1
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Goodchild SJ, Ahern CA. Conformational photo-trapping in Na V1.5: Inferring local motions at the "inactivation gate". Biophys J 2024; 123:2167-2175. [PMID: 38664963 PMCID: PMC11309974 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.04.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Rapid and effectual inactivation in voltage-gated sodium channels is required for canonical action-potential firing. This "fast" inactivation arises from swift and reversible protein conformational changes that utilize transmembrane segments and the cytoplasmic linker between channel domains III and IV. Until recently, fast inactivation had been accepted to rely on a "ball-and-chain" mechanism whereby a hydrophobic triplet of DIII-IV amino acids (IFM) impairs conductance by binding to a site in central pore of the channel made available by channel opening. New structures of sodium channels have upended this model. Specifically, cryo-electron microscopic structures of eukaryotic sodium channels depict a peripheral binding site for the IFM motif, outside of the pore, opening the possibility of a yet unidentified allosteric mechanism of fast-inactivation gating. We set out to study fast inactivation by photo-trapping human sodium channels in various functional states under voltage control. This was achieved by genetically encoding the crosslinking unnatural amino acid benzophenone phenylalanine at various sites within the DIII-IV linker in the cardiac sodium channel NaV1.5. These data show dynamic state- and positional-dependent trapping of the transient conformations associated with fast inactivation, each yielding different phenotypes and rates of trapping. These data reveal distinct conformational changes that underlie fast inactivation and point to a dynamic environment around the IFM locus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel J Goodchild
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Christopher A Ahern
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
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2
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Raman IM. The Hodgkin-Huxley-Katz Prize Lecture: A Markov model with permeation-dependent gating that accounts for resurgent current of voltage-gated Na channels. J Physiol 2023; 601:5147-5164. [PMID: 37837315 PMCID: PMC10913027 DOI: 10.1113/jp285166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Many neurons that fire high-frequency action potentials express specialized voltage-gated Na channel complexes that not only conduct transient current upon depolarization, but also pass resurgent current upon repolarization. The resurgent current is associated with recovery of transient current, even at moderately negative potentials where fast inactivation is usually absorbing. The combined results of many experimental studies have led to the hypothesis that resurgent current flows upon repolarization when an endogenous blocking protein that occludes open channels at depolarized potentials is expelled by inwardly permeating Na ions. Additional observations have suggested that the position of the voltage sensor of domain IV regulates the affinity of the channel for the putative blocker. To test the effectiveness of a kinetic scheme incorporating these features, here we develop and justify a Markov model with states grounded in known Na channel conformations. Simulations were designed to investigate whether including a permeation-dependent unblocking rate constant and two open-blocked states, superimposed on conformations and voltage-sensitive movements present in all voltage-gated Na channels, is sufficient to account for the unusual gating of channels with a resurgent component. Optimizing rate constant parameters against a wide range of experimental data from cerebellar Purkinje cells demonstrates that a kinetic scheme for Na channels incorporating the novel aspects of a permeation-dependent unblock, as well as distinct high- and low-affinity blocked states, reproduces all the attributes of experimentally recorded Na currents in a physiologically plausible manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indira M Raman
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
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3
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Liu Y, Bassetto CAZ, Pinto BI, Bezanilla F. A mechanistic reinterpretation of fast inactivation in voltage-gated Na + channels. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5072. [PMID: 37604801 PMCID: PMC10442390 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40514-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The hinged-lid model was long accepted as the canonical model for fast inactivation in Nav channels. It predicts that the hydrophobic IFM motif acts intracellularly as the gating particle that binds and occludes the pore during fast inactivation. However, the observation in recent high-resolution structures that the bound IFM motif is located far from the pore, contradicts this preconception. Here, we provide a mechanistic reinterpretation of fast inactivation based on structural analysis and ionic/gating current measurements. We demonstrate that in Nav1.4 the final inactivation gate is comprised of two hydrophobic rings at the bottom of S6 helices. These rings function in series and close downstream of IFM binding. Reducing the volume of the sidechain in both rings leads to a partially conductive, leaky inactivated state and decreases the selectivity for Na+ ion. Altogether, we present an alternative molecular framework to describe fast inactivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yichen Liu
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Carlos A Z Bassetto
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Bernardo I Pinto
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Francisco Bezanilla
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.
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4
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Liu Y, Bassetto CAZ, Pinto BI, Bezanilla F. A Mechanistic Reinterpretation of Fast Inactivation in Voltage-Gated Na+ Channels. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2924505. [PMID: 37292679 PMCID: PMC10246267 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2924505/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The hinged-lid model is long accepted as the canonical model for fast inactivation in Nav channels. It predicts that the hydrophobic IFM motif acts intracellularly as the gating particle that binds and occludes the pore during fast inactivation. However, the observation in recent high-resolution structures that the bound IFM motif locates far from the pore, contradicts this preconception. Here, we provide a mechanistic reinterpretation of fast inactivation based on structural analysis and ionic/gating current measurements. We demonstrate that in Nav1.4 the final inactivation gate is comprised of two hydrophobic rings at the bottom of S6 helices. These rings function in series and close downstream of IFM binding. Reducing the volume of the sidechain in both rings leads to a partially conductive "leaky" inactivated state and decreases the selectivity for Na + ion. Altogether, we present an alternative molecular framework to describe fast inactivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yichen Liu
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Carlos A Z Bassetto
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Bernardo I Pinto
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Francisco Bezanilla
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias de Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
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5
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Angsutararux P, Dutta AK, Marras M, Abella C, Mellor RL, Shi J, Nerbonne JM, Silva JR. Differential regulation of cardiac sodium channels by intracellular fibroblast growth factors. J Gen Physiol 2023; 155:e202213300. [PMID: 36944081 PMCID: PMC10038838 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202213300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channels are responsible for the initiation and propagation of action potentials. In the heart, the predominant NaV1.5 α subunit is composed of four homologous repeats (I-IV) and forms a macromolecular complex with multiple accessory proteins, including intracellular fibroblast growth factors (iFGF). In spite of high homology, each of the iFGFs, iFGF11-iFGF14, as well as the individual iFGF splice variants, differentially regulates NaV channel gating, and the mechanisms underlying these differential effects remain elusive. Much of the work exploring iFGF regulation of NaV1.5 has been performed in mouse and rat ventricular myocytes in which iFGF13VY is the predominant iFGF expressed, whereas investigation into NaV1.5 regulation by the human heart-dominant iFGF12B is lacking. In this study, we used a mouse model with cardiac-specific Fgf13 deletion to study the consequences of iFGF13VY and iFGF12B expression. We observed distinct effects on the voltage-dependences of activation and inactivation of the sodium currents (INa), as well as on the kinetics of peak INa decay. Results in native myocytes were recapitulated with human NaV1.5 heterologously expressed in Xenopus oocytes, and additional experiments using voltage-clamp fluorometry (VCF) revealed iFGF-specific effects on the activation of the NaV1.5 voltage sensor domain in repeat IV (VSD-IV). iFGF chimeras further unveiled roles for all three iFGF domains (i.e., the N-terminus, core, and C-terminus) on the regulation of VSD-IV, and a slower time domain of inactivation. We present here a novel mechanism of iFGF regulation that is specific to individual iFGF isoforms and that leads to distinct functional effects on NaV channel/current kinetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paweorn Angsutararux
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Amal K. Dutta
- Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Martina Marras
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Carlota Abella
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Rebecca L. Mellor
- Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jingyi Shi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jeanne M. Nerbonne
- Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jonathan R. Silva
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
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6
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Liu Y, Bassetto CAZ, Pinto BI, Bezanilla F. A Mechanistic Reinterpretation of Fast Inactivation in Voltage-Gated Na + Channels. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.27.538555. [PMID: 37162849 PMCID: PMC10168311 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.27.538555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Fast Inactivation in voltage-gated Na + channels plays essential roles in numerous physiological functions. The canonical hinged-lid model has long predicted that a hydrophobic motif in the DIII-DIV linker (IFM) acts as the gating particle that occludes the permeation pathway during fast inactivation. However, the fact that the IFM motif is located far from the pore in recent high-resolution structures of Nav + channels contradicts this status quo model. The precise molecular determinants of fast inactivation gate once again, become an open question. Here, we provide a mechanistic reinterpretation of fast inactivation based on ionic and gating current data. In Nav1.4 the actual inactivation gate is comprised of two hydrophobic rings at the bottom of S6. These function in series and closing once the IFM motif binds. Reducing the volume of the sidechain in both rings led to a partially conductive inactivated state. Our experiments also point to a previously overlooked coupling pathway between the bottom of S6 and the selectivity filter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yichen Liu
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Carlos A Z Bassetto
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Bernardo I Pinto
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Francisco Bezanilla
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias de Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
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7
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Characterising ion channel structure and dynamics using fluorescence spectroscopy techniques. Biochem Soc Trans 2022; 50:1427-1445. [DOI: 10.1042/bst20220605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Ion channels undergo major conformational changes that lead to channel opening and ion conductance. Deciphering these structure-function relationships is paramount to understanding channel physiology and pathophysiology. Cryo-electron microscopy, crystallography and computer modelling provide atomic-scale snapshots of channel conformations in non-cellular environments but lack dynamic information that can be linked to functional results. Biophysical techniques such as electrophysiology, on the other hand, provide functional data with no structural information of the processes involved. Fluorescence spectroscopy techniques help bridge this gap in simultaneously obtaining structure-function correlates. These include voltage-clamp fluorometry, Förster resonance energy transfer, ligand binding assays, single molecule fluorescence and their variations. These techniques can be employed to unearth several features of ion channel behaviour. For instance, they provide real time information on local and global rearrangements that are inherent to channel properties. They also lend insights in trafficking, expression, and assembly of ion channels on the membrane surface. These methods have the advantage that they can be carried out in either native or heterologous systems. In this review, we briefly explain the principles of fluorescence and how these have been translated to study ion channel function. We also report several recent advances in fluorescence spectroscopy that has helped address and improve our understanding of the biophysical behaviours of different ion channel families.
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8
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Structural basis for high-voltage activation and subtype-specific inhibition of human Na v1.8. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2208211119. [PMID: 35858452 PMCID: PMC9335304 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2208211119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Pain management represents an unmet healthcare need in many countries. Nav1.8 represents a potential target for developing nonaddictive analgesics. Here we present the cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of human Nav1.8 alone and bound to a selective pore blocker, A-803467. Unlike reported structures of eukaryotic Nav channels wherein the first voltage-sensing domain (VSDI) is well-resolved in one stable conformation, different conformations of VSDI are observed in the cryo-EM maps of Nav1.8. An extracellular interface between VSDI and the pore domain was identified to be a determinant for Nav1.8’s dependence on higher voltage for activation. A-803467 clenches S6IV within the central cavity. Unexpectedly, the channel selectivity for A-803467 is determined by nonligand coordinating residues through an allosteric mechanism. The dorsal root ganglia–localized voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channel Nav1.8 represents a promising target for developing next-generation analgesics. A prominent characteristic of Nav1.8 is the requirement of more depolarized membrane potential for activation. Here we present the cryogenic electron microscopy structures of human Nav1.8 alone and bound to a selective pore blocker, A-803467, at overall resolutions of 2.7 to 3.2 Å. The first voltage-sensing domain (VSDI) displays three different conformations. Structure-guided mutagenesis identified the extracellular interface between VSDI and the pore domain (PD) to be a determinant for the high-voltage dependence of activation. A-803467 was clearly resolved in the central cavity of the PD, clenching S6IV. Our structure-guided functional characterizations show that two nonligand binding residues, Thr397 on S6I and Gly1406 on S6III, allosterically modulate the channel’s sensitivity to A-803467. Comparison of available structures of human Nav channels suggests the extracellular loop region to be a potential site for developing subtype-specific pore-blocking biologics.
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9
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Ransdell JL, Moreno JD, Bhagavan D, Silva JR, Nerbonne JM. Intrinsic mechanisms in the gating of resurgent Na + currents. eLife 2022; 11:70173. [PMID: 35076394 PMCID: PMC8824471 DOI: 10.7554/elife.70173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The resurgent component of the voltage-gated sodium current (INaR) is a depolarizing conductance, revealed on membrane hyperpolarizations following brief depolarizing voltage steps, which has been shown to contribute to regulating the firing properties of numerous neuronal cell types throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems. Although mediated by the same voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels that underlie the transient and persistent Nav current components, the gating mechanisms that contribute to the generation of INaR remain unclear. Here, we characterized Nav currents in mouse cerebellar Purkinje neurons, and used tailored voltage-clamp protocols to define how the voltage and the duration of the initial membrane depolarization affect the amplitudes and kinetics of INaR. Using the acquired voltage-clamp data, we developed a novel Markov kinetic state model with parallel (fast and slow) inactivation pathways and, we show that this model reproduces the properties of the resurgent, as well as the transient and persistent, Nav currents recorded in (mouse) cerebellar Purkinje neurons. Based on the acquired experimental data and the simulations, we propose that resurgent Na+ influx occurs as a result of fast inactivating Nav channels transitioning into an open/conducting state on membrane hyperpolarization, and that the decay of INaR reflects the slow accumulation of recovered/opened Nav channels into a second, alternative and more slowly populated, inactivated state. Additional simulations reveal that extrinsic factors that affect the kinetics of fast or slow Nav channel inactivation and/or impact the relative distribution of Nav channels in the fast- and slow-inactivated states, such as the accessory Navβ4 channel subunit, can modulate the amplitude of INaR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph L Ransdell
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, United States
| | - Jonathan D Moreno
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, United States
| | - Druv Bhagavan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, United States
| | - Jonathan R Silva
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, United States
| | - Jeanne M Nerbonne
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, United States
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10
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Montnach J, Blömer LA, Lopez L, Filipis L, Meudal H, Lafoux A, Nicolas S, Chu D, Caumes C, Béroud R, Jopling C, Bosmans F, Huchet C, Landon C, Canepari M, De Waard M. In vivo spatiotemporal control of voltage-gated ion channels by using photoactivatable peptidic toxins. Nat Commun 2022; 13:417. [PMID: 35058427 PMCID: PMC8776733 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-27974-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Photoactivatable drugs targeting ligand-gated ion channels open up new opportunities for light-guided therapeutic interventions. Photoactivable toxins targeting ion channels have the potential to control excitable cell activities with low invasiveness and high spatiotemporal precision. As proof-of-concept, we develop HwTxIV-Nvoc, a UV light-cleavable and photoactivatable peptide that targets voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channels and validate its activity in vitro in HEK293 cells, ex vivo in brain slices and in vivo on mice neuromuscular junctions. We find that HwTxIV-Nvoc enables precise spatiotemporal control of neuronal NaV channel function under all conditions tested. By creating multiple photoactivatable toxins, we demonstrate the broad applicability of this toxin-photoactivation technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Montnach
- l'institut du thorax, INSERM, CNRS, UNIV NANTES, F-44007, Nantes, France
- Laboratory of Excellence Ion Channels, Science & Therapeutics, F-06560, Valbonne, France
| | - Laila Ananda Blömer
- Laboratory of Excellence Ion Channels, Science & Therapeutics, F-06560, Valbonne, France
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Physique, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS UMR 5588, 38402, St Martin d'Hères, cedex, France
| | - Ludivine Lopez
- l'institut du thorax, INSERM, CNRS, UNIV NANTES, F-44007, Nantes, France
- Laboratory of Excellence Ion Channels, Science & Therapeutics, F-06560, Valbonne, France
- Smartox Biotechnology, 6 rue des Platanes, F-38120, Saint-Egrève, France
| | - Luiza Filipis
- Laboratory of Excellence Ion Channels, Science & Therapeutics, F-06560, Valbonne, France
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Physique, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS UMR 5588, 38402, St Martin d'Hères, cedex, France
| | - Hervé Meudal
- Center for Molecular Biophysics, CNRS, rue Charles Sadron, CS 80054, Orléans, 45071, France
| | - Aude Lafoux
- Therassay Platform, IRS2-Université de Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - Sébastien Nicolas
- l'institut du thorax, INSERM, CNRS, UNIV NANTES, F-44007, Nantes, France
- Laboratory of Excellence Ion Channels, Science & Therapeutics, F-06560, Valbonne, France
| | - Duong Chu
- Queen's University Faculty of Medicine, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Cécile Caumes
- Smartox Biotechnology, 6 rue des Platanes, F-38120, Saint-Egrève, France
| | - Rémy Béroud
- Smartox Biotechnology, 6 rue des Platanes, F-38120, Saint-Egrève, France
| | - Chris Jopling
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34094, Montpellier, France
| | - Frank Bosmans
- Department of Basic and Applied Medical Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Corinne Huchet
- Therassay Platform, IRS2-Université de Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - Céline Landon
- Center for Molecular Biophysics, CNRS, rue Charles Sadron, CS 80054, Orléans, 45071, France
| | - Marco Canepari
- Laboratory of Excellence Ion Channels, Science & Therapeutics, F-06560, Valbonne, France
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Physique, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS UMR 5588, 38402, St Martin d'Hères, cedex, France
| | - Michel De Waard
- l'institut du thorax, INSERM, CNRS, UNIV NANTES, F-44007, Nantes, France.
- Laboratory of Excellence Ion Channels, Science & Therapeutics, F-06560, Valbonne, France.
- Smartox Biotechnology, 6 rue des Platanes, F-38120, Saint-Egrève, France.
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11
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Abstract
Combining crosslinking strategies with electrophysiology, biochemistry, and structural in silico analysis is a powerful tool to study transient movements of ion channels during gating. This chapter describes crosslinking in living cells using cysteine and photoactive unnatural amino acids (UAAs) that we have used on glutamate receptor ion channels. Here, we share the protocol for building a perfusion tool to enable rapid chemical modification of glutamate-gated AMPA receptors, optimized for their fast activation. This system can be used to perform state-dependent crosslinking in receptors modified by cysteines or UAA incorporation on the millisecond timescale. Introducing UAAs results in receptors with lower expression levels relative to the introduction of cysteine residues. Reduced expression is principally a challenge for biochemical studies, and we share here our approach to capture the light driven oligomerization of AMPA receptors containing UAA crosslinkers. Finally, we describe strategies for computational analysis to make sense of the crosslinking results in terms of structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J R Plested
- Institute of Biology, Cellular Biophysics, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Leibniz Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP), Berlin, Germany; NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Mette H Poulsen
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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12
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Structural Pharmacology of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:166967. [PMID: 33794261 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.166967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channels initiate and propagate action potentials in excitable tissues to mediate key physiological processes including heart contraction and nervous system function. Accordingly, NaV channels are major targets for drugs, toxins and disease-causing mutations. Recent breakthroughs in cryo-electron microscopy have led to the visualization of human NaV1.1, NaV1.2, NaV1.4, NaV1.5 and NaV1.7 channel subtypes at high-resolution. These landmark studies have greatly advanced our structural understanding of channel architecture, ion selectivity, voltage-sensing, electromechanical coupling, fast inactivation, and the molecular basis underlying NaV channelopathies. NaV channel structures have also been increasingly determined in complex with toxin and small molecule modulators that target either the pore module or voltage sensor domains. These structural studies have provided new insights into the mechanisms of pharmacological action and opportunities for subtype-selective NaV channel drug design. This review will highlight the structural pharmacology of human NaV channels as well as the potential use of engineered and chimeric channels in future drug discovery efforts.
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13
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Okamura Y, Kawanabe A, Kawai T. Voltage-Sensing Phosphatases: Biophysics, Physiology, and Molecular Engineering. Physiol Rev 2019; 98:2097-2131. [PMID: 30067160 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00056.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Voltage-sensing phosphatase (VSP) contains a voltage sensor domain (VSD) similar to that in voltage-gated ion channels, and a phosphoinositide phosphatase region similar to phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN). The VSP gene is conserved from unicellular organisms to higher vertebrates. Membrane depolarization induces electrical driven conformational rearrangement in the VSD, which is translated into catalytic enzyme activity. Biophysical and structural characterization has revealed details of the mechanisms underlying the molecular functions of VSP. Coupling between the VSD and the enzyme is tight, such that enzyme activity is tuned in a graded fashion to the membrane voltage. Upon VSP activation, multiple species of phosphoinositides are simultaneously altered, and the profile of enzyme activity depends on the history of the membrane potential. VSPs have been the obvious candidate link between membrane potential and phosphoinositide regulation. However, patterns of voltage change regulating VSP in native cells remain largely unknown. This review addresses the current understanding of the biophysical biochemical properties of VSP and provides new insight into the proposed functions of VSP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasushi Okamura
- Department of Physiology, Laboratory of Integrative Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University , Osaka , Japan ; and Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University , Osaka , Japan
| | - Akira Kawanabe
- Department of Physiology, Laboratory of Integrative Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University , Osaka , Japan ; and Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University , Osaka , Japan
| | - Takafumi Kawai
- Department of Physiology, Laboratory of Integrative Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University , Osaka , Japan ; and Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University , Osaka , Japan
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14
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Ransdell JL, Nerbonne JM. Voltage-gated sodium currents in cerebellar Purkinje neurons: functional and molecular diversity. Cell Mol Life Sci 2018; 75:3495-3505. [PMID: 29982847 PMCID: PMC6123253 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-018-2868-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Revised: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 07/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Purkinje neurons, the sole output of the cerebellar cortex, deliver GABA-mediated inhibition to the deep cerebellar nuclei. To subserve this critical function, Purkinje neurons fire repetitively, and at high frequencies, features that have been linked to the unique properties of the voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels expressed. In addition to the rapidly activating and inactivating, or transient, component of the Nav current (INaT) present in many types of central and peripheral neurons, Purkinje neurons, also expresses persistent (INaP) and resurgent (INaR) Nav currents. Considerable progress has been made in detailing the biophysical properties and identifying the molecular determinants of these discrete Nav current components, as well as defining their roles in the regulation of Purkinje neuron excitability. Here, we review this important work and highlight the remaining questions about the molecular mechanisms controlling the expression and the functioning of Nav currents in Purkinje neurons. We also discuss the impact of the dynamic regulation of Nav currents on the functioning of individual Purkinje neurons and cerebellar circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph L Ransdell
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Box 8086, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Jeanne M Nerbonne
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Box 8086, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
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15
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Hering S, Zangerl-Plessl EM, Beyl S, Hohaus A, Andranovits S, Timin EN. Calcium channel gating. Pflugers Arch 2018; 470:1291-1309. [PMID: 29951751 PMCID: PMC6096772 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-018-2163-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Revised: 05/28/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Tuned calcium entry through voltage-gated calcium channels is a key requirement for many cellular functions. This is ensured by channel gates which open during membrane depolarizations and seal the pore at rest. The gating process is determined by distinct sub-processes: movement of voltage-sensing domains (charged S4 segments) as well as opening and closure of S6 gates. Neutralization of S4 charges revealed that pore opening of CaV1.2 is triggered by a "gate releasing" movement of all four S4 segments with activation of IS4 (and IIIS4) being a rate-limiting stage. Segment IS4 additionally plays a crucial role in channel inactivation. Remarkably, S4 segments carrying only a single charged residue efficiently participate in gating. However, the complete set of S4 charges is required for stabilization of the open state. Voltage clamp fluorometry, the cryo-EM structure of a mammalian calcium channel, biophysical and pharmacological studies, and mathematical simulations have all contributed to a novel interpretation of the role of voltage sensors in channel opening, closure, and inactivation. We illustrate the role of the different methodologies in gating studies and discuss the key molecular events leading CaV channels to open and to close.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Hering
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
| | - E-M Zangerl-Plessl
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - S Beyl
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - A Hohaus
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - S Andranovits
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - E N Timin
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria
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16
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Klippenstein V, Mony L, Paoletti P. Probing Ion Channel Structure and Function Using Light-Sensitive Amino Acids. Trends Biochem Sci 2018; 43:436-451. [PMID: 29650383 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2018.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Approaches to remotely control and monitor ion channel operation with light are expanding rapidly in the biophysics and neuroscience fields. A recent development directly introduces light sensitivity into proteins by utilizing photosensitive unnatural amino acids (UAAs) incorporated using the genetic code expansion technique. The introduction of UAAs results in unique molecular level control and, when combined with the maximal spatiotemporal resolution and poor invasiveness of light, enables direct manipulation and interrogation of ion channel functionality. Here, we review the diverse applications of light-sensitive UAAs in two superfamilies of ion channels (voltage- and ligand-gated ion channels; VGICs and LGICs) and summarize existing UAA tools, their mode of action, potential, caveats, and technical considerations to their use in illuminating ion channel structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktoria Klippenstein
- Institut de Biologie de I'ENS (IBENS), CNRS UMR8197, INSERM U1024, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Université PSL, 46 rue d'Ulm, 75005 Paris, France; These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Laetitia Mony
- Institut de Biologie de I'ENS (IBENS), CNRS UMR8197, INSERM U1024, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Université PSL, 46 rue d'Ulm, 75005 Paris, France; These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Pierre Paoletti
- Institut de Biologie de I'ENS (IBENS), CNRS UMR8197, INSERM U1024, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Université PSL, 46 rue d'Ulm, 75005 Paris, France.
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17
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Distinct modulation of inactivation by a residue in the pore domain of voltage-gated Na + channels: mechanistic insights from recent crystal structures. Sci Rep 2018; 8:631. [PMID: 29330525 PMCID: PMC5766632 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-18919-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Inactivation of voltage-gated Na+ channels (VGSC) is essential for the regulation of cellular excitability. The molecular rearrangement underlying inactivation is thought to involve the intracellular linker between domains III and IV serving as inactivation lid, the receptor for the lid (domain III S4-S5 linker) and the pore-lining S6 segements. To better understand the role of the domain IV S6 segment in inactivation we performed a cysteine scanning mutagenesis of this region in rNav 1.4 channels and screened the constructs for perturbations in the voltage-dependence of steady state inactivation. This screen was performed in the background of wild-type channels and in channels carrying the mutation K1237E, which profoundly alters both permeation and gating-properties. Of all tested constructs the mutation I1581C was unique in that the mutation-induced gating changes were strongly influenced by the mutational background. This suggests that I1581 is involved in specific short-range interactions during inactivation. In recently published crystal structures VGSCs the respective amino acids homologous to I1581 appear to control a bend of the S6 segment which is critical to the gating process. Furthermore, I1581 may be involved in the transmission of the movement of the DIII voltage-sensor to the domain IV S6 segment.
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18
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Mechanism-specific assay design facilitates the discovery of Nav1.7-selective inhibitors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E792-E801. [PMID: 29311306 PMCID: PMC5789920 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1713701115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Subtype-selective modulation of ion channels is often important, but extremely difficult to achieve for drug development. Using Nav1.7 as an example, we show that this challenge could be attributed to poor design in ion channel assays, which fail to detect most potent and selective compounds and are biased toward nonselective mechanisms. By exploiting different drug binding sites and modes of channel gating, we successfully direct a membrane potential assay toward non–pore-blocking mechanisms and identify Nav1.7-selective compounds. Our mechanistic approach to assay design addresses a significant hurdle in Nav1.7 drug discovery and is applicable to many other ion channels. Many ion channels, including Nav1.7, Cav1.3, and Kv1.3, are linked to human pathologies and are important therapeutic targets. To develop efficacious and safe drugs, subtype-selective modulation is essential, but has been extremely difficult to achieve. We postulate that this challenge is caused by the poor assay design, and investigate the Nav1.7 membrane potential assay, one of the most extensively employed screening assays in modern drug discovery. The assay uses veratridine to activate channels, and compounds are identified based on the inhibition of veratridine-evoked activities. We show that this assay is biased toward nonselective pore blockers and fails to detect the most potent, selective voltage-sensing domain 4 (VSD4) blockers, including PF-05089771 (PF-771) and GX-936. By eliminating a key binding site for pore blockers and replacing veratridine with a VSD-4 binding activator, we directed the assay toward non–pore-blocking mechanisms and discovered Nav1.7-selective chemical scaffolds. Hence, we address a major hurdle in Nav1.7 drug discovery, and this mechanistic approach to assay design is applicable to Cav3.1, Kv1.3, and many other ion channels to facilitate drug discovery.
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Gilchrist J, Bosmans F. Using voltage-sensor toxins and their molecular targets to investigate Na V 1.8 gating. J Physiol 2018; 596:1863-1872. [PMID: 29193176 DOI: 10.1113/jp275102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Voltage-gated sodium (NaV ) channel gating is a complex phenomenon which involves a distinct contribution of four integral voltage-sensing domains (VSDI, VSDII, VSDIII and VSDIV). Utilizing accrued pharmacological and structural insights, we build on an established chimera approach to introduce animal toxin sensitivity in each VSD of an acceptor channel by transferring in portable S3b-S4 motifs from the four VSDs of a toxin-susceptible donor channel (NaV 1.2). By doing so, we observe that in NaV 1.8, a relatively unexplored channel subtype with distinctly slow gating kinetics, VSDI-III participate in channel opening whereas VSDIV can regulate opening as well as fast inactivation. These results illustrate the effectiveness of a pharmacological approach to investigate the mechanism underlying gating of a mammalian NaV channel complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Gilchrist
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Frank Bosmans
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.,Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
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20
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Abstract
Armstrong and Hollingworth discuss inactivation in the light of modern structural data from K and Na channels. We are wired with conducting cables called axons that rapidly transmit electrical signals (e.g., “Ouch!”) from, for example, the toe to the spinal cord. Because of the high internal resistance of axons (salt water rather than copper), a signal must be reinforced after traveling a short distance. Reinforcement is accomplished by ion channels, Na channels for detecting the signal and reinforcing it by driving it further positive (to near 50 mV) and K channels for then restoring it to the resting level (near −70 mV). The signal is called an action potential and has a duration of roughly a millisecond. The return of membrane voltage (Vm) to the resting level after an action potential is facilitated by “inactivation” of the Na channels: i.e., an internal particle diffuses into the mouth of any open Na channel and temporarily blocks it. Some types of K channels also show inactivation after being open for a time. N-type inactivation of K channels has a relatively fast time course and involves diffusion of the N-terminal of one of the channel’s four identical subunits into the channel’s inner mouth, if it is open. This mechanism is similar to Na channel inactivation. Both Na and K channels also display slower inactivation processes. C inactivation in K channels involves changes in the channel’s outer mouth, the “selectivity filter,” whose normal function is to prevent Na+ ions from entering the K channel. C inactivation deforms the filter so that neither K+ nor Na+ can pass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clay M Armstrong
- Department of Physiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
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21
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Vaccaro SR. Derivation of Hodgkin-Huxley equations for a Na^{+} channel from a master equation for coupled activation and inactivation. Phys Rev E 2016; 94:052407. [PMID: 27967064 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.94.052407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The Na^{+} current in nerve and muscle membranes may be described in terms of the activation variable m(t) and the inactivation variable h(t), which are dependent on the transitions of S4 sensors of each of the Na^{+} channel domains DI to DIV. The time-dependence of the Na^{+} current and the rate equations satisfied by m(t) and h(t) may be derived from the solution to a master equation that describes the coupling between two or three activation sensors regulating the Na^{+} channel conductance and a two-stage inactivation process. If the inactivation rate from the closed or open states increases as the S4 sensors activate, a more general form of the Hodgkin-Huxley expression for the open-state probability may be derived where m(t) is dependent on both activation and inactivation processes. The voltage dependence of the rate functions for inactivation and recovery from inactivation are consistent with the empirically determined expressions and exhibit saturation for both depolarized and hyperpolarized clamp potentials.
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Affiliation(s)
- S R Vaccaro
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
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22
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Beyl S, Hohaus A, Andranovits S, Timin E, Hering S. Upward movement of IS4 and IIIS4 is a rate-limiting stage in Ca v1.2 activation. Pflugers Arch 2016; 468:1895-1907. [PMID: 27796578 PMCID: PMC5138263 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-016-1895-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2016] [Revised: 09/18/2016] [Accepted: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
In order to specify the role of individual S4 segments in CaV1.2 gating, charged residues of segments IS4-IVS4 were replaced by glutamine and the corresponding effects on activation/deactivation of calcium channel currents were analysed. Almost all replacements of charges in IS4 and IIIS4 decreased the slope of the Boltzmann curve of channel activation (activation curve) while charge neutralisations in IIS4 and IVS4 did not significantly affect the slope. S4 mutations caused either left or rightward shifts of the activation curve, and in wild-type channels, these S4 mutations hardly affected current kinetics.In slowly gating pore (S6) mutants (G432W, A780T, G1193T or A1503G), neutralisations in S4 segments significantly accelerated current kinetics. Likewise in wild type, charge replacements in IS4 and IIIS4 of pore mutants reduced the slope of the activation curves while substitutions of charges in IIS4 and IVS4 had less or no impact. We propose a gating model where the structurally different S4 segments leave their resting positions not simultaneously. Upward movement of segments IS4 and (to a lesser extend) IIIS4 appear to be a rate-limiting stage for releasing the pore gates. These segments carry most of the effective charge for channel activation. Our study suggests that S4 segments of CaV1.2 control the closed state in domain specific manner while stabilizing the open state in a non-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanislav Beyl
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Annette Hohaus
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Stanislav Andranovits
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Eugen Timin
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Steffen Hering
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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23
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Grafting voltage and pharmacological sensitivity in potassium channels. Cell Res 2016; 26:935-45. [PMID: 27174053 DOI: 10.1038/cr.2016.57] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2015] [Revised: 03/04/2016] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
A classical voltage-gated ion channel consists of four voltage-sensing domains (VSDs). However, the roles of each VSD in the channels remain elusive. We developed a GVTDT (Graft VSD To Dimeric TASK3 channels that lack endogenous VSDs) strategy to produce voltage-gated channels with a reduced number of VSDs. TASK3 channels exhibit a high host tolerance to VSDs of various voltage-gated ion channels without interfering with the intrinsic properties of the TASK3 selectivity filter. The constructed channels, exemplified by the channels grafted with one or two VSDs from Kv7.1 channels, exhibit classical voltage sensitivity, including voltage-dependent opening and closing. Furthermore, the grafted Kv7.1 VSD transfers the potentiation activity of benzbromarone, an activator that acts on the VSDs of the donor channels, to the constructed channels. Our study indicates that one VSD is sufficient to voltage-dependently gate the pore and provides new insight into the roles of VSDs.
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24
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Das S, Gilchrist J, Bosmans F, Van Petegem F. Binary architecture of the Nav1.2-β2 signaling complex. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 26894959 PMCID: PMC4769172 DOI: 10.7554/elife.10960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2015] [Accepted: 01/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
To investigate the mechanisms by which β-subunits influence Nav channel function, we solved the crystal structure of the β2 extracellular domain at 1.35Å. We combined these data with known bacterial Nav channel structural insights and novel functional studies to determine the interactions of specific residues in β2 with Nav1.2. We identified a flexible loop formed by (72)Cys and (75)Cys, a unique feature among the four β-subunit isoforms. Moreover, we found that (55)Cys helps to determine the influence of β2 on Nav1.2 toxin susceptibility. Further mutagenesis combined with the use of spider toxins reveals that (55)Cys forms a disulfide bond with (910)Cys in the Nav1.2 domain II pore loop, thereby suggesting a 1:1 stoichiometry. Our results also provide clues as to which disulfide bonds are formed between adjacent Nav1.2 (912/918)Cys residues. The concepts emerging from this work will help to form a model reflecting the β-subunit location in a Nav channel complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samir Das
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - John Gilchrist
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Frank Bosmans
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States.,Solomon H Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Filip Van Petegem
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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25
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Camargos TS, Bosmans F, Rego SC, Mourão CBF, Schwartz EF. The Scorpion Toxin Tf2 from Tityus fasciolatus Promotes Nav1.3 Opening. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0128578. [PMID: 26083731 PMCID: PMC4470819 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0128578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2014] [Accepted: 04/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We identified Tf2, the first β-scorpion toxin from the venom of the Brazilian scorpion Tityus fasciolatus. Tf2 is identical to Tb2-II found in Tityus bahiensis. We found that Tf2 selectively activates human (h)Nav1.3, a neuronal voltage-gated sodium (Nav) subtype implicated in epilepsy and nociception. Tf2 shifts hNav1.3 activation voltage to more negative values, thereby opening the channel at resting membrane potentials. Seven other tested mammalian Nav channels (Nav1.1-1.2; Nav1.4-1.8) expressed in Xenopus oocytes are insensitive upon application of 1 μM Tf2. Therefore, the identification of Tf2 represents a unique addition to the repertoire of animal toxins that can be used to investigate Nav channel function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thalita S. Camargos
- Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Laboratório de Toxinologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil
| | - Frank Bosmans
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University—School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University—School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Solange C. Rego
- Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Laboratório de Toxinologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil
| | - Caroline B. F. Mourão
- Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Laboratório de Toxinologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil
| | - Elisabeth F. Schwartz
- Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Laboratório de Toxinologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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26
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Synergetic action of domain II and IV underlies persistent current generation in Nav1.3 as revealed by a tarantula toxin. Sci Rep 2015; 5:9241. [PMID: 25784299 PMCID: PMC4363837 DOI: 10.1038/srep09241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2014] [Accepted: 02/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The persistent current (INaP) through voltage-gated sodium channels enhances neuronal excitability by causing prolonged depolarization of membranes. Nav1.3 intrinsically generates a small INaP, although the mechanism underlying its generation remains unclear. In this study, the involvement of the four domains of Nav1.3 in INaP generation was investigated using the tarantula toxin α-hexatoxin-MrVII (RTX-VII). RTX-VII activated Nav1.3 and induced a large INaP. A pre-activated state binding model was proposed to explain the kinetics of toxin-channel interaction. Of the four domains of Nav1.3, both domain II and IV might play important roles in the toxin-induced INaP. Domain IV constructed the binding site for RTX-VII, while domain II might not participate in interacting with RTX-VII but could determine the efficacy of RTX-VII. Our results based on the use of RTX-VII as a probe suggest that domain II and IV cooperatively contribute to the generation of INaP in Nav1.3.
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27
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Klint JK, Smith JJ, Vetter I, Rupasinghe DB, Er SY, Senff S, Herzig V, Mobli M, Lewis RJ, Bosmans F, King GF. Seven novel modulators of the analgesic target NaV 1.7 uncovered using a high-throughput venom-based discovery approach. Br J Pharmacol 2015; 172:2445-58. [PMID: 25754331 DOI: 10.1111/bph.13081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2014] [Revised: 11/08/2014] [Accepted: 12/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Chronic pain is a serious worldwide health issue, with current analgesics having limited efficacy and dose-limiting side effects. Humans with loss-of-function mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel NaV 1.7 (hNaV 1.7) are indifferent to pain, making hNaV 1.7 a promising target for analgesic development. Since spider venoms are replete with NaV channel modulators, we examined their potential as a source of hNaV 1.7 inhibitors. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH We developed a high-throughput fluorescent-based assay to screen spider venoms against hNaV 1.7 and isolate 'hit' peptides. To examine the binding site of these peptides, we constructed a panel of chimeric channels in which the S3b-S4 paddle motif from each voltage sensor domain of hNaV 1.7 was transplanted into the homotetrameric KV 2.1 channel. KEY RESULTS We screened 205 spider venoms and found that 40% contain at least one inhibitor of hNaV 1.7. By deconvoluting 'hit' venoms, we discovered seven novel members of the NaSpTx family 1. One of these peptides, Hd1a (peptide μ-TRTX-Hd1a from venom of the spider Haplopelma doriae), inhibited hNaV 1.7 with a high level of selectivity over all other subtypes, except hNaV 1.1. We showed that Hd1a is a gating modifier that inhibits hNaV 1.7 by interacting with the S3b-S4 paddle motif in channel domain II. The structure of Hd1a, determined using heteronuclear NMR, contains an inhibitor cystine knot motif that is likely to confer high levels of chemical, thermal and biological stability. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Our data indicate that spider venoms are a rich natural source of hNaV 1.7 inhibitors that might be useful leads for the development of novel analgesics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie K Klint
- Centre for Pain Research, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, St. Lucia, Qld, Australia
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28
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Pezo D, Soudry D, Orio P. Diffusion approximation-based simulation of stochastic ion channels: which method to use? Front Comput Neurosci 2014; 8:139. [PMID: 25404914 PMCID: PMC4217484 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2014.00139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2014] [Accepted: 10/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
To study the effects of stochastic ion channel fluctuations on neural dynamics, several numerical implementation methods have been proposed. Gillespie's method for Markov Chains (MC) simulation is highly accurate, yet it becomes computationally intensive in the regime of a high number of channels. Many recent works aim to speed simulation time using the Langevin-based Diffusion Approximation (DA). Under this common theoretical approach, each implementation differs in how it handles various numerical difficulties—such as bounding of state variables to [0,1]. Here we review and test a set of the most recently published DA implementations (Goldwyn et al., 2011; Linaro et al., 2011; Dangerfield et al., 2012; Orio and Soudry, 2012; Schmandt and Galán, 2012; Güler, 2013; Huang et al., 2013a), comparing all of them in a set of numerical simulations that assess numerical accuracy and computational efficiency on three different models: (1) the original Hodgkin and Huxley model, (2) a model with faster sodium channels, and (3) a multi-compartmental model inspired in granular cells. We conclude that for a low number of channels (usually below 1000 per simulated compartment) one should use MC—which is the fastest and most accurate method. For a high number of channels, we recommend using the method by Orio and Soudry (2012), possibly combined with the method by Schmandt and Galán (2012) for increased speed and slightly reduced accuracy. Consequently, MC modeling may be the best method for detailed multicompartment neuron models—in which a model neuron with many thousands of channels is segmented into many compartments with a few hundred channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danilo Pezo
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso, Universidad de Valparaíso Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Daniel Soudry
- Department of Statistics and the Center for Theoretical Neuroscience at Columbia University New York, NY, USA
| | - Patricio Orio
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso, Universidad de Valparaíso Valparaíso, Chile ; Instituto de Neurociencia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso Valparaíso, Chile
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Grizel AV, Glukhov GS, Sokolova OS. Mechanisms of activation of voltage-gated potassium channels. Acta Naturae 2014; 6:10-26. [PMID: 25558391 PMCID: PMC4273088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Voltage-gated potassium ion channels (Kv) play an important role in a variety of cellular processes, including the functioning of excitable cells, regulation of apoptosis, cell growth and differentiation, the release of neurotransmitters and hormones, maintenance of cardiac activity, etc. Failure in the functioning of Kv channels leads to severe genetic disorders and the development of tumors, including malignant ones. Understanding the mechanisms underlying Kv channels functioning is a key factor in determining the cause of the diseases associated with mutations in the channels, and in the search for new drugs. The mechanism of activation of the channels is a topic of ongoing debate, and a consensus on the issue has not yet been reached. This review discusses the key stages in studying the mechanisms of functioning of Kv channels and describes the basic models of their activation known to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. V. Grizel
- Saint Petersburg State University, 7-9, Universitetskaya nab., 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - G. S. Glukhov
- Biological Faculty of Moscow State MV Lomonosov University, 1, Leninskie Gory, Bld. 12, 119991, Moscow, Russia
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Kalia J, Milescu M, Salvatierra J, Wagner J, Klint JK, King GF, Olivera BM, Bosmans F. From foe to friend: using animal toxins to investigate ion channel function. J Mol Biol 2014; 427:158-175. [PMID: 25088688 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2014.07.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2014] [Revised: 07/18/2014] [Accepted: 07/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Ion channels are vital contributors to cellular communication in a wide range of organisms, a distinct feature that renders this ubiquitous family of membrane-spanning proteins a prime target for toxins found in animal venom. For many years, the unique properties of these naturally occurring molecules have enabled researchers to probe the structural and functional features of ion channels and to define their physiological roles in normal and diseased tissues. To illustrate their considerable impact on the ion channel field, this review will highlight fundamental insights into toxin-channel interactions and recently developed toxin screening methods and practical applications of engineered toxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeet Kalia
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune; Pune, Maharashtra 411 008 India
| | - Mirela Milescu
- Division of Biological Sciences; University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
| | - Juan Salvatierra
- Department of Physiology; Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA
| | - Jordan Wagner
- Department of Physiology; Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA
| | - Julie K Klint
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience; The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Glenn F King
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience; The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia
| | | | - Frank Bosmans
- Department of Physiology; Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA.,Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience; Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA
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31
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Abstract
Ion channels are membrane-bound enzymes whose catalytic sites are ion-conducting pores that open and close (gate) in response to specific environmental stimuli. Ion channels are important contributors to cell signaling and homeostasis. Our current understanding of gating is the product of 60 plus years of voltage-clamp recording augmented by intervention in the form of environmental, chemical, and mutational perturbations. The need for good phenomenological models of gating has evolved in parallel with the sophistication of experimental technique. The goal of modeling is to develop realistic schemes that not only describe data, but also accurately reflect mechanisms of action. This review covers three areas that have contributed to the understanding of ion channels: traditional Eyring kinetic theory, molecular dynamics analysis, and statistical thermodynamics. Although the primary emphasis is on voltage-dependent channels, the methods discussed here are easily generalized to other stimuli and could be applied to any ion channel and indeed any macromolecule.
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Abstract
Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) are ubiquitous in the mammalian brain, and the AMPA-subtype is essential for fast, glutamate-activated postsynaptic currents. We incorporated photoactive crosslinkers into AMPA receptors using genetically encoded unnatural amino acid mutagenesis in a mammalian cell line. Receptors rescued by incorporation of unnatural amino acids, including p-benzoyl-l-phenylalanine (BzF, also known as Bpa), had largely similar properties to wild-type channels and were expressed at similar levels. BzF incorporation at subunit interfaces afforded photocrosslinking of subunits, as assessed by biochemical experiments. In electrophysiological recordings, BzF incorporation allowed selective and potent UV-driven photoinactivation of both homomeric (GluA2) and heteromeric (GluA2:GluA1) AMPA receptors. State dependence of trapping at two sites in the lower lobe of the ligand binding domain is consistent with deformation of these domains as well as intersubunit rearrangements during AMPA receptor desensitization.
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Jones DK, Claydon TW, Ruben PC. Extracellular protons inhibit charge immobilization in the cardiac voltage-gated sodium channel. Biophys J 2014; 105:101-7. [PMID: 23823228 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2013.04.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2013] [Revised: 04/10/2013] [Accepted: 04/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Low pH depolarizes the voltage-dependence of cardiac voltage-gated sodium (NaV1.5) channel activation and fast inactivation and destabilizes the fast-inactivated state. The molecular basis for these changes in protein behavior has not been reported. We hypothesized that changes in the kinetics of voltage sensor movement may destabilize the fast-inactivated state in NaV1.5. To test this idea, we recorded NaV1.5 gating currents in Xenopus oocytes using a cut-open voltage-clamp with extracellular solution titrated to either pH 7.4 or pH 6.0. Reducing extracellular pH significantly depolarized the voltage-dependence of both the QON/V and QOFF/V curves, and reduced the total charge immobilized during depolarization. We conclude that destabilized fast-inactivation and reduced charge immobilization in NaV1.5 at low pH are functionally related effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- D K Jones
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
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34
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Abstract
The mechanism by which voltage-gated ion channels respond to changes in membrane polarization during action potential signaling in excitable cells has been the subject of research attention since the original description of voltage-dependent sodium and potassium flux in the squid giant axon. The cloning of ion channel genes and the identification of point mutations associated with channelopathy diseases in muscle and brain has facilitated an electrophysiological approach to the study of ion channels. Experimental approaches to the study of voltage gating have incorporated the use of thiosulfonate reagents to test accessibility, fluorescent probes, and toxins to define domain-specific roles of voltage-sensing S4 segments. Crystallography, structural and homology modeling, and molecular dynamics simulations have added computational approaches to study the relationship of channel structure to function. These approaches have tested models of voltage sensor translocation in response to membrane depolarization and incorporate the role of negative countercharges in the S1 to S3 segments to define our present understanding of the mechanism by which the voltage sensor module dictates gating particle permissiveness in excitable cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- James R Groome
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, 83209, USA,
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35
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Abstract
Voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels are essential contributors to neuronal excitability, making them the most commonly targeted ion channel family by toxins found in animal venoms. These molecules can be used to probe the functional aspects of Nav channels on a molecular level and to explore their physiological role in normal and diseased tissues. This chapter summarizes our existing knowledge of the mechanisms by which animal toxins influence Nav channels as well as their potential application in designing therapeutic drugs.
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36
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Lewis AH, Raman IM. Interactions among DIV voltage-sensor movement, fast inactivation, and resurgent Na current induced by the NaVβ4 open-channel blocking peptide. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 142:191-206. [PMID: 23940261 PMCID: PMC3753608 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201310984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [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
Resurgent Na current flows as voltage-gated Na channels recover through open states from block by an endogenous open-channel blocking protein, such as the NaVβ4 subunit. The open-channel blocker and fast-inactivation gate apparently compete directly, as slowing the onset of fast inactivation increases resurgent currents by favoring binding of the blocker. Here, we tested whether open-channel block is also sensitive to deployment of the DIV voltage sensor, which facilitates fast inactivation. We expressed NaV1.4 channels in HEK293t cells and assessed block by a free peptide replicating the cytoplasmic tail of NaVβ4 (the "β4 peptide"). Macroscopic fast inactivation was disrupted by mutations of DIS6 (L443C/A444W; "CW" channels), which reduce fast-inactivation gate binding, and/or by the site-3 toxin ATX-II, which interferes with DIV movement. In wild-type channels, the β4 peptide competed poorly with fast inactivation, but block was enhanced by ATX. With the CW mutation, large peptide-induced resurgent currents were present even without ATX, consistent with increased open-channel block upon depolarization and slower deactivation after blocker unbinding upon repolarization. The addition of ATX greatly increased transient current amplitudes and further enlarged resurgent currents, suggesting that pore access by the blocker is actually decreased by full deployment of the DIV voltage sensor. ATX accelerated recovery from block at hyperpolarized potentials, however, suggesting that the peptide unbinds more readily when DIV voltage-sensor deployment is disrupted. These results are consistent with two open states in Na channels, dependent on the DIV voltage-sensor position, which differ in affinity for the blocking protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda H Lewis
- Interdepartmental Biological Sciences Program and 2 Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
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37
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Milescu M, Lee HC, Bae CH, Kim JI, Swartz KJ. Opening the shaker K+ channel with hanatoxin. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 141:203-16. [PMID: 23359283 PMCID: PMC3557313 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201210914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Voltage-activated ion channels open and close in response to changes in membrane voltage, a property that is fundamental to the roles of these channels in electrical signaling. Protein toxins from venomous organisms commonly target the S1–S4 voltage-sensing domains in these channels and modify their gating properties. Studies on the interaction of hanatoxin with the Kv2.1 channel show that this tarantula toxin interacts with the S1–S4 domain and inhibits opening by stabilizing a closed state. Here we investigated the interaction of hanatoxin with the Shaker Kv channel, a voltage-activated channel that has been extensively studied with biophysical approaches. In contrast to what is observed in the Kv2.1 channel, we find that hanatoxin shifts the conductance–voltage relation to negative voltages, making it easier to open the channel with membrane depolarization. Although these actions of the toxin are subtle in the wild-type channel, strengthening the toxin–channel interaction with mutations in the S3b helix of the S1-S4 domain enhances toxin affinity and causes large shifts in the conductance–voltage relationship. Using a range of previously characterized mutants of the Shaker Kv channel, we find that hanatoxin stabilizes an activated conformation of the voltage sensors, in addition to promoting opening through an effect on the final opening transition. Chimeras in which S3b–S4 paddle motifs are transferred between Kv2.1 and Shaker Kv channels, as well as experiments with the related tarantula toxin GxTx-1E, lead us to conclude that the actions of tarantula toxins are not simply a product of where they bind to the channel, but that fine structural details of the toxin–channel interface determine whether a toxin is an inhibitor or opener.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirela Milescu
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Section, Porter Neuroscience Research Center, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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38
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Groome JR, Winston V. S1-S3 counter charges in the voltage sensor module of a mammalian sodium channel regulate fast inactivation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 141:601-18. [PMID: 23589580 PMCID: PMC3639575 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201210935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The movement of positively charged S4 segments through the electric field drives the voltage-dependent gating of ion channels. Studies of prokaryotic sodium channels provide a mechanistic view of activation facilitated by electrostatic interactions of negatively charged residues in S1 and S2 segments, with positive counterparts in the S4 segment. In mammalian sodium channels, S4 segments promote domain-specific functions that include activation and several forms of inactivation. We tested the idea that S1-S3 countercharges regulate eukaryotic sodium channel functions, including fast inactivation. Using structural data provided by bacterial channels, we constructed homology models of the S1-S4 voltage sensor module (VSM) for each domain of the mammalian skeletal muscle sodium channel hNaV1.4. These show that side chains of putative countercharges in hNaV1.4 are oriented toward the positive charge complement of S4. We used mutagenesis to define the roles of conserved residues in the extracellular negative charge cluster (ENC), hydrophobic charge region (HCR), and intracellular negative charge cluster (INC). Activation was inhibited with charge-reversing VSM mutations in domains I-III. Charge reversal of ENC residues in domains III (E1051R, D1069K) and IV (E1373K, N1389K) destabilized fast inactivation by decreasing its probability, slowing entry, and accelerating recovery. Several INC mutations increased inactivation from closed states and slowed recovery. Our results extend the functional characterization of VSM countercharges to fast inactivation, and support the premise that these residues play a critical role in domain-specific gating transitions for a mammalian sodium channel.
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Affiliation(s)
- James R Groome
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209, USA.
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39
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Silva JR, Goldstein SAN. Voltage-sensor movements describe slow inactivation of voltage-gated sodium channels I: wild-type skeletal muscle Na(V)1.4. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 141:309-21. [PMID: 23401571 PMCID: PMC3581692 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201210909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The number of voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channels available to generate action potentials in muscles and nerves is adjusted over seconds to minutes by prior electrical activity, a process called slow inactivation (SI). The basis for SI is uncertain. NaV channels have four domains (DI–DIV), each with a voltage sensor that moves in response to depolarizing stimulation over milliseconds to activate the channels. Here, SI of the skeletal muscle channel NaV1.4 is induced by repetitive stimulation and is studied by recording of sodium currents, gating currents, and changes in the fluorescence of probes on each voltage sensor to assess their movements. The magnitude, voltage dependence, and time course of the onset and recovery of SI are observed to correlate with voltage-sensor movements 10,000-fold slower than those associated with activation. The behavior of each voltage sensor is unique. Development of SI over 1–160 s correlates best with slow immobilization of the sensors in DI and DII; DIII tracks the onset of SI with less fidelity. Showing linkage to the sodium conduction pathway, pore block by tetrodotoxin affects both SI and immobilization of all the sensors, with DI and DII significantly suppressed. Recovery from SI correlates best with slow restoration of mobility of the sensor in DIII. The findings suggest that voltage-sensor movements determine SI and thereby mediate NaV channel availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan R Silva
- Department of Biochemistry, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
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40
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Smith SM, DeCoursey TE. Consequences of dimerization of the voltage-gated proton channel. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2013; 117:335-60. [PMID: 23663974 PMCID: PMC3963466 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-386931-9.00012-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
The human voltage-gated proton channel, hHV1, appears to exist mainly as a dimer. Teleologically, this is puzzling because each protomer retains the main properties that characterize this protein: proton conduction that is regulated by conformational (channel opening and closing) changes that occur in response to both voltage and pH. The HV1 dimer is mainly linked by C-terminal coiled-coil interactions. Several types of mutations produce monomeric constructs that open approximately five times faster than the wild-type dimeric channel but with weaker voltage dependence. Intriguingly, the quintessential function of the HV1 dimer, opening to allow H(+) conduction, occurs cooperatively. Both protomers undergo a conformational change, but both must undergo this transition before either can conduct. The teleological purpose of dimerization may be to steepen the voltage dependence of channel opening, at least in phagocytes. In other cells, the purpose is not understood. Finally, several single-celled species have HV that are likely monomeric.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan M.E. Smith
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta GA 30322 USA
| | - Thomas E. DeCoursey
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Physiology, Rush University, Chicago IL 60612 USA
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41
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Abstract
A thermodynamic approach to studying allosterically regulated ion channels such as the large-conductance voltage- and Ca(2+)-dependent (BK) channel is presented, drawing from principles originally introduced to describe linkage phenomena in hemoglobin. In this paper, linkage between a principal channel component and secondary elements is derived from a four-state thermodynamic cycle. One set of parallel legs in the cycle describes the "work function," or the free energy required to activate the principal component. The second are "lever operations" activating linked elements. The experimental embodiment of this linkage cycle is a plot of work function versus secondary force, whose asymptotes are a function of the parameters (displacements and interaction energies) of an allosteric network. Two essential work functions play a role in evaluating data from voltage-clamp experiments. The first is the conductance Hill energy W(H)([g]), which is a "local" work function for pore activation, and is defined as kT times the Hill transform of the conductance (G-V) curve. The second is the electrical capacitance energy W(C)([q]), representing "global" gating charge displacement, and is equal to the product of total gating charge per channel times the first moment (V(M)) of normalized capacitance (slope of Q-V curve). Plots of W(H)([g]) and W(C)([q]) versus voltage and Ca(2+) potential can be used to measure thermodynamic parameters in a model-independent fashion of the core gating constituents (pore, voltage-sensor, and Ca(2+)-binding domain) of BK channel. The method is easily generalized for use in studying other allosterically regulated ion channels. The feasibility of performing linkage analysis from patch-clamp data were explored by simulating gating and ionic currents of a 17-particle model BK channel in response to a slow voltage ramp, which yielded interaction energies deviating from their given values in the range of 1.3 to 7.2%.
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42
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Yang H, Gao Z, Li P, Yu K, Yu Y, Xu TL, Li M, Jiang H. A theoretical model for calculating voltage sensitivity of ion channels and the application on Kv1.2 potassium channel. Biophys J 2012; 102:1815-25. [PMID: 22768937 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2012.03.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2011] [Revised: 02/11/2012] [Accepted: 03/15/2012] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Voltage sensing confers conversion of a change in membrane potential to signaling activities underlying the physiological processes. For an ion channel, voltage sensitivity is usually experimentally measured by fitting electrophysiological data to Boltzmann distributions. In our study, a two-state model of the ion channel and equilibrium statistical mechanics principle were used to test the hypothesis of empirically calculating the overall voltage sensitivity of an ion channel on the basis of its closed and open conformations, and determine the contribution of individual residues to the voltage sensing. We examined the theoretical paradigm by performing experimental measurements with Kv1.2 channel and a series of mutants. The correlation between the calculated values and the experimental values is at respective level, R(2) = 0.73. Our report therefore provides in silico prediction of key conformations and has identified additional residues critical for voltage sensing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huaiyu Yang
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
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Tetrameric assembly of KvLm K+ channels with defined numbers of voltage sensors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:16917-22. [PMID: 23019583 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1205592109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Voltage-gated K(+) (Kv) channels are tetrameric assemblies in which each modular subunit consists of a voltage sensor and a pore domain. KvLm, the voltage-gated K(+) channel from Listeria monocytogenes, differs from other Kv channels in that its voltage sensor contains only three out of the eight charged residues previously implicated in voltage gating. Here, we ask how many sensors are required to produce a functional Kv channel by investigating heterotetramers comprising combinations of full-length KvLm (FL) and its sensorless pore module. KvLm heterotetramers were produced by cell-free expression, purified by electrophoresis, and shown to yield functional channels after reconstitution in droplet interface bilayers. We studied the properties of KvLm channels with zero, one, two, three, and four voltage sensors. Three sensors suffice to promote channel opening with FL(4)-like voltage dependence at depolarizing potentials, but all four sensors are required to keep the channel closed during membrane hyperpolarization.
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Neutralisation of a single voltage sensor affects gating determinants in all four pore-forming S6 segments of Ca(V)1.2: a cooperative gating model. Pflugers Arch 2012; 464:391-401. [PMID: 22941337 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-012-1144-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2012] [Revised: 08/14/2012] [Accepted: 08/16/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Voltage sensors trigger the closed-open transitions in the pore of voltage-gated ion channels. To probe the transmission of voltage sensor signalling to the channel pore of Ca(V)1.2, we investigated how elimination of positive charges in the S4 segments (charged residues were replaced by neutral glutamine) modulates gating perturbations induced by mutations in pore-lining S6 segments. Neutralisation of all positively charged residues in IIS4 produced a functional channel (IIS4(N)), while replacement of the charged residues in IS4, IIIS4 and IVS4 segments resulted in nonfunctional channels. The IIS4(N) channel displayed activation kinetics similar to wild type. Mutations in a highly conserved structure motif on S6 segments ("GAGA ring": G432W in IS6, A780T in IIS6, G1193T in IIIS6 and A1503G in IVS6) induce strong left-shifted activation curves and decelerated channel deactivation kinetics. When IIS4(N) was combined with these mutations, the activation curves were shifted back towards wild type and current kinetics were accelerated. In contrast, 12 other mutations adjacent to the GAGA ring in IS6-IVS6, which also affect activation gating, were not rescued by IIS4(N). Thus, the rescue of gating distortions in segments IS6-IVS6 by IIS4(N) is highly position-specific. Thermodynamic cycle analysis supports the hypothesis that IIS4 is energetically coupled with the distantly located GAGA residues. We speculate that conformational changes caused by neutralisation of IIS4 are not restricted to domain II (IIS6) but are transmitted to gating structures in domains I, III and IV via the GAGA ring.
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45
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Meisel E, Dvir M, Haitin Y, Giladi M, Peretz A, Attali B. KCNQ1 channels do not undergo concerted but sequential gating transitions in both the absence and the presence of KCNE1 protein. J Biol Chem 2012; 287:34212-24. [PMID: 22908235 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m112.364901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The co-assembly of KCNQ1 with KCNE1 produces I(KS), a K(+) current, crucial for the repolarization of the cardiac action potential. Mutations in these channel subunits lead to life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. However, very little is known about the gating mechanisms underlying KCNQ1 channel activation. Shaker channels have provided a powerful tool to establish the basic gating mechanisms of voltage-dependent K(+) channels, implying prior independent movement of all four voltage sensor domains (VSDs) followed by channel opening via a last concerted cooperative transition. To determine the nature of KCNQ1 channel gating, we performed a thermodynamic mutant cycle analysis by constructing a concatenated tetrameric KCNQ1 channel and by introducing separately a gain and a loss of function mutation, R231W and R243W, respectively, into the S4 helix of the VSD of one, two, three, and four subunits. The R231W mutation destabilizes channel closure and produces constitutively open channels, whereas the R243W mutation disrupts channel opening solely in the presence of KCNE1 by right-shifting the voltage dependence of activation. The linearity of the relationship between the shift in the voltage dependence of activation and the number of mutated subunits points to an independence of VSD movements, with each subunit incrementally contributing to channel gating. Contrary to Shaker channels, our work indicates that KCNQ1 channels do not experience a late cooperative concerted opening transition. Our data suggest that KCNQ1 channels in both the absence and the presence of KCNE1 undergo sequential gating transitions leading to channel opening even before all VSDs have moved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eshcar Meisel
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
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46
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Orio P, Soudry D. Simple, fast and accurate implementation of the diffusion approximation algorithm for stochastic ion channels with multiple states. PLoS One 2012; 7:e36670. [PMID: 22629320 PMCID: PMC3358312 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0036670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2011] [Accepted: 04/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The phenomena that emerge from the interaction of the stochastic opening and closing of ion channels (channel noise) with the non-linear neural dynamics are essential to our understanding of the operation of the nervous system. The effects that channel noise can have on neural dynamics are generally studied using numerical simulations of stochastic models. Algorithms based on discrete Markov Chains (MC) seem to be the most reliable and trustworthy, but even optimized algorithms come with a non-negligible computational cost. Diffusion Approximation (DA) methods use Stochastic Differential Equations (SDE) to approximate the behavior of a number of MCs, considerably speeding up simulation times. However, model comparisons have suggested that DA methods did not lead to the same results as in MC modeling in terms of channel noise statistics and effects on excitability. Recently, it was shown that the difference arose because MCs were modeled with coupled gating particles, while the DA was modeled using uncoupled gating particles. Implementations of DA with coupled particles, in the context of a specific kinetic scheme, yielded similar results to MC. However, it remained unclear how to generalize these implementations to different kinetic schemes, or whether they were faster than MC algorithms. Additionally, a steady state approximation was used for the stochastic terms, which, as we show here, can introduce significant inaccuracies. MAIN CONTRIBUTIONS We derived the SDE explicitly for any given ion channel kinetic scheme. The resulting generic equations were surprisingly simple and interpretable--allowing an easy, transparent and efficient DA implementation, avoiding unnecessary approximations. The algorithm was tested in a voltage clamp simulation and in two different current clamp simulations, yielding the same results as MC modeling. Also, the simulation efficiency of this DA method demonstrated considerable superiority over MC methods, except when short time steps or low channel numbers were used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricio Orio
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.
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47
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Capes DL, Arcisio-Miranda M, Jarecki BW, French RJ, Chanda B. Gating transitions in the selectivity filter region of a sodium channel are coupled to the domain IV voltage sensor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:2648-53. [PMID: 22308389 PMCID: PMC3289344 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1210413109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Voltage-dependent ion channels are crucial for generation and propagation of electrical activity in biological systems. The primary mechanism for voltage transduction in these proteins involves the movement of a voltage-sensing domain (D), which opens a gate located on the cytoplasmic side. A distinct conformational change in the selectivity filter near the extracellular side has been implicated in slow inactivation gating, which is important for spike frequency adaptation in neural circuits. However, it remains an open question whether gating transitions in the selectivity filter region are also actuated by voltage sensors. Here, we examine conformational coupling between each of the four voltage sensors and the outer pore of a eukaryotic voltage-dependent sodium channel. The voltage sensors of these sodium channels are not structurally symmetric and exhibit functional specialization. To track the conformational rearrangements of individual voltage-sensing domains, we recorded domain-specific gating pore currents. Our data show that, of the four voltage sensors, only the domain IV voltage sensor is coupled to the conformation of the selectivity filter region of the sodium channel. Trapping the outer pore in a particular conformation with a high-affinity toxin or disulphide crossbridge impedes the return of this voltage sensor to its resting conformation. Our findings directly establish that, in addition to the canonical electromechanical coupling between voltage sensor and inner pore gates of a sodium channel, gating transitions in the selectivity filter region are also coupled to the movement of a voltage sensor. Furthermore, our results also imply that the voltage sensor of domain IV is unique in this linkage and in the ability to initiate slow inactivation in sodium channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah L. Capes
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706
- Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology Graduate Program, and
| | - Manoel Arcisio-Miranda
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706
- Department of Biophysics, Federal University of Sao Paulo, 04023-060, Sao Paulo, Brazil; and
| | - Brian W. Jarecki
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706
| | - Robert J. French
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4N1
| | - Baron Chanda
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706
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Gating transitions in the selectivity filter region of a sodium channel are coupled to the domain IV voltage sensor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012. [PMID: 22308389 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1115575109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Voltage-dependent ion channels are crucial for generation and propagation of electrical activity in biological systems. The primary mechanism for voltage transduction in these proteins involves the movement of a voltage-sensing domain (D), which opens a gate located on the cytoplasmic side. A distinct conformational change in the selectivity filter near the extracellular side has been implicated in slow inactivation gating, which is important for spike frequency adaptation in neural circuits. However, it remains an open question whether gating transitions in the selectivity filter region are also actuated by voltage sensors. Here, we examine conformational coupling between each of the four voltage sensors and the outer pore of a eukaryotic voltage-dependent sodium channel. The voltage sensors of these sodium channels are not structurally symmetric and exhibit functional specialization. To track the conformational rearrangements of individual voltage-sensing domains, we recorded domain-specific gating pore currents. Our data show that, of the four voltage sensors, only the domain IV voltage sensor is coupled to the conformation of the selectivity filter region of the sodium channel. Trapping the outer pore in a particular conformation with a high-affinity toxin or disulphide crossbridge impedes the return of this voltage sensor to its resting conformation. Our findings directly establish that, in addition to the canonical electromechanical coupling between voltage sensor and inner pore gates of a sodium channel, gating transitions in the selectivity filter region are also coupled to the movement of a voltage sensor. Furthermore, our results also imply that the voltage sensor of domain IV is unique in this linkage and in the ability to initiate slow inactivation in sodium channels.
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Yarotskyy V, Gao G, Peterson BZ, Elmslie KS. Domain III regulates N-type (CaV2.2) calcium channel closing kinetics. J Neurophysiol 2011; 107:1942-51. [PMID: 22205645 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00993.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Ca(V)2.2 (N-type) and Ca(V)1.2 (L-type) calcium channels gate differently in response to membrane depolarization, which is critical to the unique physiological functions mediated by these channels. We wondered if the source for these differences could be identified. As a first step, we examined the effect of domain exchange between N-type and L-type channels on activation-deactivation kinetics, which were significantly different between these channels. Kinetic analysis of chimeric channels revealed N-channel-like deactivation for all chimeric channels containing N-channel domain III, while activation appeared to be a more distributed function across domains. This led us to hypothesize that domain III was an important regulator of N-channel closing. This idea was further examined with R-roscovitine, which is a trisubstituted purine that slows N-channel deactivation by exclusively binding to activated N-channels. L-channels lack this response to roscovitine, which allowed us to use N-L chimeras to test the role of domain III in roscovitine modulation of N-channel deactivation. In support of our hypothesis, all chimeric channels containing the N-channel domain III responded to roscovitine with slowed deactivation, while those chimeric channels with L-channel domain III did not. Thus a combination of kinetic and pharmacological evidence supports the hypothesis that domain III is an important regulator of N-channel closing. Our results support specialization of gating functions among calcium channel domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktor Yarotskyy
- Dept. of Pharmacology, Kirksville Coll. of Osteopathic Medicine, AT Still Univ., 800 W. Jefferson St., Kirksville, MO 63501, USA
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Bosmans F, Puopolo M, Martin-Eauclaire MF, Bean BP, Swartz KJ. Functional properties and toxin pharmacology of a dorsal root ganglion sodium channel viewed through its voltage sensors. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 138:59-72. [PMID: 21670206 PMCID: PMC3135324 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201110614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The voltage-activated sodium (Nav) channel Nav1.9 is expressed in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons where it is believed to play an important role in nociception. Progress in revealing the functional properties and pharmacological sensitivities of this non-canonical Nav channel has been slow because attempts to express this channel in a heterologous expression system have been unsuccessful. Here, we use a protein engineering approach to dissect the contributions of the four Nav1.9 voltage sensors to channel function and pharmacology. We define individual S3b–S4 paddle motifs within each voltage sensor, and show that they can sense changes in membrane voltage and drive voltage sensor activation when transplanted into voltage-activated potassium channels. We also find that the paddle motifs in Nav1.9 are targeted by animal toxins, and that these toxins alter Nav1.9-mediated currents in DRG neurons. Our results demonstrate that slowly activating and inactivating Nav1.9 channels have functional and pharmacological properties in common with canonical Nav channels, but also show distinctive pharmacological sensitivities that can potentially be exploited for developing novel treatments for pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Bosmans
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Section, Porter Neuroscience Research Center, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. Frank.Bosmans@-nih.gov
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