1
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Yang S, Ji Y, Xue P, Li Z, Chen X, Shi J, Jiang C. Insights into the antifungal mechanism of Bacillus subtilis cyclic lipopeptide iturin A mediated by potassium ion channel. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 277:134306. [PMID: 39094860 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.134306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 07/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/28/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Fungal infections pose severe and potentially lethal threats to plant, animal, and human health. Ergosterol has served as the primary target for developing antifungal medications. However, many antifungal drugs remain highly toxic to humans due to similarity in cell membrane composition between fungal and animal cells. Iturin A, lipopeptide produced by Bacillus subtilis, efficiently inhibit various fungi, but demonstrated safety in oral administration, indicating the existence of targets different from ergosterol. To pinpoint the exact antifungal target of iturin A, we used homologous recombination to knock out and overexpress erg3, a key gene in ergosterol synthesis. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus carbonarius were transformed using the LiAc/SS-DNNPEG and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation (AMT), respectively. Surprisingly, increasing ergosterol content did not augment antifungal activity. Furthermore, iturin A's antifungal activity against S. cerevisiae was reduced while it pre-incubation with voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channel inhibitor, indicating that Kv activation was responsible for cell death. Iturin A was found to activate the Kv protein, stimulating K+ efflux from cell. In vitro tests confirmed interaction between iturin A and Kv protein. This study highlights Kv as one of the precise targets of iturin A in its antifungal activity, offering a novel target for the development of antifungal medications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saixue Yang
- Key Laboratory for Space Bioscience and Space Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province 710072, China
| | - Yulan Ji
- Key Laboratory for Space Bioscience and Space Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province 710072, China
| | - Pengyuan Xue
- Key Laboratory for Space Bioscience and Space Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province 710072, China
| | - Zhenzhu Li
- Center for Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province 710072, China
| | - Xianqing Chen
- Jiaxing Synbiolab Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Jiaxing 314006, China
| | - Junling Shi
- Key Laboratory for Space Bioscience and Space Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province 710072, China.
| | - Chunmei Jiang
- Key Laboratory for Space Bioscience and Space Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province 710072, China.
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2
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Mironenko A, de Groot BL, Kopec W. Selectivity filter mutations shift ion permeation mechanism in potassium channels. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgae272. [PMID: 39015549 PMCID: PMC11251424 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
Potassium (K+) channels combine high conductance with high ion selectivity. To explain this efficiency, two molecular mechanisms have been proposed. The "direct knock-on" mechanism is defined by water-free K+ permeation and formation of direct ion-ion contacts in the highly conserved selectivity filter (SF). The "soft knock-on" mechanism involves co-permeation of water and separation of K+ by water molecules. With the aim to distinguish between these mechanisms, crystal structures of the KcsA channel with mutations in two SF residues-G77 and T75-were published, where the arrangements of K+ ions and water display canonical soft knock-on configurations. These data were interpreted as evidence of the soft knock-on mechanism in wild-type channels. Here, we test this interpretation using molecular dynamics simulations of KcsA and its mutants. We show that while a strictly water-free direct knock-on permeation is observed in the wild type, conformational changes induced by these mutations lead to distinct ion permeation mechanisms, characterized by co-permeation of K+ and water. These mechanisms are characterized by reduced conductance and impaired potassium selectivity, supporting the importance of full dehydration of potassium ions for the hallmark high conductance and selectivity of K+ channels. In general, we present a case where mutations introduced at the critical points of the permeation pathway in an ion channel drastically change its permeation mechanism in a nonintuitive manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrei Mironenko
- Computational Biomolecular Dynamics Group, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Am Fassberg 11, Göttingen 37077, Germany
| | - Bert L de Groot
- Computational Biomolecular Dynamics Group, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Am Fassberg 11, Göttingen 37077, Germany
| | - Wojciech Kopec
- Computational Biomolecular Dynamics Group, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Am Fassberg 11, Göttingen 37077, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, Queen Mary University of London, 327 Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
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3
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Bhat S, Rousseau J, Michaud C, Lourenço CM, Stoler JM, Louie RJ, Clarkson LK, Lichty A, Koboldt DC, Reshmi SC, Sisodiya SM, Hoytema van Konijnenburg EMM, Koop K, van Hasselt PM, Démurger F, Dubourg C, Sullivan BR, Hughes SS, Thiffault I, Tremblay ES, Accogli A, Srour M, Blunck R, Campeau PM. Mono-allelic KCNB2 variants lead to a neurodevelopmental syndrome caused by altered channel inactivation. Am J Hum Genet 2024; 111:761-777. [PMID: 38503299 PMCID: PMC11023922 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2024.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Ion channels mediate voltage fluxes or action potentials that are central to the functioning of excitable cells such as neurons. The KCNB family of voltage-gated potassium channels (Kv) consists of two members (KCNB1 and KCNB2) encoded by KCNB1 and KCNB2, respectively. These channels are major contributors to delayed rectifier potassium currents arising from the neuronal soma which modulate overall excitability of neurons. In this study, we identified several mono-allelic pathogenic missense variants in KCNB2, in individuals with a neurodevelopmental syndrome with epilepsy and autism in some individuals. Recurrent dysmorphisms included a broad forehead, synophrys, and digital anomalies. Additionally, we selected three variants where genetic transmission has not been assessed, from two epilepsy studies, for inclusion in our experiments. We characterized channel properties of these variants by expressing them in oocytes of Xenopus laevis and conducting cut-open oocyte voltage clamp electrophysiology. Our datasets indicate no significant change in absolute conductance and conductance-voltage relationships of most disease variants as compared to wild type (WT), when expressed either alone or co-expressed with WT-KCNB2. However, variants c.1141A>G (p.Thr381Ala) and c.641C>T (p.Thr214Met) show complete abrogation of currents when expressed alone with the former exhibiting a left shift in activation midpoint when expressed alone or with WT-KCNB2. The variants we studied, nevertheless, show collective features of increased inactivation shifted to hyperpolarized potentials. We suggest that the effects of the variants on channel inactivation result in hyper-excitability of neurons, which contributes to disease manifestations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shreyas Bhat
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Brain and Learning (CIRCA), Department of Physics and Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Justine Rousseau
- Centre de Recherche Du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
| | - Coralie Michaud
- Centre de Recherche Du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
| | | | - Joan M Stoler
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Angie Lichty
- Greenwood Genetic Center, Greenwood, SC 29646, USA
| | - Daniel C Koboldt
- Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Shalini C Reshmi
- Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Sanjay M Sisodiya
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | | | - Klaas Koop
- Department of Metabolic Diseases, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Peter M van Hasselt
- Department of Genetics, Section Metabolic Diagnostics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | | | - Christèle Dubourg
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Genomics, Rennes University Hospital, Rennes, France; Université de Rennes, CNRS, IGDR, UMR 6290 Rennes, France
| | - Bonnie R Sullivan
- Division of Clinical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Susan S Hughes
- Division of Clinical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Isabelle Thiffault
- Departments of Pediatrics and of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Elisabeth Simard Tremblay
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Andrea Accogli
- Department of Specialized Medicine, Division of Medical Genetics, McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada; Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montral, QC H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - Myriam Srour
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada; Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montral, QC H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - Rikard Blunck
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Brain and Learning (CIRCA), Department of Physics and Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
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4
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Ullah G, Nosyreva ED, Thompson D, Cuello VA, Cuello LG, Syeda R. Analysis of pressure-activated Piezo1 open and subconductance states at a single channel level. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107156. [PMID: 38479601 PMCID: PMC11007442 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107156] [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: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Mechanically activated Piezo1 channels undergo transitions from closed to open-state in response to pressure and other mechanical stimuli. However, the molecular details of these mechanosensitive gating transitions are unknown. Here, we used cell-attached pressure-clamp recordings to acquire single channel data at steady-state conditions (where inactivation has settled down), at various pressures and voltages. Importantly, we identify and analyze subconductance states of the channel which were not reported before. Pressure-dependent activation of Piezo1 increases the occupancy of open and subconductance state at the expense of decreased occupancy of shut-states. No significant change in the mean open time of subconductance states was observed with increasing negative pipette pressure or with varying voltages (ranging from -40 to -100 mV). Using Markov-chain modeling, we identified a minimal four-states kinetic scheme, which recapitulates essential characteristics of the single channel data, including that of the subconductance level. This study advances our understanding of Piezo1-gating mechanism in response to discrete stimuli (such as pressure and voltage) and paves the path to develop cellular and tissue level models to predict Piezo1 function in various cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghanim Ullah
- Department of Physics, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Elena D Nosyreva
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - David Thompson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Victoria A Cuello
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Luis G Cuello
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, TTUHSC, Lubbock, Texas, USA
| | - Ruhma Syeda
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
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5
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Szanto TG, Papp F, Zakany F, Varga Z, Deutsch C, Panyi G. Molecular rearrangements in S6 during slow inactivation in Shaker-IR potassium channels. J Gen Physiol 2023; 155:e202313352. [PMID: 37212728 PMCID: PMC10202832 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202313352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Voltage-gated K+ channels have distinct gates that regulate ion flux: the activation gate (A-gate) formed by the bundle crossing of the S6 transmembrane helices and the slow inactivation gate in the selectivity filter. These two gates are bidirectionally coupled. If coupling involves the rearrangement of the S6 transmembrane segment, then we predict state-dependent changes in the accessibility of S6 residues from the water-filled cavity of the channel with gating. To test this, we engineered cysteines, one at a time, at S6 positions A471, L472, and P473 in a T449A Shaker-IR background and determined the accessibility of these cysteines to cysteine-modifying reagents MTSET and MTSEA applied to the cytosolic surface of inside-out patches. We found that neither reagent modified either of the cysteines in the closed or the open state of the channels. On the contrary, A471C and P473C, but not L472C, were modified by MTSEA, but not by MTSET, if applied to inactivated channels with open A-gate (OI state). Our results, combined with earlier studies reporting reduced accessibility of residues I470C and V474C in the inactivated state, strongly suggest that the coupling between the A-gate and the slow inactivation gate is mediated by rearrangements in the S6 segment. The S6 rearrangements are consistent with a rigid rod-like rotation of S6 around its longitudinal axis upon inactivation. S6 rotation and changes in its environment are concomitant events in slow inactivation of Shaker KV channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tibor G. Szanto
- Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Ferenc Papp
- Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Florina Zakany
- Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Zoltan Varga
- Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Carol Deutsch
- Department of Physiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Gyorgy Panyi
- Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
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6
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Coonen L, Martinez-Morales E, Van De Sande DV, Snyders DJ, Cortes DM, Cuello LG, Labro AJ. The nonconducting W434F mutant adopts upon membrane depolarization an inactivated-like state that differs from wild-type Shaker-IR potassium channels. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabn1731. [PMID: 36112676 PMCID: PMC9481120 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn1731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Voltage-gated K+ (Kv) channels mediate the flow of K+ across the cell membrane by regulating the conductive state of their activation gate (AG). Several Kv channels display slow C-type inactivation, a process whereby their selectivity filter (SF) becomes less or nonconductive. It has been proposed that, in the fast inactivation-removed Shaker-IR channel, the W434F mutation epitomizes the C-type inactivated state because it functionally accelerates this process. By introducing another pore mutation that prevents AG closure, P475D, we found a way to record ionic currents of the Shaker-IR-W434F-P475D mutant at hyperpolarized membrane potentials as the W434F-mutant SF recovers from its inactivated state. This W434F conductive state lost its high K+ over Na+ selectivity, and even NMDG+ can permeate, features not observed in a wild-type SF. This indicates that, at least during recovery from inactivation, the W434F-mutant SF transitions to a widened and noncationic specific conformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Coonen
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Evelyn Martinez-Morales
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Dieter V. Van De Sande
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Dirk J. Snyders
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - D. Marien Cortes
- Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Luis G. Cuello
- Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Alain J. Labro
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Basic and Applied Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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7
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Ong ST, Tyagi A, Chandy KG, Bhushan S. Mechanisms Underlying C-type Inactivation in Kv Channels: Lessons From Structures of Human Kv1.3 and Fly Shaker-IR Channels. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:924289. [PMID: 35833027 PMCID: PMC9271579 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.924289] [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: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels modulate the function of electrically-excitable and non-excitable cells by using several types of “gates” to regulate ion flow through the channels. An important gating mechanism, C-type inactivation, limits ion flow by transitioning Kv channels into a non-conducting inactivated state. Here, we highlight two recent papers, one on the human Kv1.3 channel and the second on the Drosophila Shaker Kv channel, that combined cryogenic electron microscopy and molecular dynamics simulation to define mechanisms underlying C-type inactivation. In both channels, the transition to the non-conducting inactivated conformation begins with the rupture of an intra-subunit hydrogen bond that fastens the selectivity filter to the pore helix. The freed filter swings outwards and gets tethered to an external residue. As a result, the extracellular end of the selectivity filter dilates and K+ permeation through the pore is impaired. Recovery from inactivation may entail a reversal of this process. Such a reversal, at least partially, is induced by the peptide dalazatide. Binding of dalazatide to external residues in Kv1.3 frees the filter to swing inwards. The extracellular end of the selectivity filter narrows allowing K+ to move in single file through the pore typical of conventional knock-on conduction. Inter-subunit hydrogen bonds that stabilize the outer pore in the dalazatide-bound structure are equivalent to those in open-conducting conformations of Kv channels. However, the intra-subunit bond that fastens the filter to the pore-helix is absent, suggesting an incomplete reversal of the process. These mechanisms define how Kv channels self-regulate the flow of K+ by changing the conformation of the selectivity filter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seow Theng Ong
- LKCMedicine-ICESing Ion Channel Platform, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Anu Tyagi
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- Singapore and Nanyang Institute of Structural Biology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - K. George Chandy
- LKCMedicine-ICESing Ion Channel Platform, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- *Correspondence: K. George Chandy, ; Shashi Bhushan,
| | - Shashi Bhushan
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- Singapore and Nanyang Institute of Structural Biology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- *Correspondence: K. George Chandy, ; Shashi Bhushan,
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8
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Friesacher T, Reddy HP, Bernsteiner H, Carlo Combista J, Shalomov B, Bera AK, Zangerl-Plessl EM, Dascal N, Stary-Weinzinger A. A selectivity filter mutation provides insights into gating regulation of a K + channel. Commun Biol 2022; 5:345. [PMID: 35411015 PMCID: PMC9001731 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03303-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
G-protein coupled inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels are key players in inhibitory neurotransmission in heart and brain. We conducted molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the effect of a selectivity filter (SF) mutation, G154S, on GIRK2 structure and function. We observe mutation-induced loss of selectivity, changes in ion occupancy and altered filter geometry. Unexpectedly, we reveal aberrant SF dynamics in the mutant to be correlated with motions in the binding site of the channel activator Gβγ. This coupling is corroborated by electrophysiological experiments, revealing that GIRK2wt activation by Gβγ reduces the affinity of Ba2+ block. We further present a functional characterization of the human GIRK2G154S mutant validating our computational findings. This study identifies an allosteric connection between the SF and a crucial activator binding site. This allosteric gating mechanism may also apply to other potassium channels that are modulated by accessory proteins. Gly selectivity filter (TIGYGYR) mutant of the GIRK2 channel causes rare but severe neurological disorder called the Keppen-Lubinsky syndrome. Here, the authors explore the molecular mechanism of action of this glycine to serine mutant causing disease and identify an allosteric connection between the selectivity filter and a crucial activator binding site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theres Friesacher
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Haritha P Reddy
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel.,Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, 600036, India
| | - Harald Bernsteiner
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - J Carlo Combista
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Boris Shalomov
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Amal K Bera
- Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, 600036, India
| | - Eva-Maria Zangerl-Plessl
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nathan Dascal
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel. .,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel.
| | - Anna Stary-Weinzinger
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
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9
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Tan XF, Bae C, Stix R, Fernández-Mariño AI, Huffer K, Chang TH, Jiang J, Faraldo-Gómez JD, Swartz KJ. Structure of the Shaker Kv channel and mechanism of slow C-type inactivation. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabm7814. [PMID: 35302848 PMCID: PMC8932672 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm7814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Voltage-activated potassium (Kv) channels open upon membrane depolarization and proceed to spontaneously inactivate. Inactivation controls neuronal firing rates and serves as a form of short-term memory and is implicated in various human neurological disorders. Here, we use high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy and computer simulations to determine one of the molecular mechanisms underlying this physiologically crucial process. Structures of the activated Shaker Kv channel and of its W434F mutant in lipid bilayers demonstrate that C-type inactivation entails the dilation of the ion selectivity filter and the repositioning of neighboring residues known to be functionally critical. Microsecond-scale molecular dynamics trajectories confirm that these changes inhibit rapid ion permeation through the channel. This long-sought breakthrough establishes how eukaryotic K+ channels self-regulate their functional state through the plasticity of their selectivity filters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Feng Tan
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Section, Porter Neuroscience Research Center, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Chanhyung Bae
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Section, Porter Neuroscience Research Center, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Robyn Stix
- Theoretical Molecular Biophysics Laboratory, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Ana I. Fernández-Mariño
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Section, Porter Neuroscience Research Center, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kate Huffer
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Section, Porter Neuroscience Research Center, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Tsg-Hui Chang
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Section, Porter Neuroscience Research Center, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jiansen Jiang
- Laboratory of Membrane Proteins and Structural Biology and Biophysics Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - José D. Faraldo-Gómez
- Theoretical Molecular Biophysics Laboratory, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kenton J. Swartz
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Section, Porter Neuroscience Research Center, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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10
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Reddi R, Matulef K, Riederer E, Moenne-Loccoz P, Valiyaveetil FI. Structures of Gating Intermediates in a K + channel. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:167296. [PMID: 34627789 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Regulation of ion conduction through the pore of a K+ channel takes place through the coordinated action of the activation gate at the bundle crossing of the inner helices and the inactivation gate located at the selectivity filter. The mechanism of allosteric coupling of these gates is of key interest. Here we report new insights into this allosteric coupling mechanism from studies on a W67F mutant of the KcsA channel. W67 is in the pore helix and is highly conserved in K+ channels. The KcsA W67F channel shows severely reduced inactivation and an enhanced rate of activation. We use continuous wave EPR spectroscopy to establish that the KcsA W67F channel shows an altered pH dependence of activation. Structural studies on the W67F channel provide the structures of two intermediate states: a pre- open state and a pre-inactivated state of the KcsA channel. These structures highlight key nodes in the allosteric pathway. The structure of the KcsA W67F channel with the activation gate open shows altered ion occupancy at the second ion binding site (S2) in the selectivity filter. This finding in combination with previous studies strongly support a requirement for ion occupancy at the S2 site for the channel to inactivate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravikumar Reddi
- Program in Chemical Biology, Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, Portland, OR 97239, United States. https://twitter.com/Ravi_K_Reddi
| | - Kimberly Matulef
- Program in Chemical Biology, Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, Portland, OR 97239, United States
| | - Erika Riederer
- Program in Chemical Biology, Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, Portland, OR 97239, United States
| | - Pierre Moenne-Loccoz
- Program in Chemical Biology, Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, Portland, OR 97239, United States
| | - Francis I Valiyaveetil
- Program in Chemical Biology, Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, Portland, OR 97239, United States.
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11
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Díaz-García C, Renart ML, Poveda JA, Giudici AM, González-Ros JM, Prieto M, Coutinho A. Probing the Structural Dynamics of the Activation Gate of KcsA Using Homo-FRET Measurements. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222111954. [PMID: 34769384 PMCID: PMC8584343 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The allosteric coupling between activation and inactivation processes is a common feature observed in K+ channels. Particularly, in the prokaryotic KcsA channel the K+ conduction process is controlled by the inner gate, which is activated by acidic pH, and by the selectivity filter (SF) or outer gate, which can adopt non-conductive or conductive states. In a previous study, a single tryptophan mutant channel (W67 KcsA) enabled us to investigate the SF dynamics using time-resolved homo-Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (homo-FRET) measurements. Here, the conformational changes of both gates were simultaneously monitored after labelling the G116C position with tetramethylrhodamine (TMR) within a W67 KcsA background. At a high degree of protein labeling, fluorescence anisotropy measurements showed that the pH-induced KcsA gating elicited a variation in the homo-FRET efficiency among the conjugated TMR dyes (TMR homo-FRET), while the conformation of the SF was simultaneously tracked (W67 homo-FRET). The dependence of the activation pKa of the inner gate with the ion occupancy of the SF unequivocally confirmed the allosteric communication between the two gates of KcsA. This simple TMR homo-FRET based ratiometric assay can be easily extended to study the conformational dynamics associated with the gating of other ion channels and their modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Díaz-García
- iBB, Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal; (C.D.-G.); (M.P.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Maria Lourdes Renart
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche, Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03202 Elche, Spain; (J.A.P.); (A.M.G.); (J.M.G.-R.)
- Correspondence: (M.L.R.); (A.C.)
| | - José Antonio Poveda
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche, Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03202 Elche, Spain; (J.A.P.); (A.M.G.); (J.M.G.-R.)
| | - Ana Marcela Giudici
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche, Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03202 Elche, Spain; (J.A.P.); (A.M.G.); (J.M.G.-R.)
| | - José M. González-Ros
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche, Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03202 Elche, Spain; (J.A.P.); (A.M.G.); (J.M.G.-R.)
| | - Manuel Prieto
- iBB, Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal; (C.D.-G.); (M.P.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ana Coutinho
- iBB, Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal; (C.D.-G.); (M.P.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
- Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
- Correspondence: (M.L.R.); (A.C.)
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12
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Szanto TG, Zakany F, Papp F, Varga Z, Deutsch CJ, Panyi G. The activation gate controls steady-state inactivation and recovery from inactivation in Shaker. J Gen Physiol 2021; 152:151805. [PMID: 32442242 PMCID: PMC7398138 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202012591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite major advances in the structure determination of ion channels, the sequence of molecular rearrangements at negative membrane potentials in voltage-gated potassium channels of the Shaker family remains unknown. Four major composite gating states are documented during the gating process: closed (C), open (O), open-inactivated (OI), and closed-inactivated (CI). Although many steps in the gating cycle have been clarified experimentally, the development of steady-state inactivation at negative membrane potentials and mandatory gating transitions for recovery from inactivation have not been elucidated. In this study, we exploit the biophysical properties of Shaker-IR mutants T449A/V474C and T449A/V476C to evaluate the status of the activation and inactivation gates during steady-state inactivation and upon locking the channel open with intracellular Cd2+. We conclude that at negative membrane potentials, the gating scheme of Shaker channels can be refined in two aspects. First, the most likely pathway for the development of steady-state inactivation is C→O→OI⇌CI. Second, the OI→CI transition is a prerequisite for recovery from inactivation. These findings are in accordance with the widely accepted view that tight coupling is present between the activation and C-type inactivation gates in Shaker and underscore the role of steady-state inactivation and recovery from inactivation as determinants of excitability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tibor G Szanto
- Division of Biophysics, Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Florina Zakany
- Division of Biophysics, Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Ferenc Papp
- Division of Biophysics, Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Zoltan Varga
- Division of Biophysics, Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Carol J Deutsch
- Department of Physiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Gyorgy Panyi
- Division of Biophysics, Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
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13
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Abstract
Fast excitatory synaptic transmission in the central nervous system relies on the AMPA-type glutamate receptor (AMPAR). This receptor incorporates a nonselective cation channel, which is opened by the binding of glutamate. Although the open pore structure has recently became available from cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM), the molecular mechanisms governing cation permeability in AMPA receptors are not understood. Here, we combined microsecond molecular dynamic (MD) simulations on a putative open-state structure of GluA2 with electrophysiology on cloned channels to elucidate ion permeation mechanisms. Na+, K+, and Cs+ permeated at physiological rates, consistent with a structure that represents a true open state. A single major ion binding site for Na+ and K+ in the pore represents the simplest selectivity filter (SF) structure for any tetrameric cation channel of known structure. The minimal SF comprised only Q586 and Q587, and other residues on the cytoplasmic side formed a water-filled cavity with a cone shape that lacked major interactions with ions. We observed that Cl- readily enters the upper pore, explaining anion permeation in the RNA-edited (Q586R) form of GluA2. A permissive architecture of the SF accommodated different alkali metals in distinct solvation states to allow rapid, nonselective cation permeation and copermeation by water. Simulations suggested Cs+ uses two equally populated ion binding sites in the filter, and we confirmed with electrophysiology of GluA2 that Cs+ is slightly more permeant than Na+, consistent with serial binding sites preferentially driving selectivity.
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14
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Zequn Z, Jiangfang L. Molecular Insights Into the Gating Kinetics of the Cardiac hERG Channel, Illuminated by Structure and Molecular Dynamics. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:687007. [PMID: 34168566 PMCID: PMC8217747 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.687007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The rapidly activating delayed rectifier K+ current generated by the cardiac hERG potassium channel encoded by KCNH2 is the most important reserve current for cardiac repolarization. The unique inward rectification characteristics of the hERG channel depend on the gating regulation, which involves crucial structural domains and key single amino acid residues in the full-length hERG channel. Identifying critical molecules involved in the regulation of gating kinetics for the hERG channel requires high-resolution structures and molecular dynamics simulation models. Based on the latest progress in hERG structure and molecular dynamics simulation research, summarizing the molecules involved in the changes in the channel state helps to elucidate the unique gating characteristics of the channel and the reason for its high affinity to cardiotoxic drugs. In this review, we aim to summarize the significant advances in understanding the voltage gating regulation of the hERG channel based on its structure obtained from cryo-electron microscopy and computer simulations, which reveal the critical roles of several specific structural domains and amino acid residues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Zequn
- Department of Cardiovascular, Medical College, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Lian Jiangfang
- Department of Cardiovascular, Lihuili Hospital Affiliated to Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
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15
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Gibby WAT, Barabash ML, Guardiani C, Luchinsky DG, McClintock PVE. Physics of Selective Conduction and Point Mutation in Biological Ion Channels. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 126:218102. [PMID: 34114848 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.126.218102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We introduce a statistical and linear response theory of selective conduction in biological ion channels with multiple binding sites and possible point mutation. We derive an effective grand-canonical ensemble and generalized Einstein relations for the selectivity filter, assuming strongly coordinated ionic motion, and allowing for ionic Coulomb blockade. The theory agrees well with data from the KcsA K^{+} channel and a mutant. We show that the Eisenman relations for thermodynamic selectivity follow from the condition for fast conduction and find that maximum conduction requires the binding sites to be nearly identical.
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Affiliation(s)
- W A T Gibby
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - M L Barabash
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
| | - C Guardiani
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University, Rome 00184, Italy
| | - D G Luchinsky
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
- KBR Inc., Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Mountain View, California 94035, USA
| | - P V E McClintock
- Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, United Kingdom
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16
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Szanto TG, Gaal S, Karbat I, Varga Z, Reuveny E, Panyi G. Shaker-IR K+ channel gating in heavy water: Role of structural water molecules in inactivation. J Gen Physiol 2021; 153:212166. [PMID: 34014250 PMCID: PMC8148028 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202012742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been reported earlier that the slow (C-type) inactivated conformation in Kv channels is stabilized by a multipoint hydrogen-bond network behind the selectivity filter. Furthermore, MD simulations revealed that structural water molecules are also involved in the formation of this network locking the selectivity filter in its inactive conformation. We found that the application of an extracellular, but not intracellular, solution based on heavy water (D2O) dramatically slowed entry into the slow inactivated state in Shaker-IR mutants (T449A, T449A/I470A, and T449K/I470C, displaying a wide range of inactivation kinetics), consistent with the proposed effect of the dynamics of structural water molecules on the conformational stability of the selectivity filter. Alternative hypotheses capable of explaining the observed effects of D2O were examined. Increased viscosity of the external solution mimicked by the addition of glycerol had a negligible effect on the rate of inactivation. In addition, the inactivation time constants of K+ currents in the outward and the inward directions in asymmetric solutions were not affected by a H2O/D2O exchange, negating an indirect effect of D2O on the rate of K+ rehydration. The elimination of the nonspecific effects of D2O on our macroscopic current measurements supports the hypothesis that the rate of structural water exchange at the region behind the selectivity filter determines the rate of slow inactivation, as proposed by molecular modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tibor G Szanto
- Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Szabolcs Gaal
- Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Izhar Karbat
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Zoltan Varga
- Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Eitan Reuveny
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Gyorgy Panyi
- Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
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17
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Pérez-Conesa S, Keeler EG, Zhang D, Delemotte L, McDermott AE. Informing NMR experiments with molecular dynamics simulations to characterize the dominant activated state of the KcsA ion channel. J Chem Phys 2021; 154:165102. [PMID: 33940802 PMCID: PMC9250420 DOI: 10.1063/5.0040649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
As the first potassium channel with an x-ray structure determined, and given its homology to eukaryotic channels, the pH-gated prokaryotic channel KcsA has been extensively studied. Nevertheless, questions related, in particular, to the allosteric coupling between its gates remain open. The many currently available x-ray crystallography structures appear to correspond to various stages of activation and inactivation, offering insights into the molecular basis of these mechanisms. Since these studies have required mutations, complexation with antibodies, and substitution of detergents in place of lipids, examining the channel under more native conditions is desirable. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) can be used to study the wild-type protein under activating conditions (low pH), at room temperature, and in bacteriomimetic liposomes. In this work, we sought to structurally assign the activated state present in SSNMR experiments. We used a combination of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, chemical shift prediction algorithms, and Bayesian inference techniques to determine which of the most plausible x-ray structures resolved to date best represents the activated state captured in SSNMR. We first identified specific nuclei with simulated NMR chemical shifts that differed significantly when comparing partially open vs fully open ensembles from MD simulations. The simulated NMR chemical shifts for those specific nuclei were then compared to experimental ones, revealing that the simulation of the partially open state was in good agreement with the SSNMR data. Nuclei that discriminate effectively between partially and fully open states belong to residues spread over the sequence and provide a molecular level description of the conformational change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Pérez-Conesa
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Eric G Keeler
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
| | - Dongyu Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
| | - Lucie Delemotte
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ann E McDermott
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
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18
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Mironenko A, Zachariae U, de Groot BL, Kopec W. The Persistent Question of Potassium Channel Permeation Mechanisms. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:167002. [PMID: 33891905 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Potassium channels play critical roles in many physiological processes, providing a selective permeation route for K+ ions in and out of a cell, by employing a carefully designed selectivity filter, evolutionarily conserved from viruses to mammals. The structure of the selectivity filter was determined at atomic resolution by x-ray crystallography, showing a tight coordination of desolvated K+ ions by the channel. However, the molecular mechanism of K+ ions permeation through potassium channels remains unclear, with structural, functional and computational studies often providing conflicting data and interpretations. In this review, we will present the proposed mechanisms, discuss their origins, and will critically assess them against all available data. General properties shared by all potassium channels are introduced first, followed by the introduction of two main mechanisms of ion permeation: soft and direct knock-on. Then, we will discuss critical computational and experimental studies that shaped the field. We will especially focus on molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, that provided mechanistic and energetic aspects of K+ permeation, but at the same time created long-standing controversies. Further challenges and possible solutions are presented as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrei Mironenko
- Computational Biomolecular Dynamics Group, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ulrich Zachariae
- Computational Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Bert L de Groot
- Computational Biomolecular Dynamics Group, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Wojciech Kopec
- Computational Biomolecular Dynamics Group, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
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19
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Bassetto CA, Carvalho-de-Souza JL, Bezanilla F. Molecular basis for functional connectivity between the voltage sensor and the selectivity filter gate in Shaker K + channels. eLife 2021; 10:63077. [PMID: 33620313 PMCID: PMC7943188 DOI: 10.7554/elife.63077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In Shaker K+ channels, the S4-S5 linker couples the voltage sensor (VSD) and pore domain (PD). Another coupling mechanism is revealed using two W434F-containing channels: L361R:W434F and L366H:W434F. In L361R:W434F, W434F affects the L361R VSD seen as a shallower charge-voltage (Q-V) curve that crosses the conductance-voltage (G-V) curve. In L366H:W434F, L366H relieves the W434F effect converting a non-conductive channel in a conductive one. We report a chain of residues connecting the VSD (S4) to the selectivity filter (SF) in the PD of an adjacent subunit as the molecular basis for voltage sensor selectivity filter gate (VS-SF) coupling. Single alanine substitutions in this region (L409A, S411A, S412A, or F433A) are enough to disrupt the VS-SF coupling, shown by the absence of Q-V and G-V crossing in L361R:W434F mutant and by the lack of ionic conduction in the L366H:W434F mutant. This residue chain defines a new coupling between the VSD and the PD in voltage-gated channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Az Bassetto
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | - João Luis Carvalho-de-Souza
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, United States.,Department of Anesthesiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, United States
| | - Francisco Bezanilla
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, United States.,Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, United States.,Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
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20
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Cosseddu SM, Choe EJ, Khovanov IA. Unraveling of a Strongly Correlated Dynamical Network of Residues Controlling the Permeation of Potassium in KcsA Ion Channel. ENTROPY (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 23:E72. [PMID: 33418985 PMCID: PMC7825352 DOI: 10.3390/e23010072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The complicated patterns of the single-channel currents in potassium ion channel KcsA are governed by the structural variability of the selectivity filter. A comparative analysis of the dynamics of the wild type KcsA channel and several of its mutants showing different conducting patterns was performed. A strongly correlated dynamical network of interacting residues is found to play a key role in regulating the state of the wild type channel. The network is centered on the aspartate D80 which plays the role of a hub by strong interacting via hydrogen bonds with residues E71, R64, R89, and W67. Residue D80 also affects the selectivity filter via its backbones. This network further compromises ions and water molecules located inside the channel that results in the mutual influence: the permeation depends on the configuration of residues in the network, and the dynamics of network's residues depends on locations of ions and water molecules inside the selectivity filter. Some features of the network provide a further understanding of experimental results describing the KcsA activity. In particular, the necessity of anionic lipids to be present for functioning the channel is explained by the interaction between the lipids and the arginine residues R64 and R89 that prevents destabilizing the structure of the selectivity filter.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Igor A. Khovanov
- School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK; (S.M.C.); (E.J.C.)
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21
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Selectivity filter ion binding affinity determines inactivation in a potassium channel. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:29968-29978. [PMID: 33154158 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2009624117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Potassium channels can become nonconducting via inactivation at a gate inside the highly conserved selectivity filter (SF) region near the extracellular side of the membrane. In certain ligand-gated channels, such as BK channels and MthK, a Ca2+-activated K+ channel from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, the SF has been proposed to play a role in opening and closing rather than inactivation, although the underlying conformational changes are unknown. Using X-ray crystallography, identical conductive MthK structures were obtained in wide-ranging K+ concentrations (6 to 150 mM), unlike KcsA, whose SF collapses at low permeant ion concentrations. Surprisingly, three of the SF's four binding sites remained almost fully occupied throughout this range, indicating high affinities (likely submillimolar), while only the central S2 site titrated, losing its ion at 6 mM, indicating low K+ affinity (∼50 mM). Molecular simulations showed that the MthK SF can also collapse in the absence of K+, similar to KcsA, but that even a single K+ binding at any of the SF sites, except S4, can rescue the conductive state. The uneven titration across binding sites differs from KcsA, where SF sites display a uniform decrease in occupancy with K+ concentration, in the low millimolar range, leading to SF collapse. We found that ions were disfavored in MthK's S2 site due to weaker coordination by carbonyl groups, arising from different interactions with the pore helix and water behind the SF. We conclude that these differences in interactions endow the seemingly identical SFs of KcsA and MthK with strikingly different inactivating phenotypes.
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22
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Nirenberg VA, Yifrach O. Flow and shortcuts along the Shaker Kv channel slow inactivation gating cycle. J Gen Physiol 2020; 152:151859. [PMID: 32542313 PMCID: PMC7398140 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202012611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Closing the cycle of Kv channel slow inactivation gating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie Abigail Nirenberg
- Department of Life Sciences and the Zlotowski Center for Neurosciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Ofer Yifrach
- Department of Life Sciences and the Zlotowski Center for Neurosciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
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23
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A folding reaction at the C-terminal domain drives temperature sensing in TRPM8 channels. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:20298-20304. [PMID: 32747539 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2004303117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In mammals, temperature-sensitive TRP channels make membrane conductance of cells extremely temperature dependent, allowing the detection of temperature ranging from noxious cold to noxious heat. We progressively deleted the distal carboxyl terminus domain (CTD) of the cold-activated melastatin receptor channel, TRPM8. We found that the enthalpy change associated with channel gating is proportional to the length of the CTD. Deletion of the last 36 amino acids of the CTD transforms TRPM8 into a reduced temperature-sensitivity channel (Q10 ∼4). Exposing the intracellular domain to a denaturing agent increases the energy required to open the channel indicating that cold drives channel gating by stabilizing the folded state of the CTD. Experiments in the presence of an osmoticant agent suggest that channel gating involves a change in solute-inaccessible volume in the CTD of ∼1,900 Å3 This volume matches the void space inside the coiled coil according to the cryogenic electron microscopy structure of TRPM8. The results indicate that a folding-unfolding reaction of a specialized temperature-sensitive structure is coupled to TRPM8 gating.
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24
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Lewis A, McCrossan ZA, Manville RW, Popa MO, Cuello LG, Goldstein SAN. TOK channels use the two gates in classical K + channels to achieve outward rectification. FASEB J 2020; 34:8902-8919. [PMID: 32519783 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202000545r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2020] [Revised: 05/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
TOKs are outwardly rectifying K+ channels in fungi with two pore-loops and eight transmembrane spans. Here, we describe the TOKs from four pathogens that cause the majority of life-threatening fungal infections in humans. These TOKs pass large currents only in the outward direction like the canonical isolate from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ScTOK), and distinct from other K+ channels. ScTOK, AfTOK1 (Aspergillus fumigatus), and H99TOK (Cryptococcus neoformans grubii) are K+ -selective and pass current above the K+ reversal potential. CaTOK (Candida albicans) and CnTOK (Cryptococcus neoformans neoformans) pass both K+ and Na+ and conduct above a reversal potential reflecting the mixed permeability of their selectivity filter. Mutations in CaTOK and ScTOK at sites homologous to those that open the internal gates in classical K+ channels are shown to produce inward TOK currents. A favored model for outward rectification is proposed whereby the reversal potential determines ion occupancy, and thus, conductivity, of the selectivity filter gate that is coupled to an imperfectly restrictive internal gate, permitting the filter to sample ion concentrations on both sides of the membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Lewis
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Zoe A McCrossan
- NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre (NETSCC), University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Rían W Manville
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK
| | - M Oana Popa
- Sussex Drug Discovery Centre, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Luis G Cuello
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, 79430, USA
| | - Steve A N Goldstein
- Departments of Physiology & Biophysics and Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Samueli College of Health Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
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25
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The Selectivity Filter Is Involved in the U-Type Inactivation Process of Kv2.1 and Kv3.1 Channels. Biophys J 2020; 118:2612-2620. [PMID: 32365329 PMCID: PMC7231921 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.03.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Revised: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels display several types of inactivation processes, including N-, C-, and U-types. C-type inactivation is attributed to a nonconductive conformation of the selectivity filter (SF). It has been proposed that the activation gate and the channel's SF are allosterically coupled because the conformational changes of the former affect the structure of the latter and vice versa. The second threonine of the SF signature sequence (e.g., TTVGYG) has been proven to be essential for this allosteric coupling. To further study the role of the SF in U-type inactivation, we substituted the second threonine of the TTVGYG sequence by an alanine in the hKv2.1 and hKv3.1 channels, which are known to display U-type inactivation. Both hKv2.1-T377A and hKv3.1-T400A yielded channels that were resistant to inactivation, and as a result, they displayed noninactivating currents upon channel opening; i.e., hKv2.1-T377A and hKv3.1-T400A remained fully conductive upon prolonged moderate depolarizations, whereas in wild-type hKv2.1 and hKv3.1, the current amplitude typically reduces because of U-type inactivation. Interestingly, increasing the extracellular K+ concentration increased the macroscopic current amplitude of both hKv2.1-T377A and hKv3.1-T400A, which is similar to the response of the homologous T to A mutation in Shaker and hKv1.5 channels that display C-type inactivation. Our data support an important role for the second threonine of the SF signature sequence in the U-type inactivation gating of hKv2.1 and hKv3.1.
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26
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Zhao R, Dai H, Mendelman N, Chill JH, Goldstein SAN. Tethered peptide neurotoxins display two blocking mechanisms in the K + channel pore as do their untethered analogs. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaaz3439. [PMID: 32181366 PMCID: PMC7056315 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz3439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We show here that membrane-tethered toxins facilitate the biophysical study of the roles of toxin residues in K+ channel blockade to reveal two blocking mechanisms in the K+ channel pore. The structure of the sea anemone type I (SAK1) toxin HmK is determined by NMR. T-HmK residues are scanned by point mutation to map the toxin surface, and seven residues are identified to be critical to occlusion of the KcsA channel pore. T-HmK-Lys22 is shown to interact with K+ ions traversing the KcsA pore from the cytoplasm conferring voltage dependence on the toxin off rate, a classic mechanism that we observe as well with HmK in solution and for Kv1.3 channels. In contrast, two related SAK1 toxins, Hui1 and ShK, block KcsA and Kv1.3, respectively, via an arginine rather than the canonical lysine, when tethered and as free peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiming Zhao
- Departments of Pediatrics and Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Hui Dai
- Departments of Pediatrics and Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Netanel Mendelman
- Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Jordan H. Chill
- Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Steve A. N. Goldstein
- Departments of Pediatrics and Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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27
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Oakes V, Furini S, Domene C. Insights into the Mechanisms of K + Permeation in K + Channels from Computer Simulations. J Chem Theory Comput 2020; 16:794-799. [PMID: 31809048 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.9b00971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Ion permeation, selectivity, and the behavior of the K+ channel selectivity filter have been studied intensively in the previous two decades. The agreement among multiple approaches used to study ion flux in K+ channels suggests a consensus mechanism of ion permeation across the selectivity that has been put to the test in recent years with the proposal of an alternative way by which ions can cross the selectivity filter of K+ channels via direct Coulomb repulsion between contacting cations. Past experimental work by Zhou and MacKinnon (J. Mol. Biol. 2004, 338, 839) showed that mutation of the site S4 reduces the total occupancy of the selectivity filter to less than two ions on average by lowering the occupancy of the S2-S4 configuration without changing the S1-S3 configuration much, and this reduction of occupancy means that ion configurations different from the ones involved in the canonical mechanism are likely to be involved. At that time, calculations using complicated kinetic networks to relate occupancy to conduction did not provide deeper insight into the conduction mechanism. Here, to help solve this enigma, umbrella sampling simulations have been performed to evaluate the potential of mean force of two KcsA mutant channels where the S4 site is substituted. Our new results provide insights into the significance of threonine in this position, revealing the effect of substitution on the alternate mechanisms of conduction proposed, involving either water or vacant sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Oakes
- Department of Chemistry , University of Bath , Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY , U.K
| | - Simone Furini
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies , University of Siena , Siena , Italy
| | - Carmen Domene
- Department of Chemistry , University of Bath , Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY , U.K.,Department of Chemistry , University of Oxford , Oxford OX1 3TA , U.K
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28
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Kopec W, Rothberg BS, de Groot BL. Molecular mechanism of a potassium channel gating through activation gate-selectivity filter coupling. Nat Commun 2019; 10:5366. [PMID: 31772184 PMCID: PMC6879586 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13227-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Potassium channels are presumed to have two allosterically coupled gates, the activation gate and the selectivity filter gate, that control channel opening, closing, and inactivation. However, the molecular mechanism of how these gates regulate K+ ion flow through the channel remains poorly understood. An activation process, occurring at the selectivity filter, has been recently proposed for several potassium channels. Here, we use X-ray crystallography and extensive molecular dynamics simulations, to study ion permeation through a potassium channel MthK, for various opening levels of both gates. We find that the channel conductance is controlled at the selectivity filter, whose conformation depends on the activation gate. The crosstalk between the gates is mediated through a collective motion of channel helices, involving hydrophobic contacts between an isoleucine and a conserved threonine in the selectivity filter. We propose a gating model of selectivity filter-activated potassium channels, including pharmacologically relevant two-pore domain (K2P) and big potassium (BK) channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wojciech Kopec
- Biomolecular Dynamics Group, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Brad S Rothberg
- Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Biochemistry, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19140, USA
| | - Bert L de Groot
- Biomolecular Dynamics Group, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
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29
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Chill JH, Qasim A, Sher I, Gross R. NMR Perspectives of the KcsA Potassium Channel in the Membrane Environment. Isr J Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ijch.201900107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jordan H. Chill
- Department of ChemistryBar Ilan University Ramat Gan 52900 Israel
| | - Arwa Qasim
- Department of ChemistryBar Ilan University Ramat Gan 52900 Israel
| | - Inbal Sher
- Department of ChemistryBar Ilan University Ramat Gan 52900 Israel
| | - Renana Gross
- Department of ChemistryBar Ilan University Ramat Gan 52900 Israel
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30
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Bernsteiner H, Zangerl-Plessl EM, Chen X, Stary-Weinzinger A. Conduction through a narrow inward-rectifier K + channel pore. J Gen Physiol 2019; 151:1231-1246. [PMID: 31511304 PMCID: PMC6785732 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201912359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2019] [Revised: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
G-protein–gated inwardly rectifying potassium channels are important mediators of inhibitory neurotransmission. Based on microsecond-scale molecular dynamics simulations, Bernsteiner et al. propose novel gating details that may enable K+ flux via a direct knock-on mechanism. Inwardly rectifying potassium (Kir) channels play a key role in controlling membrane potentials in excitable and unexcitable cells, thereby regulating a plethora of physiological processes. G-protein–gated Kir channels control heart rate and neuronal excitability via small hyperpolarizing outward K+ currents near the resting membrane potential. Despite recent breakthroughs in x-ray crystallography and cryo-EM, the gating and conduction mechanisms of these channels are poorly understood. MD simulations have provided unprecedented details concerning the gating and conduction mechanisms of voltage-gated K+ and Na+ channels. Here, we use multi-microsecond–timescale MD simulations based on the crystal structures of GIRK2 (Kir3.2) bound to phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate to provide detailed insights into the channel’s gating dynamics, including insights into the behavior of the G-loop gate. The simulations also elucidate the elementary steps that underlie the movement of K+ ions through an inward-rectifier K+ channel under an applied electric field. Our simulations suggest that K+ permeation might occur via direct knock-on, similar to the mechanism recently shown for Kv channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harald Bernsteiner
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Xingyu Chen
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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31
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Pore-modulating toxins exploit inherent slow inactivation to block K + channels. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:18700-18709. [PMID: 31444298 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1908903116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Voltage-dependent potassium channels (Kvs) gate in response to changes in electrical membrane potential by coupling a voltage-sensing module with a K+-selective pore. Animal toxins targeting Kvs are classified as pore blockers, which physically plug the ion conduction pathway, or as gating modifiers, which disrupt voltage sensor movements. A third group of toxins blocks K+ conduction by an unknown mechanism via binding to the channel turrets. Here, we show that Conkunitzin-S1 (Cs1), a peptide toxin isolated from cone snail venom, binds at the turrets of Kv1.2 and targets a network of hydrogen bonds that govern water access to the peripheral cavities that surround the central pore. The resulting ectopic water flow triggers an asymmetric collapse of the pore by a process resembling that of inherent slow inactivation. Pore modulation by animal toxins exposes the peripheral cavity of K+ channels as a novel pharmacological target and provides a rational framework for drug design.
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32
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Structure, function, and ion-binding properties of a K + channel stabilized in the 2,4-ion-bound configuration. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:16829-16834. [PMID: 31387976 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1901888116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Here, we present the atomic resolution crystallographic structure, the function, and the ion-binding properties of the KcsA mutants, G77A and G77C, that stabilize the 2,4-ion-bound configuration (i.e., water, K+, water, K+-ion-bound configuration) of the K+ channel's selectivity filter. A full functional and thermodynamic characterization of the G77A mutant revealed wild-type-like ion selectivity and apparent K+-binding affinity, in addition to showing a lack of C-type inactivation gating and a marked reduction in its single-channel conductance. These structures validate, from a structural point of view, the notion that 2 isoenergetic ion-bound configurations coexist within a K+ channel's selectivity filter, which fully agrees with the water-K+-ion-coupled transport detected by streaming potential measurements.
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33
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Gating modules of the AMPA receptor pore domain revealed by unnatural amino acid mutagenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:13358-13367. [PMID: 31213549 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1818845116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) are responsible for fast synaptic transmission throughout the vertebrate nervous system. Conformational changes of the transmembrane domain (TMD) underlying ion channel activation and desensitization remain poorly understood. Here, we explored the dynamics of the TMD of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)-type iGluRs using genetically encoded unnatural amino acid (UAA) photocross-linkers, p-benzoyl-l-phenylalanine (BzF) and p-azido-l-phenylalanine (AzF). We introduced these UAAs at sites throughout the TMD of the GluA2 receptor and characterized the mutants in patch-clamp recordings, exposing them to glutamate and ultraviolet (UV) light. This approach revealed a range of optical effects on the activity of mutant receptors. We found evidence for an interaction between the Pre-M1 and the M4 TMD helix during desensitization. Photoactivation at F579AzF, a residue behind the selectivity filter in the M2 segment, had extraordinarily broad effects on gating and desensitization. This observation suggests coupling to other parts of the receptor and like in other tetrameric ion channels, selectivity filter gating.
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34
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Enkavi G, Javanainen M, Kulig W, Róg T, Vattulainen I. Multiscale Simulations of Biological Membranes: The Challenge To Understand Biological Phenomena in a Living Substance. Chem Rev 2019; 119:5607-5774. [PMID: 30859819 PMCID: PMC6727218 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Biological membranes are tricky to investigate. They are complex in terms of molecular composition and structure, functional over a wide range of time scales, and characterized by nonequilibrium conditions. Because of all of these features, simulations are a great technique to study biomembrane behavior. A significant part of the functional processes in biological membranes takes place at the molecular level; thus computer simulations are the method of choice to explore how their properties emerge from specific molecular features and how the interplay among the numerous molecules gives rise to function over spatial and time scales larger than the molecular ones. In this review, we focus on this broad theme. We discuss the current state-of-the-art of biomembrane simulations that, until now, have largely focused on a rather narrow picture of the complexity of the membranes. Given this, we also discuss the challenges that we should unravel in the foreseeable future. Numerous features such as the actin-cytoskeleton network, the glycocalyx network, and nonequilibrium transport under ATP-driven conditions have so far received very little attention; however, the potential of simulations to solve them would be exceptionally high. A major milestone for this research would be that one day we could say that computer simulations genuinely research biological membranes, not just lipid bilayers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giray Enkavi
- Department
of Physics, University of
Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matti Javanainen
- Department
of Physics, University of
Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Institute
of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy
of Sciences, Flemingovo naḿesti 542/2, 16610 Prague, Czech Republic
- Computational
Physics Laboratory, Tampere University, P.O. Box 692, FI-33014 Tampere, Finland
| | - Waldemar Kulig
- Department
of Physics, University of
Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tomasz Róg
- Department
of Physics, University of
Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Computational
Physics Laboratory, Tampere University, P.O. Box 692, FI-33014 Tampere, Finland
| | - Ilpo Vattulainen
- Department
of Physics, University of
Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Computational
Physics Laboratory, Tampere University, P.O. Box 692, FI-33014 Tampere, Finland
- MEMPHYS-Center
for Biomembrane Physics
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35
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Qasim A, Sher I, Hirschhorn O, Shaked H, Qasem Z, Ruthstein S, Chill JH. Investigation of a KcsA Cytoplasmic pH Gate in Lipoprotein Nanodiscs. Chembiochem 2019; 20:813-821. [PMID: 30565824 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201800627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The bacterial potassium channel KcsA is gated by pH, opening for conduction under acidic conditions. Molecular determinants responsible for this effect have been identified at the extracellular selectivity filter, at the membrane-cytoplasm interface (TM2 gate), and in the cytoplasmic C-terminal domain (CTD), an amphiphilic four-helix bundle mediated by hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. Here we have employed NMR and EPR to provide a structural view of the pH-induced open-to-closed CTD transition. KcsA was embedded in lipoprotein nanodiscs (LPNs), selectively methyl-protonated at Leu/Val residues to allow observation of both states by NMR, and spin-labeled for the purposes of EPR studies. We observed a pHinduced structural change between an associated structured CTD at neutral pH and a dissociated flexible CTD at acidic pH, with a transition in the 5.0-5.5 range, consistent with a stabilization of the CTD by channel architecture. A double mutant constitutively open at the TM2 gate exhibited reduced stability of associated CTD, as indicated by weaker spin-spin interactions, a shift to higher transition pH values, and a tenfold reduction in the population of the associated "closed" channels. We extended these findings for isolated CTD-derived peptides to full-length KcsA and have established a contribution of the CTD to KcsA pH-controlled gating, which exhibits a strong correlation with the state of the proximal TM2 gate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arwa Qasim
- Department of Chemistry, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 52900, Israel
| | - Inbal Sher
- Department of Chemistry, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 52900, Israel
| | - Orel Hirschhorn
- Department of Chemistry, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 52900, Israel
| | - Hadassa Shaked
- Department of Chemistry, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 52900, Israel
| | - Zena Qasem
- Department of Chemistry, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 52900, Israel
| | - Sharon Ruthstein
- Department of Chemistry, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 52900, Israel
| | - Jordan H Chill
- Department of Chemistry, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 52900, Israel
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36
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Potassium channel selectivity filter dynamics revealed by single-molecule FRET. Nat Chem Biol 2019; 15:377-383. [PMID: 30833778 PMCID: PMC6430689 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-019-0240-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Potassium (K) channels exhibit exquisite selectivity for conduction of K+ ions over other cations, particularly Na+. High-resolution structures reveal an archetypal selectivity filter (SF) conformation in which dehydrated K+ ions, but not Na+ ions, are perfectly coordinated. Using single-molecule FRET (smFRET), we show that the SF-forming loop (SF-loop) in KirBac1.1 transitions between constrained and dilated conformations as a function of ion concentration. The constrained conformation, essential for selective K+ permeability, is stabilized by K+ but not Na+ ions. Mutations that render channels nonselective result in dilated and dynamically unstable conformations, independent of the permeant ion. Further, while wild-type KirBac1.1 channels are K+ selective in physiological conditions, Na+ permeates in the absence of K+. Moreover, whereas K+ gradients preferentially support 86Rb+ fluxes, Na+ gradients preferentially support 22Na+ fluxes. This suggests differential ion selectivity in constrained versus dilated states, potentially providing a structural basis for this anomalous mole fraction effect.
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37
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Identifying coupled clusters of allostery participants through chemical shift perturbations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:2078-2085. [PMID: 30679272 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1811168116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Allosteric couplings underlie many cellular signaling processes and provide an exciting avenue for development of new diagnostics and therapeutics. A general method for identifying important residues in allosteric mechanisms would be very useful, but remains elusive due to the complexity of long-range phenomena. Here, we introduce an NMR method to identify residues involved in allosteric coupling between two ligand-binding sites in a protein, which we call chemical shift detection of allostery participants (CAP). Networks of functional groups responding to each ligand are defined through correlated NMR perturbations. In this process, we also identify allostery participants, groups that respond to both binding events and likely play a role in the coupling between the binding sites. Such residues exhibit multiple functional states with distinct NMR chemical shifts, depending on binding status at both binding sites. Such a strategy was applied to the prototypical ion channel KcsA. We had previously shown that the potassium affinity at the extracellular selectivity filter is strongly dependent on proton binding at the intracellular pH sensor. Here, we analyzed proton and potassium binding networks and identified groups that depend on both proton and potassium binding (allostery participants). These groups are viewed as candidates for transmitting information between functional units. The vital role of one such identified amino acid was validated through site-specific mutagenesis, electrophysiology functional studies, and NMR-detected thermodynamic analysis of allosteric coupling. This strategy for identifying allostery participants is likely to have applications for many other systems.
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38
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Li J, Ostmeyer J, Cuello LG, Perozo E, Roux B. Rapid constriction of the selectivity filter underlies C-type inactivation in the KcsA potassium channel. J Gen Physiol 2018; 150:1408-1420. [PMID: 30072373 PMCID: PMC6168234 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201812082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
C-type inactivation in K+ channels is thought to be a result of constriction of the selectivity filter. By using MD simulations, Li et al. show that rapid constriction occurs within 1–2 s when the intracellular activation gate is fully open, but not when the gate is closed or partially open. C-type inactivation is a time-dependent process observed in many K+ channels whereby prolonged activation by an external stimulus leads to a reduction in ionic conduction. While C-type inactivation is thought to be a result of a constriction of the selectivity filter, the local dynamics of the process remain elusive. Here, we use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the KcsA channel to elucidate the nature of kinetically delayed activation/inactivation gating coupling. Microsecond-scale MD simulations based on the truncated form of the KcsA channel (C-terminal domain deleted) provide a first glimpse of the onset of C-type inactivation. We observe over multiple trajectories that the selectivity filter consistently undergoes a spontaneous and rapid (within 1–2 µs) transition to a constricted conformation when the intracellular activation gate is fully open, but remains in the conductive conformation when the activation gate is closed or partially open. Multidimensional umbrella sampling potential of mean force calculations and nonequilibrium voltage-driven simulations further confirm these observations. Electrophysiological measurements show that the truncated form of the KcsA channel inactivates faster and greater than full-length KcsA, which is consistent with truncated KcsA opening to a greater degree because of the absence of the C-terminal domain restraint. Together, these results imply that the observed kinetics underlying activation/inactivation gating reflect a rapid conductive-to-constricted transition of the selectivity filter that is allosterically controlled by the slow opening of the intracellular gate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Jared Ostmeyer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Luis G Cuello
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX
| | - Eduardo Perozo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Benoît Roux
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
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