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Wang J, Blount P. Feeling the Tension: The Bacterial Mechanosensitive Channel MscL as a Model System and Drug Target. CURRENT OPINION IN PHYSIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cophys.2022.100627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Wray R, Wang J, Blount P, Iscla I. Activation of a Bacterial Mechanosensitive Channel, MscL, Underlies the Membrane Permeabilization of Dual-Targeting Antibacterial Compounds. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11070970. [PMID: 35884223 PMCID: PMC9312261 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11070970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Resistance to antibiotics is a serious and worsening threat to human health worldwide, and there is an urgent need to develop new antibiotics that can avert it. One possible solution is the development of compounds that possess multiple modes of action, requiring at least two mutations to acquire resistance. Compound SCH-79797 both avoids resistance and has two mechanisms of action: one inhibiting the folate pathway, and a second described as “membrane permeabilization”; however, the mechanism by which membranes from bacterial cells, but not the host, are disrupted has remained mysterious. The opening of the bacterial mechanosensitive channel of large conductance, MscL, which ordinarily serves the physiological role of osmotic emergency release valves gated by hypoosmotic shock, has been previously demonstrated to affect bacterial membrane permeabilization. MscL allows the rapid permeabilization of both ions and solutes through the opening of the largest known gated pore, which has a diameter of 30 Å. We found that SCH-79797 and IRS-16, a more potent derivative, directly bind to the MscL channel and produce membrane permeabilization as a result of its activation. These findings suggest that possessing or adding an MscL-activating component to an antibiotic compound could help to lower toxicity and evade antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Wray
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390, USA;
| | - Junmei Wang
- Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburg, PA 15261, USA
- Correspondence: (J.W.); (P.B.); (I.I.)
| | - Paul Blount
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390, USA;
- Correspondence: (J.W.); (P.B.); (I.I.)
| | - Irene Iscla
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390, USA;
- Correspondence: (J.W.); (P.B.); (I.I.)
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In Silico Screen Identifies a New Family of Agonists for the Bacterial Mechanosensitive Channel MscL. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11040433. [PMID: 35453186 PMCID: PMC9030384 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11040433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
MscL is a highly conserved mechanosensitive channel found in the majority of bacterial species, including pathogens. It functions as a biological emergency release valve, jettisoning solutes from the cytoplasm upon acute hypoosmotic stress. It opens the largest known gated pore and has been heralded as an antibacterial target. Although there are no known endogenous ligands, small compounds have recently been shown to specifically bind to and open the channel, leading to decreased cell growth and viability. Their binding site is at the cytoplasmic/membrane and subunit interfaces of the protein, which has been recently been proposed to play an essential role in channel gating. Here, we have targeted this pocket using in silico screening, resulting in the discovery of a new family of compounds, distinct from other known MscL-specific agonists. Our findings extended the study of this functional region, the progression of MscL as a viable drug target, and demonstrated the power of in silico screening for identifying and improving the design of MscL agonists.
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Discoveries in structure and physiology of mechanically activated ion channels. Nature 2020; 587:567-576. [PMID: 33239794 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2933-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 259] [Impact Index Per Article: 64.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The ability to sense physical forces is conserved across all organisms. Cells convert mechanical stimuli into electrical or chemical signals via mechanically activated ion channels. In recent years, the identification of new families of mechanosensitive ion channels-such as PIEZO and OSCA/TMEM63 channels-along with surprising insights into well-studied mechanosensitive channels have driven further developments in the mechanotransduction field. Several well-characterized mechanosensory roles such as touch, blood-pressure sensing and hearing are now linked with primary mechanotransducers. Unanticipated roles of mechanical force sensing continue to be uncovered. Furthermore, high-resolution structures representative of nearly every family of mechanically activated channel described so far have underscored their diversity while advancing our understanding of the biophysical mechanisms of pressure sensing. Here we summarize recent discoveries in the physiology and structures of known mechanically activated ion channel families and discuss their implications for understanding the mechanisms of mechanical force sensing.
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Wray R, Wang J, Iscla I, Blount P. Novel MscL agonists that allow multiple antibiotics cytoplasmic access activate the channel through a common binding site. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228153. [PMID: 31978161 PMCID: PMC6980572 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The antibiotic resistance crisis is becoming dire, yet in the past several years few potential antibiotics or adjuvants with novel modes of action have been identified. The bacterial mechanosensitive channel of large conductance, MscL, found in the majority of bacterial species, including pathogens, normally functions as an emergency release valve, sensing membrane tension upon low-osmotic stress and discharging cytoplasmic solutes before cell lysis. Opening the huge ~30Å diameter pore of MscL inappropriately is detrimental to the cell, allowing solutes from and even passage of drugs into to cytoplasm. Thus, MscL is a potential novel drug target. However, there are no known natural agonists, and small compounds that modulate MscL activity are just now being identified. Here we describe a small compound, K05, that specifically modulates MscL activity and we compare results with those obtained for the recently characterized MscL agonist 011A. While the structure of K05 only vaguely resembles 011A, many of the findings, including the binding pocket, are similar. On the other hand, both in vivo and molecular dynamic simulations indicate that the two compounds modulate MscL activity in significantly different ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Wray
- Department of Physiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Junmei Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Irene Iscla
- Department of Physiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Paul Blount
- Department of Physiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
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Life with Bacterial Mechanosensitive Channels, from Discovery to Physiology to Pharmacological Target. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2020; 84:84/1/e00055-19. [PMID: 31941768 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00055-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
General principles in biology have often been elucidated from the study of bacteria. This is true for the bacterial mechanosensitive channel of large conductance, MscL, the channel highlighted in this review. This channel functions as a last-ditch emergency release valve discharging cytoplasmic solutes upon decreases in osmotic environment. Opening the largest gated pore, MscL passes molecules up to 30 Å in diameter; exaggerated conformational changes yield advantages for study, including in vivo assays. MscL contains structural/functional themes that recur in higher organisms and help elucidate how other, structurally more complex, channels function. These features of MscL include (i) the ability to directly sense, and respond to, biophysical changes in the membrane, (ii) an α helix ("slide helix") or series of charges ("knot in a rope") at the cytoplasmic membrane boundary to guide transmembrane movements, and (iii) important subunit interfaces that, when disrupted, appear to cause the channel to gate inappropriately. MscL may also have medical applications: the modality of the MscL channel can be changed, suggesting its use as a triggered nanovalve in nanodevices, including those for drug targeting. In addition, recent studies have shown that the antibiotic streptomycin opens MscL and uses it as one of the primary paths to the cytoplasm. Moreover, the recent identification and study of novel specific agonist compounds demonstrate that the channel is a valid drug target. Such compounds may serve as novel-acting antibiotics and adjuvants, a way of permeabilizing the bacterial cell membrane and, thus, increasing the potency of commonly used antibiotics.
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Wray R, Iscla I, Kovacs Z, Wang J, Blount P. Novel compounds that specifically bind and modulate MscL: insights into channel gating mechanisms. FASEB J 2019; 33:3180-3189. [PMID: 30359098 PMCID: PMC6404570 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201801628r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The bacterial mechanosensitive channel of large conductance (MscL) normally functions as an emergency release valve discharging cytoplasmic solutes upon osmotic stress. Opening the large pore of MscL inappropriately is detrimental to the cell, and thus it has been speculated to be a potential antibiotic target. Although MscL is one of the best studied mechanosensitive channels, no chemical that influenced bacterial growth by modulating MscL is known. We therefore used a high-throughput screen to identify compounds that slowed growth in an MscL-dependent manner. We characterized 2 novel sulfonamide compounds identified in the screen. We demonstrated that, although both increase MscL gating, one of these compounds does not work through the folate pathway, as other antimicrobial sulfonamides; indeed, the sulfonamide portion of the compound is not needed for activity. The only mode of action appears to be MscL activation. The binding pocket is where an α-helix runs along the cytoplasmic membrane and interacts with a neighboring subunit; analogous motifs have been observed in several prokaryotic and eukaryotic channels. The data not only demonstrate that MscL is a viable antibiotic target, but also give insight into the gating mechanisms of MscL, and they may have implications for developing agonists for other channels.-Wray, R., Iscla, I., Kovacs, Z., Wang, J., Blount, P. Novel compounds that specifically bind and modulate MscL: insights into channel gating mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Wray
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Irene Iscla
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Zoltan Kovacs
- Advanced Imaging Research Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Junmei Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Paul Blount
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
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Wray R, Iscla I, Gao Y, Li H, Wang J, Blount P. Dihydrostreptomycin Directly Binds to, Modulates, and Passes through the MscL Channel Pore. PLoS Biol 2016; 14:e1002473. [PMID: 27280286 PMCID: PMC4900634 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2015] [Accepted: 05/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The primary mechanism of action of the antibiotic dihydrostreptomycin is binding to and modifying the function of the bacterial ribosome, thus leading to decreased and aberrant translation of proteins; however, the routes by which it enters the bacterial cell are largely unknown. The mechanosensitive channel of large conductance, MscL, is found in the vast majority of bacterial species, where it serves as an emergency release valve rescuing the cell from sudden decreases in external osmolarity. While it is known that MscL expression increases the potency of dihydrostreptomycin, it has remained unclear if this effect is due to a direct interaction. Here, we use a combination of genetic screening, MD simulations, and biochemical and mutational approaches to determine if dihydrostreptomycin directly interacts with MscL. Our data strongly suggest that dihydrostreptomycin binds to a specific site on MscL and modifies its conformation, thus allowing the passage of K+ and glutamate out of, and dihydrostreptomycin into, the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Wray
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Irene Iscla
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Ya Gao
- School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Hua Li
- School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Junmei Wang
- Green Center for Systems Biology and Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Paul Blount
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
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Iscla I, Wray R, Eaton C, Blount P. Scanning MscL Channels with Targeted Post-Translational Modifications for Functional Alterations. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0137994. [PMID: 26368283 PMCID: PMC4569298 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2015] [Accepted: 08/25/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Mechanosensitive channels are present in all living organisms and are thought to underlie the senses of touch and hearing as well as various important physiological functions like osmoregulation and vasoregulation. The mechanosensitive channel of large conductance (MscL) from Escherichia coli was the first protein shown to encode mechanosensitive channel activity and serves as a paradigm for how a channel senses and responds to mechanical stimuli. MscL plays a role in osmoprotection in E. coli, acting as an emergency release valve that is activated by membrane tension due to cell swelling after an osmotic down-shock. Using an osmotically fragile strain in an osmotic down-shock assay, channel functionality can be directly determined in vivo. In addition, using thiol reagents and expressed MscL proteins with a single cysteine substitution, we have shown that targeted post-translational modifications can be performed, and that any alterations that lead to dysfunctional proteins can be identified by this in vivo assay. Here, we present the results of such a scan performed on 113 MscL cysteine mutants using five different sulfhydryl-reacting probes to confer different charges or hydrophobicity to each site. We assessed which of these targeted modifications affected channel function and the top candidates were further studied using patch clamp to directly determine how channel activity was affected. This comprehensive screen has identified many residues that are critical for channel function as well as highlighted MscL domains and residues that undergo the most drastic environmental changes upon gating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Iscla
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Robin Wray
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Christina Eaton
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Paul Blount
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Mechanical coupling of the multiple structural elements of the large-conductance mechanosensitive channel during expansion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:10726-31. [PMID: 26261325 PMCID: PMC4553819 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1503202112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The prokaryotic mechanosensitive channel of large conductance (MscL) is a pressure-relief valve protecting the cell from lysing during acute osmotic downshock. When the membrane is stretched, MscL responds to the increase of membrane tension and opens a nonselective pore to about 30 Å wide, exhibiting a large unitary conductance of ∼ 3 nS. A fundamental step toward understanding the gating mechanism of MscL is to decipher the molecular details of the conformational changes accompanying channel opening. By applying fusion-protein strategy and controlling detergent composition, we have solved the structures of an archaeal MscL homolog from Methanosarcina acetivorans trapped in the closed and expanded intermediate states. The comparative analysis of these two new structures reveals significant conformational rearrangements in the different domains of MscL. The large changes observed in the tilt angles of the two transmembrane helices (TM1 and TM2) fit well with the helix-pivoting model derived from the earlier geometric analyses based on the previous structures. Meanwhile, the periplasmic loop region transforms from a folded structure, containing an ω-shaped loop and a short β-hairpin, to an extended and partly disordered conformation during channel expansion. Moreover, a significant rotating and sliding of the N-terminal helix (N-helix) is coupled to the tilting movements of TM1 and TM2. The dynamic relationships between the N-helix and TM1/TM2 suggest that the N-helix serves as a membrane-anchored stopper that limits the tilts of TM1 and TM2 in the gating process. These results provide direct mechanistic insights into the highly coordinated movement of the different domains of the MscL channel when it expands.
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Zhong D, Yang LM, Blount P. Dynamics of protein-protein interactions at the MscL periplasmic-lipid interface. Biophys J 2014; 106:375-81. [PMID: 24461012 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2013.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2013] [Revised: 11/13/2013] [Accepted: 12/03/2013] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
MscL, the highly conserved bacterial mechanosensitive channel of large conductance, is one of the best studied mechanosensors. It is a homopentameric channel that serves as a biological emergency release valve that prevents cell lysis from acute osmotic stress. We previously showed that the periplasmic region of the protein, particularly a single residue located at the TM1/periplasmic loop interface, F47 of Staphylococcus aureus and I49 of Escherichia coli MscL, plays a major role in both the open dwell time and mechanosensitivity of the channel. Here, we introduced cysteine mutations at these sites and found they formed disulfide bridges that decreased the channel open dwell time. By scanning a likely interacting domain, we also found that these sites could be disulfide trapped by addition of cysteine mutations in other locations within the periplasmic loop of MscL, and this also led to rapid channel kinetics. Together, the data suggest structural rearrangements and protein-protein interactions that occur within this region upon normal gating, and further suggest that locking portions of the channel into a transition state decreases the stability of the open state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalian Zhong
- Department of Physiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas
| | - Li-Min Yang
- Department of Physiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas
| | - Paul Blount
- Department of Physiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas.
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Zhong D, Blount P. Electrostatics at the membrane define MscL channel mechanosensitivity and kinetics. FASEB J 2014; 28:5234-41. [PMID: 25223610 DOI: 10.1096/fj.14-259309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The bacterial mechanosensitive channel of large conductance (MscL) serves as a biological emergency release valve, preventing the occurrence of cell lysis caused by acute osmotic stress. Its tractable nature allows it to serve as a paradigm for how a protein can directly sense membrane tension. Although much is known of the importance of the hydrophobicity of specific residues in channel gating, it has remained unclear whether electrostatics at the membrane plays any role. We studied MscL chimeras derived from functionally distinct orthologues: Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Dissection of one set led to an observation that changing the charge of a single residue, K101, of E. coli (Ec)-MscL, effects a channel phenotype: when mutated to a negative residue, the channel is less mechanosensitive and has longer open dwell times. Assuming electrostatic interactions, we determined whether they are due to protein-protein or protein-lipid interactions by performing site-directed mutagenesis elsewhere in the protein and reconstituting channels into defined lipids, with and without negative head groups. We found that although both interactions appear to play some role, the primary determinant of the channel phenotype seems to be protein-lipid electrostatics. The data suggest a model for the role of electrostatic interactions in the dynamics of MscL gating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalian Zhong
- Center for Translational Neurodegeneration and Regenerative Therapy, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; and Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Paul Blount
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
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Martinac B. Mechanosensitive ion channels: an evolutionary and scientific tour de force in mechanobiology. Channels (Austin) 2012; 6:211-3. [PMID: 22940794 PMCID: PMC3508899 DOI: 10.4161/chan.22047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Boris Martinac
- Molecular Cardiology and Biophysics Division; Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute; Darlinghurst, NSW Australia
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