1
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Trudeau MC. A hydrophobic nexus at the heart of hERG K channel gating. Biophys J 2024:S0006-3495(24)00181-4. [PMID: 38475996 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew C Trudeau
- Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
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2
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Stevens-Sostre WA, Flores-Aldama L, Bustos D, Li J, Morais-Cabral JH, Delemotte L, Robertson GA. An intracellular hydrophobic nexus critical for hERG1 channel slow deactivation. Biophys J 2024:S0006-3495(24)00026-2. [PMID: 38219015 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Slow deactivation is a critical property of voltage-gated K+ channels encoded by the human Ether-à-go-go-Related Gene 1 (hERG). hERG1 channel deactivation is modulated by interactions between intracellular N-terminal Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) and C-terminal cyclic nucleotide-binding homology (CNBh) domains. The PAS domain is multipartite, comprising a globular domain (gPAS; residues 26-135) and an N-terminal PAS-cap that is further subdivided into an initial unstructured "tip" (residues 1-12) and an amphipathic α-helical region (residues 13-25). Although the PAS-cap tip has long been considered the effector of slow deactivation, how its position near the gating machinery is controlled has not been elucidated. Here, we show that a triad of hydrophobic interactions among the gPAS, PAS-cap α helix, and the CNBh domains is required to support slow deactivation in hERG1. The primary sequence of this "hydrophobic nexus" is highly conserved among mammalian ERG channels but shows key differences to fast-deactivating Ether-à-go-go 1 (EAG1) channels. Combining sequence analysis, structure-directed mutagenesis, electrophysiology, and molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrate that polar serine substitutions uncover an intermediate deactivation mode that is also mimicked by deletion of the PAS-cap α helix. Molecular dynamics simulation analyses of the serine-substituted channels show an increase in distance among the residues of the hydrophobic nexus, a rotation of the intracellular gating ring, and a retraction of the PAS-cap tip from its receptor site near the voltage sensor domain and channel gate. These findings provide compelling evidence that the hydrophobic nexus coordinates the respective components of the intracellular gating ring and positions the PAS-cap tip to control hERG1 deactivation gating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Whitney A Stevens-Sostre
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Lisandra Flores-Aldama
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Daniel Bustos
- Centro de Investigación de Estudios Avanzados Del Maule (CIEAM), Vicerrectoría de Investigación y Postgrado, Universidad Católica Del Maule, Talca, Chile; Laboratorio de Bioinformática y Química Computacional (LBQC), Departamento de Medicina Traslacional, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Católica Del Maule, Talca, Chile
| | - Jin Li
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - João H Morais-Cabral
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação Em Saude da Universidade Do Porto (i3S); Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade Do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Lucie Delemotte
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Gail A Robertson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin.
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3
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Dickinson MS, Pourmal S, Gupta M, Bi M, Stroud RM. Symmetry Reduction in a Hyperpolarization-Activated Homotetrameric Ion Channel. Biochemistry 2022; 61:2177-2181. [PMID: 34964607 PMCID: PMC9931035 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Plants obtain nutrients from the soil via transmembrane transporters and channels in their root hairs, from which ions radially transport in toward the xylem for distribution across the plant body. We determined structures of the hyperpolarization-activated channel AKT1 from Arabidopsis thaliana, which mediates K+ uptake from the soil into plant roots. These structures of AtAKT1 embedded in lipid nanodiscs show that the channel undergoes a reduction of C4 to C2 symmetry, possibly to regulate its electrical activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miles Sasha Dickinson
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, Genentech Hall, 600 16th Street, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
- Chemistry and Chemical Biology Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, Genentech Hall, 600 16th Street, San Francisco, California 94143, United States
| | - Sergei Pourmal
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, Genentech Hall, 600 16th Street, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
- Chemistry and Chemical Biology Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, Genentech Hall, 600 16th Street, San Francisco, California 94143, United States
| | - Meghna Gupta
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, Genentech Hall, 600 16th Street, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Maxine Bi
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, Genentech Hall, 600 16th Street, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
- Graduate Group in Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, Genentech Hall, 600 16th Street, San Francisco, California 94143, United States
| | - Robert M Stroud
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, Genentech Hall, 600 16th Street, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
- Chemistry and Chemical Biology Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, Genentech Hall, 600 16th Street, San Francisco, California 94143, United States
- Graduate Group in Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, Genentech Hall, 600 16th Street, San Francisco, California 94143, United States
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4
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Al Salmani MK, Tavakoli R, Zaman W, Al Harrasi A. Multiple mechanisms underlie reduced potassium conductance in the p.T1019PfsX38 variant of hERG. Physiol Rep 2022; 10:e15341. [PMID: 35854468 PMCID: PMC9296870 DOI: 10.14814/phy2.15341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Revised: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Long QT syndrome type II (LQT2) is caused by loss‐of‐function mutations in the hERG K+ channel, leading to increased incidence of cardiac arrest and sudden death. Many genetic variants have been reported in the hERG gene with various consequences on channel expression, permeation, and gating. Only a small number of LQT2 causing variants has been characterized to define the underlying pathophysiological causes of the disease. We sought to determine the characteristics of the frameshift variant p.Thr1019ProfsX38 (T1019PfsX38) which affects the C‐terminus of the protein. This mutation was identified in an extended Omani family of LQT2. It replaces the last 140 amino acids of hERG with 37 unique amino acids. T1019 is positioned at a distinguished region of the C‐terminal tail of hERG, as predicted from the deep learning system AlphaFold v2.0. We employed the whole‐cell configuration of the patch‐clamp technique to study wild‐type and mutant channels that were transiently expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells. Depolarizing voltages elicited slowly deactivating tail currents that appeared upon repolarization of cells that express either wild‐type‐ or T1019PfsX38‐hERG. There were no differences in the voltage and time dependencies of activation between the two variants. However, the rates of hERG channel deactivation at hyperpolarizing potentials were accelerated by T1019PfsX38. In addition, the voltage dependence of inactivation of T1019PfsX38‐hERG was shifted by 20 mV in the negative direction when compared with wild‐type hERG. The rates of channel inactivation were increased in the mutant channel variant. Next, we employed a step‐ramp protocol to mimic membrane repolarization by the cardiac action potential. The amplitudes of outward currents and their integrals were reduced in the mutant variant when compared with the wild‐type variant during repolarization. Thus, changes in the gating dynamics of hERG by the T1019PfsX38 variant contribute to the pathology seen in affected LQT2 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Majid K Al Salmani
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Nizwa, Oman
| | - Rezvan Tavakoli
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Nizwa, Oman
| | - Wajid Zaman
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Nizwa, Oman
| | - Ahmed Al Harrasi
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Nizwa, Oman
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5
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Codding SJ, Johnson AA, Trudeau MC. Gating and regulation of KCNH (ERG, EAG, and ELK) channels by intracellular domains. Channels (Austin) 2021; 14:294-309. [PMID: 32924766 PMCID: PMC7515569 DOI: 10.1080/19336950.2020.1816107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The KCNH family comprises the ERG, EAG, and ELK voltage-activated, potassium-selective channels. Distinct from other K channels, KCNH channels contain unique structural domains, including a PAS (Per-Arnt-Sim) domain in the N-terminal region and a CNBHD (cyclic nucleotide-binding homology domain) in the C-terminal region. The intracellular PAS domains and CNBHDs interact directly and regulate some of the characteristic gating properties of each type of KCNH channel. The PAS-CNBHD interaction regulates slow closing (deactivation) of hERG channels, the kinetics of activation and pre-pulse dependent population of closed states (the Cole-Moore shift) in EAG channels and voltage-dependent potentiation in ELK channels. KCNH channels are all regulated by an intrinsic ligand motif in the C-terminal region which binds to the CNBHD. Here, we focus on some recent advances regarding the PAS-CNBHD interaction and the intrinsic ligand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara J Codding
- Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ashley A Johnson
- Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Matthew C Trudeau
- Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
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6
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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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7
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Abstract
Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a cardiovascular disorder characterized by an abnormality in cardiac repolarization leading to a prolonged QT interval and T-wave irregularities on the surface electrocardiogram. It is commonly associated with syncope, seizures, susceptibility to torsades de pointes, and risk for sudden death. LQTS is a rare genetic disorder and a major preventable cause of sudden cardiac death in the young. The availability of therapy for this lethal disease emphasizes the importance of early and accurate diagnosis. Additionally, understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying LQTS could help to optimize genotype-specific treatments to prevent deaths in LQTS patients. In this review, we briefly summarize current knowledge regarding molecular underpinning of LQTS, in particular focusing on LQT1, LQT2, and LQT3, and discuss novel strategies to study ion channel dysfunction and drug-specific therapies in LQT1, LQT2, and LQT3 syndromes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Isabelle Deschênes
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
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8
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Inhibition of the hERG potassium channel by phenanthrene: a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollutant. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 78:7899-7914. [PMID: 34727194 PMCID: PMC8629796 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-03967-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The lipophilic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) phenanthrene is relatively abundant in polluted air and water and can access and accumulate in human tissue. Phenanthrene has been reported to interact with cardiac ion channels in several fish species. This study was undertaken to investigate the ability of phenanthrene to interact with hERG (human Ether-à-go-go-Related Gene) encoded Kv11.1 K+ channels, which play a central role in human ventricular repolarization. Pharmacological inhibition of hERG can be proarrhythmic. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings of hERG current (IhERG) were made from HEK293 cells expressing wild-type (WT) and mutant hERG channels. WT IhERG1a was inhibited by phenanthrene with an IC50 of 17.6 ± 1.7 µM, whilst IhERG1a/1b exhibited an IC50 of 1.8 ± 0.3 µM. WT IhERG block showed marked voltage and time dependence, indicative of dependence of inhibition on channel gating. The inhibitory effect of phenanthrene was markedly impaired by the attenuated inactivation N588K mutation. Remarkably, mutations of S6 domain aromatic amino acids (Y652, F656) in the canonical drug binding site did not impair the inhibitory action of phenanthrene; the Y652A mutation augmented IhERG block. In contrast, the F557L (S5) and M651A (S6) mutations impaired the ability of phenanthrene to inhibit IhERG, as did the S624A mutation below the selectivity filter region. Computational docking using a cryo-EM derived hERG structure supported the mutagenesis data. Thus, phenanthrene acts as an inhibitor of the hERG K+ channel by directly interacting with the channel, binding to a distinct site in the channel pore domain.
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9
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Zhang Y, Dempsey CE, Hancox JC. Electrophysiological characterization of the modified hERG T potassium channel used to obtain the first cryo-EM hERG structure. Physiol Rep 2020; 8:e14568. [PMID: 33091232 PMCID: PMC7580876 DOI: 10.14814/phy2.14568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The voltage-gated hERG (human-Ether-à-go-go Related Gene) K+ channel plays a fundamental role in cardiac action potential repolarization. Loss-of-function mutations or pharmacological inhibition of hERG leads to long QT syndrome, whilst gain-of-function mutations lead to short QT syndrome. A recent open channel cryo-EM structure of hERG represents a significant advance in the ability to interrogate hERG channel structure-function. In order to suppress protein aggregation, a truncated channel construct of hERG (hERGT ) was used to obtain this structure. In hERGT cytoplasmic domain residues 141 to 350 and 871 to 1,005 were removed from the full-length channel protein. There are limited data on the electrophysiological properties of hERGT channels. Therefore, this study was undertaken to determine how hERGT influences channel function at physiological temperature. Whole-cell measurements of hERG current (IhERG ) were made at 37°C from HEK 293 cells expressing wild-type (WT) or hERGT channels. With a standard +20 mV activating command protocol, neither end-pulse nor tail IhERG density significantly differed between WT and hERGT . However, the IhERG deactivation rate was significantly slower for hERGT . Half-maximal activation voltage (V0.5 ) was positively shifted for hERGT by ~+8 mV (p < .05 versus WT), without significant change to the activation relation slope factor. Neither the voltage dependence of inactivation, nor time course of development of inactivation significantly differed between WT and hERGT , but recovery of IhERG from inactivation was accelerated for hERGT (p < .05 versus WT). Steady-state "window" current was positively shifted for hERGT with a modest increase in the window current peak. Under action potential (AP) voltage clamp, hERGT IhERG showed modestly increased current throughout the AP plateau phase with a significant increase in current integral during the AP. The observed consequences for hERGT IhERG of deletion of the two cytoplasmic regions may reflect changes to electrostatic interactions influencing the voltage sensor domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihong Zhang
- School of Physiology and Pharmacology and NeuroscienceBiomedical Sciences BuildingThe University of BristolUniversity WalkBristolUK
| | - Christopher E. Dempsey
- School of BiochemistryBiomedical Sciences BuildingThe University of BristolUniversity WalkBristolUK
| | - Jules C. Hancox
- School of Physiology and Pharmacology and NeuroscienceBiomedical Sciences BuildingThe University of BristolUniversity WalkBristolUK
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10
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Long QT Syndrome Type 2: Emerging Strategies for Correcting Class 2 KCNH2 ( hERG) Mutations and Identifying New Patients. Biomolecules 2020. [PMID: 32759882 DOI: 10.3390/biom10081144s] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Significant advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that cause congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) have been made. A wide variety of experimental approaches, including heterologous expression of mutant ion channel proteins and the use of inducible pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) from LQTS patients offer insights into etiology and new therapeutic strategies. This review briefly discusses the major molecular mechanisms underlying LQTS type 2 (LQT2), which is caused by loss-of-function (LOF) mutations in the KCNH2 gene (also known as the human ether-à-go-go-related gene or hERG). Almost half of suspected LQT2-causing mutations are missense mutations, and functional studies suggest that about 90% of these mutations disrupt the intracellular transport, or trafficking, of the KCNH2-encoded Kv11.1 channel protein to the cell surface membrane. In this review, we discuss emerging strategies that improve the trafficking and functional expression of trafficking-deficient LQT2 Kv11.1 channel proteins to the cell surface membrane and how new insights into the structure of the Kv11.1 channel protein will lead to computational approaches that identify which KCNH2 missense variants confer a high-risk for LQT2.
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11
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Ono M, Burgess DE, Schroder EA, Elayi CS, Anderson CL, January CT, Sun B, Immadisetty K, Kekenes-Huskey PM, Delisle BP. Long QT Syndrome Type 2: Emerging Strategies for Correcting Class 2 KCNH2 ( hERG) Mutations and Identifying New Patients. Biomolecules 2020; 10:E1144. [PMID: 32759882 PMCID: PMC7464307 DOI: 10.3390/biom10081144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 07/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Significant advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that cause congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) have been made. A wide variety of experimental approaches, including heterologous expression of mutant ion channel proteins and the use of inducible pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) from LQTS patients offer insights into etiology and new therapeutic strategies. This review briefly discusses the major molecular mechanisms underlying LQTS type 2 (LQT2), which is caused by loss-of-function (LOF) mutations in the KCNH2 gene (also known as the human ether-à-go-go-related gene or hERG). Almost half of suspected LQT2-causing mutations are missense mutations, and functional studies suggest that about 90% of these mutations disrupt the intracellular transport, or trafficking, of the KCNH2-encoded Kv11.1 channel protein to the cell surface membrane. In this review, we discuss emerging strategies that improve the trafficking and functional expression of trafficking-deficient LQT2 Kv11.1 channel proteins to the cell surface membrane and how new insights into the structure of the Kv11.1 channel protein will lead to computational approaches that identify which KCNH2 missense variants confer a high-risk for LQT2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makoto Ono
- Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Center, Center for Muscle Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA; (M.O.); (D.E.B.); (E.A.S.)
| | - Don E. Burgess
- Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Center, Center for Muscle Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA; (M.O.); (D.E.B.); (E.A.S.)
| | - Elizabeth A. Schroder
- Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Center, Center for Muscle Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA; (M.O.); (D.E.B.); (E.A.S.)
| | | | - Corey L. Anderson
- Cellular and Molecular Arrhythmia Research Program, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (C.L.A.); (C.T.J.)
| | - Craig T. January
- Cellular and Molecular Arrhythmia Research Program, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (C.L.A.); (C.T.J.)
| | - Bin Sun
- Department of Cellular & Molecular Physiology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60153, USA; (B.S.); (K.I.); (P.M.K.-H.)
| | - Kalyan Immadisetty
- Department of Cellular & Molecular Physiology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60153, USA; (B.S.); (K.I.); (P.M.K.-H.)
| | - Peter M. Kekenes-Huskey
- Department of Cellular & Molecular Physiology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60153, USA; (B.S.); (K.I.); (P.M.K.-H.)
| | - Brian P. Delisle
- Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Center, Center for Muscle Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA; (M.O.); (D.E.B.); (E.A.S.)
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12
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Burton MJ, Cresser-Brown J, Thomas M, Portolano N, Basran J, Freeman SL, Kwon H, Bottrill AR, Llansola-Portoles MJ, Pascal AA, Jukes-Jones R, Chernova T, Schmid R, Davies NW, Storey NM, Dorlet P, Moody PCE, Mitcheson JS, Raven EL. Discovery of a heme-binding domain in a neuronal voltage-gated potassium channel. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:13277-13286. [PMID: 32723862 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.014150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The EAG (ether-à-go-go) family of voltage-gated K+ channels are important regulators of neuronal and cardiac action potential firing (excitability) and have major roles in human diseases such as epilepsy, schizophrenia, cancer, and sudden cardiac death. A defining feature of EAG (Kv10-12) channels is a highly conserved domain on the N terminus, known as the eag domain, consisting of a Per-ARNT-Sim (PAS) domain capped by a short sequence containing an amphipathic helix (Cap domain). The PAS and Cap domains are both vital for the normal function of EAG channels. Using heme-affinity pulldown assays and proteomics of lysates from primary cortical neurons, we identified that an EAG channel, hERG3 (Kv11.3), binds to heme. In whole-cell electrophysiology experiments, we identified that heme inhibits hERG3 channel activity. In addition, we expressed the Cap and PAS domain of hERG3 in Escherichia coli and, using spectroscopy and kinetics, identified the PAS domain as the location for heme binding. The results identify heme as a regulator of hERG3 channel activity. These observations are discussed in the context of the emerging role for heme as a regulator of ion channel activity in cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark J Burton
- Department of Chemistry, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom; Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | | | - Morgan Thomas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom; Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Nicola Portolano
- Department of Chemistry, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom; Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Jaswir Basran
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom; Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Samuel L Freeman
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Hanna Kwon
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew R Bottrill
- Protein Nucleic Acid Chemistry Laboratory, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Manuel J Llansola-Portoles
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Andrew A Pascal
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Rebekah Jukes-Jones
- Medical Research Council Toxicology Unit, University of Cambridge, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Tatyana Chernova
- Medical Research Council Toxicology Unit, University of Cambridge, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Ralf Schmid
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom; Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Noel W Davies
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom; Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Nina M Storey
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom; Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Pierre Dorlet
- CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, Laboratoire de Bioenergetique et d'Ingenierie des Protéines, Marseille, France
| | - Peter C E Moody
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - John S Mitcheson
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Emma L Raven
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
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13
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Brewer KR, Kuenze G, Vanoye CG, George AL, Meiler J, Sanders CR. Structures Illuminate Cardiac Ion Channel Functions in Health and in Long QT Syndrome. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:550. [PMID: 32431610 PMCID: PMC7212895 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.00550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The cardiac action potential is critical to the production of a synchronized heartbeat. This electrical impulse is governed by the intricate activity of cardiac ion channels, among them the cardiac voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels KCNQ1 and hERG as well as the voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channel encoded by SCN5A. Each channel performs a highly distinct function, despite sharing a common topology and structural components. These three channels are also the primary proteins mutated in congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS), a genetic condition that predisposes to cardiac arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death due to impaired repolarization of the action potential and has a particular proclivity for reentrant ventricular arrhythmias. Recent cryo-electron microscopy structures of human KCNQ1 and hERG, along with the rat homolog of SCN5A and other mammalian sodium channels, provide atomic-level insight into the structure and function of these proteins that advance our understanding of their distinct functions in the cardiac action potential, as well as the molecular basis of LQTS. In this review, the gating, regulation, LQTS mechanisms, and pharmacological properties of KCNQ1, hERG, and SCN5A are discussed in light of these recent structural findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn R. Brewer
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Georg Kuenze
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Carlos G. Vanoye
- Department of Pharmacology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Alfred L. George
- Department of Pharmacology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Jens Meiler
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences, Nashville, TN, United States
- Institute for Drug Discovery, Leipzig University Medical School, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Charles R. Sanders
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
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14
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Barros F, de la Peña P, Domínguez P, Sierra LM, Pardo LA. The EAG Voltage-Dependent K + Channel Subfamily: Similarities and Differences in Structural Organization and Gating. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:411. [PMID: 32351384 PMCID: PMC7174612 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.00411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
EAG (ether-à-go-go or KCNH) are a subfamily of the voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels. Like for all potassium channels, opening of EAG channels drives the membrane potential toward its equilibrium value for potassium, thus setting the resting potential and repolarizing action potentials. As voltage-dependent channels, they switch between open and closed conformations (gating) when changes in membrane potential are sensed by a voltage sensing domain (VSD) which is functionally coupled to a pore domain (PD) containing the permeation pathway, the potassium selectivity filter, and the channel gate. All Kv channels are tetrameric, with four VSDs formed by the S1-S4 transmembrane segments of each subunit, surrounding a central PD with the four S5-S6 sections arranged in a square-shaped structure. Structural information, mutagenesis, and functional experiments, indicated that in "classical/Shaker-type" Kv channels voltage-triggered VSD reorganizations are transmitted to PD gating via the α-helical S4-S5 sequence that links both modules. Importantly, these Shaker-type channels share a domain-swapped VSD/PD organization, with each VSD contacting the PD of the adjacent subunit. In this case, the S4-S5 linker, acting as a rigid mechanical lever (electromechanical lever coupling), would lead to channel gate opening at the cytoplasmic S6 helices bundle. However, new functional data with EAG channels split between the VSD and PD modules indicate that, in some Kv channels, alternative VSD/PD coupling mechanisms do exist. Noticeably, recent elucidation of the architecture of some EAG channels, and other relatives, showed that their VSDs are non-domain swapped. Despite similarities in primary sequence and predicted structural organization for all EAG channels, they show marked kinetic differences whose molecular basis is not completely understood. Thus, while a common general architecture may establish the gating system used by the EAG channels and the physicochemical coupling of voltage sensing to gating, subtle changes in that common structure, and/or allosteric influences of protein domains relatively distant from the central gating machinery, can crucially influence the gating process. We consider here the latest advances on these issues provided by the elucidation of eag1 and erg1 three-dimensional structures, and by both classical and more recent functional studies with different members of the EAG subfamily.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Barros
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad de Oviedo, Edificio Santiago Gascón, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Pilar de la Peña
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad de Oviedo, Edificio Santiago Gascón, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Pedro Domínguez
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad de Oviedo, Edificio Santiago Gascón, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Luisa Maria Sierra
- Departamento de Biología Funcional (Area de Genética), Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias (IUOPA), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Luis A. Pardo
- Oncophysiology Group, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany
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15
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Shi YP, Thouta S, Claydon TW. Modulation of hERG K + Channel Deactivation by Voltage Sensor Relaxation. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:139. [PMID: 32184724 PMCID: PMC7059196 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.00139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The hERG (human-ether-à-go-go-related gene) channel underlies the rapid delayed rectifier current, Ikr, in the heart, which is essential for normal cardiac electrical activity and rhythm. Slow deactivation is one of the hallmark features of the unusual gating characteristics of hERG channels, and plays a crucial role in providing a robust current that aids repolarization of the cardiac action potential. As such, there is significant interest in elucidating the underlying mechanistic determinants of slow hERG channel deactivation. Recent work has shown that the hERG channel S4 voltage sensor is stabilized following activation in a process termed relaxation. Voltage sensor relaxation results in energetic separation of the activation and deactivation pathways, producing a hysteresis, which modulates the kinetics of deactivation gating. Despite widespread observation of relaxation behaviour in other voltage-gated K+ channels, such as Shaker, Kv1.2 and Kv3.1, as well as the voltage-sensing phosphatase Ci-VSP, the relationship between stabilization of the activated voltage sensor by the open pore and voltage sensor relaxation in the control of deactivation has only recently begun to be explored. In this review, we discuss present knowledge and questions raised related to the voltage sensor relaxation mechanism in hERG channels and compare structure-function aspects of relaxation with those observed in related ion channels. We focus discussion, in particular, on the mechanism of coupling between voltage sensor relaxation and deactivation gating to highlight the insight that these studies provide into the control of hERG channel deactivation gating during their physiological functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Patrick Shi
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Samrat Thouta
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Thomas W Claydon
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
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16
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Núñez E, Muguruza-Montero A, Villarroel A. Atomistic Insights of Calmodulin Gating of Complete Ion Channels. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21041285. [PMID: 32075037 PMCID: PMC7072864 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21041285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Intracellular calcium is essential for many physiological processes, from neuronal signaling and exocytosis to muscle contraction and bone formation. Ca2+ signaling from the extracellular medium depends both on membrane potential, especially controlled by ion channels selective to K+, and direct permeation of this cation through specialized channels. Calmodulin (CaM), through direct binding to these proteins, participates in setting the membrane potential and the overall permeability to Ca2+. Over the past years many structures of complete channels in complex with CaM at near atomic resolution have been resolved. In combination with mutagenesis-function, structural information of individual domains and functional studies, different mechanisms employed by CaM to control channel gating are starting to be understood at atomic detail. Here, new insights regarding four types of tetrameric channels with six transmembrane (6TM) architecture, Eag1, SK2/SK4, TRPV5/TRPV6 and KCNQ1–5, and its regulation by CaM are described structurally. Different CaM regions, N-lobe, C-lobe and EF3/EF4-linker play prominent signaling roles in different complexes, emerging the realization of crucial non-canonical interactions between CaM and its target that are only evidenced in the full-channel structure. Different mechanisms to control gating are used, including direct and indirect mechanical actuation over the pore, allosteric control, indirect effect through lipid binding, as well as direct plugging of the pore. Although each CaM lobe engages through apparently similar alpha-helices, they do so using different docking strategies. We discuss how this allows selective action of drugs with great therapeutic potential.
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17
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Whicher JR, MacKinnon R. Regulation of Eag1 gating by its intracellular domains. eLife 2019; 8:49188. [PMID: 31490124 PMCID: PMC6731095 DOI: 10.7554/elife.49188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Voltage-gated potassium channels (Kvs) are gated by transmembrane voltage sensors (VS) that move in response to changes in membrane voltage. Kv10.1 or Eag1 also has three intracellular domains: PAS, C-linker, and CNBHD. We demonstrate that the Eag1 intracellular domains are not required for voltage-dependent gating but likely interact with the VS to modulate gating. We identified specific interactions between the PAS, CNBHD, and VS that modulate voltage-dependent gating and provide evidence that VS movement destabilizes these interactions to promote channel opening. Additionally, mutation of these interactions renders Eag1 insensitive to calmodulin inhibition. The structure of the calmodulin insensitive mutant in a pre-open conformation suggests that channel opening may occur through a rotation of the intracellular domains and calmodulin may prevent this rotation by stabilizing interactions between the VS and intracellular domains. Intracellular domains likely play a similar modulatory role in voltage-dependent gating of the related Kv11-12 channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan R Whicher
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology and Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, United States
| | - Roderick MacKinnon
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology and Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, United States
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18
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Goversen B, Jonsson MK, van den Heuvel NH, Rijken R, Vos MA, van Veen TA, de Boer TP. The influence of hERG1a and hERG1b isoforms on drug safety screening in iPSC-CMs. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2019; 149:86-98. [PMID: 30826123 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2019.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2018] [Revised: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The human Ether-à-go-go Related Gene (hERG) encodes the pore forming subunit of the channel that conducts the rapid delayed rectifier potassium current IKr. IKr drives repolarization in the heart and when IKr is dysfunctional, cardiac repolarization delays, the QT interval on the electrocardiogram (ECG) prolongs and the risk of developing lethal arrhythmias such as Torsade de Pointes (TdP) increases. TdP risk is incorporated in drug safety screening for cardiotoxicity where hERG is the main target since the IKr channels appear highly sensitive to blockage. hERG block is also included as an important read-out in the Comprehensive in Vitro Proarrhythmia Assay (CiPA) initiative which aims to combine in vitro and in silico experiments on induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) to screen for cardiotoxicity. However, the hERG channel has some unique features to consider for drug safety screening, which we will discuss in this study. The hERG channel consists of different isoforms, hERG1a and hERG1b, which individually influence the kinetics of the channel and the drug response in the human heart and in iPSC-CMs. hERG1b is often underappreciated in iPSC-CM studies, drug screening assays and in silico models, and the fact that its contribution might substantially differ between iPSC-CM and healthy but also diseased human heart, adds to this problem. In this study we show that the activation kinetics in iPSC-CMs resemble hERG1b kinetics using Cs+ as a charge carrier. Not including hERG1b in drug safety testing might underestimate the actual role of hERG1b in repolarization and drug response, and might lead to inappropriate conclusions. We stress to focus more on including hERG1b in drug safety testing concerning IKr.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Goversen
- Department of Medical Physiology, Division Heart & Lungs, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Malin Kb Jonsson
- Department of Medical Physiology, Division Heart & Lungs, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands; Bioscience Heart Failure, Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Diseases, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Nikki Hl van den Heuvel
- Department of Medical Physiology, Division Heart & Lungs, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Rianne Rijken
- Department of Medical Physiology, Division Heart & Lungs, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Marc A Vos
- Department of Medical Physiology, Division Heart & Lungs, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Toon Ab van Veen
- Department of Medical Physiology, Division Heart & Lungs, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Teun P de Boer
- Department of Medical Physiology, Division Heart & Lungs, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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19
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Barros F, Pardo LA, Domínguez P, Sierra LM, de la Peña P. New Structures and Gating of Voltage-Dependent Potassium (Kv) Channels and Their Relatives: A Multi-Domain and Dynamic Question. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20020248. [PMID: 30634573 PMCID: PMC6359393 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20020248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Revised: 12/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Voltage-dependent potassium channels (Kv channels) are crucial regulators of cell excitability that participate in a range of physiological and pathophysiological processes. These channels are molecular machines that display a mechanism (known as gating) for opening and closing a gate located in a pore domain (PD). In Kv channels, this mechanism is triggered and controlled by changes in the magnitude of the transmembrane voltage sensed by a voltage-sensing domain (VSD). In this review, we consider several aspects of the VSD–PD coupling in Kv channels, and in some relatives, that share a common general structure characterized by a single square-shaped ion conduction pore in the center, surrounded by four VSDs located at the periphery. We compile some recent advances in the knowledge of their architecture, based in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) data for high-resolution determination of their structure, plus some new functional data obtained with channel variants in which the covalent continuity between the VSD and PD modules has been interrupted. These advances and new data bring about some reconsiderations about the use of exclusively a classical electromechanical lever model of VSD–PD coupling by some Kv channels, and open a view of the Kv-type channels as allosteric machines in which gating may be dynamically influenced by some long-range interactional/allosteric mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Barros
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad de Oviedo, Edificio Santiago Gascón, Campus de El Cristo, 33006 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain.
| | - Luis A Pardo
- Oncophysiology Group, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hermann-Rein-Strasse 3, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Pedro Domínguez
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad de Oviedo, Edificio Santiago Gascón, Campus de El Cristo, 33006 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain.
| | - Luisa Maria Sierra
- Departamento de Biología Funcional (Area de Genética), Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias (IUOPA), Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain.
| | - Pilar de la Peña
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad de Oviedo, Edificio Santiago Gascón, Campus de El Cristo, 33006 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain.
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20
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Kume S, Shimomura T, Tateyama M, Kubo Y. Two mutations at different positions in the CNBH domain of the hERG channel accelerate deactivation and impair the interaction with the EAG domain. J Physiol 2018; 596:4629-4650. [PMID: 30086184 DOI: 10.1113/jp276208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Accepted: 08/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS In the human ether-a-go-go related gene (hERG) channel, both the ether-a-go-go (EAG) domain in the N-terminal and the cyclic nucleotide (CN) binding homology (CNBH) domain in the C-terminal cytoplasmic region are known to contribute to the characteristic slow deactivation. Mutations of Phe860 in the CNBH domain, reported to fill the CN binding pocket, accelerate the deactivation and decrease the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) efficiencies between the EAG and CNBH domains. An electrostatic interaction between Arg696 and Asp727 in the C-linker domain, critical for HCN and CNG channels, is not formed in the hERG channel. Mutations of newly identified electrostatically interacting pair, Asp727 in the C-linker and Arg752 in the CNBH domains, accelerate the deactivation and decrease FRET efficiency. Voltage-dependent changes in FRET efficiency were not detected. These results suggest that the acceleration of the deactivation by mutations of C-terminal domains is a result of the lack of interaction between the EAG and CNBH domains. ABSTRACT The human ether-a-go-go related gene (hERG) channel shows characteristic slow deactivation, and the contribution of both of the N-terminal cytoplasmic ether-a-go-go (EAG) domain and the C-terminal cytoplasmic cyclic nucleotide (CN) binding homology (CNBH) domain is well known. The interaction between these domains is known to be critical for slow deactivation. We analysed the effects of mutations in the CNBH domain and its upstream C-linker domain on slow deactivation and the interaction between the EAG and CNBH domains by electrophysiological and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) analyses using Xenopus oocyte and HEK293T cell expression systems. We first observed that mutations of Phe860 in the CNBH domain, which is reported to fill the CN binding pocket as an intrinsic ligand, accelerate deactivation and eliminate the inter-domain interaction. Next, we observed that the salt bridge between Arg696 and Asp727 in the C-linker domain, which is reported to be critical for the function of CN-regulated channels, is not formed. We newly identified an electrostatically interacting pair critical for slow deactivation: Asp727 and Arg752 in the CNBH domain. Their mutations also impaired the inter-domain interaction. Taking these results together, both mutations of the intrinsic ligand (Phe860) and a newly identified salt bridge pair (Asp727 and Arg752) in the hERG channel accelerated deactivation and also decreased the interaction between the EAG and CNBH domains. Voltage-dependent changes in FRET efficiency between the two domains were not detected. The results suggest that the CNBH domain contributes to slow deactivation of the hERG channel by a mechanism involving the EAG domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinichiro Kume
- Division of Biophysics and Neurobiology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Japan.,Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI, Hayama, Japan.,Present address: Department of Pathophysiology, Oita University School of Medicine, Yufu, Oita, Japan
| | - Takushi Shimomura
- Division of Biophysics and Neurobiology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Japan.,Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI, Hayama, Japan
| | - Michihiro Tateyama
- Division of Biophysics and Neurobiology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Japan.,Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI, Hayama, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Kubo
- Division of Biophysics and Neurobiology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Japan.,Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI, Hayama, Japan
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21
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Kanner SA, Jain A, Colecraft HM. Development of a High-Throughput Flow Cytometry Assay to Monitor Defective Trafficking and Rescue of Long QT2 Mutant hERG Channels. Front Physiol 2018; 9:397. [PMID: 29725305 PMCID: PMC5917007 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) is an acquired or inherited disorder characterized by prolonged QT interval, exertion-triggered arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death. One of the most prevalent hereditary LQTS subtypes, LQT2, results from loss-of-function mutations in the hERG channel, which conducts IKr, the rapid component of the delayed rectifier K+ current, critical for cardiac repolarization. The majority of LQT2 mutations result in Class 2 deficits characterized by impaired maturation and trafficking of hERG channels. Here, we have developed a high-throughput flow cytometric assay to analyze the surface and total expression of wild-type (WT) and mutant hERG channels with single-cell resolution. To test our method, we focused on 16 LQT2 mutations in the hERG Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) domain that were previously studied via a widely used biochemical approach that compares levels of 135-kDa immature and 155-kDa fully glycosylated hERG protein to infer surface expression. We confirmed that LQT2 mutants expressed in HEK293 cells displayed a decreased surface density compared to WT hERG, and were differentially rescued by low temperature. However, we also uncovered some notable differences from the findings obtained via the biochemical approach. In particular, three mutations (N33T, R56Q, and A57P) with apparent WT-like hERG glycosylation patterns displayed up to 50% decreased surface expression. Furthermore, despite WT-like levels of complex glycosylation, these mutants have impaired forward trafficking, and exhibit varying half-lives at the cell surface. The results highlight utility of the surface labeling/flow cytometry approach to quantitatively assess trafficking deficiencies associated with LQT2 mutations, to discern underlying mechanisms, and to report on interventions that rescue deficits in hERG surface expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott A Kanner
- Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, United States
| | - Ananya Jain
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, United States
| | - Henry M Colecraft
- Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, United States.,Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, United States.,Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, United States
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22
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Perissinotti LL, De Biase PM, Guo J, Yang PC, Lee MC, Clancy CE, Duff HJ, Noskov SY. Determinants of Isoform-Specific Gating Kinetics of hERG1 Channel: Combined Experimental and Simulation Study. Front Physiol 2018; 9:207. [PMID: 29706893 PMCID: PMC5907531 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
IKr is the rapidly activating component of the delayed rectifier potassium current, the ion current largely responsible for the repolarization of the cardiac action potential. Inherited forms of long QT syndrome (LQTS) (Lees-Miller et al., 1997) in humans are linked to functional modifications in the Kv11.1 (hERG) ion channel and potentially life threatening arrhythmias. There is little doubt now that hERG-related component of IKr in the heart depends on the tetrameric (homo- or hetero-) channels formed by two alternatively processed isoforms of hERG, termed hERG1a and hERG1b. Isoform composition (hERG1a- vs. the b-isoform) has recently been reported to alter pharmacologic responses to some hERG blockers and was proposed to be an essential factor pre-disposing patients for drug-induced QT prolongation. Very little is known about the gating and pharmacological properties of two isoforms in heart membranes. For example, how gating mechanisms of the hERG1a channels differ from that of hERG1b is still unknown. The mechanisms by which hERG 1a/1b hetero-tetramers contribute to function in the heart, or what role hERG1b might play in disease are all questions to be answered. Structurally, the two isoforms differ only in the N-terminal region located in the cytoplasm: hERG1b is 340 residues shorter than hERG1a and the initial 36 residues of hERG1b are unique to this isoform. In this study, we combined electrophysiological measurements for HEK cells, kinetics and structural modeling to tease out the individual contributions of each isoform to Action Potential formation and then make predictions about the effects of having various mixture ratios of the two isoforms. By coupling electrophysiological data with computational kinetic modeling, two proposed mechanisms of hERG gating in two homo-tetramers were examined. Sets of data from various experimental stimulation protocols (HEK cells) were analyzed simultaneously and fitted to Markov-chain models (M-models). The minimization procedure presented here, allowed assessment of suitability of different Markov model topologies and the corresponding parameters that describe the channel kinetics. The kinetics modeling pointed to key differences in the gating kinetics that were linked to the full channel structure. Interactions between soluble domains and the transmembrane part of the channel appeared to be critical determinants of the gating kinetics. The structures of the full channel in the open and closed states were compared for the first time using the recent Cryo-EM resolved structure for full open hERG channel and an homology model for the closed state, based on the highly homolog EAG1 channel. Key potential interactions which emphasize the importance of electrostatic interactions between N-PAS cap, S4-S5, and C-linker are suggested based on the structural analysis. The derived kinetic parameters were later used in higher order models of cells and tissue to track down the effect of varying the ratios of hERG1a and hERG1b on cardiac action potentials and computed electrocardiograms. Simulations suggest that the recovery from inactivation of hERG1b may contribute to its physiologic role of this isoform in the action potential. Finally, the results presented here contribute to the growing body of evidence that hERG1b significantly affects the generation of the cardiac Ikr and plays an important role in cardiac electrophysiology. We highlight the importance of carefully revisiting the Markov models previously proposed in order to properly account for the relative abundance of the hERG1 a- and b- isoforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura L Perissinotti
- Centre for Molecular Simulations, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Pablo M De Biase
- Centre for Molecular Simulations, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Jiqing Guo
- Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Pei-Chi Yang
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Miranda C Lee
- Centre for Molecular Simulations, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Colleen E Clancy
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Henry J Duff
- Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Sergei Y Noskov
- Centre for Molecular Simulations, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
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23
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Dai G, James ZM, Zagotta WN. Dynamic rearrangement of the intrinsic ligand regulates KCNH potassium channels. J Gen Physiol 2018; 150:625-635. [PMID: 29567795 PMCID: PMC5881448 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201711989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2017] [Accepted: 02/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
KCNH potassium channels possess an intrinsic ligand in their cyclic nucleotide-binding homology domain, located at the N- and C-terminal domain interface. Dai et al. show that this intrinsic ligand regulates voltage-dependent potentiation via a rearrangement between the ligand and its binding site. KCNH voltage-gated potassium channels (EAG, ERG, and ELK) play significant roles in neuronal and cardiac excitability. They contain cyclic nucleotide-binding homology domains (CNBHDs) but are not directly regulated by cyclic nucleotides. Instead, the CNBHD ligand-binding cavity is occupied by an intrinsic ligand, which resides at the intersubunit interface between the N-terminal eag domain and the C-terminal CNBHD. We show that, in Danio rerio ELK channels, this intrinsic ligand is critical for voltage-dependent potentiation (VDP), a process in which channel opening is stabilized by prior depolarization. We demonstrate that an exogenous peptide corresponding to the intrinsic ligand can bind to and regulate zebrafish ELK channels. This exogenous intrinsic ligand inhibits the channels before VDP and potentiates the channels after VDP. Furthermore, using transition metal ion fluorescence resonance energy transfer and a fluorescent noncanonical amino acid L-Anap, we show that there is a rearrangement of the intrinsic ligand relative to the CNBHD during VDP. We propose that the intrinsic ligand switches from antagonist to agonist as a result of a rearrangement of the eag domain–CNBHD interaction during VDP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gucan Dai
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Zachary M James
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - William N Zagotta
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
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24
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Huo J, Guo X, Lu Q, Qiang H, Liu P, Bai L, Huang CLH, Zhang Y, Ma A. NS1643 enhances ionic currents in a G604S-WT hERG co-expression system associated with long QT syndrome 2. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 2017; 44:1125-1133. [PMID: 28741726 DOI: 10.1111/1440-1681.12820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2017] [Revised: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- JianHua Huo
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine; First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University; Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases (Xi'an Jiaotong University); Ministry of Education; Xi'an Shaanxi China
| | - Xueyan Guo
- Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital; Xi'an Shaanxi China
| | - Qun Lu
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine; First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University; Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases (Xi'an Jiaotong University); Ministry of Education; Xi'an Shaanxi China
| | - Hua Qiang
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine; First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University; Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases (Xi'an Jiaotong University); Ministry of Education; Xi'an Shaanxi China
| | - Ping Liu
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine; First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University; Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases (Xi'an Jiaotong University); Ministry of Education; Xi'an Shaanxi China
| | - Ling Bai
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine; First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University; Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases (Xi'an Jiaotong University); Ministry of Education; Xi'an Shaanxi China
| | | | - Yanmin Zhang
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology; Childrens Research Institute; affiliate children's hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University; Xi'an Shaanxi China
| | - Aiqun Ma
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine; First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University; Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases (Xi'an Jiaotong University); Ministry of Education; Xi'an Shaanxi China
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25
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Vandenberg JI, Perozo E, Allen TW. Towards a Structural View of Drug Binding to hERG K + Channels. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2017; 38:899-907. [PMID: 28711156 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2017.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2017] [Revised: 06/09/2017] [Accepted: 06/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) K+ channel is of great medical and pharmaceutical relevance. Inherited mutations in hERG result in congenital long-QT syndrome which is associated with a markedly increased risk of cardiac arrhythmia and sudden death. hERG K+ channels are also remarkably susceptible to block by a wide range of drugs, which in turn can cause drug-induced long-QT syndrome and an increased risk of sudden death. The recent determination of the near-atomic resolution structure of the hERG K+ channel, using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), provides tremendous insights into how these channels work. It also suggests a way forward in our quest to understand why these channels are so promiscuous with respect to drug binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie I Vandenberg
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia; St Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia.
| | - Eduardo Perozo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Toby W Allen
- School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
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26
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Thouta S, Hull CM, Shi YP, Sergeev V, Young J, Cheng YM, Claydon TW. Stabilization of the Activated hERG Channel Voltage Sensor by Depolarization Involves the S4-S5 Linker. Biophys J 2017; 112:300-312. [PMID: 28122216 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2016.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Revised: 12/14/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Slow deactivation of hERG channels is critical for preventing cardiac arrhythmia yet the mechanistic basis for the slow gating transition is unclear. Here, we characterized the temporal sequence of events leading to voltage sensor stabilization upon membrane depolarization. Progressive increase in step depolarization duration slowed voltage-sensor return in a biphasic manner (τfast = 34 ms, τslow = 2.5 s). The faster phase of voltage-sensor return slowing correlated with the kinetics of pore opening. The slower component occurred over durations that exceeded channel activation and was consistent with voltage sensor relaxation. The S4-S5 linker mutation, G546L, impeded the faster phase of voltage sensor stabilization without attenuating the slower phase, suggesting that the S4-S5 linker is important for communications between the pore gate and the voltage sensor during deactivation. These data also demonstrate that the mechanisms of pore gate-opening-induced and relaxation-induced voltage-sensor stabilization are separable. Deletion of the distal N-terminus (Δ2-135) accelerated off-gating current, but did not influence the relative contribution of either mechanism of stabilization of the voltage sensor. Lastly, we characterized mode-shift behavior in hERG channels, which results from stabilization of activated channel states. The apparent mode-shift depended greatly on recording conditions. By measuring slow activation and deactivation at steady state we found the "true" mode-shift to be ∼15 mV. Interestingly, the "true" mode-shift of gating currents was ∼40 mV, much greater than that of the pore gate. This demonstrates that voltage sensor return is less energetically favorable upon repolarization than pore gate closure. We interpret this to indicate that stabilization of the activated voltage sensor limits the return of hERG channels to rest. The data suggest that this stabilization occurs as a result of reconfiguration of the pore gate upon opening by a mechanism that is influenced by the S4-S5 linker, and by a separable voltage-sensor intrinsic relaxation mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samrat Thouta
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Christina M Hull
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Yu Patrick Shi
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Valentine Sergeev
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - James Young
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Yen M Cheng
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Thomas W Claydon
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
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27
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Kalyaanamoorthy S, Barakat KH. Development of Safe Drugs: The hERG Challenge. Med Res Rev 2017; 38:525-555. [DOI: 10.1002/med.21445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2016] [Revised: 02/04/2017] [Accepted: 03/16/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Subha Kalyaanamoorthy
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; University Of Alberta; Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - Khaled H. Barakat
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; University Of Alberta; Edmonton Alberta Canada
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology; University of Alberta; Edmonton Alberta Canada
- Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute; University of Alberta; Edmonton Alberta Canada
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28
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Bohnen MS, Peng G, Robey SH, Terrenoire C, Iyer V, Sampson KJ, Kass RS. Molecular Pathophysiology of Congenital Long QT Syndrome. Physiol Rev 2017; 97:89-134. [PMID: 27807201 PMCID: PMC5539372 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00008.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Ion channels represent the molecular entities that give rise to the cardiac action potential, the fundamental cellular electrical event in the heart. The concerted function of these channels leads to normal cyclical excitation and resultant contraction of cardiac muscle. Research into cardiac ion channel regulation and mutations that underlie disease pathogenesis has greatly enhanced our knowledge of the causes and clinical management of cardiac arrhythmia. Here we review the molecular determinants, pathogenesis, and pharmacology of congenital Long QT Syndrome. We examine mechanisms of dysfunction associated with three critical cardiac currents that comprise the majority of congenital Long QT Syndrome cases: 1) IKs, the slow delayed rectifier current; 2) IKr, the rapid delayed rectifier current; and 3) INa, the voltage-dependent sodium current. Less common subtypes of congenital Long QT Syndrome affect other cardiac ionic currents that contribute to the dynamic nature of cardiac electrophysiology. Through the study of mutations that cause congenital Long QT Syndrome, the scientific community has advanced understanding of ion channel structure-function relationships, physiology, and pharmacological response to clinically employed and experimental pharmacological agents. Our understanding of congenital Long QT Syndrome continues to evolve rapidly and with great benefits: genotype-driven clinical management of the disease has improved patient care as precision medicine becomes even more a reality.
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Affiliation(s)
- M S Bohnen
- Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York; and The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute, New York, New York
| | - G Peng
- Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York; and The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute, New York, New York
| | - S H Robey
- Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York; and The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute, New York, New York
| | - C Terrenoire
- Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York; and The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute, New York, New York
| | - V Iyer
- Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York; and The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute, New York, New York
| | - K J Sampson
- Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York; and The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute, New York, New York
| | - R S Kass
- Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York; and The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute, New York, New York
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29
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Whicher JR, MacKinnon R. Structure of the voltage-gated K⁺ channel Eag1 reveals an alternative voltage sensing mechanism. Science 2016; 353:664-9. [PMID: 27516594 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf8070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 232] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 06/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Voltage-gated potassium (K(v)) channels are gated by the movement of the transmembrane voltage sensor, which is coupled, through the helical S4-S5 linker, to the potassium pore. We determined the single-particle cryo-electron microscopy structure of mammalian K(v)10.1, or Eag1, bound to the channel inhibitor calmodulin, at 3.78 angstrom resolution. Unlike previous K(v) structures, the S4-S5 linker of Eag1 is a five-residue loop and the transmembrane segments are not domain swapped, which suggest an alternative mechanism of voltage-dependent gating. Additionally, the structure and position of the S4-S5 linker allow calmodulin to bind to the intracellular domains and to close the potassium pore, independent of voltage-sensor position. The structure reveals an alternative gating mechanism for K(v) channels and provides a template to further understand the gating properties of Eag1 and related channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan R Whicher
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology and Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Roderick MacKinnon
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology and Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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30
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Li X, Anishkin A, Liu H, van Rossum DB, Chintapalli SV, Sassic JK, Gallegos D, Pivaroff-Ward K, Jegla T. Bimodal regulation of an Elk subfamily K+ channel by phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 146:357-74. [PMID: 26503718 PMCID: PMC4621751 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201511491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
PIP2 mediates the bimodal regulation of the EAG family K+ channel ELK1 to produce an overall inhibitory effect. Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) regulates Shaker K+ channels and voltage-gated Ca2+ channels in a bimodal fashion by inhibiting voltage activation while stabilizing open channels. Bimodal regulation is conserved in hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide–gated (HCN) channels, but voltage activation is enhanced while the open channel state is destabilized. The proposed sites of PIP2 regulation in these channels include the voltage-sensor domain (VSD) and conserved regions of the proximal cytoplasmic C terminus. Relatively little is known about PIP2 regulation of Ether-á-go-go (EAG) channels, a metazoan-specific family of K+ channels that includes three gene subfamilies, Eag (Kv10), Erg (Kv11), and Elk (Kv12). We examined PIP2 regulation of the Elk subfamily potassium channel human Elk1 to determine whether bimodal regulation is conserved within the EAG K+ channel family. Open-state stabilization by PIP2 has been observed in human Erg1, but the proposed site of regulation in the distal C terminus is not conserved among EAG family channels. We show that PIP2 strongly inhibits voltage activation of Elk1 but also stabilizes the open state. This stabilization produces slow deactivation and a mode shift in voltage gating after activation. However, removal of PIP2 has the net effect of enhancing Elk1 activation. R347 in the linker between the VSD and pore (S4–S5 linker) and R479 near the S6 activation gate are required for PIP2 to inhibit voltage activation. The ability of PIP2 to stabilize the open state also requires these residues, suggesting an overlap in sites central to the opposing effects of PIP2 on channel gating. Open-state stabilization in Elk1 requires the N-terminal eag domain (PAS domain + Cap), and PIP2-dependent stabilization is enhanced by a conserved basic residue (K5) in the Cap. Our data shows that PIP2 can bimodally regulate voltage gating in EAG family channels, as has been proposed for Shaker and HCN channels. PIP2 regulation appears fundamentally different for Elk and KCNQ channels, suggesting that, although both channel types can regulate action potential threshold in neurons, they are not functionally redundant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofan Li
- Department of Biology and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 Department of Biology and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - Andriy Anishkin
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
| | - Hansi Liu
- Department of Biology and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - Damian B van Rossum
- Department of Biology and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 Department of Biology and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - Sree V Chintapalli
- Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center and Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72202 Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center and Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72202
| | - Jessica K Sassic
- Department of Biology and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - David Gallegos
- Department of Biology and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - Kendra Pivaroff-Ward
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Timothy Jegla
- Department of Biology and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 Department of Biology and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
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31
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Enhancement of hERG channel activity by scFv antibody fragments targeted to the PAS domain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:9916-21. [PMID: 27516548 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1601116113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The human human ether-à-go-go-related gene (hERG) potassium channel plays a critical role in the repolarization of the cardiac action potential. Changes in hERG channel function underlie long QT syndrome (LQTS) and are associated with cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death. A striking feature of this channel and KCNH channels in general is the presence of an N-terminal Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) domain. In other proteins, PAS domains bind ligands and modulate effector domains. However, the PAS domains of KCNH channels are orphan receptors. We have uncovered a family of positive modulators of hERG that specifically bind to the PAS domain. We generated two single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) that recognize different epitopes on the PAS domain. Both antibodies increase the rate of deactivation but have different effects on channel activation and inactivation. Importantly, we show that both antibodies, on binding to the PAS domain, increase the total amount of current that permeates the channel during a ventricular action potential and significantly reduce the action potential duration recorded in human cardiomyocytes. Overall, these molecules constitute a previously unidentified class of positive modulators and establish that allosteric modulation of hERG channel function through ligand binding to the PAS domain can be attained.
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32
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Lörinczi E, Helliwell M, Finch A, Stansfeld PJ, Davies NW, Mahaut-Smith M, Muskett FW, Mitcheson JS. Calmodulin Regulates Human Ether à Go-Go 1 (hEAG1) Potassium Channels through Interactions of the Eag Domain with the Cyclic Nucleotide Binding Homology Domain. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:17907-18. [PMID: 27325704 PMCID: PMC5016179 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.733576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The ether à go-go family of voltage-gated potassium channels is structurally distinct. The N terminus contains an eag domain (eagD) that contains a Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) domain that is preceded by a conserved sequence of 25–27 amino acids known as the PAS-cap. The C terminus contains a region with homology to cyclic nucleotide binding domains (cNBHD), which is directly linked to the channel pore. The human EAG1 (hEAG1) channel is remarkably sensitive to inhibition by intracellular calcium (Ca2+i) through binding of Ca2+-calmodulin to three sites adjacent to the eagD and cNBHD. Here, we show that the eagD and cNBHD interact to modulate Ca2+-calmodulin as well as voltage-dependent gating. Sustained elevation of Ca2+i resulted in an initial profound inhibition of hEAG1 currents, which was followed by a phase when current amplitudes partially recovered, but activation gating was slowed and shifted to depolarized potentials. Deletion of either the eagD or cNBHD abolished the inhibition by Ca2+i. However, deletion of just the PAS-cap resulted in a >15-fold potentiation in response to elevated Ca2+i. Mutations of residues at the interface between the eagD and cNBHD have been linked to human cancer. Glu-600 on the cNBHD, when substituted with residues with a larger volume, resulted in hEAG1 currents that were profoundly potentiated by Ca2+i in a manner similar to the ΔPAS-cap mutant. These findings provide the first evidence that eagD and cNBHD interactions are regulating Ca2+-dependent gating and indicate that the binding of the PAS-cap with the cNBHD is required for the closure of the channels upon CaM binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Lörinczi
- From the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 9HN
| | - Matthew Helliwell
- From the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 9HN, the School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Bristol BS5 1TD, and
| | - Alina Finch
- From the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 9HN
| | - Phillip J Stansfeld
- the Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
| | - Noel W Davies
- From the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 9HN
| | - Martyn Mahaut-Smith
- From the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 9HN
| | - Frederick W Muskett
- From the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 9HN
| | - John S Mitcheson
- From the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 9HN,
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33
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Perry MD, Ng CA, Phan K, David E, Steer K, Hunter MJ, Mann SA, Imtiaz M, Hill AP, Ke Y, Vandenberg JI. Rescue of protein expression defects may not be enough to abolish the pro-arrhythmic phenotype of long QT type 2 mutations. J Physiol 2016; 594:4031-49. [PMID: 26958806 DOI: 10.1113/jp271805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS Most missense long QT syndrome type 2 (LQTS2) mutations result in Kv11.1 channels that show reduced levels of membrane expression. Pharmacological chaperones that rescue mutant channel expression could have therapeutic potential to reduce the risk of LQTS2-associated arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death, but only if the mutant Kv11.1 channels function normally (i.e. like WT channels) after membrane expression is restored. Fewer than half of mutant channels exhibit relatively normal function after rescue by low temperature. The remaining rescued missense mutant Kv11.1 channels have perturbed gating and/or ion selectivity characteristics. Co-expression of WT subunits with gating defective missense mutations ameliorates but does not eliminate the functional abnormalities observed for most mutant channels. For patients with mutations that affect gating in addition to expression, it may be necessary to use a combination therapy to restore both normal function and normal expression of the channel protein. ABSTRACT In the heart, Kv11.1 channels pass the rapid delayed rectifier current (IKr ) which plays critical roles in repolarization of the cardiac action potential and in the suppression of arrhythmias caused by premature stimuli. Over 500 inherited mutations in Kv11.1 are known to cause long QT syndrome type 2 (LQTS2), a cardiac electrical disorder associated with an increased risk of life threatening arrhythmias. Most missense mutations in Kv11.1 reduce the amount of channel protein expressed at the membrane and, as a consequence, there has been considerable interest in developing pharmacological agents to rescue the expression of these channels. However, pharmacological chaperones will only have clinical utility if the mutant Kv11.1 channels function normally after membrane expression is restored. The aim of this study was to characterize the gating phenotype for a subset of LQTS2 mutations to assess what proportion of mutations may be suitable for rescue. As an initial screen we used reduced temperature to rescue expression defects of mutant channels expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Over half (∼56%) of Kv11.1 mutants exhibited functional gating defects that either dramatically reduced the amount of current contributing to cardiac action potential repolarization and/or reduced the amount of protective current elicited in response to premature depolarizations. Our data demonstrate that if pharmacological rescue of protein expression defects is going to have clinical utility in the treatment of LQTS2 then it will be important to assess the gating phenotype of LQTS2 mutations before attempting rescue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D Perry
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Molecular Cardiology and Biophysics Division, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia.,St Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Chai Ann Ng
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Molecular Cardiology and Biophysics Division, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia.,St Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Kevin Phan
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Molecular Cardiology and Biophysics Division, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia.,St Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Erikka David
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Molecular Cardiology and Biophysics Division, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia
| | - Kieran Steer
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Molecular Cardiology and Biophysics Division, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia.,Faculty of Science, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mark J Hunter
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Molecular Cardiology and Biophysics Division, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia
| | - Stefan A Mann
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Molecular Cardiology and Biophysics Division, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia.,St Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Mohammad Imtiaz
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Molecular Cardiology and Biophysics Division, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia
| | - Adam P Hill
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Molecular Cardiology and Biophysics Division, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia.,St Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Ying Ke
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Molecular Cardiology and Biophysics Division, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia
| | - Jamie I Vandenberg
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Molecular Cardiology and Biophysics Division, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia.,St Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, NSW, 2052, Australia
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34
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Goodchild SJ, Macdonald LC, Fedida D. Sequence of gating charge movement and pore gating in HERG activation and deactivation pathways. Biophys J 2016; 108:1435-1447. [PMID: 25809256 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2015.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2014] [Revised: 02/08/2015] [Accepted: 02/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
KV11.1 voltage-gated K(+) channels are noted for unusually slow activation, fast inactivation, and slow deactivation kinetics, which tune channel activity to provide vital repolarizing current during later stages of the cardiac action potential. The bulk of charge movement in human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) is slow, as is return of charge upon repolarization, suggesting that the rates of hERG channel opening and, critically, that of deactivation might be determined by slow voltage sensor movement, and also by a mode-shift after activation. To test these ideas, we compared the kinetics and voltage dependence of ionic activation and deactivation with gating charge movement. At 0 mV, gating charge moved ∼threefold faster than ionic current, which suggests the presence of additional slow transitions downstream of charge movement in the physiological activation pathway. A significant voltage sensor mode-shift was apparent by 24 ms at +60 mV in gating currents, and return of charge closely tracked pore closure after pulses of 100 and 300 ms duration. A deletion of the N-terminus PAS domain, mutation R4AR5A or the LQT2-causing mutation R56Q gave faster-deactivating channels that displayed an attenuated mode-shift of charge. This indicates that charge movement is perturbed by N- and C-terminus interactions, and that these domain interactions stabilize the open state and limit the rate of charge return. We conclude that slow on-gating charge movement can only partly account for slow hERG ionic activation, and that the rate of pore closure has a limiting role in the slow return of gating charges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel J Goodchild
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Logan C Macdonald
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - David Fedida
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
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Li Y, Ng HQ, Li Q, Kang C. Structure of the Cyclic Nucleotide-Binding Homology Domain of the hERG Channel and Its Insight into Type 2 Long QT Syndrome. Sci Rep 2016; 6:23712. [PMID: 27025590 PMCID: PMC4812329 DOI: 10.1038/srep23712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2015] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The human ether-à-go-go related gene (hERG) channel is crucial for the cardiac action potential by contributing to the fast delayed-rectifier potassium current. Mutations in the hERG channel result in type 2 long QT syndrome (LQT2). The hERG channel contains a cyclic nucleotide-binding homology domain (CNBHD) and this domain is required for the channel gating though molecular interactions with the eag domain. Here we present solution structure of the CNBHD of the hERG channel. The structural study reveals that the CNBHD adopts a similar fold to other KCNH channels. It is self-liganded and it contains a short β-strand that blocks the nucleotide-binding pocket in the β-roll. Folding of LQT2-related mutations in this domain was shown to be affected by point mutation. Mutations in this domain can cause protein aggregation in E. coli cells or induce conformational changes. One mutant-R752W showed obvious chemical shift perturbation compared with the wild-type, but it still binds to the eag domain. The helix region from the N-terminal cap domain of the hERG channel showed unspecific interactions with the CNBHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Li
- Experimental Therapeutics Centre, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Hui Qi Ng
- Experimental Therapeutics Centre, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Qingxin Li
- Institute of Chemical &Engineering Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - CongBao Kang
- Experimental Therapeutics Centre, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
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Fernandes AS, Morais-Cabral JH, Harley CA. Screening for Non-Pore-Binding Modulators of EAG K+ Channels. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 21:758-65. [PMID: 26975997 DOI: 10.1177/1087057116636592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2015] [Accepted: 02/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Members of the ether-à-go-go (EAG) family of voltage-gated K(+) channels are involved in several pathophysiological diseases, and there has been a great interest in screening for drugs that modulate the activity of these channels. Many drugs have been shown to bind in the pore of these channels, blocking ion flux and causing disease pathology. In this report, we present two independent screening campaigns in which we wanted to identify small molecules that bind to either the intracellular cytoplasmic amino terminal Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) domain from the human EAG-related gene (ERG) channel or the amino or carboxy terminal globular domains from the mouse EAG1 channel, affecting their interaction. We report that in both cases, compounds were identified that showed weak, nonspecific binding. We suggest alternative routes should be pursued in future efforts to identify specific, high-affinity binders to these cytoplasmic domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreia S Fernandes
- IBMC, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - João H Morais-Cabral
- IBMC, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Carol A Harley
- IBMC, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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Ramos Gomes F, Romaniello V, Sánchez A, Weber C, Narayanan P, Psol M, Pardo LA. Alternatively Spliced Isoforms of KV10.1 Potassium Channels Modulate Channel Properties and Can Activate Cyclin-dependent Kinase in Xenopus Oocytes. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:30351-65. [PMID: 26518875 PMCID: PMC4683259 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.668749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
KV10.1 is a voltage-gated potassium channel expressed selectively in the mammalian brain but also aberrantly in cancer cells. In this study we identified short splice variants of KV10.1 resulting from exon-skipping events (E65 and E70) in human brain and cancer cell lines. The presence of the variants was confirmed by Northern blot and RNase protection assays. Both variants completely lacked the transmembrane domains of the channel and produced cytoplasmic proteins without channel function. In a reconstituted system, both variants co-precipitated with the full-length channel and induced a robust down-regulation of KV10.1 current when co-expressed with the full-length form, but their effect was mechanistically different. E65 required a tetramerization domain and induced a reduction in the overall expression of full-length KV10.1, whereas E70 mainly affected its glycosylation pattern. E65 triggered the activation of cyclin-dependent kinases in Xenopus laevis oocytes, suggesting a role in cell cycle control. Our observations highlight the relevance of noncanonical functions for the oncogenicity of KV10.1, which need to be considered when ion channels are targeted for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vincenzo Romaniello
- the Oncophysiology Group, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hermann-Rein-Strasse 3, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Araceli Sánchez
- the Oncophysiology Group, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hermann-Rein-Strasse 3, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Claudia Weber
- From the Department of Molecular Biology of Neuronal Signals and
| | | | - Maryna Psol
- From the Department of Molecular Biology of Neuronal Signals and
| | - Luis A Pardo
- the Oncophysiology Group, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hermann-Rein-Strasse 3, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
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Kanters JK, Skibsbye L, Hedley PL, Dembic M, Liang B, Hagen CM, Eschen O, Grunnet M, Christiansen M, Jespersen T. Combined gating and trafficking defect in Kv11.1 manifests as a malignant long QT syndrome phenotype in a large Danish p.F29L founder family. Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation 2015; 75:699-709. [PMID: 26403377 DOI: 10.3109/00365513.2015.1091090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a hereditary cardiac channelopathy characterized by delayed ventricular repolarization, syncope, torsades de pointes and sudden cardiac death. Thirty-three members of five apparently 'unrelated' Danish families carry the KCNH2:c.87C> A; p.F29L founder mutation. METHODS AND RESULTS Linkage disequilibrium mapping with microsatellites around KCNH2 enabled us to estimate the age of the founder mutation to be approximately 22 generations, corresponding to around 550 years. Neighbouring-Joining analysis disclosed one early and three later nodes. The median QTc time of the carriers was 490 ms (range: 415-589 ms) and no difference was seen between the different branches of the family. The mutation is malignant with a penetrance of 73%. Ten F29L carriers received implantable defibrillators (ICDs) (median age at implant 20 years), and of those four individuals experienced eight appropriate shocks. Patch-clamp analysis in HEK 293 cells, performed at 34°C disclosed a loss-of-function phenotype with fast deactivation, reduced steady-state inactivation current density and a positive voltage shift in inactivation. Western blotting of HEK 293 cells transfected with KCNH2:WT and KCNH2:c.87C> A revealed a reduced fraction of fully glycosylated hERG:p.F29L suggesting that this mutation results in defective trafficking. CONCLUSION The altered channel gating kinetics in combination with defective trafficking of mutated channels is expected to result in reduced repolarizing current density and, thus, a LQTS phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jørgen K Kanters
- a Danish National Research Foundation Centre for Cardiac Arrhythmia, Department of Biomedical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , Denmark.,b Department of Cardiology , Herlev and Gentofte Hospitals , Denmark
| | - Lasse Skibsbye
- a Danish National Research Foundation Centre for Cardiac Arrhythmia, Department of Biomedical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , Denmark
| | - Paula L Hedley
- c Department for Congenital Disorders , Statens Serum Institut , Denmark.,d MRC Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology, Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University , Aarhus , Denmark
| | - Maja Dembic
- a Danish National Research Foundation Centre for Cardiac Arrhythmia, Department of Biomedical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , Denmark.,c Department for Congenital Disorders , Statens Serum Institut , Denmark
| | - Bo Liang
- a Danish National Research Foundation Centre for Cardiac Arrhythmia, Department of Biomedical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , Denmark
| | - Christian M Hagen
- a Danish National Research Foundation Centre for Cardiac Arrhythmia, Department of Biomedical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , Denmark.,c Department for Congenital Disorders , Statens Serum Institut , Denmark
| | - Ole Eschen
- e Department of Cardiology , Center for Cardiovascular Research, Aalborg Sygehus, Aarhus University Hospital , Aarhus , Denmark
| | - Morten Grunnet
- a Danish National Research Foundation Centre for Cardiac Arrhythmia, Department of Biomedical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , Denmark
| | - Michael Christiansen
- a Danish National Research Foundation Centre for Cardiac Arrhythmia, Department of Biomedical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , Denmark.,c Department for Congenital Disorders , Statens Serum Institut , Denmark
| | - Thomas Jespersen
- a Danish National Research Foundation Centre for Cardiac Arrhythmia, Department of Biomedical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , Denmark
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Perry MD, Ng CA, Mann SA, Sadrieh A, Imtiaz M, Hill AP, Vandenberg JI. Getting to the heart of hERG K(+) channel gating. J Physiol 2015; 593:2575-85. [PMID: 25820318 PMCID: PMC4500344 DOI: 10.1113/jp270095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 03/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Potassium ion channels encoded by the human ether-a-go-go related gene (hERG) form the ion-conducting subunit of the rapid delayed rectifier potassium current (IKr ). Although hERG channels exhibit a widespread tissue distribution they play a particularly important role in the heart. There has been considerable interest in hERG K(+) channels for three main reasons. First, they have very unusual gating kinetics, most notably rapid and voltage-dependent inactivation coupled to slow deactivation, which has led to the suggestion that they may play a specific role in the suppression of arrhythmias. Second, mutations in hERG are the cause of 30-40% of cases of congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS), the commonest inherited primary arrhythmia syndrome. Third, hERG is the molecular target for the vast majority of drugs that cause drug-induced LQTS, the commonest cause of drug-induced arrhythmias and cardiac death. Drug-induced LQTS has now been reported for a large range of both cardiac and non-cardiac drugs, in which this side effect is entirely undesired. In recent years there have been comprehensive reviews published on hERG K(+) channels (Vandenberg et al. 2012) and we will not re-cover this ground. Rather, we focus on more recent work on the structural basis and dynamics of hERG gating with an emphasis on how the latest developments may facilitate translational research in the area of stratifying risk of arrhythmias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D Perry
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute405 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
- St Vincent’s Clinical School, University of NSWDarlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Chai-Ann Ng
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute405 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
- St Vincent’s Clinical School, University of NSWDarlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Stefan A Mann
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute405 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
- St Vincent’s Clinical School, University of NSWDarlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Arash Sadrieh
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute405 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
- St Vincent’s Clinical School, University of NSWDarlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Mohammad Imtiaz
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute405 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
- St Vincent’s Clinical School, University of NSWDarlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Adam P Hill
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute405 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
- St Vincent’s Clinical School, University of NSWDarlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Jamie I Vandenberg
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute405 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
- St Vincent’s Clinical School, University of NSWDarlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
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40
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Gardner A, Sanguinetti MC. C-Linker Accounts for Differential Sensitivity of ERG1 and ERG2 K+ Channels to RPR260243-Induced Slow Deactivation. Mol Pharmacol 2015; 88:19-28. [PMID: 25888115 DOI: 10.1124/mol.115.098384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2015] [Accepted: 04/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Compounds can activate human ether-à-go-go-related gene 1 (hERG1) channels by several different mechanisms, including a slowing of deactivation, an increase in single channel open probability, or a reduction in C-type inactivation. The first hERG1 activator to be discovered, RPR260243 ((3R,4R)-4-[3-(6-methoxyquinolin-4-yl)-3-oxo-propyl]-1-[3-(2,3,5-trifluorophenyl)-prop-2-ynyl]-piperidine-3-carboxylic acid) (RPR) induces a pronounced, voltage-dependent slowing of hERG1 deactivation. The putative binding site for RPR, previously mapped to a hydrophobic pocket located between two adjacent subunits, is fully conserved in the closely related rat ether-à-go-go-related gene 2 (rERG2), yet these channels are relatively insensitive to RPR. Here, we use site-directed mutagenesis and heterologous expression of channels in Xenopus oocytes to characterize the structural basis for the differential sensitivity of hERG1 and rERG2 channels to RPR. Analysis of hERG1-rERG2 chimeric channels indicated that the structural determinant of channel sensitivity to RPR was located within the cytoplasmic C-terminus. Analysis of a panel of mutant hERG1 and rERG2 channels further revealed that seven residues, five in the C-linker and two in the adjacent region of the cyclic nucleotide-binding homology domain, can fully account for the differential sensitivity of hERG1 and rERG2 channels to RPR. These findings provide further evidence that the C-linker is a key structural component of slow deactivation in ether-à-go-go-related gene channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison Gardner
- Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute (A.G., M.C.S.) and Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine (M.C.S.), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Michael C Sanguinetti
- Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute (A.G., M.C.S.) and Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine (M.C.S.), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
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Large-scale mutational analysis of Kv11.1 reveals molecular insights into type 2 long QT syndrome. Nat Commun 2014; 5:5535. [PMID: 25417810 PMCID: PMC4243539 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2014] [Accepted: 10/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been suggested that deficient protein trafficking to the cell membrane is the dominant mechanism associated with type 2 Long QT syndrome (LQT2) caused by Kv11.1 potassium channel missense mutations, and that for many mutations the trafficking defect can be corrected pharmacologically. However, this inference was based on expression of a small number of Kv11.1 mutations. We performed a comprehensive analysis of 167 LQT2-linked missense mutations in four Kv11.1 structural domains and found that deficient protein trafficking is the dominant mechanism for all domains except for the distal carboxy-terminus. Also, most pore mutations--in contrast to intracellular domain mutations--were found to have severe dominant-negative effects when co-expressed with wild-type subunits. Finally, pharmacological correction of the trafficking defect in homomeric mutant channels was possible for mutations within all structural domains. However, pharmacological correction is dramatically improved for pore mutants when co-expressed with wild-type subunits to form heteromeric channels.
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Lin TF, Jow GM, Fang HY, Fu SJ, Wu HH, Chiu MM, Jeng CJ. The Eag domain regulates the voltage-dependent inactivation of rat Eag1 K+ channels. PLoS One 2014; 9:e110423. [PMID: 25333352 PMCID: PMC4204861 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2014] [Accepted: 09/14/2014] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Eag (Kv10) and Erg (Kv11) belong to two distinct subfamilies of the ether-à-go-go K+ channel family (KCNH). While Erg channels are characterized by an inward-rectifying current-voltage relationship that results from a C-type inactivation, mammalian Eag channels display little or no voltage-dependent inactivation. Although the amino (N)-terminal region such as the eag domain is not required for the C-type inactivation of Erg channels, an N-terminal deletion in mouse Eag1 has been shown to produce a voltage-dependent inactivation. To further discern the role of the eag domain in the inactivation of Eag1 channels, we generated N-terminal chimeras between rat Eag (rEag1) and human Erg (hERG1) channels that involved swapping the eag domain alone or the complete cytoplasmic N-terminal region. Functional analyses indicated that introduction of the homologous hERG1 eag domain led to both a fast phase and a slow phase of channel inactivation in the rEag1 chimeras. By contrast, the inactivation features were retained in the reverse hERG1 chimeras. Furthermore, an eag domain-lacking rEag1 deletion mutant also showed the fast phase of inactivation that was notably attenuated upon co-expression with the rEag1 eag domain fragment, but not with the hERG1 eag domain fragment. Additionally, we have identified a point mutation in the S4-S5 linker region of rEag1 that resulted in a similar inactivation phenotype. Biophysical analyses of these mutant constructs suggested that the inactivation gating of rEag1 was distinctly different from that of hERG1. Overall, our findings are consistent with the notion that the eag domain plays a critical role in regulating the inactivation gating of rEag1. We propose that the eag domain may destabilize or mask an inherent voltage-dependent inactivation of rEag1 K+ channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting-Feng Lin
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Guey-Mei Jow
- School of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University, Hsin-Chuang, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Yu Fang
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ssu-Ju Fu
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hao-Han Wu
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Mei-Miao Chiu
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Jiuan Jeng
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Brain Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Li Q, Wong YL, Ng HQ, Gayen S, Kang C. Structural insight into the transmembrane segments 3 and 4 of the hERG potassium channel. J Pept Sci 2014; 20:935-44. [PMID: 25331429 DOI: 10.1002/psc.2704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2014] [Revised: 08/26/2014] [Accepted: 09/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The hERG (human ether-a-go-go related gene) potassium channel is a voltage-gated potassium channel containing an N-terminal domain, a voltage-sensor domain, a pore domain and a C-terminal domain. The transmembrane segment 4 (S4) is important for sensing changes of membrane potentials through positively charge residues. A construct containing partial S2-S3 linker, S3, S4 and the S4-S5 linker of the hERG channel was purified into detergent micelles. This construct exhibits good quality NMR spectrum when it was purified in lyso-myristoyl phosphatidylglycerol (LMPG) micelles. Structural study showed that S3 contains two short helices with a negatively charged surface. The S4 and S4-S5 linker adopt helical structures. The six positively charged residues in S4 localize at different sides, suggesting that they may have different functions in channel gating. Relaxation studies indicated that S3 is more flexible than S4. The boundaries of S3-S4 and S4-S4-S5 linker were identified. Our results provided structural information of the S3 and S4, which will be helpful to understand their roles in channel gating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingxin Li
- Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
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44
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Mitcheson J, Arcangeli A. The Therapeutic Potential of hERG1 K+ Channels for Treating Cancer and Cardiac Arrhythmias. ION CHANNEL DRUG DISCOVERY 2014. [DOI: 10.1039/9781849735087-00258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
hERG potassium channels present pharmacologists and medicinal chemists with a dilemma. On the one hand hERG is a major reason for drugs being withdrawn from the market because of drug induced long QT syndrome and the associated risk of inducing sudden cardiac death, and yet hERG blockers are still widely used in the clinic to treat cardiac arrhythmias. Moreover, in the last decade overwhelming evidence has been provided that hERG channels are aberrantly expressed in cancer cells and that they contribute to tumour cell proliferation, resistance to apoptosis, and neoangiogenesis. Here we provide an overview of the properties of hERG channels and their role in excitable cells of the heart and nervous system as well as in cancer. We consider the therapeutic potential of hERG, not only with regard to the negative impact due to drug induced long QT syndrome, but also its future potential as a treatment in the fight against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Mitcheson
- University of Leicester, Department of Cell Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical Sciences Building University Road Leicester LE1 9HN UK
| | - Annarosa Arcangeli
- Department of Experimental Pathology and Oncology, University of Florence Viale GB Morgagni, 50 50134 Firenze Italy
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45
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de la Peña P, Machín A, Fernández-Trillo J, Domínguez P, Barros F. Interactions between the N-terminal tail and the gating machinery of hERG K⁺ channels both in closed and open/inactive states. Pflugers Arch 2014; 467:1747-56. [PMID: 25224286 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-014-1612-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2014] [Revised: 09/04/2014] [Accepted: 09/05/2014] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The N-terminal-most N-tail of the human ether-à-go-go-related gene (hERG) potassium channel is a crucial modulator of deactivation through its interactions with the S4-S5 loop and/or the C-linker/cNBD, leading to a stabilization of the channel's open state. Not only the N-terminal, but also the initial C-terminal region of the channel can modulate the transitions between the open and closed states either by direct or by indirect/allosteric interactions with the gating machinery. However, while a physical proximity of the N-tail to the gating machinery has been demonstrated in the closed state, data about their possible interaction in other channel conformations have been lacking. Using a site-directed cysteine mutagenesis and disulfide chemistry approach, we present here evidence that a physical proximity between the N-tail and the gating-related structures can also exist in channels held between pulses in the open/inactive state, highlighting the physiological and functional relevance of the direct interactions between the N-terminal tail and the S4-S5 loop and/or C-linker structures for modulation of channel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pilar de la Peña
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Oviedo, 33006, Oviedo, Spain,
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46
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Morais-Cabral JH, Robertson GA. The enigmatic cytoplasmic regions of KCNH channels. J Mol Biol 2014; 427:67-76. [PMID: 25158096 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2014.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2014] [Revised: 08/14/2014] [Accepted: 08/15/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
KCNH channels are expressed across a vast phylogenetic and evolutionary spectrum. In humans, they function in a wide range of tissues and serve as biomarkers and targets for diseases such as cancer and cardiac arrhythmias. These channels share a general architecture with other voltage-gated ion channels but are distinguished by the presence of an N-terminal PAS (Per-Arnt-Sim) domain and a C-terminal domain with homology to cyclic nucleotide binding domains (referred to as the CNBh domain). Cytosolic regions outside these domains show little conservation between KCNH families but are strongly conserved across species within a family, likely reflecting variability that confers specificity to individual channel types. PAS and CNBh domains participate in channel gating, but at least twice in evolutionary history, the PAS domain has been lost and it is omitted by alternate transcription to create a distinct channel subunit in one family. In this focused review, we present current knowledge of the structure and function of these cytosolic regions, discuss their evolution as modular domains and provide our perspective on the important questions moving forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- João H Morais-Cabral
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Gail A Robertson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA
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47
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Ng CA, Phan K, Hill AP, Vandenberg JI, Perry MD. Multiple interactions between cytoplasmic domains regulate slow deactivation of Kv11.1 channels. J Biol Chem 2014; 289:25822-32. [PMID: 25074935 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.558379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The intracellular domains of many ion channels are important for fine-tuning their gating kinetics. In Kv11.1 channels, the slow kinetics of channel deactivation, which are critical for their function in the heart, are largely regulated by the N-terminal N-Cap and Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) domains, as well as the C-terminal cyclic nucleotide-binding homology (cNBH) domain. Here, we use mutant cycle analysis to probe for functional interactions between the N-Cap/PAS domains and the cNBH domain. We identified a specific and stable charge-charge interaction between Arg(56) of the PAS domain and Asp(803) of the cNBH domain, as well an additional interaction between the cNBH domain and the N-Cap, both of which are critical for maintaining slow deactivation kinetics. Furthermore, we found that positively charged arginine residues within the disordered region of the N-Cap interact with negatively charged residues of the C-linker domain. Although this interaction is likely more transient than the PAS-cNBD interaction, it is strong enough to stabilize the open conformation of the channel and thus slow deactivation. These findings provide novel insights into the slow deactivation mechanism of Kv11.1 channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chai Ann Ng
- From the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, New South Wales 2010, Australia
| | - Kevin Phan
- From the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, New South Wales 2010, Australia
| | - Adam P Hill
- From the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, New South Wales 2010, Australia
| | - Jamie I Vandenberg
- From the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, New South Wales 2010, Australia
| | - Matthew D Perry
- From the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, New South Wales 2010, Australia
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48
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Lin TF, Lin IW, Chen SC, Wu HH, Yang CS, Fang HY, Chiu MM, Jeng CJ. The subfamily-specific assembly of Eag and Erg K+ channels is determined by both the amino and the carboxyl recognition domains. J Biol Chem 2014; 289:22815-22834. [PMID: 25008323 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.574814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A functional voltage-gated K(+) (Kv) channel comprises four pore-forming α-subunits, and only members of the same Kv channel subfamily may co-assemble to form heterotetramers. The ether-à-go-go family of Kv channels (KCNH) encompasses three distinct subfamilies: Eag (Kv10), Erg (Kv11), and Elk (Kv12). Members of different ether-à-go-go subfamilies, such as Eag and Erg, fail to form heterotetramers. Although a short stretch of amino acid sequences in the distal C-terminal section has been implicated in subfamily-specific subunit assembly, it remains unclear whether this region serves as the sole and/or principal subfamily recognition domain for Eag and Erg. Here we aim to ascertain the structural basis underlying the subfamily specificity of ether-à-go-go channels by generating various chimeric constructs between rat Eag1 and human Erg subunits. Biochemical and electrophysiological characterizations of the subunit interaction properties of a series of different chimeric and truncation constructs over the C terminus suggested that the putative C-terminal recognition domain is dispensable for subfamily-specific assembly. Further chimeric analyses over the N terminus revealed that the N-terminal region may also harbor a subfamily recognition domain. Importantly, exchanging either the N-terminal or the C-terminal domain alone led to a virtual loss of the intersubfamily assembly boundary. By contrast, simultaneously swapping both recognition domains resulted in a reversal of subfamily specificity. Our observations are consistent with the notion that both the N-terminal and the C-terminal recognition domains are required to sustain the subfamily-specific assembly of rat Eag1 and human Erg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting-Feng Lin
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, and National Yang-Ming University, No. 155, Section 2, Li-Non Street, Taipei 12212, Taiwan
| | - I-Wen Lin
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, and National Yang-Ming University, No. 155, Section 2, Li-Non Street, Taipei 12212, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Ching Chen
- Department of Medical Research, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 10051, Taiwan
| | - Hao-Han Wu
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, and National Yang-Ming University, No. 155, Section 2, Li-Non Street, Taipei 12212, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Sheng Yang
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, and National Yang-Ming University, No. 155, Section 2, Li-Non Street, Taipei 12212, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Yu Fang
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, and National Yang-Ming University, No. 155, Section 2, Li-Non Street, Taipei 12212, Taiwan
| | - Mei-Miao Chiu
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, and National Yang-Ming University, No. 155, Section 2, Li-Non Street, Taipei 12212, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Jiuan Jeng
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, and National Yang-Ming University, No. 155, Section 2, Li-Non Street, Taipei 12212, Taiwan; Brain Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, No. 155, Section 2, Li-Non Street, Taipei 12212, Taiwan and.
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49
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Thomson SJ, Hansen A, Sanguinetti MC. Concerted all-or-none subunit interactions mediate slow deactivation of human ether-à-go-go-related gene K+ channels. J Biol Chem 2014; 289:23428-36. [PMID: 25008322 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.582437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
During the repolarization phase of a cardiac action potential, hERG1 K(+) channels rapidly recover from an inactivated state then slowly deactivate to a closed state. The resulting resurgence of outward current terminates the plateau phase and is thus a key regulator of action potential duration of cardiomyocytes. The intracellular N-terminal domain of the hERG1 subunit is required for slow deactivation of the channel as its removal accelerates deactivation 10-fold. Here we investigate the stoichiometry of hERG1 channel deactivation by characterizing the kinetic properties of concatenated tetramers containing a variable number of wild-type and mutant subunits. Three mutations known to accelerate deactivation were investigated, including R56Q and R4A/R5A in the N terminus and F656I in the S6 transmembrane segment. In all cases, a single mutant subunit induced the same rapid deactivation of a concatenated channel as that observed for homotetrameric mutant channels. We conclude that slow deactivation gating of hERG1 channels involves a concerted, fully cooperative interaction between all four wild-type channel subunits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J Thomson
- From the Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute and
| | - Angela Hansen
- From the Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute and
| | - Michael C Sanguinetti
- From the Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute and Department of Internal Medicine and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
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50
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Insight into the molecular interaction between the cyclic nucleotide-binding homology domain and the eag domain of the hERG channel. FEBS Lett 2014; 588:2782-8. [PMID: 24931372 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2014.05.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2014] [Revised: 05/14/2014] [Accepted: 05/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The gating of the hERG channel is regulated by its eag domain through molecular interaction with either the cyclic nucleotide-binding homology domain (CNBHD) or the linker between transmembrane segments 4 and 5. Our NMR study on the purified CNBHD demonstrated that it contains nine β-strands and does not bind cAMP. We show that the eag domain binds to the CBND through an interface containing several disease-associated mutations. The N-terminal cap domain and R56 in the eag domain are important for the interaction with the CNBHD. Residues from the CNBHD that were affected by the interaction with the eag domain were also identified. A R56Q mutation does not cause major structural changes in the eag domain and showed reduced interaction with the CNBHD.
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