Cell Cycle-dependent Changes in Localization and Phosphorylation of the Plasma Membrane Kv2.1 K+ Channel Impact Endoplasmic Reticulum Membrane Contact Sites in COS-1 Cells

Electrically silent KvS subunits associate with native Kv2 channels in brain and impact diverse properties of channel function

Voltage-gated K+ channels of the Kv2 family are highly expressed in brain and play dual roles in regulating neuronal excitability and in organizing endoplasmic reticulum - plasma membrane (ER-PM) junctions. Studies in heterologous cells suggest that the two pore-forming alpha subunits Kv2.1 and Kv2.2 assemble with "electrically silent" KvS subunits to form heterotetrameric channels with distinct biophysical properties. Here, using mass spectrometry-based proteomics, we identified five KvS subunits as components of native Kv2.1 channels immunopurified from mouse brain, the most abundant being Kv5.1. We found that Kv5.1 co-immunoprecipitates with Kv2.1 and to a lesser extent with Kv2.2 from brain lysates, and that Kv5.1 protein levels are decreased by 70% in Kv2.1 knockout mice and 95% in Kv2.1/2.2 double knockout mice. Multiplex immunofluorescent labelling of rodent brain sections revealed that in neocortex Kv5.1 immunolabeling is apparent in a large percentage of Kv2.1 and Kv2.2-positive layer 2/3 neurons, and in a smaller percentage of layer 5 and 6 neurons. At the subcellular level, Kv5.1 is co-clustered with Kv2.1 and Kv2.2 at ER-PM junctions in cortical neurons, although clustering of Kv5.1-containing channels is reduced relative to homomeric Kv2 channels. We also found that in heterologous cells coexpression with Kv5.1 reduces the clustering and alters the pharmacological properties of Kv2.1 channels. Together, these findings demonstrate that the Kv5.1 electrically silent subunit is a component of a substantial fraction of native brain Kv2 channels, and that its incorporation into heteromeric channels can impact diverse aspects of Kv2 channel function.

Neuronal ER-plasma membrane junctions couple excitation to Ca2+-activated PKA signaling

Junctions between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the plasma membrane (PM) are specialized membrane contacts ubiquitous in eukaryotic cells. Concentration of intracellular signaling machinery near ER-PM junctions allows these domains to serve critical roles in lipid and Ca2+ signaling and homeostasis. Subcellular compartmentalization of protein kinase A (PKA) signaling also regulates essential cellular functions, however, no specific association between PKA and ER-PM junctional domains is known. Here, we show that in brain neurons type I PKA is directed to Kv2.1 channel-dependent ER-PM junctional domains via SPHKAP, a type I PKA-specific anchoring protein. SPHKAP association with type I PKA regulatory subunit RI and ER-resident VAP proteins results in the concentration of type I PKA between stacked ER cisternae associated with ER-PM junctions. This ER-associated PKA signalosome enables reciprocal regulation between PKA and Ca2+ signaling machinery to support Ca2+ influx and excitation-transcription coupling. These data reveal that neuronal ER-PM junctions support a receptor-independent form of PKA signaling driven by membrane depolarization and intracellular Ca2+, allowing conversion of information encoded in electrical signals into biochemical changes universally recognized throughout the cell.

Endoplasmic Reticulum-Plasma Membrane Contact Sites: Regulators, Mechanisms, and Physiological Functions

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) forms direct membrane contact sites with the plasma membrane (PM) in eukaryotic cells. These ER-PM contact sites play essential roles in lipid homeostasis, ion dynamics, and cell signaling, which are carried out by protein-protein or protein-lipid interactions. Distinct tethering factors dynamically control the architecture of ER-PM junctions in response to intracellular signals or external stimuli. The physiological roles of ER-PM contact sites are dependent on a variety of regulators that individually or cooperatively perform functions in diverse cellular processes. This review focuses on proteins functioning at ER-PM contact sites and highlights the recent progress in their mechanisms and physiological roles.

Kv2.1 channels play opposing roles in regulating membrane potential, Ca2+ channel function, and myogenic tone in arterial smooth muscle

The accepted role of the protein Kv2.1 in arterial smooth muscle cells is to form K⁺ channels in the sarcolemma. Opening of Kv2.1 channels causes membrane hyperpolarization, which decreases the activity of L-type Ca_V1.2 channels, lowering intracellular Ca²⁺ ([Ca²⁺]_i) and causing smooth muscle relaxation. A limitation of this model is that it is based exclusively on data from male arterial myocytes. Here, we used a combination of electrophysiology as well as imaging approaches to investigate the role of Kv2.1 channels in male and female arterial myocytes. We confirmed that Kv2.1 plays a canonical conductive role but found it also has a structural role in arterial myocytes to enhance clustering of Ca_V1.2 channels. Less than 1% of Kv2.1 channels are conductive and induce membrane hyperpolarization. Paradoxically, by enhancing the structural clustering and probability of Ca_V1.2-Ca_V1.2 interactions within these clusters, Kv2.1 increases Ca²⁺ influx. These functional impacts of Kv2.1 depend on its level of expression, which varies with sex. In female myocytes, where expression of Kv2.1 protein is higher than in male myocytes, Kv2.1 has conductive and structural roles. Female myocytes have larger Ca_V1.2 clusters, larger [Ca²⁺]_i, and larger myogenic tone than male myocytes. In contrast, in male myocytes, Kv2.1 channels regulate membrane potential but not Ca_V1.2 channel clustering. We propose a model in which Kv2.1 function varies with sex: in males, Kv2.1 channels control membrane potential but, in female myocytes, Kv2.1 plays dual electrical and Ca_V1.2 clustering roles. This contributes to sex-specific regulation of excitability, [Ca²⁺]_i, and myogenic tone in arterial myocytes.

Kv2 channels create endoplasmic reticulum / plasma membrane junctions: a brief history of Kv2 channel subcellular localization

The potassium channels Kv2.1 and Kv2.2 are widely expressed throughout the mammalian brain. Kv2.1 provides the majority of delayed rectifying current in rat hippocampus while both channels are differentially expressed in cortex. Particularly unusual is their neuronal surface localization pattern: while half the channel population is freely-diffusive on the plasma membrane as expected from the generalized Singer & Nicolson fluid mosaic model, the other half localizes into micron-sized clusters on the soma, dendrites, and axon initial segment. These clusters contain hundreds of channels, which for Kv2.1, are largely non-conducting. Competing theories of the mechanism underlying Kv2.1 clustering have included static tethering to being corralled by an actin fence. Now, recent work has demonstrated channel clustering is due to formation of endoplasmic reticulum/plasma membrane (ER/PM) junctions through interaction with ER-resident VAMP-associated proteins (VAPs). Interaction between surface Kv2 channels and ER VAPs groups channels together in clusters. ER/PM junctions play important roles in inter-organelle communication: they regulate ion flux, are involved in lipid transfer, and are sites of endo- and exocytosis. Kv2-induced ER/PM junctions are regulated through phosphorylation of the channel C-terminus which in turn regulates VAP binding, providing a rapid means to create or dismantle these microdomains. In addition, insults such as hypoxia or ischemia disrupt this interaction resulting in ER/PM junction disassembly. Kv2 channels are the only known plasma membrane protein to form regulated, injury sensitive junctions in this manner. Furthermore, it is likely that concentrated VAPs at these microdomains sequester additional interactors whose functions are not yet fully understood.

Implication of Voltage-Gated Potassium Channels in Neoplastic Cell Proliferation

Voltage-gated potassium channels (Kv) are the largest group of ion channels. Kv are involved in controlling the resting potential and action potential duration in the heart and brain. Additionally, these proteins participate in cell cycle progression as well as in several other important features in mammalian cell physiology, such as activation, differentiation, apoptosis, and cell volume control. Therefore, Kv remarkably participate in the cell function by balancing responses. The implication of Kv in physiological and pathophysiological cell growth is the subject of study, as Kv are proposed as therapeutic targets for tumor regression. Though it is widely accepted that Kv channels control proliferation by allowing cell cycle progression, their role is controversial. Kv expression is altered in many cancers, and their participation, as well as their use as tumor markers, is worthy of effort. There is an ever-growing list of Kv that remodel during tumorigenesis. This review focuses on the actual knowledge of Kv channel expression and their relationship with neoplastic proliferation. In this work, we provide an update of what is currently known about these proteins, thereby paving the way for a more precise understanding of the participation of Kv during cancer development.

The tarantula toxin GxTx detains K+ channel gating charges in their resting conformation

Allosteric ligands modulate protein activity by altering the energy landscape of conformational space in ligand-protein complexes. Here we investigate how ligand binding to a K⁺ channel's voltage sensor allosterically modulates opening of its K⁺-conductive pore. The tarantula venom peptide guangxitoxin-1E (GxTx) binds to the voltage sensors of the rat voltage-gated K⁺ (Kv) channel Kv2.1 and acts as a partial inverse agonist. When bound to GxTx, Kv2.1 activates more slowly, deactivates more rapidly, and requires more positive voltage to reach the same K⁺-conductance as the unbound channel. Further, activation kinetics are more sigmoidal, indicating that multiple conformational changes coupled to opening are modulated. Single-channel current amplitudes reveal that each channel opens to full conductance when GxTx is bound. Inhibition of Kv2.1 channels by GxTx results from decreased open probability due to increased occurrence of long-lived closed states; the time constant of the final pore opening step itself is not impacted by GxTx. When intracellular potential is less than 0 mV, GxTx traps the gating charges on Kv2.1's voltage sensors in their most intracellular position. Gating charges translocate at positive voltages, however, indicating that GxTx stabilizes the most intracellular conformation of the voltage sensors (their resting conformation). Kinetic modeling suggests a modulatory mechanism: GxTx reduces the probability of voltage sensors activating, giving the pore opening step less frequent opportunities to occur. This mechanism results in K⁺-conductance activation kinetics that are voltage-dependent, even if pore opening (the rate-limiting step) has no inherent voltage dependence. We conclude that GxTx stabilizes voltage sensors in a resting conformation, and inhibits K⁺ currents by limiting opportunities for the channel pore to open, but has little, if any, direct effect on the microscopic kinetics of pore opening. The impact of GxTx on channel gating suggests that Kv2.1's pore opening step does not involve movement of its voltage sensors.

Remodeling neuronal ER-PM junctions is a conserved nonconducting function of Kv2 plasma membrane ion channels

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and plasma membrane (PM) form junctions crucial to ion and lipid signaling and homeostasis. The Kv2.1 ion channel is localized at ER–PM junctions in brain neurons and is unique among PM proteins in its ability to remodel these specialized membrane contact sites. Here, we show that this function is conserved between Kv2.1 and Kv2.2, which differ in their biophysical properties, modulation, and cellular expression. Kv2.2 ER–PM junctions are present at sites deficient in the actin cytoskeleton, and disruption of the actin cytoskeleton affects their spatial organization. Kv2.2-containing ER–PM junctions overlap with those formed by canonical ER–PM tethers. The ability of Kv2 channels to remodel ER–PM junctions is unchanged by point mutations that eliminate their ion conduction but eliminated by point mutations within the Kv2-specific proximal restriction and clustering (PRC) domain that do not impact their ion channel function. The highly conserved PRC domain is sufficient to transfer the ER–PM junction–remodeling function to another PM protein. Last, brain neurons in Kv2 double-knockout mice have altered ER–PM junctions. Together, these findings demonstrate a conserved in vivo function for Kv2 family members in remodeling neuronal ER–PM junctions that is distinct from their canonical role as ion-conducting channels shaping neuronal excitability.

Identification of VAPA and VAPB as Kv2 Channel-Interacting Proteins Defining Endoplasmic Reticulum-Plasma Membrane Junctions in Mammalian Brain Neurons

Membrane contacts between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and plasma membrane (PM), or ER-PM junctions, are ubiquitous in eukaryotic cells and are platforms for lipid and calcium signaling and homeostasis. Recent studies have revealed proteins crucial to the formation and function of ER-PM junctions in non-neuronal cells, but little is known of the ER-PM junctions prominent in aspiny regions of mammalian brain neurons. The Kv2.1 voltage-gated potassium channel is abundantly clustered at ER-PM junctions in brain neurons and is the first PM protein that functions to organize ER-PM junctions. However, the molecular mechanism whereby Kv2.1 localizes to and remodels these junctions is unknown. We used affinity immunopurification and mass spectrometry-based proteomics on brain samples from male and female WT and Kv2.1 KO mice and identified the resident ER vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated proteins isoforms A and B (VAPA and VAPB) as prominent Kv2.1-associated proteins. Coexpression with Kv2.1 or its paralog Kv2.2 was sufficient to recruit VAPs to ER-PM junctions. Multiplex immunolabeling revealed colocalization of Kv2.1 and Kv2.2 with endogenous VAPs at ER-PM junctions in brain neurons from male and female mice in situ and in cultured rat hippocampal neurons, and KO of VAPA in mammalian cells reduces Kv2.1 clustering. The association of VAPA with Kv2.1 relies on a "two phenylalanines in an acidic tract" (FFAT) binding domain on VAPA and a noncanonical phosphorylation-dependent FFAT motif comprising the Kv2-specific clustering or PRC motif. These results suggest that Kv2.1 localizes to and organizes neuronal ER-PM junctions through an interaction with VAPs.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our study identified the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) proteins vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated proteins isoforms A and B (VAPA and VAPB) as proteins copurifying with the plasma membrane (PM) Kv2.1 ion channel. We found that expression of Kv2.1 recruits VAPs to ER-PM junctions, specialized membrane contact sites crucial to distinct aspects of cell function. We found endogenous VAPs at Kv2.1-mediated ER-PM junctions in brain neurons and other mammalian cells and that knocking out VAPA expression disrupts Kv2.1 clustering. We identified domains of VAPs and Kv2.1 necessary and sufficient for their association at ER-PM junctions. Our study suggests that Kv2.1 expression in the PM can affect ER-PM junctions via its phosphorylation-dependent association to ER-localized VAPA and VAPB.

Kv2 potassium channels form endoplasmic reticulum/plasma membrane junctions via interaction with VAPA and VAPB

Kv2.1 exhibits two distinct forms of localization patterns on the neuronal plasma membrane: One population is freely diffusive and regulates electrical activity via voltage-dependent K⁺ conductance while a second one localizes to micrometer-sized clusters that contain densely packed, but nonconducting, channels. We have previously established that these clusters represent endoplasmic reticulum/plasma membrane (ER/PM) junctions that function as membrane trafficking hubs and that Kv2.1 plays a structural role in forming these membrane contact sites in both primary neuronal cultures and transfected HEK cells. Clustering and the formation of ER/PM contacts are regulated by phosphorylation within the channel C terminus, offering cells fast, dynamic control over the physical relationship between the cortical ER and PM. The present study addresses the mechanisms by which Kv2.1 and the related Kv2.2 channel interact with the ER membrane. Using proximity-based biotinylation techniques in transfected HEK cells we identified ER VAMP-associated proteins (VAPs) as potential Kv2.1 interactors. Confirmation that Kv2.1 and -2.2 bind VAPA and VAPB employed colocalization/redistribution, siRNA knockdown, and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based assays. CD4 chimeras containing sequence from the Kv2.1 C terminus were used to identify a noncanonical VAP-binding motif. VAPs were first identified as proteins required for neurotransmitter release in Aplysia and are now known to be abundant scaffolding proteins involved in membrane contact site formation throughout the ER. The VAP interactome includes AKAPs, kinases, membrane trafficking machinery, and proteins regulating nonvesicular lipid transport from the ER to the PM. Therefore, the Kv2-induced VAP concentration at ER/PM contact sites is predicted to have wide-ranging effects on neuronal cell biology.

Synthetic Analogues of the Snail Toxin 6-Bromo-2-mercaptotryptamine Dimer (BrMT) Reveal That Lipid Bilayer Perturbation Does Not Underlie Its Modulation of Voltage-Gated Potassium Channels

Drugs do not act solely by canonical ligand-receptor binding interactions. Amphiphilic drugs partition into membranes, thereby perturbing bulk lipid bilayer properties and possibly altering the function of membrane proteins. Distinguishing membrane perturbation from more direct protein-ligand interactions is an ongoing challenge in chemical biology. Herein, we present one strategy for doing so, using dimeric 6-bromo-2-mercaptotryptamine (BrMT) and synthetic analogues. BrMT is a chemically unstable marine snail toxin that has unique effects on voltage-gated K⁺ channel proteins, making it an attractive medicinal chemistry lead. BrMT is amphiphilic and perturbs lipid bilayers, raising the question of whether its action against K⁺ channels is merely a manifestation of membrane perturbation. To determine whether medicinal chemistry approaches to improve BrMT might be viable, we synthesized BrMT and 11 analogues and determined their activities in parallel assays measuring K⁺ channel activity and lipid bilayer properties. Structure-activity relationships were determined for modulation of the Kv1.4 channel, bilayer partitioning, and bilayer perturbation. Neither membrane partitioning nor bilayer perturbation correlates with K⁺ channel modulation. We conclude that BrMT's membrane interactions are not critical for its inhibition of Kv1.4 activation. Further, we found that alkyl or ether linkages can replace the chemically labile disulfide bond in the BrMT pharmacophore, and we identified additional regions of the scaffold that are amenable to chemical modification. Our work demonstrates a strategy for determining if drugs act by specific interactions or bilayer-dependent mechanisms, and chemically stable modulators of Kv1 channels are reported.

Kv2 Ion Channels Determine the Expression and Localization of the Associated AMIGO-1 Cell Adhesion Molecule in Adult Brain Neurons

Voltage-gated K⁺ (Kv) channels play important roles in regulating neuronal excitability. Kv channels comprise four principal α subunits, and transmembrane and/or cytoplasmic auxiliary subunits that modify diverse aspects of channel function. AMIGO-1, which mediates homophilic cell adhesion underlying neurite outgrowth and fasciculation during development, has recently been shown to be an auxiliary subunit of adult brain Kv2.1-containing Kv channels. We show that AMIGO-1 is extensively colocalized with both Kv2.1 and its paralog Kv2.2 in brain neurons across diverse mammals, and that in adult brain, there is no apparent population of AMIGO-1 outside of that colocalized with these Kv2 α subunits. AMIGO-1 is coclustered with Kv2 α subunits at specific plasma membrane (PM) sites associated with hypolemmal subsurface cisternae at neuronal ER:PM junctions. This distinct PM clustering of AMIGO-1 is not observed in brain neurons of mice lacking Kv2 α subunit expression. Moreover, in heterologous cells, coexpression of either Kv2.1 or Kv2.2 is sufficient to drive clustering of the otherwise uniformly expressed AMIGO-1. Kv2 α subunit coexpression also increases biosynthetic intracellular trafficking and PM expression of AMIGO-1 in heterologous cells, and analyses of Kv2.1 and Kv2.2 knockout mice show selective loss of AMIGO-1 expression and localization in neurons lacking the respective Kv2 α subunit. Together, these data suggest that in mammalian brain neurons, AMIGO-1 is exclusively associated with Kv2 α subunits, and that Kv2 α subunits are obligatory in determining the correct pattern of AMIGO-1 expression, PM trafficking and clustering.

Ion channel signaling influences cellular proliferation and phagocyte activity during axolotl tail regeneration

Little is known about the potential for ion channels to regulate cellular behaviors during tissue regeneration. Here, we utilized an amphibian tail regeneration assay coupled with a chemical genetic screen to identify ion channel antagonists that altered critical cellular processes during regeneration. Inhibition of multiple ion channels either partially (anoctamin1/Tmem16a, anoctamin2/Tmem16b, KV2.1, KV2.2, L-type CaV channels and H/K ATPases) or completely (GlyR, GABAAR, KV1.5 and SERCA pumps) inhibited tail regeneration. Partial inhibition of tail regeneration by blocking the calcium activated chloride channels, anoctamin1&2, was associated with a reduction of cellular proliferation in tail muscle and mesenchymal regions. Inhibition of anoctamin 1/2 also altered the post-amputation transcriptional response of p44/42 MAPK signaling pathway genes, including decreased expression of erk1/erk2. We also found that complete inhibition via voltage gated K+ channel blockade was associated with diminished phagocyte recruitment to the amputation site. The identification of H+ pumps as required for axolotl tail regeneration supports findings in Xenopus and Planaria models, and more generally, the conservation of ion channels as regulators of tissue regeneration. This study provides a preliminary framework for an in-depth investigation of the mechanistic role of ion channels and their potential involvement in regulating cellular proliferation and other processes essential to wound healing, appendage regeneration, and tissue repair.

Kv2.1 Clustering Contributes to Insulin Exocytosis and Rescues Human β-Cell Dysfunction

Insulin exocytosis is regulated by ion channels that control excitability and Ca²⁺ influx. Channels also play an increasingly appreciated role in microdomain structure. In this study, we examine the mechanism by which the voltage-dependent K⁺ (Kv) channel Kv2.1 (KCNB1) facilitates depolarization-induced exocytosis in INS 832/13 cells and β-cells from human donors with and without type 2 diabetes (T2D). We find that Kv2.1, but not Kv2.2 (KCNB2), forms clusters of 6-12 tetrameric channels at the plasma membrane and facilitates insulin exocytosis. Knockdown of Kv2.1 expression reduces secretory granule targeting to the plasma membrane. Expression of the full-length channel (Kv2.1-wild-type) supports the glucose-dependent recruitment of secretory granules. However, a truncated channel (Kv2.1-ΔC318) that retains electrical function and syntaxin 1A binding, but lacks the ability to form clusters, does not enhance granule recruitment or exocytosis. Expression of KCNB1 appears reduced in T2D islets, and further knockdown of KCNB1 does not inhibit Kv current in T2D β-cells. Upregulation of Kv2.1-wild-type, but not Kv2.1-ΔC318, rescues the exocytotic phenotype in T2D β-cells and increases insulin secretion from T2D islets. Thus, the ability of Kv2.1 to directly facilitate insulin exocytosis depends on channel clustering. Loss of this structural role for the channel might contribute to impaired insulin secretion in diabetes.

ER-plasma membrane junctions: Why and how do we study them?

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-plasma membrane (PM) junctions are membrane microdomains important for communication between the ER and the PM. ER-PM junctions were first reported in muscle cells in 1957, but mostly ignored in non-excitable cells due to their scarcity and lack of functional significance. In 2005, the discovery of stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) mediating a universal Ca²⁺ feedback mechanism at ER-PM junctions in mammalian cells led to a resurgence of research interests toward ER-PM junctions. In the past decade, several major advancements have been made in this emerging topic in cell biology, including the generation of tools for labeling ER-PM junctions and the unraveling of mechanisms underlying regulation and functions of ER-PM junctions. This review summarizes early studies, recently developed tools, and current advances in the characterization and understanding of ER-PM junctions. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Membrane Contact Sites edited by Christian Ungermann and Benoit Kornmann.

Disruption of KV2.1 somato-dendritic clusters prevents the apoptogenic increase of potassium currents

As the predominant mediator of the delayed rectifier current, K_V2.1 is an important regulator of neuronal excitability. K_V2.1, however, also plays a well-established role in apoptotic cell death. Apoptogenic stimuli induce syntaxin-dependent trafficking of K_V2.1, resulting in an augmented delayed rectifier current that acts as a conduit for K⁺ efflux required for pro-apoptotic protease/nuclease activation. Recent evidence suggests that K_V2.1 somato-dendritic clusters regulate the formation of endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane junctions that function as scaffolding sites for plasma membrane trafficking of ion channels, including K_V2.1. However, it is unknown whether K_V2.1 somato-dendritic clusters are required for apoptogenic trafficking of K_V2.1. By overexpression of a protein derived from the C-terminus of the cognate channel K_V2.2 (K_V2.2CT), we induced calcineurin-independent disruption of K_V2.1 somato-dendritic clusters in rat cortical neurons, without altering the electrophysiological properties of the channel. We observed that K_V2.2CT-expressing neurons are less susceptible to oxidative stress-induced cell death. Critically, expression of K_V2.2CT effectively blocked the increased current density of the delayed rectifier current associated with oxidative injury, supporting a vital role of K_V2.1-somato-dendritic clusters in apoptogenic increases in K_V2.1-mediated currents.