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Gao L, Ardiel E, Nurrish S, Kaplan JM. Voltage-induced calcium release in Caenorhabditis elegans body muscles. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2317753121. [PMID: 38687794 PMCID: PMC11087772 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2317753121] [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: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Type 1 voltage-activated calcium channels (CaV1) in the plasma membrane trigger calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) by two mechanisms. In voltage-induced calcium release (VICR), CaV1 voltage sensing domains are directly coupled to ryanodine receptors (RYRs), an SR calcium channel. In calcium-induced calcium release (CICR), calcium ions flowing through activated CaV1 channels bind and activate RYR channels. VICR is thought to occur exclusively in vertebrate skeletal muscle while CICR occurs in all other muscles (including all invertebrate muscles). Here, we use calcium-activated SLO-2 potassium channels to analyze CaV1-SR coupling in Caenorhabditis elegans body muscles. SLO-2 channels were activated by both VICR and external calcium. VICR-mediated SLO-2 activation requires two SR calcium channels (RYRs and IP3 Receptors), JPH-1/Junctophilin, a PDZ (PSD95, Dlg1, ZO-1 domain) binding domain (PBD) at EGL-19/CaV1's carboxy-terminus, and SHN-1/Shank (a scaffolding protein that binds EGL-19's PBD). Thus, VICR occurs in invertebrate muscles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luna Gao
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA02114
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Evan Ardiel
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA02114
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Stephen Nurrish
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA02114
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Joshua M. Kaplan
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA02114
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- Program in Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
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2
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Nicoletti M, Chiodo L, Loppini A, Liu Q, Folli V, Ruocco G, Filippi S. Biophysical modeling of the whole-cell dynamics of C. elegans motor and interneurons families. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0298105. [PMID: 38551921 PMCID: PMC10980225 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a widely used model organism for neuroscience. Although its nervous system has been fully reconstructed, the physiological bases of single-neuron functioning are still poorly explored. Recently, many efforts have been dedicated to measuring signals from C. elegans neurons, revealing a rich repertoire of dynamics, including bistable responses, graded responses, and action potentials. Still, biophysical models able to reproduce such a broad range of electrical responses lack. Realistic electrophysiological descriptions started to be developed only recently, merging gene expression data with electrophysiological recordings, but with a large variety of cells yet to be modeled. In this work, we contribute to filling this gap by providing biophysically accurate models of six classes of C. elegans neurons, the AIY, RIM, and AVA interneurons, and the VA, VB, and VD motor neurons. We test our models by comparing computational and experimental time series and simulate knockout neurons, to identify the biophysical mechanisms at the basis of inter and motor neuron functioning. Our models represent a step forward toward the modeling of C. elegans neuronal networks and virtual experiments on the nematode nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Nicoletti
- Department of Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science (CLN2S@Sapienza), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
| | - Letizia Chiodo
- Department of Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Loppini
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Qiang Liu
- Department of Neuroscience, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Viola Folli
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science (CLN2S@Sapienza), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
- D-tails s.r.l., Rome, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Ruocco
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science (CLN2S@Sapienza), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
| | - Simonetta Filippi
- Department of Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Ottica del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-INO), Florence, Italy
- ICRANet—International Center for Relativistic Astrophysics Network, Pescara, Italy
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3
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Xu J, Lv YT, Zhao XY, Wang JJ, Shen ZS, Li J, Zhang FF, Liu J, Wang XH, Xu Y, Geng Q, Ding YT, Xu JJ, Tan MJ, Li ZX, Wang R, Chen J, Sun W, Cui M, Logothetis DE, Cao JL, Tang QY, Zhang Z. Identification of Sodium- and Chloride-Sensitive Sites in the Slack Channel. J Neurosci 2023; 43:2665-2681. [PMID: 36898835 PMCID: PMC10089238 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1365-22.2023] [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: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The Slack channel (KCNT1, Slo2.2) is a sodium-activated and chloride-activated potassium channel that regulates heart rate and maintains the normal excitability of the nervous system. Despite intense interest in the sodium gating mechanism, a comprehensive investigation to identify the sodium-sensitive and chloride-sensitive sites has been missing. In the present study, we identified two potential sodium-binding sites in the C-terminal domain of the rat Slack channel by conducting electrophysical recordings and systematic mutagenesis of cytosolic acidic residues in the rat Slack channel C terminus. In particular, by taking advantage of the M335A mutant, which results in the opening of the Slack channel in the absence of cytosolic sodium, we found that among the 92 screened negatively charged amino acids, E373 mutants could completely remove sodium sensitivity of the Slack channel. In contrast, several other mutants showed dramatic decreases in sodium sensitivity but did not abolish it altogether. Furthermore, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations performed at the hundreds of nanoseconds timescale revealed one or two sodium ions at the E373 position or an acidic pocket composed of several negatively charged residues. Moreover, the MD simulations predicted possible chloride interaction sites. By screening predicted positively charged residues, we identified R379 as a chloride interaction site. Thus, we conclude that the E373 site and the D863/E865 pocket are two potential sodium-sensitive sites, while R379 is a chloride interaction site in the Slack channel.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The research presented here identified two distinct sodium and one chloride interaction sites located in the intracellular C-terminal domain of the Slack (Slo2.2, KCNT1) channel. Identification of the sites responsible for the sodium and chloride activation of the Slack channel sets its gating property apart from other potassium channels in the BK channel family. This finding sets the stage for future functional and pharmacological studies of this channel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Xu
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan-Tian Lv
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Yun Zhao
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing-Jing Wang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhong-Shan Shen
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian Li
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Fei-Fei Zhang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Liu
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Hui Wang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Yun Xu
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Qi Geng
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi-Tong Ding
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing-Jing Xu
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng-Jiao Tan
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhi-Xiao Li
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Ran Wang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian Chen
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Wen Sun
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng Cui
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Diomedes E Logothetis
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Jun-Li Cao
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiong-Yao Tang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhe Zhang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, People's Republic of China
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4
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Ion Channels of the Sarcolemma and Intracellular Organelles in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A Role in the Dysregulation of Ion Homeostasis and a Possible Target for Therapy. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24032229. [PMID: 36768550 PMCID: PMC9917149 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is caused by the absence of the dystrophin protein and a properly functioning dystrophin-associated protein complex (DAPC) in muscle cells. DAPC components act as molecular scaffolds coordinating the assembly of various signaling molecules including ion channels. DMD shows a significant change in the functioning of the ion channels of the sarcolemma and intracellular organelles and, above all, the sarcoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria regulating ion homeostasis, which is necessary for the correct excitation and relaxation of muscles. This review is devoted to the analysis of current data on changes in the structure, functioning, and regulation of the activity of ion channels in striated muscles in DMD and their contribution to the disruption of muscle function and the development of pathology. We note the prospects of therapy based on targeting the channels of the sarcolemma and organelles for the correction and alleviation of pathology, and the problems that arise in the interpretation of data obtained on model dystrophin-deficient objects.
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5
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Wang ZW, Trussell LO, Vedantham K. Regulation of Neurotransmitter Release by K + Channels. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2023; 33:305-331. [PMID: 37615872 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-34229-5_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
K+ channels play potent roles in the process of neurotransmitter release by influencing the action potential waveform and modulating neuronal excitability and release probability. These diverse effects of K+ channel activation are ensured by the wide variety of K+ channel genes and their differential expression in different cell types. Accordingly, a variety of K+ channels have been implicated in regulating neurotransmitter release, including the Ca2+- and voltage-gated K+ channel Slo1 (also known as BK channel), voltage-gated K+ channels of the Kv3 (Shaw-type), Kv1 (Shaker-type), and Kv7 (KCNQ) families, G-protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ (GIRK) channels, and SLO-2 (a Ca2+-. Cl-, and voltage-gated K+ channel in C. elegans). These channels vary in their expression patterns, subcellular localization, and biophysical properties. Their roles in neurotransmitter release may also vary depending on the synapse and physiological or experimental conditions. This chapter summarizes key findings about the roles of K+ channels in regulating neurotransmitter release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao-Wen Wang
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA.
| | - Laurence O Trussell
- Oregon Hearing Research Center & Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Kiranmayi Vedantham
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
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6
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Yu B, Wang Y, Gao S. Motor Rhythm Dissection From the Backward Circuit in C. elegans. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:845733. [PMID: 35370545 PMCID: PMC8966088 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.845733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor rhythm is initiated and sustained by oscillatory neuronal activity. We recently discovered that the A-class excitatory motor neurons (MNs) (A-MNs) function as intrinsic oscillators. They drive backward locomotion by generating rhythmic postsynaptic currents (rPSCs) in body wall muscles. Molecular underpinning of the rPSCs, however, is not fully elucidated. We report here that there are three types of the rPSC patterns, namely the phasic, tonic, and long-lasting, each with distinct kinetics and channel-dependence. The Na+ leak channel is required for all rPSC patterns. The tonic rPSCs exhibit strong dependence on the high-voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. Three K+ channels, the BK-type Ca2+-activated K+ channel, Na+-activated K+ channel, and voltage-gated K+ channel (Kv4), primarily inhibit tonic and long-lasting rPSCs with varying degrees and preferences. The elaborate regulation of rPSCs by different channels, through increasing or decreasing the rPSCs frequency and/or charge, correlates with the changes in the reversal velocity for respective channel mutants. The molecular dissection of different A-MNs-rPSC components therefore reveals different mechanisms for multiplex motor rhythm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Yu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Ya Wang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shangbang Gao
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- *Correspondence: Shangbang Gao,
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7
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Gao L, Zhao J, Ardiel EL, Hall Q, Nurrish S, Kaplan JM. Shank promotes action potential repolarization by recruiting BK channels to calcium microdomains. eLife 2022; 11:75140. [PMID: 35266450 PMCID: PMC8937234 DOI: 10.7554/elife.75140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations altering the scaffolding protein Shank are linked to several psychiatric disorders, and to synaptic and behavioral defects in mice. Among its many binding partners, Shank directly binds CaV1 voltage activated calcium channels. Here we show that the C. elegans SHN-1/Shank promotes CaV1 coupling to calcium activated potassium channels. Mutations inactivating SHN-1, and those preventing SHN-1 binding to EGL-19/CaV1 all increase action potential durations in body muscles. Action potential repolarization is mediated by two classes of potassium channels: SHK-1/KCNA and SLO-1 and SLO-2 BK channels. BK channels are calcium-dependent, and their activation requires tight coupling to EGL-19/CaV1 channels. SHN-1's effects on AP duration are mediated by changes in BK channels. In shn-1 mutants, SLO-2 currents and channel clustering are significantly decreased in both body muscles and neurons. Finally, increased and decreased shn-1 gene copy number produce similar changes in AP width and SLO-2 current. Collectively, these results suggest that an important function of Shank is to promote microdomain coupling of BK with CaV1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luna Gao
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States
| | - Jian Zhao
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States
| | - Evan L Ardiel
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States
| | - Qi Hall
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States
| | - Stephen Nurrish
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States
| | - Joshua M Kaplan
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States
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8
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Slo2/K Na Channels in Drosophila Protect against Spontaneous and Induced Seizure-like Behavior Associated with an Increased Persistent Na + Current. J Neurosci 2021; 41:9047-9063. [PMID: 34544836 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0290-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Na+ sensitivity is a unique feature of Na+-activated K+ (KNa) channels, making them naturally suited to counter a sudden influx in Na+ ions. As such, it has long been suggested that KNa channels may serve a protective function against excessive excitation associated with neuronal injury and disease. This hypothesis, however, has remained largely untested. Here, we examine KNa channels encoded by the Drosophila Slo2 (dSlo2) gene in males and females. We show that dSlo2/KNa channels are selectively expressed in cholinergic neurons in the adult brain, as well as in glutamatergic motor neurons, where dampening excitation may function to inhibit global hyperactivity and seizure-like behavior. Indeed, we show that effects of feeding Drosophila a cholinergic agonist are exacerbated by the loss of dSlo2/KNa channels. Similar to mammalian Slo2/KNa channels, we show that dSlo2/KNa channels encode a TTX-sensitive K+ conductance, indicating that dSlo2/KNa channels can be activated by Na+ carried by voltage-dependent Na+ channels. We then tested the role of dSlo2/KNa channels in established genetic seizure models in which the voltage-dependent persistent Na+ current (INap) is elevated. We show that the absence of dSlo2/KNa channels increased susceptibility to mechanically induced seizure-like behavior. Similar results were observed in WT flies treated with veratridine, an enhancer of INap Finally, we show that loss of dSlo2/KNa channels in both genetic and pharmacologically primed seizure models resulted in the appearance of spontaneous seizures. Together, our results support a model in which dSlo2/KNa channels, activated by neuronal overexcitation, contribute to a protective threshold to suppress the induction of seizure-like activity.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Slo2/KNa channels are unique in that they constitute a repolarizing K+ pore that is activated by the depolarizing Na+ ion, making them naturally suited to function as a protective "brake" against overexcitation and Na+ overload. Here, we test this hypothesis in vivo by examining how a null mutation of the Drosophila Slo2 (dSlo2)/KNa gene affects seizure-like behavior in genetic and pharmacological models of epilepsy. We show that indeed the loss of dSlo2/KNa channels results in increased incidence and severity of induced seizure behavior, as well as the appearance of spontaneous seizure activity. Our results advance our understanding of neuronal excitability and protective mechanisms that preserve normal physiology and the suppression of seizure susceptibility.
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9
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Kulawiak B, Bednarczyk P, Szewczyk A. Multidimensional Regulation of Cardiac Mitochondrial Potassium Channels. Cells 2021; 10:1554. [PMID: 34205420 PMCID: PMC8235349 DOI: 10.3390/cells10061554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria play a fundamental role in the energetics of cardiac cells. Moreover, mitochondria are involved in cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury by opening the mitochondrial permeability transition pore which is the major cause of cell death. The preservation of mitochondrial function is an essential component of the cardioprotective mechanism. The involvement of mitochondrial K+ transport in this complex phenomenon seems to be well established. Several mitochondrial K+ channels in the inner mitochondrial membrane, such as ATP-sensitive, voltage-regulated, calcium-activated and Na+-activated channels, have been discovered. This obliges us to ask the following question: why is the simple potassium ion influx process carried out by several different mitochondrial potassium channels? In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of both the properties of mitochondrial potassium channels in cardiac mitochondria and the current understanding of their multidimensional functional role. We also critically summarize the pharmacological modulation of these proteins within the context of cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury and cardioprotection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bogusz Kulawiak
- Laboratory of Intracellular Ion Channels, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pasteura 3, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Piotr Bednarczyk
- Department of Physics and Biophysics, Institute of Biology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Adam Szewczyk
- Laboratory of Intracellular Ion Channels, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pasteura 3, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland;
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Abstract
Potassium channels are the most diverse and ubiquitous family of ion channels found in cells. The Ca2+ and voltage gated members form a subfamily that play a variety of roles in both excitable and non-excitable cells and are further classified on the basis of their single channel conductance to form the small conductance (SK), intermediate conductance (IK) and big conductance (BK) K+ channels.In this chapter, we will focus on the mechanisms underlying the gating of BK channels, whose function is modified in different tissues by different splice variants as well as the expanding array of regulatory accessory subunits including β, γ and LINGO subunits. We will examine how BK channels are modified by these regulatory subunits and describe how the channel gating is altered by voltage and Ca2+ whilst setting this in context with the recently published structures of the BK channel. Finally, we will discuss how BK and other calcium-activated channels are modulated by novel ion channel modulators and describe some of the challenges associated with trying to develop compounds with sufficient efficacy, potency and selectivity to be of therapeutic benefit.
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11
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Abstract
Melatonin (Mel) promotes sleep through G protein-coupled receptors. However, the downstream molecular target(s) is unknown. We identified the Caenorhabditis elegans BK channel SLO-1 as a molecular target of the Mel receptor PCDR-1-. Knockout of pcdr-1, slo-1, or homt-1 (a gene required for Mel synthesis) causes substantially increased neurotransmitter release and shortened sleep duration, and these effects are nonadditive in double knockouts. Exogenous Mel inhibits neurotransmitter release and promotes sleep in wild-type (WT) but not pcdr-1 and slo-1 mutants. In a heterologous expression system, Mel activates the human BK channel (hSlo1) in a membrane-delimited manner in the presence of the Mel receptor MT1 but not MT2 A peptide acting to release free Gβγ also activates hSlo1 in a MT1-dependent and membrane-delimited manner, whereas a Gβλ inhibitor abolishes the stimulating effect of Mel. Our results suggest that Mel promotes sleep by activating the BK channel through a specific Mel receptor and Gβλ.
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12
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Niu LG, Liu P, Wang ZW, Chen B. Slo2 potassium channel function depends on RNA editing-regulated expression of a SCYL1 protein. eLife 2020; 9:53986. [PMID: 32314960 PMCID: PMC7195191 DOI: 10.7554/elife.53986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Slo2 potassium channels play important roles in neuronal function, and their mutations in humans may cause epilepsies and cognitive defects. However, it is largely unknown how Slo2 is regulated by other proteins. Here we show that the function of C. elegans Slo2 (SLO-2) depends on adr-1, a gene important to RNA editing. ADR-1 promotes SLO-2 function not by editing the transcripts of slo-2 but those of scyl-1, which encodes an orthologue of mammalian SCYL1. Transcripts of scyl-1 are greatly decreased in adr-1 mutants due to deficient RNA editing at a single adenosine in their 3’-UTR. SCYL-1 physically interacts with SLO-2 in neurons. Single-channel open probability (Po) of neuronal SLO-2 is ~50% lower in scyl-1 knockout mutant than wild type. Moreover, human Slo2.2/Slack Po is doubled by SCYL1 in a heterologous expression system. These results suggest that SCYL-1/SCYL1 is an evolutionarily conserved regulator of Slo2 channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long-Gang Niu
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, United States
| | - Ping Liu
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, United States
| | - Zhao-Wen Wang
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, United States
| | - Bojun Chen
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, United States
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13
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Abstract
Cl- is the major extracellular (Cl-out) and intracellular (Cl-in) anion whose concentration is actively regulated by multiple transporters. These transporters generate Cl- gradients across the plasma membrane and between the cytoplasm and intracellular organelles. [Cl-]in changes rapidly in response to cell stimulation and influences many physiological functions, as well as cellular and systemic homeostasis. However, less appreciated is the signaling function of Cl-. Cl- interacts with multiple proteins to directly modify their activity. This review highlights the signaling function of Cl- and argues that Cl- is a bona fide signaling ion, a function deserving extensive exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin P Lüscher
- Epithelial Signaling and Transport Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Laura Vachel
- Epithelial Signaling and Transport Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Ehud Ohana
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Shmuel Muallem
- Epithelial Signaling and Transport Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
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14
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Nicoletti M, Loppini A, Chiodo L, Folli V, Ruocco G, Filippi S. Biophysical modeling of C. elegans neurons: Single ion currents and whole-cell dynamics of AWCon and RMD. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0218738. [PMID: 31260485 PMCID: PMC6602206 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
C. elegans neuronal system constitutes the ideal framework for studying simple, yet realistic, neuronal activity, since the whole nervous system is fully characterized with respect to the exact number of neurons and the neuronal connections. Most recent efforts are devoted to investigate and clarify the signal processing and functional connectivity, which are at the basis of sensing mechanisms, signal transmission, and motor control. In this framework, a refined modelof whole neuron dynamics constitutes a key ingredient to describe the electrophysiological processes, both at thecellular and at the network scale. In this work, we present Hodgkin-Huxley-based models of ion channels dynamics black, built on data available both from C. elegans and from other organisms, expressing homologous channels. We combine these channel models to simulate the electrical activity oftwo among the most studied neurons in C. elegans, which display prototypical dynamics of neuronal activation, the chemosensory AWCON and the motor neuron RMD. Our model properly describes the regenerative responses of the two cells. We analyze in detail the role of ion currents, both in wild type and in in silico knockout neurons. Moreover, we specifically investigate the behavior of RMD, identifying a heterogeneous dynamical response which includes bistable regimes and sustained oscillations. We are able to assess the critical role of T-type calcium currents, carried by CCA-1 channels, and leakage currents in the regulation of RMD response. Overall, our results provide new insights in the activity of key C. elegans neurons. The developed mathematical framework constitute a basis for single-cell and neuronal networks analyses, opening new scenarios in the in silico modeling of C. elegans neuronal system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Nicoletti
- Department of Engineering, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy
- Center for Life Nano Science CLNS@Sapienza, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia - IIT, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Letizia Chiodo
- Department of Engineering, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy
| | - Viola Folli
- Center for Life Nano Science CLNS@Sapienza, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia - IIT, Rome, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Ruocco
- Center for Life Nano Science CLNS@Sapienza, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia - IIT, Rome, Italy
| | - Simonetta Filippi
- Department of Engineering, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy
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15
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Valdivieso ÁG, Santa‐Coloma TA. The chloride anion as a signalling effector. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:1839-1856. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ángel G. Valdivieso
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute for Biomedical Research (BIOMED), School of Medical SciencesPontifical Catholic University of Argentina Buenos Aires 1107 Argentina
- The National Scientific and Technical Research Council of Argentina (CONICET) Buenos Aires 1107 Argentina
| | - Tomás A. Santa‐Coloma
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute for Biomedical Research (BIOMED), School of Medical SciencesPontifical Catholic University of Argentina Buenos Aires 1107 Argentina
- The National Scientific and Technical Research Council of Argentina (CONICET) Buenos Aires 1107 Argentina
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16
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Ferreira JJ, Butler A, Stewart R, Gonzalez-Cota AL, Lybaert P, Amazu C, Reinl EL, Wakle-Prabagaran M, Salkoff L, England SK, Santi CM. Oxytocin can regulate myometrial smooth muscle excitability by inhibiting the Na + -activated K + channel, Slo2.1. J Physiol 2018; 597:137-149. [PMID: 30334255 DOI: 10.1113/jp276806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS At the end of pregnancy, the uterus transitions from a quiescent state to a highly contractile state. This transition requires that the uterine (myometrial) smooth muscle cells increase their excitability, although how this occurs is not fully understood. We identified SLO2.1, a potassium channel previously unknown in uterine smooth muscle, as a potential significant contributor to the electrical excitability of myometrial smooth muscle cells. We found that activity of the SLO2.1 channel is negatively regulated by oxytocin via Gαq-protein-coupled receptor activation of protein kinase C. This results in depolarization of the uterine smooth muscle cells and calcium entry, which may contribute to uterine contraction. These findings provide novel insights into a previously unknown mechanism by which oxytocin may act to modulate myometrial smooth muscle cell excitability. Our findings also reveal a new potential pharmacological target for modulating uterine excitability. ABSTRACT During pregnancy, the uterus transitions from a quiescent state to a more excitable contractile state. This is considered to be at least partly a result of changes in the myometrial smooth muscle cell (MSMC) resting membrane potential. However, the ion channels controlling the myometrial resting membrane potential and the mechanism of transition to a more excitable state have not been fully clarified. In the present study, we show that the sodium-activated, high-conductance, potassium leak channel, SLO2.1, is expressed and active at the resting membrane potential in MSMCs. Additionally, we report that SLO2.1 is inhibited by oxytocin binding to the oxytocin receptor. Inhibition of SLO2.1 leads to membrane depolarization and activation of voltage-dependent calcium channels, resulting in calcium influx. The results of the present study reveal that oxytocin may modulate MSMC electrical activity by inhibiting SLO2.1 potassium channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan J Ferreira
- Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Alice Butler
- Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Richard Stewart
- Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ana Laura Gonzalez-Cota
- Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Pascale Lybaert
- Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St Louis, MO, USA.,Present address: Laboratoire de Physiologie et Pharmacologie (LAPP), Faculté de Médecine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Chinwendu Amazu
- Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Erin L Reinl
- Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St Louis, MO, USA.,Present address: Pharmacology Department, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Monali Wakle-Prabagaran
- Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Lawrence Salkoff
- Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Sarah K England
- Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Celia M Santi
- Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St Louis, MO, USA.,Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience, St Louis, MO, USA
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17
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C. elegans AWA Olfactory Neurons Fire Calcium-Mediated All-or-None Action Potentials. Cell 2018; 175:57-70.e17. [PMID: 30220455 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Revised: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans and other nematodes have been thought to lack classical action potentials. Unexpectedly, we observe membrane potential spikes with defining characteristics of action potentials in C. elegans AWA olfactory neurons recorded under current-clamp conditions. Ion substitution experiments, mutant analysis, pharmacology, and modeling indicate that AWA fires calcium spikes, which are initiated by EGL-19 voltage-gated CaV1 calcium channels and terminated by SHK-1 Shaker-type potassium channels. AWA action potentials result in characteristic signals in calcium imaging experiments. These calcium signals are also observed when intact animals are exposed to odors, suggesting that natural odor stimuli induce AWA spiking. The stimuli that elicit action potentials match AWA's specialized function in climbing odor gradients. Our results provide evidence that C. elegans neurons can encode information through regenerative all-or-none action potentials, expand the computational repertoire of its nervous system, and inform future modeling of its neural coding and network dynamics.
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18
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Aoki I, Tateyama M, Shimomura T, Ihara K, Kubo Y, Nakano S, Mori I. SLO potassium channels antagonize premature decision making in C. elegans. Commun Biol 2018; 1:123. [PMID: 30272003 PMCID: PMC6123717 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-018-0124-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals must modify their behavior with appropriate timing to respond to environmental changes. Yet, the molecular and neural mechanisms regulating the timing of behavioral transition remain largely unknown. By performing forward genetics to reveal mechanisms that underlie the plasticity of thermotaxis behavior in C. elegans, we demonstrated that SLO potassium channels and a cyclic nucleotide-gated channel, CNG-3, determine the timing of transition of temperature preference after a shift in cultivation temperature. We further revealed that SLO and CNG-3 channels act in thermosensory neurons and decelerate alteration in the responsiveness of these neurons, which occurs prior to the preference transition after a temperature shift. Our results suggest that regulation of sensory adaptation is a major determinant of latency before animals make decisions to change their behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ichiro Aoki
- Neuroscience Institute of the Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
- Group of Molecular Neurobiology, Graduate School of Science, Nnagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Michihiro Tateyama
- Division of Biophysics and Neurobiology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, 444-8585, Japan
| | - Takushi Shimomura
- Division of Biophysics and Neurobiology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, 444-8585, Japan
| | - Kunio Ihara
- Center for Gene Research, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Kubo
- Division of Biophysics and Neurobiology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, 444-8585, Japan
| | - Shunji Nakano
- Neuroscience Institute of the Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
- Group of Molecular Neurobiology, Graduate School of Science, Nnagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Ikue Mori
- Neuroscience Institute of the Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan.
- Group of Molecular Neurobiology, Graduate School of Science, Nnagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan.
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19
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Wilson CS, Mongin AA. The signaling role for chloride in the bidirectional communication between neurons and astrocytes. Neurosci Lett 2018; 689:33-44. [PMID: 29329909 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2017] [Revised: 01/04/2018] [Accepted: 01/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
It is well known that the electrical signaling in neuronal networks is modulated by chloride (Cl-) fluxes via the inhibitory GABAA and glycine receptors. Here, we discuss the putative contribution of Cl- fluxes and intracellular Cl- to other forms of information transfer in the CNS, namely the bidirectional communication between neurons and astrocytes. The manuscript (i) summarizes the generic functions of Cl- in cellular physiology, (ii) recaps molecular identities and properties of Cl- transporters and channels in neurons and astrocytes, and (iii) analyzes emerging studies implicating Cl- in the modulation of neuroglial communication. The existing literature suggests that neurons can alter astrocytic Cl- levels in a number of ways; via (a) the release of neurotransmitters and activation of glial transporters that have intrinsic Cl- conductance, (b) the metabotropic receptor-driven changes in activity of the electroneutral cation-Cl- cotransporter NKCC1, and (c) the transient, activity-dependent changes in glial cell volume which open the volume-regulated Cl-/anion channel VRAC. Reciprocally, astrocytes are thought to alter neuronal [Cl-]i through either (a) VRAC-mediated release of the inhibitory gliotransmitters, GABA and taurine, which open neuronal GABAA and glycine receptor/Cl- channels, or (b) the gliotransmitter-driven stimulation of NKCC1. The most important recent developments in this area are the identification of the molecular composition and functional heterogeneity of brain VRAC channels, and the discovery of a new cytosolic [Cl-] sensor - the Wnk family protein kinases. With new work in the field, our understanding of the role of Cl- in information processing within the CNS is expected to be significantly updated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinne S Wilson
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, United States
| | - Alexander A Mongin
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, United States; Department of Biophysics and Functional Diagnostics, Siberian State Medical University, Tomsk, Russian Federation.
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20
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Niu LG, Liu P, Shui Y, Mailler R, Wang ZW, Chen B. BKIP-1, an auxiliary subunit critical to SLO-1 function, inhibits SLO-2 potassium channel in vivo. Sci Rep 2017; 7:17843. [PMID: 29259251 PMCID: PMC5736756 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-18052-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Auxiliary subunits are often needed to tailor K+ channel functional properties and expression levels. Many auxiliary subunits have been identified for mammalian Slo1, a high-conductance K+ channel gated by voltage and Ca2+. Experiments with heterologous expression systems show that some of the identified Slo1 auxiliary subunits can also regulate other Slo K+ channels. However, it is unclear whether a single auxiliary subunit may regulate more than one Slo channel in native tissues. BKIP-1, an auxiliary subunit of C. elegans SLO-1, facilitates SLO-1 membrane trafficking and regulates SLO-1 function in neurons and muscle cells. Here we show that BKIP-1 also serves as an auxiliary subunit of C. elegans SLO-2, a high-conductance K+ channel gated by membrane voltage and cytosolic Cl− and Ca2+. Comparisons of whole-cell and single-channel SLO-2 currents in native neurons and muscle cells between worm strains with and without BKIP-1 suggest that BKIP-1 reduces chloride sensitivity, activation rate, and single-channel open probability of SLO-2. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays indicate that BKIP-1 interacts with SLO-2 carboxyl terminal. Thus, BKIP-1 may serve as an auxiliary subunit of SLO-2. BKIP-1 appears to be the first example that a single auxiliary subunit exerts opposite effects on evolutionarily related channels in the same cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long-Gang Niu
- Department of Neuroscience, UConn Health, Farmington CT, USA
| | - Ping Liu
- Department of Neuroscience, UConn Health, Farmington CT, USA
| | - Yuan Shui
- Department of Neuroscience, UConn Health, Farmington CT, USA
| | - Roger Mailler
- Department of Computer Science, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, USA
| | - Zhao-Wen Wang
- Department of Neuroscience, UConn Health, Farmington CT, USA
| | - Bojun Chen
- Department of Neuroscience, UConn Health, Farmington CT, USA.
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21
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HRPU-2, a Homolog of Mammalian hnRNP U, Regulates Synaptic Transmission by Controlling the Expression of SLO-2 Potassium Channel in Caenorhabditis elegans. J Neurosci 2017; 38:1073-1084. [PMID: 29217678 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1991-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Revised: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 12/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Slo2 channels are large-conductance potassium channels abundantly expressed in the nervous system. However, it is unclear how their expression level in neurons is regulated. Here we report that HRPU-2, an RNA-binding protein homologous to mammalian heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein U (hnRNP U), plays an important role in regulating the expression of SLO-2 (a homolog of mammalian Slo2) in Caenorhabditis elegans Loss-of-function (lf) mutants of hrpu-2 were isolated in a genetic screen for suppressors of a sluggish phenotype caused by a hyperactive SLO-2. In hrpu-2(lf) mutants, SLO-2-mediated delayed outward currents in neurons are greatly decreased, and neuromuscular synaptic transmission is enhanced. These mutant phenotypes can be rescued by expressing wild-type HRPU-2 in neurons. HRPU-2 binds to slo-2 mRNA, and hrpu-2(lf) mutants show decreased SLO-2 protein expression. In contrast, hrpu-2(lf) does not alter the expression of either the BK channel SLO-1 or the Shaker type potassium channel SHK-1. hrpu-2(lf) mutants are indistinguishable from wild type in gross motor neuron morphology and locomotion behavior. Together, these observations suggest that HRPU-2 plays important roles in SLO-2 function by regulating SLO-2 protein expression, and that SLO-2 is likely among a restricted set of proteins regulated by HRPU-2. Mutations of human Slo2 channel and hnRNP U are strongly linked to epileptic disorders and intellectual disability. The findings of this study suggest a potential link between these two molecules in human patients.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein U (hnRNP U) belongs to a family of RNA-binding proteins that play important roles in controlling gene expression. Recent studies have established a strong link between mutations of hnRNP U and human epilepsies and intellectual disability. However, it is unclear how mutations of hnRNP U may cause such disorders. This study shows that mutations of HRPU-2, a worm homolog of mammalian hnRNP U, result in dysfunction of a Slo2 potassium channel, which is critical to neuronal function. Because mutations of Slo2 channels are also strongly associated with epileptic encephalopathies and intellectual disability in humans, the findings of this study point to a potential mechanism underlying neurological disorders caused by hnRNP U mutations.
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22
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The Slo(w) path to identifying the mitochondrial channels responsible for ischemic protection. Biochem J 2017; 474:2067-2094. [PMID: 28600454 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20160623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Revised: 02/10/2017] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Mitochondria play an important role in tissue ischemia and reperfusion (IR) injury, with energetic failure and the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore being the major causes of IR-induced cell death. Thus, mitochondria are an appropriate focus for strategies to protect against IR injury. Two widely studied paradigms of IR protection, particularly in the field of cardiac IR, are ischemic preconditioning (IPC) and volatile anesthetic preconditioning (APC). While the molecular mechanisms recruited by these protective paradigms are not fully elucidated, a commonality is the involvement of mitochondrial K+ channel opening. In the case of IPC, research has focused on a mitochondrial ATP-sensitive K+ channel (mitoKATP), but, despite recent progress, the molecular identity of this channel remains a subject of contention. In the case of APC, early research suggested the existence of a mitochondrial large-conductance K+ (BK, big conductance of potassium) channel encoded by the Kcnma1 gene, although more recent work has shown that the channel that underlies APC is in fact encoded by Kcnt2 In this review, we discuss both the pharmacologic and genetic evidence for the existence and identity of mitochondrial K+ channels, and the role of these channels both in IR protection and in regulating normal mitochondrial function.
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23
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Behavioral Deficits Following Withdrawal from Chronic Ethanol Are Influenced by SLO Channel Function in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2017; 206:1445-1458. [PMID: 28546434 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.116.193102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2016] [Accepted: 04/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Symptoms of withdrawal from chronic alcohol use are a driving force for relapse in alcohol dependence. Thus, uncovering molecular targets to lessen their severity is key to breaking the cycle of dependence. Using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, we tested whether one highly conserved ethanol target, the large-conductance, calcium-activated potassium channel (known as the BK channel or Slo1), modulates ethanol withdrawal. Consistent with a previous report, we found that C. elegans displays withdrawal-related behavioral impairments after cessation of chronic ethanol exposure. We found that the degree of impairment is exacerbated in worms lacking the worm BK channel, SLO-1, and is reduced by selective rescue of this channel in the nervous system. Enhanced SLO-1 function, via gain-of-function mutation or overexpression, also dramatically reduced behavioral impairment during withdrawal. Consistent with these results, we found that chronic ethanol exposure decreased SLO-1 expression in a subset of neurons. In addition, we found that the function of a distinct, conserved Slo family channel, SLO-2, showed an inverse relationship to withdrawal behavior, and this influence depended on SLO-1 function. Together, our findings show that modulation of either Slo family ion channel bidirectionally regulates withdrawal behaviors in worm, supporting further exploration of the Slo family as targets for normalizing behaviors during alcohol withdrawal.
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24
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Geng Y, Ferreira JJ, Dzikunu V, Butler A, Lybaert P, Yuan P, Magleby KL, Salkoff L, Santi CM. A genetic variant of the sperm-specific SLO3 K + channel has altered pH and Ca 2+ sensitivities. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:8978-8987. [PMID: 28377504 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.776013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2017] [Revised: 03/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
To fertilize an oocyte, sperm must first undergo capacitation in which the sperm plasma membrane becomes hyperpolarized via activation of potassium (K+) channels and resultant K+ efflux. Sperm-specific SLO3 K+ channels are responsible for these membrane potential changes critical for fertilization in mouse sperm, and they are only sensitive to pH i However, in human sperm, the major K+ conductance is both Ca2+- and pH i -sensitive. It has been debated whether Ca2+-sensitive SLO1 channels substitute for human SLO3 (hSLO3) in human sperm or whether human SLO3 channels have acquired Ca2+ sensitivity. Here we show that hSLO3 is rapidly evolving and reveal a natural structural variant with enhanced apparent Ca2+ and pH sensitivities. This variant allele (C382R) alters an amino acid side chain at a principal interface between the intramembrane-gated pore and the cytoplasmic gating ring of the channel. Because the gating ring contains sensors to intracellular factors such as pH and Ca2+, the effectiveness of transduction between the gating ring and the pore domain appears to be enhanced. Our results suggest that sperm-specific genes can evolve rapidly and that natural genetic variation may have led to a SLO3 variant that differs from wild type in both pH and intracellular Ca2+ sensitivities. Whether this physiological variation confers differences in fertility among males remains to be established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyan Geng
- the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136
| | | | | | | | | | - Peng Yuan
- Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110 and
| | - Karl L Magleby
- the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136
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25
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Affiliation(s)
- Brad S Rothberg
- Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Biochemistry, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19140, USA
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26
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Schiller NR, Duchesneau CD, Lane LS, Reedy AR, Manzon ER, Hoppe PE. The Role of the UNC-82 Protein Kinase in Organizing Myosin Filaments in Striated Muscle of Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2017; 205:1195-1213. [PMID: 28040740 PMCID: PMC5340333 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.116.193029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2016] [Accepted: 12/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We study the mechanisms that guide the formation and maintenance of the highly ordered actin-myosin cytoskeleton in striated muscle. The UNC-82 kinase of Caenorhabditis elegans is orthologous to mammalian kinases ARK5/NUAK1 and SNARK/NUAK2. UNC-82 localizes to the M-line, and is required for proper organization of thick filaments, but its substrate and mechanism of action are unknown. Antibody staining of three mutants with missense mutations in the UNC-82 catalytic domain revealed muscle structure that is less disorganized than in the null unc-82(0), but contained distinctive ectopic accumulations not found in unc-82(0) These accumulations contain paramyosin and myosin B, but lack myosin A and myosin A-associated proteins, as well as proteins of the integrin-associated complex. Fluorescently tagged missense mutant protein UNC-82 E424K localized normally in wild type; however, in unc-82(0), the tagged protein was found in the ectopic accumulations, which we also show to label with recently synthesized paramyosin. Recruitment of wild-type UNC-82::GFP to aggregates of differing protein composition in five muscle-affecting mutants revealed that colocalization of UNC-82 and paramyosin does not require UNC-96, UNC-98/ZnF, UNC-89/obscurin, CSN-5, myosin A, or myosin B individually. Dosage effects in paramyosin mutants suggest that UNC-82 acts as part of a complex, in which its stoichiometric relationship with paramyosin is critical. UNC-82 dosage affects muscle organization in the absence of paramyosin, perhaps through myosin B. We present evidence that the interaction of UNC-98/ZnF with myosin A is independent of UNC-82, and that UNC-82 acts upstream of UNC-98/ZnF in a pathway that organizes paramyosin during thick filament assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- NaTasha R Schiller
- Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5410
| | | | - Latrisha S Lane
- Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5410
| | - April R Reedy
- Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5410
| | - Emily R Manzon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5410
| | - Pamela E Hoppe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5410
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Kaczmarek LK, Aldrich RW, Chandy KG, Grissmer S, Wei AD, Wulff H. International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology. C. Nomenclature and Properties of Calcium-Activated and Sodium-Activated Potassium Channels. Pharmacol Rev 2017; 69:1-11. [PMID: 28267675 PMCID: PMC11060434 DOI: 10.1124/pr.116.012864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
A subset of potassium channels is regulated primarily by changes in the cytoplasmic concentration of ions, including calcium, sodium, chloride, and protons. The eight members of this subfamily were originally all designated as calcium-activated channels. More recent studies have clarified the gating mechanisms for these channels and have documented that not all members are sensitive to calcium. This article describes the molecular relationships between these channels and provides an introduction to their functional properties. It also introduces a new nomenclature that differentiates between calcium- and sodium-activated potassium channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonard K Kaczmarek
- Departments of Pharmacology and Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut (L.K.K.); Center for Learning and Memory and Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas (R.W.A.); Laboratory of Molecular Physiology in the Infection and Immunity Theme, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (K.G.C.); Institute of Applied Physiology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany (S.G.); Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington (A.D.W.); and Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, California (H.W.)
| | - Richard W Aldrich
- Departments of Pharmacology and Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut (L.K.K.); Center for Learning and Memory and Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas (R.W.A.); Laboratory of Molecular Physiology in the Infection and Immunity Theme, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (K.G.C.); Institute of Applied Physiology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany (S.G.); Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington (A.D.W.); and Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, California (H.W.)
| | - K George Chandy
- Departments of Pharmacology and Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut (L.K.K.); Center for Learning and Memory and Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas (R.W.A.); Laboratory of Molecular Physiology in the Infection and Immunity Theme, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (K.G.C.); Institute of Applied Physiology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany (S.G.); Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington (A.D.W.); and Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, California (H.W.)
| | - Stephan Grissmer
- Departments of Pharmacology and Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut (L.K.K.); Center for Learning and Memory and Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas (R.W.A.); Laboratory of Molecular Physiology in the Infection and Immunity Theme, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (K.G.C.); Institute of Applied Physiology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany (S.G.); Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington (A.D.W.); and Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, California (H.W.)
| | - Aguan D Wei
- Departments of Pharmacology and Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut (L.K.K.); Center for Learning and Memory and Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas (R.W.A.); Laboratory of Molecular Physiology in the Infection and Immunity Theme, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (K.G.C.); Institute of Applied Physiology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany (S.G.); Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington (A.D.W.); and Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, California (H.W.)
| | - Heike Wulff
- Departments of Pharmacology and Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut (L.K.K.); Center for Learning and Memory and Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas (R.W.A.); Laboratory of Molecular Physiology in the Infection and Immunity Theme, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (K.G.C.); Institute of Applied Physiology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany (S.G.); Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington (A.D.W.); and Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, California (H.W.)
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28
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Yoshida A, Nakano S, Suzuki T, Ihara K, Higashiyama T, Mori I. A glial K(+) /Cl(-) cotransporter modifies temperature-evoked dynamics in Caenorhabditis elegans sensory neurons. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2016; 15:429-40. [PMID: 26463820 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2015] [Revised: 09/30/2015] [Accepted: 10/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
K(+) /Cl(-) cotransporters (KCCs) are known to be crucial in the control of neuronal electrochemical Cl(-) gradient. However, the role of these proteins in glial cells remains largely unexplored despite a number of studies showing expression of KCC proteins in glial cells of many species. Here, we show that the Caenorhabditis elegans K(+) /Cl(-) cotransporter KCC-3 is expressed in glial-like cells and regulates the thermosensory behavior through modifying temperature-evoked activity of a thermosensory neuron. Mutations in the kcc-3 gene were isolated from a genetic screen for mutants defective in thermotaxis. KCC-3 is expressed and functions in the amphid sheath glia that ensheathes the AFD neuron, a major thermosensory neuron known to be required for thermotaxis. A genetic analysis indicated that the regulation of the thermosensory behavior by KCC-3 is mediated through AFD, and we further show that KCC-3 in the amphid sheath glia regulates the dynamics of the AFD activity. Our results show a novel mechanism by which the glial KCC-3 protein non-cell autonomously modifies the stimulus-evoked activity of a sensory neuron and highlights the functional importance of glial KCC proteins in modulating the dynamics of a neural circuitry to control an animal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Yoshida
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - S Nakano
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - T Suzuki
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
- JST ERATO Higashiyama Live-Holonics Project, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
- Present address: College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chubu University, Kasugai, Aichi, Japan
| | - K Ihara
- Center for Gene Research, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - T Higashiyama
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
- JST ERATO Higashiyama Live-Holonics Project, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
- Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM), Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - I Mori
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
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29
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Budelli G, Sun Q, Ferreira J, Butler A, Santi CM, Salkoff L. SLO2 Channels Are Inhibited by All Divalent Cations That Activate SLO1 K+ Channels. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:7347-56. [PMID: 26823461 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.709436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Two members of the family of high conductance K(+)channels SLO1 and SLO2 are both activated by intracellular cations. However, SLO1 is activated by Ca(2+)and other divalent cations, while SLO2 (Slack or SLO2.2 from rat) is activated by Na(+) Curiously though, we found that SLO2.2 is inhibited by all divalent cations that activate SLO1, with Zn(2+)being the most effective inhibitor with an IC50of ∼8 μmin contrast to Mg(2+), the least effective, with an IC50of ∼ 1.5 mm Our results suggest that divalent cations are not SLO2 pore blockers, but rather inhibit channel activity by an allosteric modification of channel gating. By site-directed mutagenesis we show that a histidine residue (His-347) downstream of S6 reduces inhibition by divalent cations. An analogous His residue present in some CNG channels is an inhibitory cation binding site. To investigate whether inhibition by divalent cations is conserved in an invertebrate SLO2 channel we cloned the SLO2 channel fromDrosophila(dSLO2) and compared its properties to those of rat SLO2.2. We found that, like rat SLO2.2, dSLO2 was also activated by Na(+)and inhibited by divalent cations. Inhibition of SLO2 channels in mammals andDrosophilaby divalent cations that have second messenger functions may reflect the physiological regulation of these channels by one or more of these ions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonzalo Budelli
- From the Departments of Neuroscience and National Center for Behavioral Genomics and Volen Center for Complex Systems, Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02458
| | - Qi Sun
- From the Departments of Neuroscience and
| | | | | | | | - Lawrence Salkoff
- From the Departments of Neuroscience and Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri 63110 and
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30
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Alqadah A, Hsieh YW, Schumacher JA, Wang X, Merrill SA, Millington G, Bayne B, Jorgensen EM, Chuang CF. SLO BK Potassium Channels Couple Gap Junctions to Inhibition of Calcium Signaling in Olfactory Neuron Diversification. PLoS Genet 2016; 12:e1005654. [PMID: 26771544 PMCID: PMC4714817 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2015] [Accepted: 10/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The C. elegans AWC olfactory neuron pair communicates to specify asymmetric subtypes AWCOFF and AWCON in a stochastic manner. Intercellular communication between AWC and other neurons in a transient NSY-5 gap junction network antagonizes voltage-activated calcium channels, UNC-2 (CaV2) and EGL-19 (CaV1), in the AWCON cell, but how calcium signaling is downregulated by NSY-5 is only partly understood. Here, we show that voltage- and calcium-activated SLO BK potassium channels mediate gap junction signaling to inhibit calcium pathways for asymmetric AWC differentiation. Activation of vertebrate SLO-1 channels causes transient membrane hyperpolarization, which makes it an important negative feedback system for calcium entry through voltage-activated calcium channels. Consistent with the physiological roles of SLO-1, our genetic results suggest that slo-1 BK channels act downstream of NSY-5 gap junctions to inhibit calcium channel-mediated signaling in the specification of AWCON. We also show for the first time that slo-2 BK channels are important for AWC asymmetry and act redundantly with slo-1 to inhibit calcium signaling. In addition, nsy-5-dependent asymmetric expression of slo-1 and slo-2 in the AWCON neuron is necessary and sufficient for AWC asymmetry. SLO-1 and SLO-2 localize close to UNC-2 and EGL-19 in AWC, suggesting a role of possible functional coupling between SLO BK channels and voltage-activated calcium channels in AWC asymmetry. Furthermore, slo-1 and slo-2 regulate the localization of synaptic markers, UNC-2 and RAB-3, in AWC neurons to control AWC asymmetry. We also identify the requirement of bkip-1, which encodes a previously identified auxiliary subunit of SLO-1, for slo-1 and slo-2 function in AWC asymmetry. Together, these results provide an unprecedented molecular link between gap junctions and calcium pathways for terminal differentiation of olfactory neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amel Alqadah
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Molecular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Yi-Wen Hsieh
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Jennifer A. Schumacher
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Research Foundation, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Xiaohong Wang
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Research Foundation, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Sean A. Merrill
- Department of Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Grethel Millington
- Molecular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Brittany Bayne
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Research Foundation, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Erik M. Jorgensen
- Department of Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Chiou-Fen Chuang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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31
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Stival C, La Spina FA, Baró Graf C, Arcelay E, Arranz SE, Ferreira JJ, Le Grand S, Dzikunu VA, Santi CM, Visconti PE, Buffone MG, Krapf D. Src Kinase Is the Connecting Player between Protein Kinase A (PKA) Activation and Hyperpolarization through SLO3 Potassium Channel Regulation in Mouse Sperm. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:18855-64. [PMID: 26060254 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.640326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasma membrane hyperpolarization is crucial for mammalian sperm to acquire acrosomal responsiveness during capacitation. Among the signaling events leading to mammalian sperm capacitation, the immediate activation of protein kinase A plays a pivotal role, promoting the subsequent stimulation of protein tyrosine phosphorylation that associates with fertilizing capacity. We have shown previously that mice deficient in the tyrosine kinase cSrc are infertile and exhibit improper cauda epididymis development. It is therefore not clear whether lack of sperm functionality is due to problems in epididymal maturation or to the absence of cSrc in sperm. To further address this problem, we investigated the kinetics of cSrc activation using anti-Tyr(P)-416-cSrc antibodies that only recognize active cSrc. Our results provide evidence that cSrc is activated downstream of PKA and that inhibition of its activity blocks the capacitation-induced hyperpolarization of the sperm plasma membrane without blocking the increase in tyrosine phosphorylation that accompanies capacitation. In addition, we show that cSrc inhibition also blocks the agonist-induced acrosome reaction and that this inhibition is overcome by pharmacological hyperpolarization. Considering that capacitation-induced hyperpolarization is mediated by SLO3, we evaluated the action of cSrc inhibitors on the heterologously expressed SLO3 channel. Our results indicate that, similar to SLO1 K(+) channels, cSrc blockers significantly decreased SLO3-mediated currents. Together, these results are consistent with findings showing that hyperpolarization of the sperm plasma membrane is necessary and sufficient to prepare the sperm for the acrosome reaction and suggest that changes in sperm membrane potential are mediated by cSrc activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cintia Stival
- From the Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario, CONICET-UNR, and Laboratorio de Especialidades Reproductivas, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, UNR, Rosario SF2000, Argentina
| | - Florenza A La Spina
- the Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, CONICET, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1428ADN, Argentina
| | - Carolina Baró Graf
- From the Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario, CONICET-UNR, and Laboratorio de Especialidades Reproductivas, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, UNR, Rosario SF2000, Argentina
| | - Enid Arcelay
- the Department of Veterinary and Animal Science, Paige Labs, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003
| | - Silvia E Arranz
- From the Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario, CONICET-UNR, and Laboratorio de Especialidades Reproductivas, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, UNR, Rosario SF2000, Argentina
| | - Juan J Ferreira
- the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Missouri 63110, and
| | - Sibylle Le Grand
- the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Missouri 63110, and
| | - Victor A Dzikunu
- the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Missouri 63110, and
| | - Celia M Santi
- the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Missouri 63110, and
| | - Pablo E Visconti
- the Department of Veterinary and Animal Science, Paige Labs, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003
| | - Mariano G Buffone
- the Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, CONICET, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1428ADN, Argentina
| | - Dario Krapf
- From the Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario, CONICET-UNR, and Laboratorio de Especialidades Reproductivas, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, UNR, Rosario SF2000, Argentina,
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32
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Thomson SJ, Hansen A, Sanguinetti MC. Identification of the Intracellular Na+ Sensor in Slo2.1 Potassium Channels. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:14528-35. [PMID: 25903137 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.653089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Slo2 potassium channels have a very low open probability under normal physiological conditions, but are readily activated in response to an elevated [Na(+)]i (e.g. during ischemia). An intracellular Na(+) coordination motif (DX(R/K)XXH) was previously identified in Kir3.2, Kir3.4, Kir5.1, and Slo2.2 channel subunits. Based loosely on this sequence, we identified five potential Na(+) coordination motifs in the C terminus of the Slo2.1 subunit. The Asp residue in each sequence was substituted with Arg, and single mutant channels were heterologously expressed in Xenopus oocytes. The Na(+) sensitivity of each of the mutant channels was assessed by voltage clamp of oocytes using micropipettes filled with 2 M NaCl. Wild-type channels and four of the mutant Slo2.1 channels were rapidly activated by leakage of NaCl solution into the cytoplasm. D757R Slo2.1 channels were not activated by NaCl, but were activated by the fenamate niflumic acid, confirming their functional expression. In whole cell voltage clamp recordings of HEK293 cells, wild-type but not D757R Slo2.1 channels were activated by a [NaCl]i of 70 mM. Thus, a single Asp residue can account for the sensitivity of Slo2.1 channels to intracellular Na(+). In excised inside-out macropatches of HEK293 cells, activation of wild-type Slo2.1 currents by 3 mM niflumic acid was 14-fold greater than activation achieved by increasing [NaCl]i from 3 to 100 mM. Thus, relative to fenamates, intracellular Na(+) is a poor activator of Slo2.1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J Thomson
- From the Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute and
| | - Angela Hansen
- From the Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute and
| | - Michael C Sanguinetti
- From the Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute and Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
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33
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KChIP-like auxiliary subunits of Kv4 channels regulate excitability of muscle cells and control male turning behavior during mating in Caenorhabditis elegans. J Neurosci 2015; 35:1880-91. [PMID: 25653349 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3429-14.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Voltage-gated Kv4 channels control the excitability of neurons and cardiac myocytes by conducting rapidly activating-inactivating currents. The function of Kv4 channels is profoundly modulated by K(+) channel interacting protein (KChIP) soluble auxiliary subunits. However, the in vivo mechanism of the modulation is not fully understood. Here, we identified three C. elegans KChIP-like (ceKChIP) proteins, NCS-4, NCS-5, and NCS-7. All three ceKChIPs alter electrical characteristics of SHL-1, a C. elegans Kv4 channel ortholog, currents by slowing down inactivation kinetics and shifting voltage dependence of activation to more hyperpolarizing potentials. Native SHL-1 current is completely abolished in cultured myocytes of Triple KO worms in which all three ceKChIP genes are deleted. Reexpression of NCS-4 partially restored expression of functional SHL-1 channels, whereas NCS-4(efm), a NCS-4 mutant with impaired Ca(2+)-binding ability, only enhanced expression of SHL-1 proteins, but failed to transport them from the Golgi apparatus to the cell membrane in body wall muscles of Triple KO worms. Moreover, translational reporter revealed that NCS-4 assembles with SHL-1 K(+) channels in male diagonal muscles. Deletion of either ncs-4 or shl-1 significantly impairs male turning, a behavior controlled by diagonal muscles during mating. The phenotype of the ncs-4 null mutant could be rescued by reexpression of NCS-4, but not NCS-4(efm), further emphasizing the importance of Ca(2+) binding to ceKChIPs in regulating native SHL-1 channel function. Together, these data reveal an evolutionarily conserved mechanism underlying the regulation of Kv4 channels by KChIPs and unravel critical roles of ceKChIPs in regulating muscle cell excitability and animal behavior in C. elegans.
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34
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Liu P, Chen B, Wang ZW. SLO-2 potassium channel is an important regulator of neurotransmitter release in Caenorhabditis elegans. Nat Commun 2014; 5:5155. [PMID: 25300429 PMCID: PMC4197135 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2014] [Accepted: 09/04/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Slo2 channels are prominent K(+) channels in mammalian neurons but their physiological functions are not well understood. Here we investigate physiological functions and regulation of the Caenorhabditis elegans homologue SLO-2 in motor neurons through electrophysiological analyses of wild-type and mutant worms. We find that SLO-2 is the primary K(+) channel conducting delayed outward current in cholinergic motor neurons, and one of two K(+) channels with this function in GABAergic motor neurons. Loss-of-function mutation of slo-2 increases the duration and charge transfer rate of spontaneous postsynaptic current bursts at the neuromuscular junction, which are physiological signals used by motor neurons to control muscle cells, without altering postsynaptic receptor sensitivity. SLO-2 activity in motor neurons depends on Ca(2+) entry through EGL-19, an L-type voltage-gated Ca(2+) channel (CaV1), but not on other proteins implicated in either Ca(2+) entry or intracellular Ca(2+) release. Thus, SLO-2 is functionally coupled with CaV1 and regulates neurotransmitter release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Liu
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut Health Center,
Farmington, CT 06001, USA
| | - Bojun Chen
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut Health Center,
Farmington, CT 06001, USA
| | - Zhao-Wen Wang
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut Health Center,
Farmington, CT 06001, USA
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35
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Abstract
TRPM2 (transient receptor potential melastatin 2) is a non-selective Ca2+-permeable cation channel activated by ADPR (adenosine diphosphoribose) and H2O2. It is widely expressed in mammalian cells and plays an important role in the regulation of various cell functions. However, the mechanisms of TRPM2 channel activation are not fully understood. Previously, we reported that TRPM2 channel activation is induced by high intracellular Cl- concentration. In the present study, we investigated the functional role of Lys1110 in the membrane-proximal C-terminal region by site-directed mutagenesis. Replacement of the positively charged amino acid lysine (Lys1110) with the neutrally charged amino acid asparagine (K1110N) or the negatively charged amino acid glutamic acid (K1110E) generated mutants that failed to induce an increase in free cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) not only by intracellular injection of Cl-, but also by H2O2 or ADPR. However, a mutant generated by replacing the lysine residue with a positively charged amino acid arginine (K1110R) displayed channel activity similar to wild-type TRPM2. Interestingly, in the K1107N/K1110N double-point mutant, the impaired function of the K1110N mutant in response to ADPR and H2O2, but not to Cl-, was recovered. There were no changes in protein expression, membrane trafficking and oligomerization of the mutant channels. The extent of [Ca2+]i increase by H2O2 in HEK (human embryonic kidney)-293 cells expressing TRPM2 mutants was well correlated with the degree of susceptibility to H2O2-induced cell death. These results display the crucial role of a positively charged amino acid residue at position 1110 for TRPM2 channel activity.
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36
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González C, Baez-Nieto D, Valencia I, Oyarzún I, Rojas P, Naranjo D, Latorre R. K(+) channels: function-structural overview. Compr Physiol 2013; 2:2087-149. [PMID: 23723034 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c110047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Potassium channels are particularly important in determining the shape and duration of the action potential, controlling the membrane potential, modulating hormone secretion, epithelial function and, in the case of those K(+) channels activated by Ca(2+), damping excitatory signals. The multiplicity of roles played by K(+) channels is only possible to their mammoth diversity that includes at present 70 K(+) channels encoding genes in mammals. Today, thanks to the use of cloning, mutagenesis, and the more recent structural studies using x-ray crystallography, we are in a unique position to understand the origins of the enormous diversity of this superfamily of ion channels, the roles they play in different cell types, and the relations that exist between structure and function. With the exception of two-pore K(+) channels that are dimers, voltage-dependent K(+) channels are tetrameric assemblies and share an extremely well conserved pore region, in which the ion-selectivity filter resides. In the present overview, we discuss in the function, localization, and the relations between function and structure of the five different subfamilies of K(+) channels: (a) inward rectifiers, Kir; (b) four transmembrane segments-2 pores, K2P; (c) voltage-gated, Kv; (d) the Slo family; and (e) Ca(2+)-activated SK family, SKCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos González
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
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Abstract
The Slack and Slick genes encode potassium channels that are very widely expressed in the central nervous system. These channels are activated by elevations in intracellular sodium, such as those that occur during trains of one or more action potentials, or following activation of non-selective cationic neurotransmitter receptors such as AMPA receptors. This review covers the cellular and molecular properties of Slack and Slick channels and compares them with findings on the properties of sodium-activated potassium currents (termed KNa currents) in native neurons. Human mutations in Slack channels produce extremely severe defects in learning and development, suggesting that KNa channels play a central role in neuronal plasticity and intellectual function.
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Zhang Z, Tang QY, Alaimo JT, Davies AG, Bettinger JC, Logothetis DE. SLO-2 isoforms with unique Ca(2+) - and voltage-dependence characteristics confer sensitivity to hypoxia in C. elegans. Channels (Austin) 2013; 7:194-205. [PMID: 23590941 DOI: 10.4161/chan.24492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Slo channels are large conductance K (+) channels that display marked differences in their gating by intracellular ions. Among them, the Slo1 and C. elegans SLO-2 channels are gated by calcium (Ca ( 2+) ), while mammalian Slo2 channels are activated by both sodium (Na (+) ) and chloride (Cl (-) ). Here, we report that SLO-2 channels, SLO-2a and a novel N-terminal variant isoform, SLO-2b, are activated by Ca ( 2+) and voltage, but in contrast to previous reports they do not exhibit Cl (-) sensitivity. Most importantly, SLO-2 provides a unique case in the Slo family for sensing Ca ( 2+) with the high-affinity Ca ( 2+) regulatory site in the RCK1 but not the RCK2 domain, formed through interactions with residues E319 and E487 (that correspond to D362 and E535 of Slo1, respectively). The SLO-2 RCK2 domain lacks the Ca ( 2+) bowl structure and shows minimal Ca ( 2+) dependence. In addition, in contrast to SLO-1, SLO-2 loss-of-function mutants confer resistance to hypoxia in C. elegans. Thus, the C. elegans SLO-2 channels possess unique biophysical and functional properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Zhang
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Medical College of Virginia Campus, Richmond, VA, USA.
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39
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Rothberg BS. The BK channel: a vital link between cellular calcium and electrical signaling. Protein Cell 2012; 3:883-92. [PMID: 22996175 PMCID: PMC4875380 DOI: 10.1007/s13238-012-2076-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2012] [Accepted: 08/23/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Large-conductance Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channels (BK channels) constitute an key physiological link between cellular Ca²⁺ signaling and electrical signaling at the plasma membrane. Thus these channels are critical to the control of action potential firing and neurotransmitter release in several types of neurons, as well as the dynamic control of smooth muscle tone in resistance arteries, airway, and bladder. Recent advances in our understanding of K⁺ channel structure and function have led to new insight toward the molecular mechanisms of opening and closing (gating) of these channels. Here we will focus on mechanisms of BK channel gating by Ca²⁺, transmembrane voltage, and auxiliary subunit proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brad S Rothberg
- Department of Biochemistry, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA.
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40
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Hamilton KL, Devor DC. Basolateral membrane K+ channels in renal epithelial cells. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 2012; 302:F1069-81. [PMID: 22338089 DOI: 10.1152/ajprenal.00646.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The major function of epithelial tissues is to maintain proper ion, solute, and water homeostasis. The tubule of the renal nephron has an amazingly simple structure, lined by epithelial cells, yet the segments (i.e., proximal tubule vs. collecting duct) of the nephron have unique transport functions. The functional differences are because epithelial cells are polarized and thus possess different patterns (distributions) of membrane transport proteins in the apical and basolateral membranes of the cell. K(+) channels play critical roles in normal physiology. Over 90 different genes for K(+) channels have been identified in the human genome. Epithelial K(+) channels can be located within either or both the apical and basolateral membranes of the cell. One of the primary functions of basolateral K(+) channels is to recycle K(+) across the basolateral membrane for proper function of the Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, among other functions. Mutations of these channels can cause significant disease. The focus of this review is to provide an overview of the basolateral K(+) channels of the nephron, providing potential physiological functions and pathophysiology of these channels, where appropriate. We have taken a "K(+) channel gene family" approach in presenting the representative basolateral K(+) channels of the nephron. The basolateral K(+) channels of the renal epithelia are represented by members of the KCNK, KCNJ, KCNQ, KCNE, and SLO gene families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirk L Hamilton
- Department of Physiology, Otago School of Medical Sciences, University of Otago, PO Box 913, Dunedin, New Zealand.
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41
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Wojtovich AP, Sherman TA, Nadtochiy SM, Urciuoli WR, Brookes PS, Nehrke K. SLO-2 is cytoprotective and contributes to mitochondrial potassium transport. PLoS One 2011; 6:e28287. [PMID: 22145034 PMCID: PMC3228735 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2011] [Accepted: 11/04/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial potassium channels are important mediators of cell protection against stress. The mitochondrial large-conductance "big" K(+) channel (mBK) mediates the evolutionarily-conserved process of anesthetic preconditioning (APC), wherein exposure to volatile anesthetics initiates protection against ischemic injury. Despite the role of the mBK in cardioprotection, the molecular identity of the channel remains unknown. We investigated the attributes of the mBK using C. elegans and mouse genetic models coupled with measurements of mitochondrial K(+) transport and APC. The canonical Ca(2+)-activated BK (or "maxi-K") channel SLO1 was dispensable for both mitochondrial K(+) transport and APC in both organisms. Instead, we found that the related but physiologically-distinct K(+) channel SLO2 was required, and that SLO2-dependent mitochondrial K(+) transport was triggered directly by volatile anesthetics. In addition, a SLO2 channel activator mimicked the protective effects of volatile anesthetics. These findings suggest that SLO2 contributes to protection from hypoxic injury by increasing the permeability of the mitochondrial inner membrane to K(+).
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P. Wojtovich
- Department of Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Teresa A. Sherman
- Department of Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Sergiy M. Nadtochiy
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - William R. Urciuoli
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Paul S. Brookes
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, United States of America
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Keith Nehrke
- Department of Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, United States of America
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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42
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Action potentials drive body wall muscle contractions in Caenorhabditis elegans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:2557-62. [PMID: 21248227 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1012346108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The sinusoidal locomotion exhibited by Caenorhabditis elegans predicts a tight regulation of contractions and relaxations of its body wall muscles. Vertebrate skeletal muscle contractions are driven by voltage-gated sodium channel-dependent action potentials. How coordinated motor outputs are regulated in C. elegans, which does not have voltage-gated sodium channels, remains unknown. Here, we show that C. elegans body wall muscles fire all-or-none, calcium-dependent action potentials that are driven by the L-type voltage-gated calcium and Kv1 voltage-dependent potassium channels. We further demonstrate that the excitatory and inhibitory motoneuron activities regulate the frequency of action potentials to coordinate muscle contraction and relaxation, respectively. This study provides direct evidence for the dual-modulatory model of the C. elegans motor circuit; moreover, it reveals a mode of motor control in which muscle cells integrate graded inputs of the nervous system and respond with all-or-none electrical signals.
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43
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Liu P, Ge Q, Chen B, Salkoff L, Kotlikoff MI, Wang ZW. Genetic dissection of ion currents underlying all-or-none action potentials in C. elegans body-wall muscle cells. J Physiol 2010; 589:101-17. [PMID: 21059759 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2010.200683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the neuromuscular system of C. elegans has been studied intensively, little is known about the properties of muscle action potentials (APs). By combining mutant analyses with in vivo electrophysiological recording techniques and Ca2+ imaging, we have established the fundamental properties and molecular determinants of body-wall muscle APs. We show that, unlike mammalian skeletal muscle APs, C. elegans muscle APs occur in spontaneous trains, do not require the function of postsynaptic receptors, and are all-or-none overshooting events, rather than graded potentials as has been previously reported. Furthermore, we show that muscle APs depend on Ca2+ entry through the L-type Ca2+ channel EGL-19 with a contribution from the T-type Ca2+ channel CCA-1. Both the Shaker K+ channel SHK-1 and the Ca2+/Cl−-gated K+ channel SLO-2 play important roles in controlling the speed of membrane repolarization, the amplitude of afterhyperpolarization (AHP) and the pattern of AP firing; SLO-2 is also important in setting the resting membrane potential. Finally, AP-elicited elevations of [Ca2+]i require both EGL-19 and the ryanodine receptor UNC-68. Thus, like mammalian skeletal muscle, C. elegans body-wall myocytes generate all-or-none APs, which evoke Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), although the specific ion channels used for AP upstroke and repolarization differ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Liu
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06030-3401, USA
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44
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Abstract
The simple nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans has been instrumental in deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying apoptosis. Beyond apoptosis, several paradigms of non-apoptotic cell death, either genetically or extrinsically triggered, have also been described in C. elegans. Remarkably, non-apoptotic cell death in worms and pathological cell death in humans share numerous key features and mechanistic aspects. Such commonalities suggest that similarly to apoptosis, non-apoptotic cell death mechanisms are also conserved, and render the worm a useful organism, in which to model and dissect human pathologies. Indeed, the genetic malleability and the sophisticated molecular tools available for C. elegans have contributed decisively to advance our understanding of non-apoptotic cell death. Here, we review the literature on the various types of non-apoptotic cell death in C. elegans and discuss the implications, relevant to pathological conditions in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manolis Vlachos
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
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45
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Yang J, Krishnamoorthy G, Saxena A, Zhang G, Shi J, Yang H, Delaloye K, Sept D, Cui J. An epilepsy/dyskinesia-associated mutation enhances BK channel activation by potentiating Ca2+ sensing. Neuron 2010; 66:871-83. [PMID: 20620873 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/03/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Ca(2+)-activated BK channels modulate neuronal activities, including spike frequency adaptation and synaptic transmission. Previous studies found that Ca(2+)-binding sites and the activation gate are spatially separated in the channel protein, but the mechanism by which Ca(2+) binding opens the gate over this distance remains unknown. By studying an Asp-to-Gly mutation (D434G) associated with human syndrome of generalized epilepsy and paroxysmal dyskinesia (GEPD), we show that a cytosolic motif immediately following the activation gate S6 helix, known as the AC region, mediates the allosteric coupling between Ca(2+) binding and channel opening. The GEPD mutation inside the AC region increases BK channel activity by enhancing this allosteric coupling. We found that Ca(2+) sensitivity is enhanced by increases in solution viscosity that reduce protein dynamics. The GEPD mutation alters such a response, suggesting that a less flexible AC region may be more effective in coupling Ca(2+) binding to channel opening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junqiu Yang
- Cardiac Bioelectricity and Arrhythmia Center, Washington University, St Louis, MO 63130, USA
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46
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Duran C, Thompson CH, Xiao Q, Hartzell HC. Chloride channels: often enigmatic, rarely predictable. Annu Rev Physiol 2010; 72:95-121. [PMID: 19827947 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-physiol-021909-135811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 241] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Until recently, anion (Cl(-)) channels have received considerably less attention than cation channels. One reason for this may be that many Cl(-) channels perform functions that might be considered cell-biological, like fluid secretion and cell volume regulation, whereas cation channels have historically been associated with cellular excitability, which typically happens more rapidly. In this review, we discuss the recent explosion of interest in Cl(-) channels, with special emphasis on new and often surprising developments over the past five years. This is exemplified by the findings that more than half of the ClC family members are antiporters, and not channels, as was previously thought, and that bestrophins, previously prime candidates for Ca(2+)-activated Cl(-) channels, have been supplanted by the newly discovered anoctamins and now hold a tenuous position in the Cl(-) channel world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charity Duran
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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47
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Hong CW, Kim TK, Ham HY, Nam JS, Kim YH, Zheng H, Pang B, Min TK, Jung JS, Lee SN, Cho HJ, Kim EJ, Hong IH, Kang TC, Lee J, Oh SB, Jung SJ, Kim SJ, Song DK. Lysophosphatidylcholine Increases Neutrophil Bactericidal Activity by Enhancement of Azurophil Granule-Phagosome Fusion via Glycine·GlyRα2/TRPM2/p38 MAPK Signaling. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2010; 184:4401-13. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.0902814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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48
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Hoppe PE, Chau J, Flanagan KA, Reedy AR, Schriefer LA. Caenorhabditis elegans unc-82 encodes a serine/threonine kinase important for myosin filament organization in muscle during growth. Genetics 2010; 184:79-90. [PMID: 19901071 PMCID: PMC2815932 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.109.110189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2009] [Accepted: 11/01/2009] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the unc-82 locus of Caenorhabditis elegans were previously identified by screening for disrupted muscle cytoskeleton in otherwise apparently normal mutagenized animals. Here we demonstrate that the locus encodes a serine/threonine kinase orthologous to human ARK5/SNARK (NUAK1/NUAK2) and related to the PAR-1 and SNF1/AMP-Activated kinase (AMPK) families. The predicted 1600-amino-acid polypeptide contains an N-terminal catalytic domain and noncomplex repetitive sequence in the remainder of the molecule. Phenotypic analyses indicate that unc-82 is required for maintaining the organization of myosin filaments and internal components of the M-line during cell-shape changes. Mutants exhibit normal patterning of cytoskeletal elements during early embryogenesis. Defects in localization of thick filament and M-line components arise during embryonic elongation and become progressively more severe as development proceeds. The phenotype is independent of contractile activity, consistent with unc-82 mutations preventing proper cytoskeletal reorganization during growth, rather than undermining structural integrity of the M-line. This is the first report establishing a role for the UNC-82/ARK5/SNARK kinases in normal development. We propose that activation of UNC-82 kinase during cell elongation regulates thick filament attachment or growth, perhaps through phosphorylation of myosin and paramyosin. We speculate that regulation of myosin is an ancestral characteristic of kinases in this region of the kinome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela E. Hoppe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5410 and Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Johnnie Chau
- Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5410 and Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Kelly A. Flanagan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5410 and Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - April R. Reedy
- Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5410 and Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Lawrence A. Schriefer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5410 and Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
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Martínez-López P, Santi CM, Treviño CL, Ocampo-Gutiérrez AY, Acevedo JJ, Alisio A, Salkoff LB, Darszon A. Mouse sperm K+ currents stimulated by pH and cAMP possibly coded by Slo3 channels. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2009; 381:204-9. [PMID: 19338774 PMCID: PMC2713764 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2009.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2009] [Accepted: 02/04/2009] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Slo3 channels belong to the high conductance Slo K+ channel family. They are activated by voltage and intracellular alkalinization, and have a K+/Na+ permeability ratio (PK/PNa) of only approximately 5. Slo3 channels have only been found in mammalian sperm. Here we show that Slo3 channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes are also stimulated by elevated cAMP levels through PKA dependent phosphorylation. Capacitation, a maturational process required by mammalian sperm to enable them to fertilize eggs, involves intracellular alkalinization and an increase in cAMP. Our mouse sperm patch clamp recordings have revealed a K+ current that is time and voltage dependent, is activated by intracellular alkalinization, has a PK/PNa > or = 5, is weakly blocked by TEA and is very sensitive to Ba2+. This current is also stimulated by cAMP. All of these properties match those displayed by heterologously expressed Slo3 channels, suggesting that the native current we observe in sperm is indeed carried by Slo3 channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Martínez-López
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Cuernavaca, México
| | - Celia M. Santi
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Claudia L. Treviño
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Cuernavaca, México
| | - Ana Y. Ocampo-Gutiérrez
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Cuernavaca, México
| | - Juan J. Acevedo
- Departamento de Fisiología y Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, México
| | - Arturo Alisio
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Lawrence B. Salkoff
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Alberto Darszon
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Cuernavaca, México
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50
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Heitzmann D, Warth R. Physiology and pathophysiology of potassium channels in gastrointestinal epithelia. Physiol Rev 2008; 88:1119-82. [PMID: 18626068 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00020.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Epithelial cells of the gastrointestinal tract are an important barrier between the "milieu interne" and the luminal content of the gut. They perform transport of nutrients, salts, and water, which is essential for the maintenance of body homeostasis. In these epithelia, a variety of K(+) channels are expressed, allowing adaptation to different needs. This review provides an overview of the current literature that has led to a better understanding of the multifaceted function of gastrointestinal K(+) channels, thereby shedding light on pathophysiological implications of impaired channel function. For instance, in gastric mucosa, K(+) channel function is a prerequisite for acid secretion of parietal cells. In epithelial cells of small intestine, K(+) channels provide the driving force for electrogenic transport processes across the plasma membrane, and they are involved in cell volume regulation. Fine tuning of salt and water transport and of K(+) homeostasis occurs in colonic epithelia cells, where K(+) channels are involved in secretory and reabsorptive processes. Furthermore, there is growing evidence for changes in epithelial K(+) channel expression during cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and, under pathological conditions, carcinogenesis. In the future, integrative approaches using functional and postgenomic/proteomic techniques will help us to gain comprehensive insights into the role of K(+) channels of the gastrointestinal tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirk Heitzmann
- Institute of Physiology and Clinic and Policlinic for Internal Medicine II, Regensburg, Germany
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