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Porro A, Saponaro A, Castelli R, Introini B, Hafez Alkotob A, Ranjbari G, Enke U, Kusch J, Benndorf K, Santoro B, DiFrancesco D, Thiel G, Moroni A. A high affinity switch for cAMP in the HCN pacemaker channels. Nat Commun 2024; 15:843. [PMID: 38287019 PMCID: PMC10825183 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45136-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Binding of cAMP to Hyperpolarization activated cyclic nucleotide gated (HCN) channels facilitates pore opening. It is unclear why the isolated cyclic nucleotide binding domain (CNBD) displays in vitro lower affinity for cAMP than the full-length channel in patch experiments. Here we show that HCN are endowed with an affinity switch for cAMP. Alpha helices D and E, downstream of the cyclic nucleotide binding domain (CNBD), bind to and stabilize the holo CNBD in a high affinity state. These helices increase by 30-fold cAMP efficacy and affinity measured in patch clamp and ITC, respectively. We further show that helices D and E regulate affinity by interacting with helix C of the CNBD, similarly to the regulatory protein TRIP8b. Our results uncover an intramolecular mechanism whereby changes in binding affinity, rather than changes in cAMP concentration, can modulate HCN channels, adding another layer to the complex regulation of their activity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrea Saponaro
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milano, Italy
| | | | - Bianca Introini
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milano, Italy
| | | | - Golnaz Ranjbari
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milano, Italy
| | - Uta Enke
- Institut für Physiologie II, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Jana Kusch
- Institut für Physiologie II, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Klaus Benndorf
- Institut für Physiologie II, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Bina Santoro
- Department of Neuroscience, Zuckerman Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Gerhard Thiel
- Department of Biology, TU-Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Anna Moroni
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milano, Italy.
- Institute of Biophysics Milan, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Milano, Italy.
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