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Cutler B, Haesemeyer M. Vertebrate behavioral thermoregulation: knowledge and future directions. NEUROPHOTONICS 2024; 11:033409. [PMID: 38769950 PMCID: PMC11105118 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.11.3.033409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Thermoregulation is critical for survival across species. In animals, the nervous system detects external and internal temperatures, integrates this information with internal states, and ultimately forms a decision on appropriate thermoregulatory actions. Recent work has identified critical molecules and sensory and motor pathways controlling thermoregulation. However, especially with regard to behavioral thermoregulation, many open questions remain. Here, we aim to both summarize the current state of research, the "knowledge," as well as what in our mind is still largely missing, the "future directions." Given the host of circuit entry points that have been discovered, we specifically see that the time is ripe for a neuro-computational perspective on thermoregulation. Such a perspective is largely lacking but is increasingly fueled and made possible by the development of advanced tools and modeling strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley Cutler
- Graduate program in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Columbus, Ohio, United States
- The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States
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2
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Seymour B, Crook RJ, Chen ZS. Post-injury pain and behaviour: a control theory perspective. Nat Rev Neurosci 2023; 24:378-392. [PMID: 37165018 PMCID: PMC10465160 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-023-00699-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Injuries of various types occur commonly in the lives of humans and other animals and lead to a pattern of persistent pain and recuperative behaviour that allows safe and effective recovery. In this Perspective, we propose a control-theoretic framework to explain the adaptive processes in the brain that drive physiological post-injury behaviour. We set out an evolutionary and ethological view on how animals respond to injury, illustrating how the behavioural state associated with persistent pain and recuperation may be just as important as phasic pain in ensuring survival. Adopting a normative approach, we suggest that the brain implements a continuous optimal inference of the current state of injury from diverse sensory and physiological signals. This drives the various effector control mechanisms of behavioural homeostasis, which span the modulation of ongoing motivation and perception to drive rest and hyper-protective behaviours. However, an inherent problem with this is that these protective behaviours may partially obscure information about whether injury has resolved. Such information restriction may seed a tendency to aberrantly or persistently infer injury, and may thus promote the transition to pathological chronic pain states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Seymour
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford, UK.
| | - Robyn J Crook
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Zhe Sage Chen
- Departments of Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Physiology, Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
- Interdisciplinary Pain Research Program, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
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3
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Bassetto CAZ, Pinto BI, Latorre R, Bezanilla F. Ion channel thermodynamics studied with temperature jumps measured at the cell membrane. Biophys J 2023; 122:661-671. [PMID: 36654507 PMCID: PMC9989882 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Perturbing the temperature of a system modifies its energy landscape, thus providing a ubiquitous tool to understand biological processes. Here, we developed a framework to generate sudden temperature jumps (Tjumps) and sustained temperature steps (Tsteps) to study the temperature dependence of membrane proteins under voltage clamp while measuring the membrane temperature. Utilizing the melanin under the Xenopus laevis oocytes membrane as a photothermal transducer, we achieved short Tjumps up to 9°C in less than 1.5 ms and constant Tsteps for durations up to 150 ms. We followed the temperature at the membrane with sub-ms time resolution by measuring the time course of membrane capacitance, which is linearly related to temperature. We applied Tjumps in Kir1.1 isoform b, which reveals a highly temperature-sensitive blockage relief, and characterized the effects of Tsteps on the temperature-sensitive channels TRPM8 and TRPV1. These newly developed approaches provide a general tool to study membrane protein thermodynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos A Z Bassetto
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Bernardo I Pinto
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Ramon Latorre
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias de Valparaiso, Universidad de Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile.
| | - Francisco Bezanilla
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias de Valparaiso, Universidad de Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile.
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4
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Matamoros M, Ng XW, Brettmann JB, Piston DW, Nichols CG. Conformational plasticity of NaK2K and TREK2 potassium channel selectivity filters. Nat Commun 2023; 14:89. [PMID: 36609575 PMCID: PMC9822992 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35756-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The K+ channel selectivity filter (SF) is defined by TxGYG amino acid sequences that generate four identical K+ binding sites (S1-S4). Only two sites (S3, S4) are present in the non-selective bacterial NaK channel, but a four-site K+-selective SF is obtained by mutating the wild-type TVGDGN SF sequence to a canonical K+ channel TVGYGD sequence (NaK2K mutant). Using single molecule FRET (smFRET), we show that the SF of NaK2K, but not of non-selective NaK, is ion-dependent, with the constricted SF configuration stabilized in high K+ conditions. Patch-clamp electrophysiology and non-canonical fluorescent amino acid incorporation show that NaK2K selectivity is reduced by crosslinking to limit SF conformational movement. Finally, the eukaryotic K+ channel TREK2 SF exhibits essentially identical smFRET-reported ion-dependent conformations as in prokaryotic K+ channels. Our results establish the generality of K+-induced SF conformational stability across the K+ channel superfamily, and introduce an approach to study manipulation of channel selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Matamoros
- Center for Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Xue Wen Ng
- Center for Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Joshua B Brettmann
- Center for Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Millipore-Sigma Inc., St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - David W Piston
- Center for Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Colin G Nichols
- Center for Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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Cu H, Lynch L, Huang K, Truccolo W, Nurmikko A. Grasp-squeeze adaptation to changes in object compliance leads to dynamic beta-band communication between primary somatosensory and motor cortices. Sci Rep 2022; 12:6776. [PMID: 35474117 PMCID: PMC9042850 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10871-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In asking the question of how the brain adapts to changes in the softness of manipulated objects, we studied dynamic communication between the primary sensory and motor cortical areas when nonhuman primates grasp and squeeze an elastically deformable manipulandum to attain an instructed force level. We focused on local field potentials recorded from S1 and M1 via intracortical microelectrode arrays. We computed nonparametric spectral Granger Causality to assess directed cortico-cortical interactions between these two areas. We demonstrate that the time-causal relationship between M1 and S1 is bidirectional in the beta-band (15-30 Hz) and that this interareal communication develops dynamically as the subjects adjust the force of hand squeeze to reach the target level. In particular, the directed interaction is strongest when subjects are focused on maintaining the instructed force of hand squeeze in a steady state for several seconds. When the manipulandum's compliance is abruptly changed, beta-band interareal communication is interrupted for a short period (~ 1 s) and then is re-established once the subject has reached a new steady state. These results suggest that transient beta oscillations can provide a communication subspace for dynamic cortico-cortical S1-M1 interactions during maintenance of steady sensorimotor states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huy Cu
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
| | - Laurie Lynch
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Kevin Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Wilson Truccolo
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.,Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Arto Nurmikko
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA. .,Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
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Carrasquel-Ursulaez W, Dehghany M, Jones CL, Idikuda V, Lu B, Schomaker JM, Chanda B. Acylated and alkylated benzo(crown-ethers) form ion-dependent ion channels in biological membranes. Biophys J 2022; 121:1105-1114. [PMID: 35120902 PMCID: PMC8943726 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthetic ion channels based on benzo(crown-ether) compounds have been previously reported to function as ion-selective channels in planar lipid bilayers, with hydrogen bonding networks implicated in the formation of self-aggregated complexes. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of two new families of benzo(crown-ether) compounds, termed monoacylated and monoalkylated benzo(crown-ethers) (MABCE), both of which lack hydrogen bond donors. Depending on the length of alkyl chain substituent and the size of macrocycle, MABCE compounds inhibit bacterial growth and transport ions across biological membranes. Single-channel recordings show that the activity is higher in the presence of K+ as compared with Na+; however, under bionic conditions, open channels do not exhibit any preference between the two ions. These findings reveal that the ionic preference of benzo(crown-ether) compounds is either due to the regulation of assembly of ion-conducting supramolecular complexes or its membrane insertion by cations, as opposed to ion-selective transport through these scaffolds. Furthermore, our data show that the H-bonding network is not needed to form these assemblies in the membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mahzad Dehghany
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Corey L Jones
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Vinaykumar Idikuda
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Brian Lu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | | | - Baron Chanda
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri.
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Wnek GE, Costa ACS, Kozawa SK. Bio-Mimicking, Electrical Excitability Phenomena Associated With Synthetic Macromolecular Systems: A Brief Review With Connections to the Cytoskeleton and Membraneless Organelles. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:830892. [PMID: 35321030 PMCID: PMC8937024 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.830892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Electrical excitability of cells, tissues and organs is a fundamental phenomenon in biology and physiology. Signatures of excitability include transient currents resulting from a constant or varying voltage gradient across compartments. Interestingly, such signatures can be observed with non-biologically-derived, macromolecular systems. Initial key literature, dating to roughly the late 1960’s into the early 1990’s, is reviewed here. We suggest that excitability in response to electrical stimulation is a material phenomenon that is exploited by living organisms, but that is not exclusive to living systems. Furthermore, given the ubiquity of biological hydrogels, we also speculate that excitability in protocells of primordial organisms might have shared some of the same molecular mechanisms seen in non-biological macromolecular systems, and that vestigial traces of such mechanisms may still play important roles in modern organisms’ biological hydrogels. Finally, we also speculate that bio-mimicking excitability of synthetic macromolecular systems might have practical biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary E. Wnek
- Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- *Correspondence: Gary E. Wnek,
| | - Alberto C. S. Costa
- Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Alberto C. S. Costa,
| | - Susan K. Kozawa
- Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
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8
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Jiang Y, Idikuda V, Chanda B. Preparation of Giant Escherichia coli spheroplasts for Electrophysiological Recordings. Bio Protoc 2021; 11:e4261. [PMID: 35087920 PMCID: PMC8720513 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.4261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 07/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Prokaryotic ion channels have been instrumental in furthering our understanding of many fundamental aspects of ion channels' structure and function. However, characterizing the biophysical properties of a prokaryotic ion channel in a native membrane system using patch-clamp electrophysiology is technically challenging. Patch-clamp is regarded as a gold standard technique to study ion channel properties in both native and heterologous expression systems. The presence of a cell wall and the small size of bacterial cells makes it impossible to directly patch clamp using microelectrodes. Here, we describe a method for the preparation of giant E. coli spheroplasts in order to investigate the electrophysiological properties of bacterial cell membranes. Spheroplasts are formed by first inhibiting bacterial cell wall synthesis, followed by enzymatic digestion of the outer cell wall in the presence of a permeabilizing agent. This protocol can be used to characterize the function of any heterologous ion channels or ion transporters expressed in E. coli membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihao Jiang
- Department of Psychiatry of First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China
- The MOE Frontier Research Center of Brain & Brain-machine Integration, Zhejiang University School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, China
| | - Vinay Idikuda
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Center for the Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases (CIMED)
| | - Baron Chanda
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Center for the Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases (CIMED)
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9
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Timsit Y, Grégoire SP. Towards the Idea of Molecular Brains. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222111868. [PMID: 34769300 PMCID: PMC8584932 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
How can single cells without nervous systems perform complex behaviours such as habituation, associative learning and decision making, which are considered the hallmark of animals with a brain? Are there molecular systems that underlie cognitive properties equivalent to those of the brain? This review follows the development of the idea of molecular brains from Darwin’s “root brain hypothesis”, through bacterial chemotaxis, to the recent discovery of neuron-like r-protein networks in the ribosome. By combining a structural biology view with a Bayesian brain approach, this review explores the evolutionary labyrinth of information processing systems across scales. Ribosomal protein networks open a window into what were probably the earliest signalling systems to emerge before the radiation of the three kingdoms. While ribosomal networks are characterised by long-lasting interactions between their protein nodes, cell signalling networks are essentially based on transient interactions. As a corollary, while signals propagated in persistent networks may be ephemeral, networks whose interactions are transient constrain signals diffusing into the cytoplasm to be durable in time, such as post-translational modifications of proteins or second messenger synthesis. The duration and nature of the signals, in turn, implies different mechanisms for the integration of multiple signals and decision making. Evolution then reinvented networks with persistent interactions with the development of nervous systems in metazoans. Ribosomal protein networks and simple nervous systems display architectural and functional analogies whose comparison could suggest scale invariance in information processing. At the molecular level, the significant complexification of eukaryotic ribosomal protein networks is associated with a burst in the acquisition of new conserved aromatic amino acids. Knowing that aromatic residues play a critical role in allosteric receptors and channels, this observation suggests a general role of π systems and their interactions with charged amino acids in multiple signal integration and information processing. We think that these findings may provide the molecular basis for designing future computers with organic processors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youri Timsit
- Aix Marseille Université, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM110, 13288 Marseille, France
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara GOSEE, 3 rue Michel-Ange, 75016 Paris, France
- Correspondence:
| | - Sergeant-Perthuis Grégoire
- Institut de Mathématiques de Jussieu—Paris Rive Gauche (IMJ-PRG), UMR 7586, CNRS-Université Paris Diderot, 75013 Paris, France;
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10
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Abstract
The intestinal microbiome influences host health, and its responsiveness to diet and disease is increasingly well studied. However, our understanding of the factors driving microbiome variation remain limited. Temperature is a core factor that controls microbial growth, but its impact on the microbiome remains to be fully explored. Although commonly assumed to be a constant 37°C, normal body temperatures vary across the animal kingdom, while individual body temperature is affected by multiple factors, including circadian rhythm, age, environmental temperature stress, and immune activation. Changes in body temperature via hypo- and hyperthermia have been shown to influence the gut microbiota in a variety of animals, with consistent effects on community diversity and stability. It is known that temperature directly modulates the growth and virulence of gastrointestinal pathogens; however, the effect of temperature on gut commensals is not well studied. Further, body temperature can influence other host factors, such as appetite and immunity, with indirect effects on the microbiome. In this minireview, we discuss the evidence linking body temperature and the intestinal microbiome and their implications for microbiome function during hypothermia, heat stress, and fever.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey E. Huus
- Department of Microbiome Science, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence - Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ruth E. Ley
- Department of Microbiome Science, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence - Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Cowgill J, Chanda B. Mapping Electromechanical Coupling Pathways in Voltage-Gated Ion Channels: Challenges and the Way Forward. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:167104. [PMID: 34139217 PMCID: PMC8579740 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Inter- and intra-molecular allosteric interactions underpin regulation of activity in a variety of biological macromolecules. In the voltage-gated ion channel superfamily, the conformational state of the voltage-sensing domain regulates the activity of the pore domain via such long-range allosteric interactions. Although the overall structure of these channels is conserved, allosteric interactions between voltage-sensor and pore varies quite dramatically between the members of this superfamily. Despite the progress in identifying key residues and structural interfaces involved in mediating electromechanical coupling, our understanding of the biophysical mechanisms remains limited. Emerging new structures of voltage-gated ion channels in various conformational states will provide a better three-dimensional view of the process but to conclusively establish a mechanism, we will also need to quantitate the energetic contribution of various structural elements to this process. Using rigorous unbiased metrics, we want to compare the efficiency of electromechanical coupling between various sub-families in order to gain a comprehensive understanding. Furthermore, quantitative understanding of the process will enable us to correctly parameterize computational approaches which will ultimately enable us to predict allosteric activation mechanisms from structures. In this review, we will outline the challenges and limitations of various experimental approaches to measure electromechanical coupling and highlight the best practices in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Cowgill
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63110, United States; Center for Investigations of Membrane Excitability Disorders (CIMED), Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63110, United States
| | - Baron Chanda
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63110, United States; Center for Investigations of Membrane Excitability Disorders (CIMED), Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63110, United States.
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12
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Elbahnsi A, Delemotte L. Structure and Sequence-based Computational Approaches to Allosteric Signal Transduction: Application to Electromechanical Coupling in Voltage-gated Ion Channels. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:167095. [PMID: 34107281 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Allosteric signaling underlies the function of many biomolecules, including membrane proteins such as ion channels. Experimental methods have enabled specific quantitative insights into the coupling between the voltage sensing domain (VSD) and the pore gate of voltage-gated ion channels, located tens of Ångström apart from one another, as well as pinpointed specific residues and domains that participate in electromechanical signal transmission. Nevertheless, an overall atomic-level resolution picture is difficult to obtain from these methods alone. Today, thanks to the cryo-EM resolution revolution, we have access to high resolution structures of many different voltage-gated ion channels in various conformational states, putting a quantitative description of the processes at the basis of these changes within our close reach. Here, we review computational methods that build on structures to detect and characterize allosteric signaling and pathways. We then examine what has been learned so far about electromechanical coupling between VSD and pore using such methods. While no general theory of electromechanical coupling in voltage-gated ion channels integrating results from all these methods is available yet, we outline the types of insights that could be achieved in the near future using the methods that have not yet been put to use in this field of application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Elbahnsi
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lucie Delemotte
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm, Sweden.
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