1
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Renart ML, Giudici AM, González-Ros JM, Poveda JA. Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescent methodologies to characterize the conformational landscape of the selectivity filter of K + channels. Methods 2024; 225:89-99. [PMID: 38508347 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2024.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
A variety of equilibrium and non-equilibrium methods have been used in a multidisciplinary approach to study the conformational landscape associated with the binding of different cations to the pore of potassium channels. These binding processes, and the conformational changes resulting therefrom, modulate the functional properties of such integral membrane properties, revealing these permeant and blocking cations as true effectors of such integral membrane proteins. KcsA, a prototypic K+ channel from Streptomyces lividans, has been extensively characterized in this regard. Here, we revise several fluorescence-based approaches to monitor cation binding under different experimental conditions in diluted samples, analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. These studies have contributed to explain the selectivity, conduction, and inactivation properties of K+ channels at the molecular level, together with the allosteric communication between the two gates that control the ion channel flux, and how they are modulated by lipids.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Lourdes Renart
- IDiBE-Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche, Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03202 Elche, Spain.
| | - Ana Marcela Giudici
- IDiBE-Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche, Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03202 Elche, Spain.
| | - José M González-Ros
- IDiBE-Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche, Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03202 Elche, Spain.
| | - José A Poveda
- IDiBE-Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche, Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03202 Elche, Spain.
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2
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Zerbetto De Palma G, Recoulat Angelini AA, Vitali V, González Flecha FL, Alleva K. Cooperativity in regulation of membrane protein function: phenomenological analysis of the effects of pH and phospholipids. Biophys Rev 2023; 15:721-731. [PMID: 37681089 PMCID: PMC10480370 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-023-01095-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Interaction between membrane proteins and ligands plays a key role in governing a wide spectrum of cellular processes. These interactions can provide a cooperative-type regulation of protein function. A wide variety of proteins, including enzymes, channels, transporters, and receptors, displays cooperative behavior in their interactions with ligands. Moreover, the ligands involved encompass a vast diversity and include specific molecules or ions that bind to specific binding sites. In this review, our particular focus is on the interaction between integral membrane proteins and ligands that can present multiple "binding sites", such as protons or membrane phospholipids. The study of the interaction that protons or lipids have with membrane proteins often presents challenges for classical mechanistic modeling approaches. In this regard, we show that, like Hill's pioneering work on hemoglobin regulation, phenomenological modeling constitutes a powerful tool for capturing essential features of these systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerardo Zerbetto De Palma
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Departamento de Fisicomatemática, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional de Hurlingham, Villa Tesei, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Química y Fisicoquímica Biológica (IQUIFIB), CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alvaro A. Recoulat Angelini
- Instituto de Química y Fisicoquímica Biológica (IQUIFIB), CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Victoria Vitali
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Departamento de Fisicomatemática, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Química y Fisicoquímica Biológica (IQUIFIB), CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - F. Luis. González Flecha
- Instituto de Química y Fisicoquímica Biológica (IQUIFIB), CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Karina Alleva
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Departamento de Fisicomatemática, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Química y Fisicoquímica Biológica (IQUIFIB), CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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3
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McGuire H, Blunck R. Studying KcsA Channel Clustering Using Single Channel Voltage-Clamp Fluorescence Imaging*. Front Physiol 2022; 13:863375. [PMID: 35721536 PMCID: PMC9204084 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.863375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Oligomerization and complex formation play a key role for many membrane proteins and has been described to influence ion channel function in both neurons and the heart. In this study, we observed clustering of single KcsA channels in planar lipid bilayer using single molecule fluorescence, while simultaneously measuring single channel currents. Clustering coincided with cooperative opening of KcsA. We demonstrate that clustering was not caused by direct protein-protein interactions or hydrophobic mismatch with the lipid environment, as suggested earlier, but was mediated via microdomains induced by the channel in the lipid matrix. We found that single channel activity of KcsA requires conically-shaped lipids in the lamellar liquid-crystalline (Lα) phase, and the need for a negative spontaneous curvature seem to lead to the deformations in the membrane that cause the clustering. The method introduced here will be applicable to follow oligomerization of a wide range of membrane proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo McGuire
- Department of Physics, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Rikard Blunck
- Department of Physics, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Brain and Learning (CIRCA), Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- *Correspondence: Rikard Blunck,
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4
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Mechanisms underlying drug-mediated regulation of membrane protein function. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2113229118. [PMID: 34753824 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2113229118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The hydrophobic coupling between membrane proteins and their host lipid bilayer provides a mechanism by which bilayer-modifying drugs may alter protein function. Drug regulation of membrane protein function thus may be mediated by both direct interactions with the protein and drug-induced alterations of bilayer properties, in which the latter will alter the energetics of protein conformational changes. To tease apart these mechanisms, we examine how the prototypical, proton-gated bacterial potassium channel KcsA is regulated by bilayer-modifying drugs using a fluorescence-based approach to quantify changes in both KcsA function and lipid bilayer properties (using gramicidin channels as probes). All tested drugs inhibited KcsA activity, and the changes in the different gating steps varied with bilayer thickness, suggesting a coupling to the bilayer. Examining the correlations between changes in KcsA gating steps and bilayer properties reveals that drug-induced regulation of membrane protein function indeed involves bilayer-mediated mechanisms. Both direct, either specific or nonspecific, binding and bilayer-mediated mechanisms therefore are likely to be important whenever there is overlap between the concentration ranges at which a drug alters membrane protein function and bilayer properties. Because changes in bilayer properties will impact many diverse membrane proteins, they may cause indiscriminate changes in protein function.
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5
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Díaz-García C, Renart ML, Poveda JA, Giudici AM, González-Ros JM, Prieto M, Coutinho A. Probing the Structural Dynamics of the Activation Gate of KcsA Using Homo-FRET Measurements. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222111954. [PMID: 34769384 PMCID: PMC8584343 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The allosteric coupling between activation and inactivation processes is a common feature observed in K+ channels. Particularly, in the prokaryotic KcsA channel the K+ conduction process is controlled by the inner gate, which is activated by acidic pH, and by the selectivity filter (SF) or outer gate, which can adopt non-conductive or conductive states. In a previous study, a single tryptophan mutant channel (W67 KcsA) enabled us to investigate the SF dynamics using time-resolved homo-Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (homo-FRET) measurements. Here, the conformational changes of both gates were simultaneously monitored after labelling the G116C position with tetramethylrhodamine (TMR) within a W67 KcsA background. At a high degree of protein labeling, fluorescence anisotropy measurements showed that the pH-induced KcsA gating elicited a variation in the homo-FRET efficiency among the conjugated TMR dyes (TMR homo-FRET), while the conformation of the SF was simultaneously tracked (W67 homo-FRET). The dependence of the activation pKa of the inner gate with the ion occupancy of the SF unequivocally confirmed the allosteric communication between the two gates of KcsA. This simple TMR homo-FRET based ratiometric assay can be easily extended to study the conformational dynamics associated with the gating of other ion channels and their modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Díaz-García
- iBB, Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal; (C.D.-G.); (M.P.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Maria Lourdes Renart
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche, Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03202 Elche, Spain; (J.A.P.); (A.M.G.); (J.M.G.-R.)
- Correspondence: (M.L.R.); (A.C.)
| | - José Antonio Poveda
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche, Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03202 Elche, Spain; (J.A.P.); (A.M.G.); (J.M.G.-R.)
| | - Ana Marcela Giudici
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche, Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03202 Elche, Spain; (J.A.P.); (A.M.G.); (J.M.G.-R.)
| | - José M. González-Ros
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche, Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03202 Elche, Spain; (J.A.P.); (A.M.G.); (J.M.G.-R.)
| | - Manuel Prieto
- iBB, Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal; (C.D.-G.); (M.P.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ana Coutinho
- iBB, Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal; (C.D.-G.); (M.P.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
- Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
- Correspondence: (M.L.R.); (A.C.)
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6
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Function-Related Dynamics in Multi-Spanning Helical Membrane Proteins Revealed by Solution NMR. MEMBRANES 2021; 11:membranes11080604. [PMID: 34436367 PMCID: PMC8398610 DOI: 10.3390/membranes11080604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
A primary biological function of multi-spanning membrane proteins is to transfer information and/or materials through a membrane by changing their conformations. Therefore, particular dynamics of the membrane proteins are tightly associated with their function. The semi-atomic resolution dynamics information revealed by NMR is able to discriminate function-related dynamics from random fluctuations. This review will discuss several studies in which quantitative dynamics information by solution NMR has contributed to revealing the structural basis of the function of multi-spanning membrane proteins, such as ion channels, GPCRs, and transporters.
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7
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Yang L, Catalano C, Xu Y, Qiu W, Zhang D, McDermott A, Guo Y, Blount P. A native cell membrane nanoparticles system allows for high-quality functional proteoliposome reconstitution. BBA ADVANCES 2021; 1. [PMID: 34296205 PMCID: PMC8294337 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadva.2021.100011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteoliposomes mimic the cell membrane environment allowing for structural and functional membrane protein analyses as well as antigen presenting and drug delivery devices. To make proteoliposomes, purified functional membrane proteins are required. Detergents have traditionally been used for the first step in this process However, they can irreversibly denature or render membrane proteins unstable, and the necessary removal of detergents after reconstitution can decrease proteoliposome yields. The recently developed native cell membrane nanoparticles (NCMN) system has provided a variety of detergent-free alternatives for membrane protein preparation for structural biology research. Here we attempt to employ the MCMN system for the functional reconstitution of channels into proteoliposomes. NCMN polymers NCMNP1–1 and NCMNP7–1, members of a NCMN polymer library that have been successful in extraction and affinity purification of a number of intrinsic membrane proteins, were selected for the purification and subsequent reconstitution of three bacterial channels: KcsA and the mechanosensitive channels of large and small conductance (MscL and MscS). We found that channels in NCMN particles, which appeared to be remarkably stable when stored at 4 °C, can be reconstituted into bilayers by simply incubating with lipids. We show that the resulting proteoliposomes can be patched for electrophysiological studies or used for the generation of liposome-based nanodevices. In sum, the findings demonstrate that the NCMN system is a simple and robust membrane protein extraction and reconstitution approach for making high-quality functional proteoliposomes that could significantly impact membrane protein research and the development of nanodevices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Limin Yang
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9040, United States
| | - Claudio Catalano
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, United States.,Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0133, United States
| | - Yunyao Xu
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States
| | - Weihua Qiu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, United States.,Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0133, United States
| | - Dongyu Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States
| | - Ann McDermott
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States
| | - Youzhong Guo
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0540, United States.,Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0133, United States
| | - Paul Blount
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9040, United States
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8
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Tabuchi M, Coates KE, Bautista OB, Zukowski LH. Light/Clock Influences Membrane Potential Dynamics to Regulate Sleep States. Front Neurol 2021; 12:625369. [PMID: 33854471 PMCID: PMC8039321 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.625369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The circadian rhythm is a fundamental process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. This rhythm is regulated by core clock genes that oscillate to create a physiological rhythm of circadian neuronal activity. However, we do not know much about the mechanism by which circadian inputs influence neurons involved in sleep-wake architecture. One possible mechanism involves the photoreceptor cryptochrome (CRY). In Drosophila, CRY is receptive to blue light and resets the circadian rhythm. CRY also influences membrane potential dynamics that regulate neural activity of circadian clock neurons in Drosophila, including the temporal structure in sequences of spikes, by interacting with subunits of the voltage-dependent potassium channel. Moreover, several core clock molecules interact with voltage-dependent/independent channels, channel-binding protein, and subunits of the electrogenic ion pump. These components cooperatively regulate mechanisms that translate circadian photoreception and the timing of clock genes into changes in membrane excitability, such as neural firing activity and polarization sensitivity. In clock neurons expressing CRY, these mechanisms also influence synaptic plasticity. In this review, we propose that membrane potential dynamics created by circadian photoreception and core clock molecules are critical for generating the set point of synaptic plasticity that depend on neural coding. In this way, membrane potential dynamics drive formation of baseline sleep architecture, light-driven arousal, and memory processing. We also discuss the machinery that coordinates membrane excitability in circadian networks found in Drosophila, and we compare this machinery to that found in mammalian systems. Based on this body of work, we propose future studies that can better delineate how neural codes impact molecular/cellular signaling and contribute to sleep, memory processing, and neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masashi Tabuchi
- Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, United States
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9
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Zhang D, Howarth GS, Parkin LA, McDermott AE. NMR studies of lipid regulation of the K + channel KcsA. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOMEMBRANES 2021; 1863:183491. [PMID: 33065136 PMCID: PMC9189731 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2020.183491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The membrane environment, including specific lipid characteristics, plays important roles in the folding, stability, and gating of the prokaryotic potassium channel KcsA. Here we study the effect of membrane composition on the population of various functional states of KcsA. The spectra provide support for the previous observation of copurifying phospholipids with phosphoglycerol headgroups. Additional, exogenously added anionic lipids do not appear to be required to stabilize the open conductive conformation of KcsA, which was previously thought to be the case. On the contrary, NMR-based binding studies indicate that including anionic lipids in proteoliposomes at acidic pH leads to a weaker potassium ion affinity at the selectivity filter. Since K+ ion loss leads to channel inactivation, these results suggest that anionic lipids promote channel inactivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongyu Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, United States of America
| | - Gary S Howarth
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, United States of America
| | - Lia A Parkin
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, United States of America
| | - Ann E McDermott
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, United States of America.
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10
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Cosseddu SM, Choe EJ, Khovanov IA. Unraveling of a Strongly Correlated Dynamical Network of Residues Controlling the Permeation of Potassium in KcsA Ion Channel. ENTROPY (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 23:E72. [PMID: 33418985 PMCID: PMC7825352 DOI: 10.3390/e23010072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The complicated patterns of the single-channel currents in potassium ion channel KcsA are governed by the structural variability of the selectivity filter. A comparative analysis of the dynamics of the wild type KcsA channel and several of its mutants showing different conducting patterns was performed. A strongly correlated dynamical network of interacting residues is found to play a key role in regulating the state of the wild type channel. The network is centered on the aspartate D80 which plays the role of a hub by strong interacting via hydrogen bonds with residues E71, R64, R89, and W67. Residue D80 also affects the selectivity filter via its backbones. This network further compromises ions and water molecules located inside the channel that results in the mutual influence: the permeation depends on the configuration of residues in the network, and the dynamics of network's residues depends on locations of ions and water molecules inside the selectivity filter. Some features of the network provide a further understanding of experimental results describing the KcsA activity. In particular, the necessity of anionic lipids to be present for functioning the channel is explained by the interaction between the lipids and the arginine residues R64 and R89 that prevents destabilizing the structure of the selectivity filter.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Igor A. Khovanov
- School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK; (S.M.C.); (E.J.C.)
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11
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Jiang Y, Idikuda V, Chowdhury S, Chanda B. Activation of the archaeal ion channel MthK is exquisitely regulated by temperature. eLife 2020; 9:e59055. [PMID: 33274718 PMCID: PMC7717905 DOI: 10.7554/elife.59055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Physiological response to thermal stimuli in mammals is mediated by a structurally diverse class of ion channels, many of which exhibit polymodal behavior. To probe the diversity of biophysical mechanisms of temperature-sensitivity, we characterized the temperature-dependent activation of MthK, a two transmembrane calcium-activated potassium channel from thermophilic archaebacteria. Our functional complementation studies show that these channels are more efficient at rescuing K+ transport at 37°C than at 24°C. Electrophysiological activity of the purified MthK is extremely sensitive (Q10 >100) to heating particularly at low-calcium concentrations whereas channels lacking the calcium-sensing RCK domain are practically insensitive. By analyzing single-channel activities at limiting calcium concentrations, we find that temperature alters the coupling between the cytoplasmic RCK domains and the pore domain. These findings reveal a hitherto unexplored mechanism of temperature-dependent regulation of ion channel gating and shed light on ancient origins of temperature-sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihao Jiang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of MedicineSt. LouisUnited States
- Center for the Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases (CIMED)St. LouisUnited States
| | - Vinay Idikuda
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of MedicineSt. LouisUnited States
- Center for the Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases (CIMED)St. LouisUnited States
| | - Sandipan Chowdhury
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of MedicineSt. LouisUnited States
- Center for the Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases (CIMED)St. LouisUnited States
| | - Baron Chanda
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of MedicineSt. LouisUnited States
- Center for the Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases (CIMED)St. LouisUnited States
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12
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Furini S, Domene C. Critical Assessment of Common Force Fields for Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Potassium Channels. J Chem Theory Comput 2020; 16:7148-7159. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.0c00331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Simone Furini
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena 53100, Italy
| | - Carmen Domene
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, U.K
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, U.K
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13
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Iwahashi Y, Toyama Y, Imai S, Itoh H, Osawa M, Inoue M, Shimada I. Conformational equilibrium shift underlies altered K + channel gating as revealed by NMR. Nat Commun 2020; 11:5168. [PMID: 33057011 PMCID: PMC7560842 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19005-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The potassium ion (K+) channel plays a fundamental role in controlling K+ permeation across the cell membrane and regulating cellular excitabilities. Mutations in the transmembrane pore reportedly affect the gating transitions of K+ channels, and are associated with the onset of neural disorders. However, due to the lack of structural and dynamic insights into the functions of K+ channels, the structural mechanism by which these mutations cause K+ channel dysfunctions remains elusive. Here, we used nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to investigate the structural mechanism underlying the decreased K+-permeation caused by disease-related mutations, using the prokaryotic K+ channel KcsA. We demonstrated that the conformational equilibrium in the transmembrane region is shifted toward the non-conductive state with the closed intracellular K+-gate in the disease-related mutant. We also demonstrated that this equilibrium shift is attributable to the additional steric contacts in the open-conductive structure, which are evoked by the increased side-chain bulkiness of the residues lining the transmembrane helix. Our results suggest that the alteration in the conformational equilibrium of the intracellular K+-gate is one of the fundamental mechanisms underlying the dysfunctions of K+ channels caused by disease-related mutations. Potassium ion channels control K+ permeation across cell membranes and mutations that cause cardiovascular and neural diseases are known. Here, the authors perform NMR measurements with the prototypical K+ channel from Streptomyces lividans, KcsA and characterise the effects of disease causing mutations on the conformational dynamics of K+ channels in a physiological solution environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Iwahashi
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Yuki Toyama
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Shunsuke Imai
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Itoh
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Masanori Osawa
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.,Keio University Faculty of Pharmacy, Shibakoen, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8512, Japan
| | - Masayuki Inoue
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Ichio Shimada
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan. .,RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan.
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14
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Callahan KM, Mondou B, Sasseville L, Schwartz JL, D'Avanzo N. The influence of membrane bilayer thickness on KcsA channel activity. Channels (Austin) 2020; 13:424-439. [PMID: 31608774 PMCID: PMC6802934 DOI: 10.1080/19336950.2019.1676367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Atomic resolution structures have provided significant insight into the gating and permeation mechanisms of various ion channels, including potassium channels. However, ion channels may also be regulated by numerous factors, including the physiochemical properties of the membrane in which they are embedded. For example, the matching of the bilayer's hydrophobic region to the hydrophobic external surface of the ion channel is thought to minimize the energetic penalty needed to solvate hydrophobic residues or exposed lipid tails. To understand the molecular basis of such regulation by hydrophobic matching requires examining channels in the presence of the lipid membrane. Here we examine the role of hydrophobic matching in regulating the activity of the model potassium channel, KcsA. 86Rb+ influx assays and single-channel recordings indicate that the non-inactivating E71A KcsA channel is most active in thin bilayers (<diC18:1PC). Bilayer thickness affects the open probability of KcsA and not its unitary conductance. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate that the bilayer can sufficiently modify its dimensions to accommodate KcsA channels without major perturbations in the protein helical packing within the nanosecond timescale. Based on experimental results and MD simulations, we present a model in which bilayer thickness influences the stability of the open and closed conformations of the intracellular gate of KcsA, with minimal impact on the stability of the selectivity filter of the non-inactivating mutant, E71A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen M Callahan
- From the Département de pharmacologie et physiologie, Faculté de médecine, Université de Montréal , Montréal , Canada
| | - Benoit Mondou
- Département de biochimie et médecine moléculaire, Université de Montréal , Montréal , Canada
| | - Louis Sasseville
- From the Département de pharmacologie et physiologie, Faculté de médecine, Université de Montréal , Montréal , Canada
| | - Jean-Louis Schwartz
- From the Département de pharmacologie et physiologie, Faculté de médecine, Université de Montréal , Montréal , Canada.,Département de biochimie et médecine moléculaire, Université de Montréal , Montréal , Canada.,Centre SÈVE, Université de Sherbrooke , Sherbrooke , Canada
| | - Nazzareno D'Avanzo
- From the Département de pharmacologie et physiologie, Faculté de médecine, Université de Montréal , Montréal , Canada.,Département de biochimie et médecine moléculaire, Université de Montréal , Montréal , Canada
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15
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Sumikama T, Oiki S. Queueing arrival and release mechanism for K + permeation through a potassium channel. J Physiol Sci 2019; 69:919-930. [PMID: 31456113 PMCID: PMC10717923 DOI: 10.1007/s12576-019-00706-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The mechanism underlying ion permeation through potassium channels still remains controversial. K+ ions permeate across a narrow selectivity filter (SF) in a single file. Conventional scenarios assume that K+ ions are tightly bound in the SF, and, thus, they are displaced from their energy well by ion-ion repulsion with an incoming ion. This tight coupling between entering and exiting ions has been called the "knock-on" mechanism. However, this paradigm is contradicted by experimental data measuring the water-ion flux coupling ratio, demonstrating fewer ion occupancies. Here, the results of molecular dynamics simulations of permeation through the KcsA potassium channel revealed an alternative mechanism. In the aligned ions in the SF (an ion queue), the outermost K+ was readily and spontaneously released toward the extracellular space, and the affinity of the relevant ion was ~ 50 mM. Based on this low-affinity regime, a simple queueing mechanism described by loose coupling of entering and exiting ions is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Sumikama
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, 910-1193, Japan
- Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan
| | - Shigetoshi Oiki
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, 910-1193, Japan.
- Biomedical Imaging Research Center, University of Fukui, Fukui, 910-1193, Japan.
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16
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Poveda JA, Giudici AM, Renart ML, Millet O, Morales A, González-Ros JM, Oakes V, Furini S, Domene C. Modulation of the potassium channel KcsA by anionic phospholipids: Role of arginines at the non-annular lipid binding sites. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2019; 1861:183029. [PMID: 31351058 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2019.183029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/19/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The role of arginines R64 and R89 at non-annular lipid binding sites of KcsA, on the modulation of channel activity by anionic lipids has been investigated. In wild-type (WT) KcsA reconstituted into asolectin lipid membranes, addition of phosphatidic acid (PA) drastically reduces inactivation in macroscopic current recordings. Consistent to this, PA increases current amplitude, mean open time and open probability at the single channel level. Moreover, kinetic analysis reveals that addition of PA causes longer open channel lifetimes and decreased closing rate constants. Effects akin to those of PA on WT-KcsA are observed when R64 and/or R89 are mutated to alanine, regardless of the added anionic lipids. We interpret these results as a consequence of interactions between the arginines and the anionic PA bound to the non-annular sites. NMR data shows indeed that at least R64 is involved in binding PA. Moreover, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations predict that R64, R89 and surrounding residues such as T61, mediate persistent binding of PA to the non-annular sites. Channel inactivation depends on interactions within the inactivation triad (E71-D80-W67) behind the selectivity filter. Therefore, it is expected that such interactions are affected when PA binds the arginines at the non-annular sites. In support of this, MD simulations reveal that PA binding prevents interaction between R89 and D80, which seems critical to the effectiveness of the inactivation triad. This mechanism depends on the stability of the bound lipid, favoring anionic headgroups such as that of PA, which thrive on the positive charge of the arginines.
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Affiliation(s)
- José A Poveda
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche (IDiBE) and Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular (IBMC), Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, E-03202, Alicante, Spain
| | - A Marcela Giudici
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche (IDiBE) and Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular (IBMC), Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, E-03202, Alicante, Spain
| | - M Lourdes Renart
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche (IDiBE) and Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular (IBMC), Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, E-03202, Alicante, Spain
| | - Oscar Millet
- Structural Biology Unit, CICbioGUNE, Bizkaia Technology Park, Derio, 48160, Vizcaya, Spain
| | - Andrés Morales
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Universidad de Alicante, E-03080 Alicante, Spain
| | - José M González-Ros
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche (IDiBE) and Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular (IBMC), Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, E-03202, Alicante, Spain.
| | - Victoria Oakes
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, 1 South Bldg., Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
| | - Simone Furini
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Carmen Domene
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, 1 South Bldg., Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom; Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, Oxford, United Kingdom.
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17
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Sumino A, Sumikama T, Uchihashi T, Oiki S. High-speed AFM reveals accelerated binding of agitoxin-2 to a K + channel by induced fit. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaax0495. [PMID: 31281899 PMCID: PMC6609221 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aax0495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Agitoxin-2 (AgTx2) from scorpion venom is a potent blocker of K+ channels. The docking model has been elucidated, but it remains unclear whether binding dynamics are described by a two-state model (AgTx2-bound and AgTx2-unbound) or a more complicated mechanism, such as induced fit or conformational selection. Here, we observed the binding dynamics of AgTx2 to the KcsA channel using high-speed atomic force microscopy. From images of repeated binding and dissociation of AgTx2 to the channel, single-molecule kinetic analyses revealed that the affinity of the channel for AgTx2 increased during persistent binding and decreased during persistent dissociation. We propose a four-state model, including high- and low-affinity states of the channel, with relevant rate constants. An induced-fit pathway was dominant and accelerated binding by 400 times. This is the first analytical imaging of scorpion toxin binding in real time, which is applicable to various biological dynamics including channel ligands, DNA-modifier proteins, and antigen-antibody complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Sumino
- Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
- Institute for Frontier Science Initiative, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
- PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Saitama 332-0012, Japan
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan
| | - T. Sumikama
- Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan
| | - T. Uchihashi
- Department of Physics and Structural Biology Research Center, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems, National Institute of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - S. Oiki
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan
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18
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Xu Y, McDermott AE. Inactivation in the potassium channel KcsA. JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY-X 2019; 3:100009. [PMID: 32647814 PMCID: PMC7337057 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjsbx.2019.100009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Revised: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
C-type inactivation in potassium channels is a nearly universal regulatory mechanism. A major hypothesis states that C-type inactivation involves ion loss at the selectivity filter as an allosteric response to activation. NMR is used to probe protein conformational changes in response to pH and [K+], demonstrating that H+ and K+ binding are allosterically coupled in KcsA. The lipids are integrated parts of potassium channels in terms of structure, energetics and function.
Inactivation, the slow cessation of transmission after activation, is a general feature of potassium channels. It is essential for their function, and malfunctions in inactivation leads to numerous pathologies. The detailed mechanism for the C-type inactivation, distinct from the N-type inactivation, remains an active area of investigation. Crystallography, computational simulations, and NMR have greatly enriched our understanding of the process. Here we review the major hypotheses regarding C-type inactivation, particularly focusing on the key role played by NMR studies of the prokaryotic potassium channel KcsA, which serves as a good model for voltage gated mammalian channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunyao Xu
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States
| | - Ann E McDermott
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States
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19
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Chatterjee S, Das A, Raghuraman H. Biochemical and biophysical characterization of a prokaryotic Mg 2+ ion channel: Implications for cost-effective purification of membrane proteins. Protein Expr Purif 2019; 161:8-16. [PMID: 31028884 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2019.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 04/19/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Although magnesium is the second most abundant cation present in the cell, the transport mechanism of Mg2+ across membranes is poorly understood. Importantly, the prokaryotic MgtE Mg2+ channel is related to mammalian SLC41A1 transporters and, therefore, biochemical and biophysical characterization of MgtE and its orthologs assumes significance. To date, the purification and structure determination of MgtE from Thermus thermophilus has been carried out using the widely used nonionic detergent, n-dodecyl-β-d-maltopyranoside (DDM). However, DDM is an expensive detergent and alternative methods to produce high-quality proteins in stable and functional form will be practically advantageous to carry out structural studies in a cost-effective manner. In this work, we have utilized 'dual-detergent strategy' to successfully purify MgtE channel in a stable and functional form by employing relatively inexpensive detergents (Triton X-100 and Anzergent 3-14) for membrane solubilization and subsequently changed to DDM during purification. Our results show that Triton X-100 and Anzergent 3-14 extract MgtE well and the quality of purified protein is comparable to DDM-extracted MgtE. Interestingly, addition of high concentration of salt and glycerol during solubilization does not significantly affect the quantity and quality of MgtE. Importantly, limited proteolysis assay, circular dichroism spectroscopy and ensemble tryptophan fluorescence strongly support the use of Triton X-100, in particular, as an inexpensive, alternative detergent for the purification of MgtE without compromising the structural integrity of the channel and Mg2+-induced gating-related conformational dynamics. Overall, these results are relevant for the cost-effective purification of stable and functional membrane proteins in general, and magnesium channels, in particular.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satyaki Chatterjee
- Crystallography and Molecular Biology Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Homi Bhabha National Institute, 1/AF Bidhannagar, Kolkata, 700 064, India
| | - Anindita Das
- Crystallography and Molecular Biology Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Homi Bhabha National Institute, 1/AF Bidhannagar, Kolkata, 700 064, India
| | - H Raghuraman
- Crystallography and Molecular Biology Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Homi Bhabha National Institute, 1/AF Bidhannagar, Kolkata, 700 064, India.
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20
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Urakubo K, Iwamoto M, Oiki S. Drop-in-well chamber for droplet interface bilayer with built-in electrodes. Methods Enzymol 2019; 621:347-363. [PMID: 31128788 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2019.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Various methods have been developed for the formation of planar lipid bilayers, and recent techniques using water-in-oil droplets, such as droplet interface bilayer (DIB) and contact bubble bilayer (CBB) methods, allow the ready formation of bilayers with arbitrary lipid compositions. Here, we developed a simple and portable DIB system using drop-in-wells, shaping two merging wells for settling electrolyte droplets. An aliquot of the electrolyte solution (1μL) is dropped into an organic solvent, and the droplet sinks to the drop-in-well at the bottom, where two monolayer-lined droplets come in contact to form the bilayer. Pre-installed electrodes allow electrophysiological measurements. The detailed drop-in-well method is presented, and some variations of the method, such as the use of microelectrodes and a sheet with a small hole for low-noise recordings, are extended. Examples of single channel current recordings of the KcsA potassium channel are demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuhiro Urakubo
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
| | - Masayuki Iwamoto
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
| | - Shigetoshi Oiki
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan.
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21
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Giudici AM, Renart ML, Díaz-García C, Morales A, Poveda JA, González-Ros JM. Accessibility of Cations to the Selectivity Filter of KcsA in the Inactivated State: An Equilibrium Binding Study. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20030689. [PMID: 30764559 PMCID: PMC6387330 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20030689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2018] [Revised: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Cation binding under equilibrium conditions has been used as a tool to explore the accessibility of permeant and nonpermeant cations to the selectivity filter in three different inactivated models of the potassium channel KcsA. The results show that the stack of ion binding sites (S1 to S4) in the inactivated filter models remain accessible to cations as they are in the resting channel state. The inactivated state of the selectivity filter is therefore “resting-like” under such equilibrium conditions. Nonetheless, quantitative differences in the apparent KD’s of the binding processes reveal that the affinity for the binding of permeant cations to the inactivated channel models, mainly K+, decreases considerably with respect to the resting channel. This is likely to cause a loss of K+ from the inactivated filter and consequently, to promote nonconductive conformations. The most affected site by the affinity loss seems to be S4, which is interesting because S4 is the first site to accommodate K+ coming from the channel vestibule when K+ exits the cell. Moreover, binding of the nonpermeant species, Na+, is not substantially affected by inactivation, meaning that the inactivated channels are also less selective for permeant versus nonpermeant cations under equilibrium conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Marcela Giudici
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche (IDiBE), and Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular (IBMC), Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, E-03202 Alicante, Spain.
| | - Maria Lourdes Renart
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche (IDiBE), and Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular (IBMC), Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, E-03202 Alicante, Spain.
| | - Clara Díaz-García
- CQFM-IN and IBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Andrés Morales
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Universidad de Alicante, E-03080 Alicante, Spain.
| | - José Antonio Poveda
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche (IDiBE), and Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular (IBMC), Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, E-03202 Alicante, Spain.
| | - José Manuel González-Ros
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche (IDiBE), and Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular (IBMC), Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, E-03202 Alicante, Spain.
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22
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Identifying coupled clusters of allostery participants through chemical shift perturbations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:2078-2085. [PMID: 30679272 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1811168116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Allosteric couplings underlie many cellular signaling processes and provide an exciting avenue for development of new diagnostics and therapeutics. A general method for identifying important residues in allosteric mechanisms would be very useful, but remains elusive due to the complexity of long-range phenomena. Here, we introduce an NMR method to identify residues involved in allosteric coupling between two ligand-binding sites in a protein, which we call chemical shift detection of allostery participants (CAP). Networks of functional groups responding to each ligand are defined through correlated NMR perturbations. In this process, we also identify allostery participants, groups that respond to both binding events and likely play a role in the coupling between the binding sites. Such residues exhibit multiple functional states with distinct NMR chemical shifts, depending on binding status at both binding sites. Such a strategy was applied to the prototypical ion channel KcsA. We had previously shown that the potassium affinity at the extracellular selectivity filter is strongly dependent on proton binding at the intracellular pH sensor. Here, we analyzed proton and potassium binding networks and identified groups that depend on both proton and potassium binding (allostery participants). These groups are viewed as candidates for transmitting information between functional units. The vital role of one such identified amino acid was validated through site-specific mutagenesis, electrophysiology functional studies, and NMR-detected thermodynamic analysis of allosteric coupling. This strategy for identifying allostery participants is likely to have applications for many other systems.
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23
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Jekhmane S, Medeiros-Silva J, Li J, Kümmerer F, Müller-Hermes C, Baldus M, Roux B, Weingarth M. Shifts in the selectivity filter dynamics cause modal gating in K + channels. Nat Commun 2019; 10:123. [PMID: 30631074 PMCID: PMC6328603 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07973-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Spontaneous activity shifts at constant experimental conditions represent a widespread regulatory mechanism in ion channels. The molecular origins of these modal gating shifts are poorly understood. In the K+ channel KcsA, a multitude of fast activity shifts that emulate the native modal gating behaviour can be triggered by point-mutations in the hydrogen bonding network that controls the selectivity filter. Using solid-state NMR and molecular dynamics simulations in a variety of KcsA mutants, here we show that modal gating shifts in K+ channels are associated with important changes in the channel dynamics that strongly perturb the selectivity filter equilibrium conformation. Furthermore, our study reveals a drastically different motional and conformational selectivity filter landscape in a mutant that mimics voltage-gated K+ channels, which provides a foundation for an improved understanding of eukaryotic K+ channels. Altogether, our results provide a high-resolution perspective on some of the complex functional behaviour of K+ channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shehrazade Jekhmane
- NMR Spectroscopy, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584, CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - João Medeiros-Silva
- NMR Spectroscopy, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584, CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, 929 E57th Street, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Felix Kümmerer
- NMR Spectroscopy, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584, CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Christoph Müller-Hermes
- NMR Spectroscopy, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584, CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marc Baldus
- NMR Spectroscopy, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584, CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Benoît Roux
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, 929 E57th Street, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Markus Weingarth
- NMR Spectroscopy, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584, CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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24
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Chipot C, Dehez F, Schnell JR, Zitzmann N, Pebay-Peyroula E, Catoire LJ, Miroux B, Kunji ERS, Veglia G, Cross TA, Schanda P. Perturbations of Native Membrane Protein Structure in Alkyl Phosphocholine Detergents: A Critical Assessment of NMR and Biophysical Studies. Chem Rev 2018; 118:3559-3607. [PMID: 29488756 PMCID: PMC5896743 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Membrane proteins perform a host of vital cellular functions. Deciphering the molecular mechanisms whereby they fulfill these functions requires detailed biophysical and structural investigations. Detergents have proven pivotal to extract the protein from its native surroundings. Yet, they provide a milieu that departs significantly from that of the biological membrane, to the extent that the structure, the dynamics, and the interactions of membrane proteins in detergents may considerably vary, as compared to the native environment. Understanding the impact of detergents on membrane proteins is, therefore, crucial to assess the biological relevance of results obtained in detergents. Here, we review the strengths and weaknesses of alkyl phosphocholines (or foscholines), the most widely used detergent in solution-NMR studies of membrane proteins. While this class of detergents is often successful for membrane protein solubilization, a growing list of examples points to destabilizing and denaturing properties, in particular for α-helical membrane proteins. Our comprehensive analysis stresses the importance of stringent controls when working with this class of detergents and when analyzing the structure and dynamics of membrane proteins in alkyl phosphocholine detergents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Chipot
- SRSMC, UMR 7019 Université de Lorraine CNRS, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy F-54500, France
- Laboratoire
International Associé CNRS and University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy F-54506, France
- Department
of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 1110 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - François Dehez
- SRSMC, UMR 7019 Université de Lorraine CNRS, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy F-54500, France
- Laboratoire
International Associé CNRS and University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy F-54506, France
| | - Jason R. Schnell
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
| | - Nicole Zitzmann
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
| | | | - Laurent J. Catoire
- Laboratory
of Biology and Physico-Chemistry of Membrane Proteins, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique (IBPC), UMR
7099 CNRS, Paris 75005, France
- University
Paris Diderot, Paris 75005, France
- PSL
Research University, Paris 75005, France
| | - Bruno Miroux
- Laboratory
of Biology and Physico-Chemistry of Membrane Proteins, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique (IBPC), UMR
7099 CNRS, Paris 75005, France
- University
Paris Diderot, Paris 75005, France
- PSL
Research University, Paris 75005, France
| | - Edmund R. S. Kunji
- Medical
Research Council Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0XY, United Kingdom
| | - Gianluigi Veglia
- Department
of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, and Department
of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Timothy A. Cross
- National
High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida
State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32310, United States
| | - Paul Schanda
- Université
Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, IBS, Grenoble F-38000, France
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25
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Rauh O, Hansen U, Mach S, Hartel AJ, Shepard KL, Thiel G, Schroeder I. Extended beta distributions open the access to fast gating in bilayer experiments-assigning the voltage-dependent gating to the selectivity filter. FEBS Lett 2017; 591:3850-3860. [PMID: 29106736 PMCID: PMC5747313 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.12898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Revised: 10/17/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Lipid bilayers provide many benefits for ion channel recordings, such as control of membrane composition and transport molecules. However, they suffer from high membrane capacitance limiting the bandwidth and impeding analysis of fast gating. This can be overcome by fitting the deviations of the open-channel noise from the baseline noise by extended beta distributions. We demonstrate this analysis step-by-step by applying it to the example of viral K+ channels (Kcv), from the choice of the gating model through the fitting process, validation of the results, and what kinds of results can be obtained. These voltage sensor-less channels show profoundly voltage-dependent gating with dwell times in the closed state of about 50 μs. Mutations assign it to the selectivity filter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Rauh
- Plant Membrane BiophysicsTechnische Universität DarmstadtGermany
| | - Ulf‐Peter Hansen
- Department of Structural BiologyChristian‐Albrechts‐University of KielGermany
| | - Sebastian Mach
- Plant Membrane BiophysicsTechnische Universität DarmstadtGermany
| | | | | | - Gerhard Thiel
- Plant Membrane BiophysicsTechnische Universität DarmstadtGermany
| | - Indra Schroeder
- Plant Membrane BiophysicsTechnische Universität DarmstadtGermany
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26
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Wu D. Dynamic water patterns change the stability of the collapsed filter conformation of the KcsA K+ channel. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0186789. [PMID: 29049423 PMCID: PMC5648213 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 10/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The selectivity filter of the KcsA K+ channel has two typical conformations-the conductive and the collapsed conformations, respectively. The transition from the conductive to the collapsed filter conformation can represent the process of inactivation that depends on many environmental factors. Water molecules permeating behind the filter can influence the collapsed filter stability. Here we perform the molecular dynamics simulations to study the stability of the collapsed filter of the KcsA K+ channel under the different water patterns. We find that the water patterns are dynamic behind the collapsed filter and the filter stability increases with the increasing number of water molecules. In addition, the stability increases significantly when water molecules distribute uniformly behind the four monomeric filter chains, and the stability is compromised if water molecules only cluster behind one or two adjacent filter chains. The altered filter stabilities thus suggest that the collapsed filter can inactivate gradually under the dynamic water patterns. We also demonstrate how the different water patterns affect the filter recovery from the collapsed conformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Wu
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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27
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Transmembrane allosteric energetics characterization for strong coupling between proton and potassium ion binding in the KcsA channel. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:8788-8793. [PMID: 28768808 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1701330114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The slow spontaneous inactivation of potassium channels exhibits classic signatures of transmembrane allostery. A variety of data support a model in which the loss of K+ ions from the selectivity filter is a major factor in promoting inactivation, which defeats transmission, and is allosterically coupled to protonation of key channel activation residues, more than 30 Å from the K+ ion binding site. We show that proton binding at the intracellular pH sensor perturbs the potassium affinity at the extracellular selectivity filter by more than three orders of magnitude for the full-length wild-type KcsA, a pH-gated bacterial channel, in membrane bilayers. Studies of F103 in the hinge of the inner helix suggest an important role for its bulky sidechain in the allosteric mechanism; we show that the energetic strength of coupling of the gates is strongly altered when this residue is mutated to alanine. These results provide quantitative site-specific measurements of allostery in a bilayer environment, and highlight the power of describing ion channel gating through the lens of allosteric coupling.
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28
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Spyrakis F, Ahmed MH, Bayden AS, Cozzini P, Mozzarelli A, Kellogg GE. The Roles of Water in the Protein Matrix: A Largely Untapped Resource for Drug Discovery. J Med Chem 2017; 60:6781-6827. [PMID: 28475332 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b00057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The value of thoroughly understanding the thermodynamics specific to a drug discovery/design study is well known. Over the past decade, the crucial roles of water molecules in protein structure, function, and dynamics have also become increasingly appreciated. This Perspective explores water in the biological environment by adopting its point of view in such phenomena. The prevailing thermodynamic models of the past, where water was seen largely in terms of an entropic gain after its displacement by a ligand, are now known to be much too simplistic. We adopt a set of terminology that describes water molecules as being "hot" and "cold", which we have defined as being easy and difficult to displace, respectively. The basis of these designations, which involve both enthalpic and entropic water contributions, are explored in several classes of biomolecules and structural motifs. The hallmarks for characterizing water molecules are examined, and computational tools for evaluating water-centric thermodynamics are reviewed. This Perspective's summary features guidelines for exploiting water molecules in drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Spyrakis
- Dipartimento di Scienza e Tecnologia del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Torino , Via Pietro Giuria 9, 10125 Torino, Italy
| | - Mostafa H Ahmed
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry & Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond, Virginia 23298-0540, United States
| | - Alexander S Bayden
- CMD Bioscience , 5 Science Park, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
| | - Pietro Cozzini
- Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Laboratorio di Modellistica Molecolare, Università degli Studi di Parma , Parco Area delle Scienze 59/A, 43121 Parma, Italy
| | - Andrea Mozzarelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Laboratorio di Biochimica, Università degli Studi di Parma , Parco Area delle Scienze 23/A, 43121 Parma, Italy.,Istituto di Biofisica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Glen E Kellogg
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry & Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond, Virginia 23298-0540, United States
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29
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Wang S, Borschel WF, Heyman S, Hsu P, Nichols CG. Conformational changes at cytoplasmic intersubunit interactions control Kir channel gating. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:10087-10096. [PMID: 28446610 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.785154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Revised: 04/17/2017] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The defining structural feature of inward-rectifier potassium (Kir) channels is the unique Kir cytoplasmic domain. Recently we showed that salt bridges located at the cytoplasmic domain subunit interfaces (CD-Is) of eukaryotic Kir channels control channel gating via stability of a novel inactivated closed state. The cytoplasmic domains of prokaryotic and eukaryotic Kir channels show similar conformational rearrangements to the common gating ligand, phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate (PIP2), although these exhibit opposite coupling to opening and closing transitions. In Kir2.1, mutation of one of these CD-I salt bridge residues (R204A) reduces apparent PIP2 sensitivity of channel activity, and here we show that Ala or Cys substitutions of the functionally equivalent residue (Arg-165) in the prokaryotic Kir channel KirBac1.1 also significantly decrease sensitivity of the channel to PIP2 (by 5-30-fold). To further understand the structural basis of CD-I control of Kir channel gating, we examined the effect of the R165A mutation on PIP2-induced changes in channel function and conformation. Single-channel analyses indicated that the R165A mutation disrupts the characteristic long interburst closed state of reconstituted KirBac1.1 in giant liposomes, resulting in a higher open probability due to more frequent opening bursts. Intramolecular FRET measurements indicate that, relative to wild-type channels, the R165A mutation results in splaying of the cytoplasmic domains away from the central axis and that PIP2 essentially induces opposite motions of the major β-sheet in this channel mutant. We conclude that the removal of stabilizing CD-I salt bridges results in a collapsed state of the Kir domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shizhen Wang
- From the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology and the Center for the Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - William F Borschel
- From the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology and the Center for the Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Sarah Heyman
- From the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology and the Center for the Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Phillip Hsu
- From the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology and the Center for the Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Colin G Nichols
- From the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology and the Center for the Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
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30
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Sumino A, Uchihashi T, Oiki S. Oriented Reconstitution of the Full-Length KcsA Potassium Channel in a Lipid Bilayer for AFM Imaging. J Phys Chem Lett 2017; 8:785-793. [PMID: 28139934 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.6b03058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Here, we have developed a method of oriented reconstitution of the KcsA potassium channel amenable to high-resolution AFM imaging. The solubilized full-length KcsA channels with histidine-tagged (His-tag) C-terminal ends were attached to a Ni2+-coated mica surface, and then detergent-destabilized liposomes were added to fill the interchannel space. AFM revealed that the membrane-embedded KcsA channels were oriented with their extracellular faces upward, seen as a tetrameric square shape. This orientation was corroborated by the visible binding of a peptide scorpion toxin, agitoxin-2. To observe the cytoplasmic side of the channel, a His-tag was inserted into the extracellular loop, and the oppositely oriented channels provided wholly different images. In either orientation, the channels were individually dispersed at acidic pH, whereas they were self-assembled at neutral pH, indicating that the oriented channels are allowed to diffuse in the membrane. This method is readily applicable to membrane proteins in general for AFM imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayumi Sumino
- PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) , 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi-shi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui , 23-3 Matsuokashimoaizuki, Yoshida-gun, Fukui 910-1193, Japan
| | - Takayuki Uchihashi
- Department of Physics, Kanazawa University , Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
- Bio-AFM Frontier Research Center , Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Shigetoshi Oiki
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui , 23-3 Matsuokashimoaizuki, Yoshida-gun, Fukui 910-1193, Japan
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31
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Montoya E, Lourdes Renart M, Marcela Giudici A, Poveda JA, Fernández AM, Morales A, González-Ros JM. Differential binding of monovalent cations to KcsA: Deciphering the mechanisms of potassium channel selectivity. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2017; 1859:779-788. [PMID: 28088447 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2017.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Revised: 12/16/2016] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
This work explores whether the ion selectivity and permeation properties of a model potassium channel, KcsA, could be explained based on ion binding features. Non-permeant Na+ or Li+ bind with low affinity (millimolar KD's) to a single set of sites contributed by the S1 and S4 sites seen at the selectivity filter in the KcsA crystal structure. Conversely, permeant K+, Rb+, Tl+ and even Cs+ bind to two different sets of sites as their concentration increases, consistent with crystallographic evidence on the ability of permeant species to induce concentration-dependent transitions between conformational states (non-conductive and conductive) of the channel's selectivity filter. The first set of such sites, assigned also to the crystallographic S1 and S4 sites, shows similarly high affinities for all permeant species (micromolar KD's), thus, securing displacement of potentially competing non-permeant cations. The second set of sites, available only to permeant cations upon the transition to the conductive filter conformation, shows low affinity (millimolar KD's), thus, favoring cation dissociation and permeation and results from the contribution of all S1 through S4 crystallographic sites. The differences in affinities between permeant and non-permeant cations and the similarities in binding behavior within each of these two groups, correlate fully with their permeabilities relative to K+, suggesting that binding is an important determinant of the channel's ion selectivity. Conversely, the complexity observed in permeation features cannot be explained just in terms of binding and likely relates to reported differences in the occupancy of the S2 and S3 sites by the permeant cations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estefanía Montoya
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, 03202 Alicante, Spain
| | - M Lourdes Renart
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, 03202 Alicante, Spain
| | - A Marcela Giudici
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, 03202 Alicante, Spain
| | - José A Poveda
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, 03202 Alicante, Spain
| | - Asia M Fernández
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, 03202 Alicante, Spain
| | - Andrés Morales
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, 03202 Alicante, Spain
| | - José M González-Ros
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, 03202 Alicante, Spain.
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32
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Siekmann I, Fackrell M, Crampin EJ, Taylor P. Modelling modal gating of ion channels with hierarchical Markov models. Proc Math Phys Eng Sci 2016; 472:20160122. [PMID: 27616917 PMCID: PMC5014102 DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2016.0122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2016] [Accepted: 07/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many ion channels spontaneously switch between different levels of activity. Although this behaviour known as modal gating has been observed for a long time it is currently not well understood. Despite the fact that appropriately representing activity changes is essential for accurately capturing time course data from ion channels, systematic approaches for modelling modal gating are currently not available. In this paper, we develop a modular approach for building such a model in an iterative process. First, stochastic switching between modes and stochastic opening and closing within modes are represented in separate aggregated Markov models. Second, the continuous-time hierarchical Markov model, a new modelling framework proposed here, then enables us to combine these components so that in the integrated model both mode switching as well as the kinetics within modes are appropriately represented. A mathematical analysis reveals that the behaviour of the hierarchical Markov model naturally depends on the properties of its components. We also demonstrate how a hierarchical Markov model can be parametrized using experimental data and show that it provides a better representation than a previous model of the same dataset. Because evidence is increasing that modal gating reflects underlying molecular properties of the channel protein, it is likely that biophysical processes are better captured by our new approach than in earlier models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivo Siekmann
- Systems Biology Laboratory, Melbourne School of Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Centre for Systems Genomics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Mark Fackrell
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Edmund J. Crampin
- Systems Biology Laboratory, Melbourne School of Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Centre for Systems Genomics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- School of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Peter Taylor
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers, Melbourne, Australia
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33
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Tilegenova C, Vemulapally S, Cortes DM, Cuello LG. An improved method for the cost-effective expression and purification of large quantities of KcsA. Protein Expr Purif 2016; 127:53-60. [PMID: 27393071 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2016.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Revised: 06/22/2016] [Accepted: 07/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
KcsA, the bacterial K(+) channel from Streptomyces lividans, is the prototypical model system to study the functional and structural correlations of the pore domain of eukaryotic voltage-gated K(+) channels (Kv channels). It contains all the molecular elements responsible for ion conduction, activation, deactivation and inactivation gating [1]. KcsA's structural simplicity makes it highly amenable for structural studies. Therefore, it is methodological advantageous to produce large amounts of functional and properly folded KcsA in a cost-effective manner. In the present study, we show an optimized protocol for the over-expression and purification of large amounts of high-quality, fully functional and crystallizable KcsA using inexpensive detergents, which significantly lowered the cost of the purification process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cholpon Tilegenova
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics and Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, 3601 4th Street STOP 6551, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Spandana Vemulapally
- Current address: Department of Biology, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
| | - Doris M Cortes
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics and Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, 3601 4th Street STOP 6551, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Luis G Cuello
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics and Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, 3601 4th Street STOP 6551, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA.
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34
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Structure of the full-length TRPV2 channel by cryo-EM. Nat Commun 2016; 7:11130. [PMID: 27021073 PMCID: PMC4820614 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2015] [Accepted: 02/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Transient receptor potential (TRP) proteins form a superfamily Ca2+-permeable cation channels regulated by a range of chemical and physical stimuli. Structural analysis of a ‘minimal' TRP vanilloid subtype 1 (TRPV1) elucidated a mechanism of channel activation by agonists through changes in its outer pore region. Though homologous to TRPV1, other TRPV channels (TRPV2–6) are insensitive to TRPV1 activators including heat and vanilloids. To further understand the structural basis of TRPV channel function, we determined the structure of full-length TRPV2 at ∼5 Å resolution by cryo-electron microscopy. Like TRPV1, TRPV2 contains two constrictions, one each in the pore-forming upper and lower gates. The agonist-free full-length TRPV2 has wider upper and lower gates compared with closed and agonist-activated TRPV1. We propose these newly revealed TRPV2 structural features contribute to diversity of TRPV channels. Transient receptor potential (TRP) proteins are Ca2+-permeable cation channels activated by a range of chemical and physical stimuli. Here the authors describe a cryo-EM structure of the full-length TRPV2 channel that provides insight into the regulation of the TRPV subfamily of channels.
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35
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Brettmann JB, Urusova D, Tonelli M, Silva JR, Henzler-Wildman KA. Role of protein dynamics in ion selectivity and allosteric coupling in the NaK channel. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:15366-71. [PMID: 26621745 PMCID: PMC4687598 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1515965112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Flux-dependent inactivation that arises from functional coupling between the inner gate and the selectivity filter is widespread in ion channels. The structural basis of this coupling has only been well characterized in KcsA. Here we present NMR data demonstrating structural and dynamic coupling between the selectivity filter and intracellular constriction point in the bacterial nonselective cation channel, NaK. This transmembrane allosteric communication must be structurally different from KcsA because the NaK selectivity filter does not collapse under low-cation conditions. Comparison of NMR spectra of the nonselective NaK and potassium-selective NaK2K indicates that the number of ion binding sites in the selectivity filter shifts the equilibrium distribution of structural states throughout the channel. This finding was unexpected given the nearly identical crystal structure of NaK and NaK2K outside the immediate vicinity of the selectivity filter. Our results highlight the tight structural and dynamic coupling between the selectivity filter and the channel scaffold, which has significant implications for channel function. NaK offers a distinct model to study the physiologically essential connection between ion conduction and channel gating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua B Brettmann
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110
| | - Darya Urusova
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130
| | - Marco Tonelli
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706
| | - Jonathan R Silva
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130
| | - Katherine A Henzler-Wildman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110; Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706
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36
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Molina ML, Giudici AM, Poveda JA, Fernández-Ballester G, Montoya E, Renart ML, Fernández AM, Encinar JA, Riquelme G, Morales A, González-Ros JM. Competing Lipid-Protein and Protein-Protein Interactions Determine Clustering and Gating Patterns in the Potassium Channel from Streptomyces lividans (KcsA). J Biol Chem 2015; 290:25745-55. [PMID: 26336105 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.669598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
There is increasing evidence to support the notion that membrane proteins, instead of being isolated components floating in a fluid lipid environment, can be assembled into supramolecular complexes that take part in a variety of cooperative cellular functions. The interplay between lipid-protein and protein-protein interactions is expected to be a determinant factor in the assembly and dynamics of such membrane complexes. Here we report on a role of anionic phospholipids in determining the extent of clustering of KcsA, a model potassium channel. Assembly/disassembly of channel clusters occurs, at least partly, as a consequence of competing lipid-protein and protein-protein interactions at nonannular lipid binding sites on the channel surface and brings about profound changes in the gating properties of the channel. Our results suggest that these latter effects of anionic lipids are mediated via the Trp(67)-Glu(71)-Asp(80) inactivation triad within the channel structure and its bearing on the selectivity filter.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Luisa Molina
- From the Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, 03202 Alicante, Spain
| | - A Marcela Giudici
- From the Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, 03202 Alicante, Spain
| | - José A Poveda
- From the Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, 03202 Alicante, Spain
| | | | - Estefanía Montoya
- From the Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, 03202 Alicante, Spain
| | - M Lourdes Renart
- From the Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, 03202 Alicante, Spain
| | - Asia M Fernández
- From the Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, 03202 Alicante, Spain
| | - José A Encinar
- From the Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, 03202 Alicante, Spain
| | - Gloria Riquelme
- the Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, 1027 Santiago, Chile, and
| | - Andrés Morales
- the Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Universidad de Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain
| | - José M González-Ros
- From the Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, 03202 Alicante, Spain,
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37
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Oiki S. Channel function reconstitution and re-animation: a single-channel strategy in the postcrystal age. J Physiol 2015; 593:2553-73. [PMID: 25833254 DOI: 10.1113/jp270025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2014] [Accepted: 03/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The most essential properties of ion channels for their physiologically relevant functions are ion-selective permeation and gating. Among the channel species, the potassium channel is primordial and the most ubiquitous in the biological world, and knowledge of this channel underlies the understanding of features of other ion channels. The strategy applied to studying channels changed dramatically after the crystal structure of the potassium channel was resolved. Given the abundant structural information available, we exploited the bacterial KcsA potassium channel as a simple model channel. In the postcrystal age, there are two effective frameworks with which to decipher the functional codes present in the channel structure, namely reconstitution and re-animation. Complex channel proteins are decomposed into essential functional components, and well-examined parts are rebuilt for integrating channel function in the membrane (reconstitution). Permeation and gating are dynamic operations, and one imagines the active channel by breathing life into the 'frozen' crystal (re-animation). Capturing the motion of channels at the single-molecule level is necessary to characterize the behaviour of functioning channels. Advanced techniques, including diffracted X-ray tracking, lipid bilayer methods and high-speed atomic force microscopy, have been used. Here, I present dynamic pictures of the KcsA potassium channel from the submolecular conformational changes to the supramolecular collective behaviour of channels in the membrane. These results form an integrated picture of the active channel and offer insights into the processes underlying the physiological function of the channel in the cell membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigetoshi Oiki
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, 910-1193, Japan
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38
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Abstract
Large macromolecular assemblies, so-called molecular machines, are critical to ensuring proper cellular function. Understanding how proper function is achieved at the atomic level is crucial to advancing multiple avenues of biomedical research. Biophysical studies often include X-ray diffraction and cryo-electron microscopy, providing detailed structural descriptions of these machines. However, their inherent flexibility has complicated an understanding of the relation between structure and function. Solution NMR spectroscopy is well suited to the study of such dynamic complexes, and continued developments have increased size boundaries; insights into function have been obtained for complexes with masses as large as 1 MDa. We highlight methyl-TROSY (transverse relaxation optimized spectroscopy) NMR, which enables the study of such large systems, and include examples of applications to several cellular machines. We show how this emerging technique contributes to an understanding of cellular function and the role of molecular plasticity in regulating an array of biochemical activities.
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Dörr JM, Koorengevel MC, Schäfer M, Prokofyev AV, Scheidelaar S, van der Cruijsen EAW, Dafforn TR, Baldus M, Killian JA. Detergent-free isolation, characterization, and functional reconstitution of a tetrameric K+ channel: the power of native nanodiscs. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:18607-12. [PMID: 25512535 PMCID: PMC4284610 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1416205112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 244] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
A major obstacle in the study of membrane proteins is their solubilization in a stable and active conformation when using detergents. Here, we explored a detergent-free approach to isolating the tetrameric potassium channel KcsA directly from the membrane of Escherichia coli, using a styrene-maleic acid copolymer. This polymer self-inserts into membranes and is capable of extracting membrane patches in the form of nanosize discoidal proteolipid particles or "native nanodiscs." Using circular dichroism and tryptophan fluorescence spectroscopy, we show that the conformation of KcsA in native nanodiscs is very similar to that in detergent micelles, but that the thermal stability of the protein is higher in the nanodiscs. Furthermore, as a promising new application, we show that quantitative analysis of the co-isolated lipids in purified KcsA-containing nanodiscs allows determination of preferential lipid-protein interactions. Thin-layer chromatography experiments revealed an enrichment of the anionic lipids cardiolipin and phosphatidylglycerol, indicating their close proximity to the channel in biological membranes and supporting their functional relevance. Finally, we demonstrate that KcsA can be reconstituted into planar lipid bilayers directly from native nanodiscs, which enables functional characterization of the channel by electrophysiology without first depriving the protein of its native environment. Together, these findings highlight the potential of the use of native nanodiscs as a tool in the study of ion channels, and of membrane proteins in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas M Dörr
- Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands;
| | - Martijn C Koorengevel
- Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marre Schäfer
- Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Alexander V Prokofyev
- NMR Spectroscopy, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands; and
| | - Stefan Scheidelaar
- Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Elwin A W van der Cruijsen
- NMR Spectroscopy, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands; and
| | - Timothy R Dafforn
- School of Bio Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Marc Baldus
- NMR Spectroscopy, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands; and
| | - J Antoinette Killian
- Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
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40
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Rusinova R, Kim DM, Nimigean CM, Andersen OS. Regulation of ion channel function by the host lipid bilayer examined by a stopped-flow spectrofluorometric assay. Biophys J 2014; 106:1070-8. [PMID: 24606931 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2014.01.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2013] [Revised: 01/03/2014] [Accepted: 01/07/2014] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
To examine the function of ligand-gated ion channels in a defined membrane environment, we developed a robust sequential-mixing fluorescence-based stopped-flow assay. Channel activity is determined using a channel-permeable quencher (e.g., thallium, Tl(+)) of a water-soluble fluorophore (8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid) encapsulated in large unilamellar vesicles in which the channel of interest has been reconstituted, which allows for rapid solution changes. To validate the method, we explored the activation of wild-type KcsA channel, as well as it's noninactivating (E71A) KcsA mutant, by extravesicular protons (H(+)). For both channel types, the day-to-day variability in the reconstitution yield (as judged from the time course of fluorescence quenching) is <10%. The activation curve for E71A KcsA is similar to that obtained previously using single-channel electrophysiology, and the activation curves for wild-type and E71A KcsA are indistinguishable, indicating that channel activation and inactivation are separate processes. We then investigated the regulation of KcsA activation by changes in lipid bilayer composition. Increasing the acyl chain length (from C18:1 to C22:1 in diacylphosphatidylcholine), but not the mole fraction of POPG (>0.25) in the bilayer-forming phospholipid mixture, alters KcsA H(+) gating. The bilayer-thickness-dependent shift in the activation curve is suggestive of a decrease in an apparent H(+) affinity and cooperativity. The control over bilayer environment and time resolution makes this method a powerful assay for exploring ligand activation and inactivation of ion channels, and how channel gating varies with changes in the channels' lipid bilayer environment or other regulatory processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radda Rusinova
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York; Department of Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York.
| | - Dorothy M Kim
- Department of Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
| | - Crina M Nimigean
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York; Department of Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
| | - Olaf S Andersen
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
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41
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Koers EJ, van der Cruijsen EAW, Rosay M, Weingarth M, Prokofyev A, Sauvée C, Ouari O, van der Zwan J, Pongs O, Tordo P, Maas WE, Baldus M. NMR-based structural biology enhanced by dynamic nuclear polarization at high magnetic field. JOURNAL OF BIOMOLECULAR NMR 2014; 60:157-68. [PMID: 25284462 DOI: 10.1007/s10858-014-9865-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2014] [Accepted: 09/23/2014] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) has become a powerful method to enhance spectroscopic sensitivity in the context of magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We show that, compared to DNP at lower field (400 MHz/263 GHz), high field DNP (800 MHz/527 GHz) can significantly enhance spectral resolution and allows exploitation of the paramagnetic relaxation properties of DNP polarizing agents as direct structural probes under magic angle spinning conditions. Applied to a membrane-embedded K(+) channel, this approach allowed us to refine the membrane-embedded channel structure and revealed conformational substates that are present during two different stages of the channel gating cycle. High-field DNP thus offers atomic insight into the role of molecular plasticity during the course of biomolecular function in a complex cellular environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eline J Koers
- NMR Spectroscopy, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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42
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Dondapati SK, Kreir M, Quast RB, Wüstenhagen DA, Brüggemann A, Fertig N, Kubick S. Membrane assembly of the functional KcsA potassium channel in a vesicle-based eukaryotic cell-free translation system. Biosens Bioelectron 2014; 59:174-83. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2014.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2013] [Revised: 02/27/2014] [Accepted: 03/03/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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43
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Siekmann I, Sneyd J, Crampin EJ. Statistical analysis of modal gating in ion channels. Proc Math Phys Eng Sci 2014. [DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2014.0030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Ion channels regulate the concentrations of ions within cells. By stochastically opening and closing its pore, they enable or prevent ions from crossing the cell membrane. However, rather than opening with a constant probability, many ion channels switch between several different levels of activity even if the experimental conditions are unchanged. This phenomenon is known as modal gating: instead of directly adapting its activity, the channel seems to mix sojourns in active and inactive modes in order to exhibit intermediate open probabilities. Evidence is accumulating that modal gating rather than modulation of opening and closing at a faster time scale is the primary regulatory mechanism of ion channels. However, currently, no method is available for reliably calculating sojourns in different modes. In order to address this challenge, we develop a statistical framework for segmenting single-channel datasets into segments that are characteristic for particular modes. The algorithm finds the number of mode changes, detects their locations and infers the open probabilities of the modes. We apply our approach to data from the inositol-trisphosphate receptor. Based upon these results, we propose that mode changes originate from alternative conformational states of the channel protein that determine a certain level of channel activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivo Siekmann
- National ICT Australia, Victorian Research Laboratory, Melbourne, Australia
- Systems Biology Laboratory, Melbourne School of Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - James Sneyd
- Department of Mathematics, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Edmund J. Crampin
- National ICT Australia, Victorian Research Laboratory, Melbourne, Australia
- Systems Biology Laboratory, Melbourne School of Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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44
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Poveda J, Giudici A, Renart M, Molina M, Montoya E, Fernández-Carvajal A, Fernández-Ballester G, Encinar J, González-Ros J. Lipid modulation of ion channels through specific binding sites. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2014; 1838:1560-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2013.10.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2013] [Revised: 10/24/2013] [Accepted: 10/30/2013] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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45
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Hulse RE, Sachleben JR, Wen PC, Moradi M, Tajkhorshid E, Perozo E. Conformational dynamics at the inner gate of KcsA during activation. Biochemistry 2014; 53:2557-9. [PMID: 24621378 PMCID: PMC4010282 DOI: 10.1021/bi500168u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
![]()
The potassium channel KcsA offers
a unique opportunity to explicitly study the dynamics of the moving
parts of ion channels, yet our understanding of the extent and dynamic
behavior of the physiologically relevant structural changes at the
inner gate in KcsA remains incomplete. Here, we use electron paramagnetic
resonance, nuclear magnetic resonance, and molecular dynamics simulations
to characterize the extent of pH-dependent conformational changes
of the inner gate in lipid bilayers or detergent micelles. Our results
show that under physiological conditions the inner gate experiences
a maximal diagonal opening of ∼24 Å with the largest degree
of dynamics near the pKa of activation
(pH ∼3.9). These results extend the observation that the C-terminus
is necessary to limit the extent of opening and imply that the inner
gate regulates the extent of conformational change at the zone of
allosteric coupling and at the selectivity filter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raymond E Hulse
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago , Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
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46
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Kalsi S, Powl AM, Wallace BA, Morgan H, de Planque MRR. Shaped apertures in photoresist films enhance the lifetime and mechanical stability of suspended lipid bilayers. Biophys J 2014; 106:1650-9. [PMID: 24739164 PMCID: PMC4008792 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2014.02.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2013] [Revised: 02/12/2014] [Accepted: 02/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Planar lipid bilayers suspended in apertures provide a controlled environment for ion channel studies. However, short lifetimes and poor mechanical stability of suspended bilayers limit the experimental throughput of bilayer electrophysiology experiments. Although bilayers are more stable in smaller apertures, ion channel incorporation through vesicle fusion with the suspended bilayer becomes increasingly difficult. In an alternative bilayer stabilization approach, we have developed shaped apertures in SU8 photoresist that have tapered sidewalls and a minimum diameter between 60 and 100 μm. Bilayers formed at the thin tip of these shaped apertures, either with the painting or the folding method, display drastically increased lifetimes, typically >20 h, and mechanical stability, being able to withstand extensive perturbation of the buffer solution. Single-channel electrical recordings of the peptide alamethicin and of the proteoliposome-delivered potassium channel KcsA demonstrate channel conductance with low noise, made possible by the small capacitance of the 50 μm thick SU8 septum, which is only thinned around the aperture, and unimpeded proteoliposome fusion, enabled by the large aperture diameter. We anticipate that these shaped apertures with micrometer edge thickness can substantially enhance the throughput of channel characterization by bilayer lipid membrane electrophysiology, especially in combination with automated parallel bilayer platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumit Kalsi
- Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom; Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom.
| | - Andrew M Powl
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - B A Wallace
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hywel Morgan
- Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom; Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Maurits R R de Planque
- Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom; Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom.
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47
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Huynh KW, Cohen MR, Chakrapani S, Holdaway HA, Stewart PL, Moiseenkova-Bell VY. Structural insight into the assembly of TRPV channels. Structure 2013; 22:260-8. [PMID: 24373766 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2013.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2013] [Revised: 11/01/2013] [Accepted: 11/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Transient receptor potential (TRP) proteins are a large family of polymodal nonselective cation channels. The TRP vanilloid (TRPV) subfamily consists of six homologous members with diverse functions. TRPV1-TRPV4 are nonselective cation channels proposed to play a role in nociception, while TRPV5 and TRPV6 are involved in epithelial Ca²⁺ homeostasis. Here we present the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of functional, full-length TRPV2 at 13.6 Å resolution. The map reveals that the TRPV2 cytoplasmic domain displays a 4-fold petal-like shape in which high-resolution N-terminal ankyrin repeat domain (ARD) structures can be unambiguously fitted. Fitting of the available ARD structures for other TRPV subfamily members into the TRPV2 EM map suggests that TRPV subfamily members have highly homologous structural topologies. These results allowed us to postulate a structural explanation for the functional diversity among TRPV channels and their differential regulation by proteins and ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin W Huynh
- Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Matthew R Cohen
- Deparment of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Sudha Chakrapani
- Deparment of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Heather A Holdaway
- Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Phoebe L Stewart
- Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Vera Y Moiseenkova-Bell
- Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Deparment of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
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48
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Ostmeyer J, Chakrapani S, Pan AC, Perozo E, Roux B. Recovery from slow inactivation in K+ channels is controlled by water molecules. Nature 2013; 501:121-4. [PMID: 23892782 PMCID: PMC3799803 DOI: 10.1038/nature12395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2012] [Accepted: 06/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The bacterial K+ channel KcsA can be used to help elucidate questions about channel inactivation and recovery at the atomic level. Although KcsA contains only a pore domain, without voltage-sensing machinery, it has the structural elements necessary for ion conduction, activation and inactivation1–7. Available X-ray structures of KcsA provide an atomic view of the four most important functional states in which the intracellular gate is either closed or open, and the selectivity filter is either conductive or inactivated8–10. Application of a specific stimulus opens the intracellular gate of a K+ channel (activation), yielding a transient period of ion conduction until the selectivity filter spontaneously undergoes a conformational change toward a non-conductive state (inactivation). Removal of the stimulus closes the gate and allows the selectivity filter to interconvert back to its conductive conformation (recovery). In this manuscript, a series of long molecular dynamics (MD) simulations reveal how the selectivity filter is sterically locked in the inactive conformation by buried water molecules bound behind the selectivity filter. Potential of mean force calculations show how the recovery process is affected by the buried waters and the rebinding of an external K+ ion. A kinetic model deduced from the simulations shows how releasing the buried waters can stretch the timescale of recovery to seconds. This leads to the prediction that reducing the occupancy of the buried waters by imposing a high osmotic stress should accelerate the rate of recovery, which was verified experimentally by measuring the recovery rate in the presence of 2M sucrose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared Ostmeyer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, 929 E57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
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49
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Filter gate closure inhibits ion but not water transport through potassium channels. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:10842-7. [PMID: 23754382 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1304714110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The selectivity filter of K(+) channels is conserved throughout all kingdoms of life. Carbonyl groups of highly conserved amino acids point toward the lumen to act as surrogates for the water molecules of K(+) hydration. Ion conductivity is abrogated if some of these carbonyl groups flip out of the lumen, which happens (i) in the process of C-type inactivation or (ii) during filter collapse in the absence of K(+). Here, we show that K(+) channels remain permeable to water, even after entering such an electrically silent conformation. We reconstituted fluorescently labeled and constitutively open mutants of the bacterial K(+) channel KcsA into lipid vesicles that were either C-type inactivating or noninactivating. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy allowed us to count both the number of proteoliposomes and the number of protein-containing micelles after solubilization, providing the number of reconstituted channels per proteoliposome. Quantification of the per-channel increment in proteoliposome water permeability with the aid of stopped-flow experiments yielded a unitary water permeability pf of (6.9 ± 0.6) × 10(-13) cm(3)⋅s(-1) for both mutants. "Collapse" of the selectivity filter upon K(+) removal did not alter pf and was fully reversible, as demonstrated by current measurements through planar bilayers in a K(+)-containing medium to which K(+)-free proteoliposomes were fused. Water flow through KcsA is halved by 200 mM K(+) in the aqueous solution, which indicates an effective K(+) dissociation constant in that range for a singly occupied channel. This questions the widely accepted hypothesis that multiple K(+) ions in the selectivity filter act to mutually destabilize binding.
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50
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Hoshi T, Armstrong CM. C-type inactivation of voltage-gated K+ channels: pore constriction or dilation? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 141:151-60. [PMID: 23319730 PMCID: PMC3557304 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201210888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Toshinori Hoshi
- Department of Physiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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