Molecular mechanisms of gating in the calcium-activated chloride channel bestrophin

BEST1 Variant Associated with an Atypical Macular and Peripheral Retinal Phenotype

PURPOSE

Best vitelliform macular dystrophy (BVMD) is an inherited macular dystrophy associated with over 250 pathogenic variants of the Bestrophin-1 (BEST1) gene. While several of the types of lesions of BVMD are well-described, reports of phenotypic variations associated with rare genetic variants are limited.

METHODS

Retrospective case-series performed in 2021 at a tertiary eye care center.

PATIENTS

Three members of one family referred to a tertiary eye care clinic for evaluation of their autosomal dominant macular dystrophy.

RESULTS

Study subjects presented with atypical findings of peripheral schisis-like lesions and atrophy with abnormal electroretinogram (ERG) in addition to typical macular lesions found in BVMD. Genetic analyses identified a heterozygous BEST1 c.227T>A, p.(Ile76Asn) pathogenic variant in all three subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

This study represents the first report of the phenotype associated with the c.227T>A, p.(Ile76Asn) BEST1 variant, which - while mentioned twice in the literature - has not been previously described. The phenotype is unique, comprising features of typical BVMD with ERG and peripheral findings, suggestive of a panretinal dysfunction.

Computational Investigation of Mechanisms for pH Modulation of Human Chloride Channels

Many transmembrane proteins are modulated by intracellular or extracellular pH. Investigation of pH dependence generally proceeds by mutagenesis of a wide set of amino acids, guided by properties such as amino-acid conservation and structure. Prediction of pKas can streamline this process, allowing rapid and effective identification of amino acids of interest with respect to pH dependence. Commencing with the calcium-activated chloride channel bestrophin 1, the carboxylate ligand structure around calcium sites relaxes in the absence of calcium, consistent with a measured lack of pH dependence. By contrast, less relaxation in the absence of calcium in TMEM16A, and maintenance of elevated carboxylate sidechain pKas, is suggested to give rise to pH-dependent chloride channel activity. This hypothesis, modulation of calcium/proton coupling and pH-dependent activity through the extent of structural relaxation, is shown to apply to the well-characterised cytosolic proteins calmodulin (pH-independent) and calbindin D9k (pH-dependent). Further application of destabilised, ionisable charge sites, or electrostatic frustration, is made to other human chloride channels (that are not calcium-activated), ClC-2, GABAA, and GlyR. Experimentally determined sites of pH modulation are readily identified. Structure-based tools for pKa prediction are freely available, allowing users to focus on mutagenesis studies, construct hypothetical proton pathways, and derive hypotheses such as the model for control of pH-dependent calcium activation through structural flexibility. Predicting altered pH dependence for mutations in ion channel disorders can support experimentation and, ultimately, clinical intervention.

BEST1 Positive Monocytes in Circulation: Visualize Intratumoral Crosstalk between Cancer Cells and Monocytes

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are characterized by an abundance of monocytes and macrophages recruited from the peripheral blood. However, it has not been determined whether these infiltrated cells can be released back into circulation with a tumor-associated neobiosignature. This study reports that Bestrophin1 (BEST1), a component protein of Ca²⁺ -activated Cl^- channels (CaCCs), is highly expressed on classical monocytes in the peripheral blood of HNSCC patients. This is due to monocyte education by tumor cells, in which tumoral VEGF-A upregulates BEST1 expression on monocytes through the MEK-ERK-ELK1 pathway. This leads to improved secretion of IL-6 and IL-8, which promotes tumor cell proliferation. This work also finds that BEST1 facilitates the motility of monocytes, contributing to the migration of these cells back into circulation. These results suggest that the expression of BEST1 on peripheral monocytes may be a potential tool for monitoring tumor progression, and opens up the possibility of searching for cancer biomarkers on monocytes rather than on the tumor or its products.

Bestrophin-2 and glutamine synthetase form a complex for glutamate release

Bestrophin-2 (BEST2) is a member of the bestrophin family of calcium-activated anion channels that has a critical role in ocular physiology1-4. Here we uncover a directional permeability of BEST2 to glutamate that heavily favours glutamate exit, identify glutamine synthetase (GS) as a binding partner of BEST2 in the ciliary body of the eye, and solve the structure of the BEST2-GS complex. BEST2 reduces cytosolic GS activity by tethering GS to the cell membrane. GS extends the ion conducting pathway of BEST2 through its central cavity and inhibits BEST2 channel function in the absence of intracellular glutamate, but sensitizes BEST2 to intracellular glutamate, which promotes the opening of BEST2 and thus relieves the inhibitory effect of GS. We demonstrate the physiological role of BEST2 in conducting chloride and glutamate and the influence of GS in non-pigmented ciliary epithelial cells. Together, our results reveal a novel mechanism of glutamate release through BEST2-GS.

Glutamate Permeability of Chicken Best1

Bestrophin-1 (Best1) is a calcium (Ca²⁺)-activated chloride (Cl^-) channel which has a phylogenetically conserved channel structure with an aperture and neck in the ion-conducting pathway. Mammalian mouse Best1 (mBest1) has been known to have a permeability for large organic anions including gluconate, glutamate, and D-serine, in addition to several small monovalent anions, such as Cl^‑, bromine (Br^-), iodine (I^-), and thiocyanate (SCN^-). However, it is still unclear whether non-mammalian Best1 has a glutamate permeability through the ion-conducting pathway. Here, we report that chicken Best1 (cBest1) is permeable to glutamate in a Ca²⁺-dependent manner. The molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation showed a glutamate binding at the aperture and neck of cBest1 and a glutamate permeation through the ion-conducting pore, respectively. Moreover, through electrophysiological recordings, we calculated the permeability ratio of glutamate to Cl^- (P_Glutamate/P_Cl) as 0.28 based on the reversal potential shift by ion substitution from Cl^- to glutamate in the internal solution. Finally, we directly detected the Ca²⁺-dependent glutamate release through cBest1 using the ultrasensitive two-cell sniffer patch technique. Our results propose that Best1 homologs from non-mammalian (cBest1) to mammalian (mBest1) have a conserved permeability for glutamate.

Impaired Bestrophin Channel Activity in an iPSC-RPE Model of Best Vitelliform Macular Dystrophy (BVMD) from an Early Onset Patient Carrying the P77S Dominant Mutation

Best Vitelliform Macular dystrophy (BVMD) is the most prevalent of the distinctive retinal dystrophies caused by mutations in the BEST1 gene. This gene, which encodes for a homopentameric calcium-activated ion channel, is crucial for the homeostasis and function of the retinal pigment epithelia (RPE), the cell type responsible for recycling the visual pigments generated by photoreceptor cells. In BVMD patients, mutations in this gene induce functional problems in the RPE cell layer with an accumulation of lipofucsin that evolves into cell death and loss of sight. In this work, we employ iPSC-RPE cells derived from a patient with the p.Pro77Ser dominant mutation to determine the correlation between this variant and the ocular phenotype. To this purpose, gene and protein expression and localization are evaluated in iPSC-RPE cells along with functional assays like phagocytosis and anion channel activity. Our cell model shows no differences in gene expression, protein expression/localization, or phagocytosis capacity, but presents an increased chloride entrance, indicating that the p.Pro77Ser variant might be a gain-of-function mutation. We hypothesize that this variant disturbs the neck region of the BEST1 channel, affecting channel function but maintaining cell homeostasis in the short term. This data shed new light on the different phenotypes of dominant mutations in BEST1, and emphasize the importance of understanding its molecular mechanisms. Furthermore, the data widen the knowledge of this pathology and open the door for a better diagnosis and prognosis of the disease.

Structures and gating mechanisms of human bestrophin anion channels

Bestrophin-1 (Best1) and bestrophin-2 (Best2) are two members of the bestrophin family of calcium (Ca²⁺)-activated chloride (Cl⁻) channels with critical involvement in ocular physiology and direct pathological relevance. Here, we report cryo-EM structures of wild-type human Best1 and Best2 in various states at up to 1.8 Å resolution. Ca²⁺-bound Best1 structures illustrate partially open conformations at the two Ca²⁺-dependent gates of the channels, in contrast to the fully open conformations observed in Ca²⁺-bound Best2, which is in accord with the significantly smaller currents conducted by Best1 in electrophysiological recordings. Comparison of the closed and open states reveals a C-terminal auto-inhibitory segment (AS), which constricts the channel concentrically by wrapping around the channel periphery in an inter-protomer manner and must be released to allow channel opening. Our results demonstrate that removing the AS from Best1 and Best2 results in truncation mutants with similar activities, while swapping the AS between Best1 and Best2 results in chimeric mutants with swapped activities, underlying a key role of the AS in determining paralog specificity among bestrophins.

Bestrophin channels are critical for physiology of the eye. Here, authors report cryo-EM structures of human bestrophins in various states at up to 1.8 Å resolution, revealing paralog-specific features that underlie molecular mechanisms of permeation.

Rhodopsin-bestrophin fusion proteins from unicellular algae form gigantic pentameric ion channels

Many organisms sense light using rhodopsins, photoreceptive proteins containing a retinal chromophore. Here we report the discovery, structure and biophysical characterization of bestrhodopsins, a microbial rhodopsin subfamily from marine unicellular algae, in which one rhodopsin domain of eight transmembrane helices or, more often, two such domains in tandem, are C-terminally fused to a bestrophin channel. Cryo-EM analysis of a rhodopsin-rhodopsin-bestrophin fusion revealed that it forms a pentameric megacomplex (~700 kDa) with five rhodopsin pseudodimers surrounding the channel in the center. Bestrhodopsins are metastable and undergo photoconversion between red- and green-absorbing or green- and UVA-absorbing forms in the different variants. The retinal chromophore, in a unique binding pocket, photoisomerizes from all-trans to 11-cis form. Heterologously expressed bestrhodopsin behaves as a light-modulated anion channel.

Self-organization and surface properties of hBest1 in models of biological membranes

The transmembrane Ca²⁺ - activated Cl^- channel - human bestrophin-1 (hBest1) is expressed in retinal pigment epithelium and mutations of BEST1 gene cause ocular degenerative diseases colectivelly referred to as "bestrophinopathies". A large number of genetical, biochemical, biophysical and molecular biological studies have been performed to understand the relationship between structure and function of the hBest1 protein and its pathophysiological significance. Here, we review the current understanding of hBest1 surface organization, interactions with membrane lipids in model membranes, and its association with microdomains of cellular membranes. These highlights are significant for modulation of channel activity in cells.

Low expression of bestrophin-2 is associated with poor prognosis in colon cancer

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this research was to confirm the prognostic value of bestrophin-2 (BEST2), one of the hub genes in colon cancer, via bioinformatics analysis and validation in public databases and immunohistochemistry detection.

METHODS

The GEO2R online tool and Venn diagram software were utilized to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from expression profiles, including GSE20916, GSE44861 and GSE74602, from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). The overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of colon cancer patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were analyzed through Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Verification of the significance of BEST2 in colon cancer was based on TCGA, Genotype Tissue Expression (GTEx) and 10 datasets from GEO. BEST2 expression was detected with immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 330 colon tissue samples on microarrays including 165 colon cancerand 165 adjacent normal tissues. For further validation, comprehensive analysis from tissue microarrays and multiple datasets was performed by the summarizing of receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves and the standard mean differences (SMDs). BEST2 expression in various kinds of colon cancer tissues and cell lines in the context of pancancer was obtained from the Expression Atlas database. The CBioPortal database was queried to identify BEST2 gene alterations and mutation status in colon cancer. Correlated genes (CEGs) with BEST2 and DEGs from public database data were assembled for functional and pathway enrichment analysis.

RESULTS

We identified 85 DEGs from the three datasets and screened out BEST2 as a prognostic predictor via the TCGA database. Colon cancer patients with high expression of BEST2 had better survival than patients with low BEST2 (HR = 0.5, P = 0.006) as shown in Kaplan-Meier survival curves in GEPIA. In all, 1463 colon cancer tissues and 1023 colon normal tissues were gathered via public databases as well as in-house tissue microarrays. The comprehensiveexpression analysis suggested low-expression of BEST2 in colon cancer (SMD = -2.48, 95% CI [-3.15- -1.80]) and the notable efficacy of BEST2 expression in differentiating colon cancer from noncancer samples (AUC = 0.97). Gene alteration status of BEST2 occurred in 5% of colon cancer cases, mostly missense mutations and deep deletions. Genes positively correlated with BEST2 and DEGs primarily aggregated in pathways such as anion absorption, digestive juice secretion, cAMP signaling and so on (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Ampleevidencesupportsthe role of BEST2 in distinguishing colon cancer from normal tissues in this research. Low expression of BEST2 is correlated with a shorter OS, which implies that BEST2 can be employed as a potential biomarker and therapeutictarget in colon cancer.

Structure and Function of the Bestrophin family of calcium-activated chloride channels

Bestrophins are a family of calcium-activated chloride channels (CaCCs) with relevance to human physiology and a myriad of eye diseases termed "bestrophinopathies". Since the identification of bestrophins as CaCCs nearly two decades ago, extensive studies from electrophysiological and structural biology perspectives have sought to define their key channel features including calcium sensing, gating, inactivation, and anion selectivity. The initial X-ray crystallography studies on the prokaryotic homolog of Best1, Klebsiella pneumoniae (KpBest), and the Best1 homolog from Gallus gallus (chicken Best1, cBest1), laid the foundational groundwork for establishing the architecture of Best1. Recent progress utilizing single-particle cryogenic electron microscopy has further elucidated the molecular mechanism of gating in cBest1 and, separately, the structure of Best2 from Bos taurus (bovine Best2, bBest2). Meanwhile, whole-cell patch clamp, planar lipid bilayer, and other electrophysiologic analyses using these models as well as the human Best1 (hBest1) have provided ample evidence describing the functional properties of the bestrophin channels. This review seeks to consolidate these structural and functional results to paint a broad picture of the underlying mechanisms comprising the bestrophin family's structure-function relationship.

Challenges and opportunities for modeling monogenic and complex disorders of the human retina via induced pluripotent stem cell technology

The human retina is a highly structured and complex neurosensory tissue central to perceiving and processing visual signals. In a healthy individual, the close interplay between the neuronal retina, the adjacent retinal pigment epithelium and the underlying blood supply, the choriocapillaris, is critical for maintaining eyesight over a lifetime. An impairment of this delicate and metabolically highly active system, caused by genetic alteration, environmental impact or both, results in a multitude of pathological phenotypes of the retina. Understanding and treating these disease processes are motivated by a marked medical need in young as well as in older patients. While naturally occurring or gene-manipulated animal models have been used successfully in ophthalmological research for many years, recent advances in induced pluripotent stem cell technology have opened up new avenues to generate patient-derived retinal model systems. Here, we explore to what extent these cellular models can be useful to mirror human pathologies in vitro ultimately allowing to analyze disease mechanisms and testing treatment options in the cell type of interest on an individual patient-specific genetic background.

Cryo-EM structure of the calcium release-activated calcium channel Orai in an open conformation

The calcium release-activated calcium channel Orai regulates Ca²⁺ entry into non-excitable cells and is required for proper immune function. While the channel typically opens following Ca²⁺ release from the endoplasmic reticulum, certain pathologic mutations render the channel constitutively open. Previously, using one such mutation (H206A), we obtained low (6.7 Å) resolution X-ray structural information on Drosophila melanogaster Orai in an open conformation (Hou et al., 2018). Here we present a structure of this open conformation at 3.3 Å resolution using fiducial-assisted cryo-electron microscopy. The improved structure reveals the conformations of amino acids in the open pore, which dilates by outward movements of subunits. A ring of phenylalanine residues repositions to expose previously shielded glycine residues to the pore without significant rotational movement of the associated helices. Together with other hydrophobic amino acids, the phenylalanines act as the channel's gate. Structured M1-M2 turrets, not evident previously, form the channel's extracellular entrance.

Structure and Reconstitution of an MCU-EMRE Mitochondrial Ca2+ Uniporter Complex

The proteins MCU and EMRE form the minimal functional unit of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter complex in metazoans, a highly selective and tightly controlled Ca2+ channel of the inner mitochondrial membrane that regulates cellular metabolism. Here we present functional reconstitution of an MCU-EMRE complex from the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, and a cryo-EM structure of the complex at 3.5 Å resolution. Using a novel assay, we demonstrate robust Ca2+ uptake into proteoliposomes containing the purified complex. Uptake is dependent on EMRE and also on the mitochondrial lipid cardiolipin. The structure reveals a tetrameric channel with a single ion pore. EMRE is located at the periphery of the transmembrane domain and associates primarily with the first transmembrane helix of MCU. Coiled-coil and juxtamembrane domains within the matrix portion of the complex adopt markedly different conformations than in a structure of a human MCU-EMRE complex, suggesting that the structures represent different conformations of these functionally similar metazoan channels.

GABA, but Not Bestrophin-1, Is Localized in Astroglial Processes in the Mouse Hippocampus and the Cerebellum

GABA is proposed to act as a gliotransmitter in the brain. Differences in GABA release from astroglia are thought to underlie differences in tonic inhibition between the cerebellum and the CA1 hippocampus. Here we used quantitative immunogold cytochemistry to localize and compare the levels of GABA in astroglia in these brain regions. We found that the density of GABA immunogold particles was similar in delicate processes of Bergman glia in the cerebellum and astrocytes in the CA1 hippocampus. The astrocytic GABA release is proposed to be mediated by, among others, the Ca²⁺ activated Cl^- channel bestrophin-1. The bestrophin-1 antibodies did not show any significant bestrophin-1 signal in the brain of wt mice, nor in bestrophin-1 knockout mice. The bestrophin-1 signal was low both on Western blots and immunofluorescence laser scanning microscopic images. These results suggest that GABA is localized in astroglia, but in similar concentrations in the cerebellum and CA1 hippocampus, and thus cannot account for differences in tonic inhibition between these brain regions. Furthermore, our data seem to suggest that the GABA release from astroglia previously observed in the hippocampus and cerebellum occurs via mechanisms other than bestrophin-1.

Structural basis for ion selectivity in TMEM175 K+ channels

The TMEM175 family constitutes recently discovered K+channels that are important for autophagosome turnover and lysosomal pH regulation and are associated with the early onset of Parkinson Disease. TMEM175 channels lack a P-loop selectivity filter, a hallmark of all known K+ channels, raising the question how selectivity is achieved. Here, we report the X-ray structure of a closed bacterial TMEM175 channel in complex with a nanobody fusion-protein disclosing bound K+ ions. Our analysis revealed that a highly conserved layer of threonine residues in the pore conveys a basal K+ selectivity. An additional layer comprising two serines in human TMEM175 increases selectivity further and renders this channel sensitive to 4-aminopyridine and Zn2+. Our findings suggest that large hydrophobic side chains occlude the pore, forming a physical gate, and that channel opening by iris-like motions simultaneously relocates the gate and exposes the otherwise concealed selectivity filter to the pore lumen.

Structural and functional characterization of the bestrophin-2 anion channel

The bestrophin family of calcium (Ca2+)-activated chloride (Cl-) channels, which mediate the influx and efflux of monovalent anions in response to the levels of intracellular Ca2+, comprises four members in mammals (bestrophin 1-4). Here we report cryo-EM structures of bovine bestrophin-2 (bBest2) bound and unbound by Ca2+ at 2.4- and 2.2-Å resolution, respectively. The bBest2 structure highlights four previously underappreciated pore-lining residues specifically conserved in Best2 but not in Best1, illustrating the differences between these paralogs. Structure-inspired electrophysiological analysis reveals that, although the channel is sensitive to Ca2+, it has substantial Ca2+-independent activity for Cl-, reflecting the opening at the cytoplasmic restriction of the ion conducting pathway even when Ca2+ is absent. Moreover, the ion selectivity of bBest2 is controlled by multiple residues, including those involved in gating.

Mutation-Dependent Pathomechanisms Determine the Phenotype in the Bestrophinopathies

Best vitelliform macular dystrophy (BD), autosomal dominant vitreoretinochoroidopathy (ADVIRC), and the autosomal recessive bestrophinopathy (ARB), together known as the bestrophinopathies, are caused by mutations in the bestrophin-1 (BEST1) gene affecting anion transport through the plasma membrane of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). To date, while no treatment exists a better understanding of BEST1-related pathogenesis may help to define therapeutic targets. Here, we systematically characterize functional consequences of mutant BEST1 in thirteen RPE patient cell lines differentiated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). Both BD and ARB hiPSC-RPEs display a strong reduction of BEST1-mediated anion transport function compared to control, while ADVIRC mutations trigger an increased anion permeability suggesting a stabilized open state condition of channel gating. Furthermore, BD and ARB hiPSC-RPEs differ by the degree of mutant protein turnover and by the site of subcellular protein quality control with adverse effects on lysosomal pH only in the BD-related cell lines. The latter finding is consistent with an altered processing of catalytic enzymes in the lysosomes. The present study provides a deeper insight into distinct molecular mechanisms of the three bestrophinopathies facilitating functional categorization of the more than 300 known BEST1 mutations that result into the distinct retinal phenotypes.

DNA methylation landscape of triple-negative ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) progressing to the invasive stage in canine breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer unresponsive to traditional receptor-targeted treatments, leading to a disproportionate number of deaths. Invasive breast cancer is believed to evolve from non-invasive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Detection of triple-negative DCIS (TN-DCIS) is challenging, therefore strategies to study molecular events governing progression of pre-invasive TN-DCIS to invasive TNBC are needed. Here, we study a canine TN-DCIS progression and investigate the DNA methylation landscape of normal breast tissue, atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), DCIS and invasive breast cancer. We report hypo- and hypermethylation of genes within functional categories related to cancer such as transcriptional regulation, apoptosis, signal transduction, and cell migration. DNA methylation changes associated with cancer-related genes become more pronounced at invasive breast cancer stage. Importantly, we identify invasive-only and DCIS-specific DNA methylation alterations that could potentially determine which lesions progress to invasive cancer and which could remain as pre-invasive DCIS. Changes in DNA methylation during TN-DCIS progression in this canine model correspond with gene expression patterns in human breast tissues. This study provides evidence for utilizing methylation status of gene candidates to define late-stage (DCIS and invasive), invasive stage only or DCIS stage only of TN-DCIS progression.

Investigation and Restoration of BEST1 Activity in Patient-derived RPEs with Dominant Mutations

BEST1 is a Ca2+-activated Cl- channel predominantly expressed in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and over 250 genetic mutations in the BEST1 gene have been identified to cause retinal degenerative disorders generally known as bestrophinopathies. As most BEST1 mutations are autosomal dominant, it is of great biomedical interest to determine their disease-causing mechanisms and the therapeutic potential of gene therapy. Here, we characterized six Best vitelliform macular dystrophy (BVMD)-associated BEST1 dominant mutations by documenting the patients' phenotypes, examining the subcellular localization of endogenous BEST1 and surface Ca2+-dependent Cl- currents in patient-derived RPEs, and analyzing the functional influences of these mutations on BEST1 in HEK293 cells. We found that all six mutations are loss-of-function with different levels and types of deficiencies, and further demonstrated the restoration of Ca2+-dependent Cl- currents in patient-derived RPE cells by WT BEST1 gene supplementation. Importantly, BEST1 dominant and recessive mutations are both rescuable at a similar efficacy by gene augmentation via adeno-associated virus (AAV), providing a proof-of-concept for curing the vast majority of bestrophinopathies.

Unique structure and function of viral rhodopsins

Recently, two groups of rhodopsin genes were identified in large double-stranded DNA viruses. The structure and function of viral rhodopsins are unknown. We present functional characterization and high-resolution structure of an Organic Lake Phycodnavirus rhodopsin II (OLPVRII) of group 2. It forms a pentamer, with a symmetrical, bottle-like central channel with the narrow vestibule in the cytoplasmic part covered by a ring of 5 arginines, whereas 5 phenylalanines form a hydrophobic barrier in its exit. The proton donor E42 is placed in the helix B. The structure is unique among the known rhodopsins. Structural and functional data and molecular dynamics suggest that OLPVRII might be a light-gated pentameric ion channel analogous to pentameric ligand-gated ion channels, however, future patch clamp experiments should prove this directly. The data shed light on a fundamentally distinct branch of rhodopsins and may contribute to the understanding of virus-host interactions in ecologically important marine protists.

Dual Ca2+-dependent gates in human Bestrophin1 underlie disease-causing mechanisms of gain-of-function mutations

Mutations of human BEST1, encoding a Ca2+-activated Cl- channel (hBest1), cause macular degenerative disorders. Best1 homolog structures reveal an evolutionarily conserved channel architecture highlighted by two landmark restrictions (named the "neck" and "aperture", respectively) in the ion conducting pathway, suggesting a unique dual-switch gating mechanism, which, however, has not been characterized well. Using patch clamp and crystallography, we demonstrate that both the neck and aperture in hBest1 are Ca2+-dependent gates essential for preventing channel leakage resulting from Ca2+-independent, spontaneous gate opening. Importantly, three patient-derived mutations (D203A, I205T and Y236C) lead to Ca2+-independent leakage and elevated Ca2+-dependent anion currents due to enhanced opening of the gates. Moreover, we identify a network of residues critically involved in gate operation. Together, our results suggest an indispensable role of the neck and aperture of hBest1 for channel gating, and uncover disease-causing mechanisms of hBest1 gain-of-function mutations.

Emerging roles for multifunctional ion channel auxiliary subunits in cancer

Several superfamilies of plasma membrane channels which regulate transmembrane ion flux have also been shown to regulate a multitude of cellular processes, including proliferation and migration. Ion channels are typically multimeric complexes consisting of conducting subunits and auxiliary, non-conducting subunits. Auxiliary subunits modulate the function of conducting subunits and have putative non-conducting roles, further expanding the repertoire of cellular processes governed by ion channel complexes to processes such as transcellular adhesion and gene transcription. Given this expansive influence of ion channels on cellular behaviour it is perhaps no surprise that aberrant ion channel expression is a common occurrence in cancer. This review will focus on the conducting and non-conducting roles of the auxiliary subunits of various Ca2+, K+, Na+ and Cl- channels and the burgeoning evidence linking such auxiliary subunits to cancer. Several subunits are upregulated (e.g. Cavβ, Cavγ) and downregulated (e.g. Kvβ) in cancer, while other subunits have been functionally implicated as oncogenes (e.g. Navβ1, Cavα2δ1) and tumour suppressor genes (e.g. CLCA2, KCNE2, BKγ1) based on in vivo studies. The strengthening link between ion channel auxiliary subunits and cancer has exposed these subunits as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets. However further mechanistic understanding is required into how these subunits contribute to tumour progression before their therapeutic potential can be fully realised.

Chloride Channels in Astrocytes: Structure, Roles in Brain Homeostasis and Implications in Disease

Astrocytes are the most abundant cell type in the CNS (central nervous system). They exert multiple functions during development and in the adult CNS that are essential for brain homeostasis. Both cation and anion channel activities have been identified in astrocytes and it is believed that they play key roles in astrocyte function. Whereas the proteins and the physiological roles assigned to cation channels are becoming very clear, the study of astrocytic chloride channels is in its early stages. In recent years, we have moved from the identification of chloride channel activities present in astrocyte primary culture to the identification of the proteins involved in these activities, the determination of their 3D structure and attempts to gain insights about their physiological role. Here, we review the recent findings related to the main chloride channels identified in astrocytes: the voltage-dependent ClC-2, the calcium-activated bestrophin, the volume-activated VRAC (volume-regulated anion channel) and the stress-activated Maxi-Cl⁻. We discuss key aspects of channel biophysics and structure with a focus on their role in glial physiology and human disease.