Statistically Optimal Continuous Free Energy Surfaces from Biased Simulations and Multistate Reweighting. J Chem Theory Comput 2020; 16:4107-4125. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.0c00077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael R. Shirts
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Andrew L. Ferguson
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
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18
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Selectivity filter modalities and rapid inactivation of the hERG1 channel. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:2795-2804. [PMID: 31980532 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1909196117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The human ether-á-go-go-related gene (hERG1) channel conducts small outward K+ currents that are critical for cardiomyocyte membrane repolarization. The gain-of-function mutation N629D at the outer mouth of the selectivity filter (SF) disrupts inactivation and K+-selective transport in hERG1, leading to arrhythmogenic phenotypes associated with long-QT syndrome. Here, we combined computational electrophysiology with Markov state model analysis to investigate how SF-level gating modalities control selective cation transport in wild-type (WT) and mutant (N629D) hERG1 variants. Starting from the recently reported cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) open-state channel structure, multiple microseconds-long molecular-dynamics (MD) trajectories were generated using different cation configurations at the filter, voltages, electrolyte concentrations, and force-field parameters. Most of the K+ permeation events observed in hERG1-WT simulations occurred at microsecond timescales, influenced by the spontaneous dehydration/rehydration dynamics at the filter. The SF region displayed conductive, constricted, occluded, and dilated states, in qualitative agreement with the well-documented flickering conductance of hERG1. In line with mutagenesis studies, these gating modalities resulted from dynamic interaction networks involving residues from the SF, outer-mouth vestibule, P-helices, and S5-P segments. We found that N629D mutation significantly stabilizes the SF in a state that is permeable to both K+ and Na+, which is reminiscent of the SF in the nonselective bacterial NaK channel. Increasing the external K+ concentration induced "WT-like" SF dynamics in N629D, in qualitative agreement with the recovery of flickering currents in experiments. Overall, our findings provide an understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling selective transport in K+ channels with a nonconventional SF sequence.
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19
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Muralidharan A, Pratt L, Chaudhari M, Rempe S. Quasi-chemical theory for anion hydration and specific ion effects: Cl-(aq) vs. F-(aq). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cpletx.2019.100037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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20
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Pieńko T, Trylska J. Computational Methods Used to Explore Transport Events in Biological Systems. J Chem Inf Model 2019; 59:1772-1781. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.8b00974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Pieńko
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, S. Banacha 2c, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Drug Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy with the Laboratory Medicine Division, Medical University of Warsaw, S. Banacha 1a, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Joanna Trylska
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, S. Banacha 2c, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
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21
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Li J, Ostmeyer J, Cuello LG, Perozo E, Roux B. Rapid constriction of the selectivity filter underlies C-type inactivation in the KcsA potassium channel. J Gen Physiol 2018; 150:1408-1420. [PMID: 30072373 PMCID: PMC6168234 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201812082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
C-type inactivation in K+ channels is thought to be a result of constriction of the selectivity filter. By using MD simulations, Li et al. show that rapid constriction occurs within 1–2 s when the intracellular activation gate is fully open, but not when the gate is closed or partially open. C-type inactivation is a time-dependent process observed in many K+ channels whereby prolonged activation by an external stimulus leads to a reduction in ionic conduction. While C-type inactivation is thought to be a result of a constriction of the selectivity filter, the local dynamics of the process remain elusive. Here, we use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the KcsA channel to elucidate the nature of kinetically delayed activation/inactivation gating coupling. Microsecond-scale MD simulations based on the truncated form of the KcsA channel (C-terminal domain deleted) provide a first glimpse of the onset of C-type inactivation. We observe over multiple trajectories that the selectivity filter consistently undergoes a spontaneous and rapid (within 1–2 µs) transition to a constricted conformation when the intracellular activation gate is fully open, but remains in the conductive conformation when the activation gate is closed or partially open. Multidimensional umbrella sampling potential of mean force calculations and nonequilibrium voltage-driven simulations further confirm these observations. Electrophysiological measurements show that the truncated form of the KcsA channel inactivates faster and greater than full-length KcsA, which is consistent with truncated KcsA opening to a greater degree because of the absence of the C-terminal domain restraint. Together, these results imply that the observed kinetics underlying activation/inactivation gating reflect a rapid conductive-to-constricted transition of the selectivity filter that is allosterically controlled by the slow opening of the intracellular gate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Jared Ostmeyer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Luis G Cuello
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX
| | - Eduardo Perozo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Benoît Roux
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
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22
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Napolitano LMR, Marchesi A, Rodriguez A, De March M, Onesti S, Laio A, Torre V. The permeation mechanism of organic cations through a CNG mimic channel. PLoS Comput Biol 2018; 14:e1006295. [PMID: 30071012 PMCID: PMC6091977 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Revised: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Several channels, ranging from TRP receptors to Gap junctions, allow the exchange of small organic solute across cell membrane. However, very little is known about the molecular mechanism of their permeation. Cyclic Nucleotide Gated (CNG) channels, despite their homology with K+ channels and in contrast with them, allow the passage of larger methylated and ethylated ammonium ions like dimethylammonium (DMA) and ethylammonium (EA). We combined electrophysiology and molecular dynamics simulations to examine how DMA interacts with the pore and permeates through it. Due to the presence of hydrophobic groups, DMA enters easily in the channel and, unlike the alkali cations, does not need to cross any barrier. We also show that while the crystal structure is consistent with the presence of a single DMA ion at full occupancy, the channel is able to conduct a sizable current of DMA ions only when two ions are present inside the channel. Moreover, the second DMA ion dramatically changes the free energy landscape, destabilizing the crystallographic binding site and lowering by almost 25 kJ/mol the binding affinity between DMA and the channel. Based on the results of the simulation the experimental electron density maps can be re-interpreted with the presence of a second ion at lower occupancy. In this mechanism the flexibility of the channel plays a key role, extending the classical multi-ion permeation paradigm in which conductance is enhanced by the plain interaction between the ions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa M. R. Napolitano
- International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
- Structural Biology Laboratory, Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., Basovizza, Trieste, Italy
| | - Arin Marchesi
- INSERM U1006, Aix-Marseille Université, Parc Scientifique et Technologique de Luminy, Marseille, France
| | - Alex Rodriguez
- International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Matteo De March
- Structural Biology Laboratory, Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., Basovizza, Trieste, Italy
| | - Silvia Onesti
- Structural Biology Laboratory, Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., Basovizza, Trieste, Italy
| | - Alessandro Laio
- International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
- ICTP, International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy
| | - Vincent Torre
- International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
- Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering (CNITECH), Nigbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhejiang, P.R. China
- Center of Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China
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23
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Kopec W, Köpfer DA, Vickery ON, Bondarenko AS, Jansen TLC, de Groot BL, Zachariae U. Direct knock-on of desolvated ions governs strict ion selectivity in K+ channels. Nat Chem 2018; 10:813-820. [DOI: 10.1038/s41557-018-0105-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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24
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Paz SA, Maragliano L, Abrams CF. Effect of Intercalated Water on Potassium Ion Transport through Kv1.2 Channels Studied via On-the-Fly Free-Energy Parametrization. J Chem Theory Comput 2018; 14:2743-2750. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.8b00024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- S. Alexis Paz
- Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Departamento de Química Teórica y Computacional, Córdoba, Argentina
- INFIQC, CONICET, X5000HUA, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Luca Maragliano
- Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Cameron F. Abrams
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
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25
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Gianti E, Carnevale V. Computational Approaches to Studying Voltage-Gated Ion Channel Modulation by General Anesthetics. Methods Enzymol 2018; 602:25-59. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2018.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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26
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Ion channels and ion selectivity. Essays Biochem 2017; 61:201-209. [PMID: 28487397 DOI: 10.1042/ebc20160074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2016] [Revised: 02/16/2017] [Accepted: 03/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Specific macromolecular transport systems, ion channels and pumps, provide the pathways to facilitate and control the passage of ions across the lipid membrane. Ion channels provide energetically favourable passage for ions to diffuse rapidly and passively according to their electrochemical potential. Selective ion channels are essential for the excitability of biological membranes: the action potential is a transient phenomenon that reflects the rapid opening and closing of voltage-dependent Na+-selective and K+-selective channels. One of the most critical functional aspects of K+ channels is their ability to remain highly selective for K+ over Na+ while allowing high-throughput ion conduction at a rate close to the diffusion limit. Permeation through the K+ channel selectivity filter is believed to proceed as a 'knockon' mechanism, in which 2-3 K+ ions interspersed by water molecules move in a single file. Permeation through the comparatively wider and less selective Na+ channels also proceeds via a loosely coupled knockon mechanism, although the ions do not need to be fully dehydrated. While simple structural concepts are often invoked to rationalize the mechanism of ion selectivity, a deeper analysis shows that subtle effects play an important role in these flexible dynamical structures.
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27
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Bethel NP, Grabe M. Atomistic insight into lipid translocation by a TMEM16 scramblase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:14049-14054. [PMID: 27872308 PMCID: PMC5150362 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1607574113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The transmembrane protein 16 (TMEM16) family of membrane proteins includes both lipid scramblases and ion channels involved in olfaction, nociception, and blood coagulation. The crystal structure of the fungal Nectria haematococca TMEM16 (nhTMEM16) scramblase suggested a putative mechanism of lipid transport, whereby polar and charged lipid headgroups move through the low-dielectric environment of the membrane by traversing a hydrophilic groove on the membrane-spanning surface of the protein. Here, we use computational methods to explore the membrane-protein interactions involved in lipid scrambling. Fast, continuum membrane-bending calculations reveal a global pattern of charged and hydrophobic surface residues that bends the membrane in a large-amplitude sinusoidal wave, resulting in bilayer thinning across the hydrophilic groove. Atomic simulations uncover two lipid headgroup-interaction sites flanking the groove. The cytoplasmic site nucleates headgroup-dipole stacking interactions that form a chain of lipid molecules that penetrate into the groove. In two instances, a cytoplasmic lipid interdigitates into this chain, crosses the bilayer, and enters the extracellular leaflet, and the reverse process happens twice as well. Continuum membrane-bending analysis carried out on homology models of mammalian homologs shows that these family members also bend the membrane-even those that lack scramblase activity. Sequence alignments show that the lipid-interaction sites are conserved in many family members but less so in those with reduced scrambling ability. Our analysis provides insight into how large-scale membrane bending and protein chemistry facilitate lipid permeation in the TMEM16 family, and we hypothesize that membrane interactions also affect ion permeation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neville P Bethel
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158
- Graduate Group in Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158
| | - Michael Grabe
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158;
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28
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Grandi E, Sanguinetti MC, Bartos DC, Bers DM, Chen-Izu Y, Chiamvimonvat N, Colecraft HM, Delisle BP, Heijman J, Navedo MF, Noskov S, Proenza C, Vandenberg JI, Yarov-Yarovoy V. Potassium channels in the heart: structure, function and regulation. J Physiol 2016; 595:2209-2228. [PMID: 27861921 DOI: 10.1113/jp272864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper is the outcome of the fourth UC Davis Systems Approach to Understanding Cardiac Excitation-Contraction Coupling and Arrhythmias Symposium, a biannual event that aims to bring together leading experts in subfields of cardiovascular biomedicine to focus on topics of importance to the field. The theme of the 2016 symposium was 'K+ Channels and Regulation'. Experts in the field contributed their experimental and mathematical modelling perspectives and discussed emerging questions, controversies and challenges on the topic of cardiac K+ channels. This paper summarizes the topics of formal presentations and informal discussions from the symposium on the structural basis of voltage-gated K+ channel function, as well as the mechanisms involved in regulation of K+ channel gating, expression and membrane localization. Given the critical role for K+ channels in determining the rate of cardiac repolarization, it is hardly surprising that essentially every aspect of K+ channel function is exquisitely regulated in cardiac myocytes. This regulation is complex and highly interrelated to other aspects of myocardial function. K+ channel regulatory mechanisms alter, and are altered by, physiological challenges, pathophysiological conditions, and pharmacological agents. An accompanying paper focuses on the integrative role of K+ channels in cardiac electrophysiology, i.e. how K+ currents shape the cardiac action potential, and how their dysfunction can lead to arrhythmias, and discusses K+ channel-based therapeutics. A fundamental understanding of K+ channel regulatory mechanisms and disease processes is fundamental to reveal new targets for human therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Grandi
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Michael C Sanguinetti
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Daniel C Bartos
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Donald M Bers
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Ye Chen-Izu
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Nipavan Chiamvimonvat
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Henry M Colecraft
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Brian P Delisle
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Jordi Heijman
- Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Manuel F Navedo
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Sergei Noskov
- Centre for Molecular Simulation, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Catherine Proenza
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado - Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Jamie I Vandenberg
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia
| | - Vladimir Yarov-Yarovoy
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
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Padhi S, Priyakumar UD. Urea-Aromatic Stacking and Concerted Urea Transport: Conserved Mechanisms in Urea Transporters Revealed by Molecular Dynamics. J Chem Theory Comput 2016; 12:5190-5200. [PMID: 27576044 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.6b00602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Urea transporters are membrane proteins that selectively allow urea molecules to pass through. It is not clear how these transporters allow rapid conduction of urea, a polar molecule, in spite of the presence of a hydrophobic constriction lined by aromatic rings. The current study elucidates the mechanism that is responsible for this rapid conduction by performing free energy calculations on the transporter dvUT with a cumulative sampling time of about 1.3 μs. A parallel arrangement of aromatic rings in the pore enables stacking of urea with these rings, which, in turn, lowers the energy barrier for urea transport. Such interaction of the rings with urea is proposed to be a conserved mechanism across all urea-conducting proteins. The free energy landscape for the permeation of multiple urea molecules reveals an interplay between interurea interaction and the solvation state of the urea molecules. This is for the first time that multiple molecule permeation through any small molecule transporter has been modeled.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siladitya Padhi
- Centre for Computational Natural Sciences and Bioinformatics, International Institute of Information Technology , Hyderabad 500032, India
| | - U Deva Priyakumar
- Centre for Computational Natural Sciences and Bioinformatics, International Institute of Information Technology , Hyderabad 500032, India
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30
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Gumbart JC, Noskov S. Membrane proteins: Where theory meets experiment. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1858:1553-5. [PMID: 27094366 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- James C Gumbart
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
| | - Sergei Noskov
- Centre for Molecular Simulation, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
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