scholarly journals IKs ion-channel pore conductance can result from individual voltage sensor movements

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (16) ◽  
pp. 7879-7888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maartje Westhoff ◽  
Jodene Eldstrom ◽  
Christopher I. Murray ◽  
Emely Thompson ◽  
David Fedida

The IKs current has an established role in cardiac action potential repolarization, and provides a repolarization reserve at times of stress. The underlying channels are formed from tetramers of KCNQ1 along with one to four KCNE1 accessory subunits, but how these components together gate the IKs complex to open the pore is controversial. Currently, either a concerted movement involving all four subunits of the tetramer or allosteric regulation of open probability through voltage-dependent subunit activation is thought to precede opening. Here, by using the E160R mutation in KCNQ1 or the F57W mutation in KCNE1 to prevent or impede, respectively, voltage sensors from moving into activated conformations, we demonstrate that a concerted transition of all four subunits after voltage sensor activation is not required for the opening of IKs channels. Tracking voltage sensor movement, via [2-(trimethylammonium)ethyl]methanethiosulfonate bromide (MTSET) modification and fluorescence recordings, shows that E160R-containing voltage sensors do not translocate upon depolarization. E160R, when expressed in all four KCNQ1 subunits, is nonconducting, but if one, two, or three voltage sensors contain the E160R mutation, whole-cell and single-channel currents are still observed in both the presence and absence of KCNE1, and average conductance is reduced proportional to the number of E160R voltage sensors. The data suggest that KCNQ1 + KCNE1 channels gate like KCNQ1 alone. A model of independent voltage sensors directly coupled to open states can simulate experimental changes in IKs current kinetics, including the nonlinear depolarization of the conductance–voltage (G–V) relationship, and tail current acceleration as the number of nonactivatable E160R subunits is increased.

2010 ◽  
Vol 135 (5) ◽  
pp. 461-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Shelley ◽  
Xiaowei Niu ◽  
Yanyan Geng ◽  
Karl L. Magleby

Voltage-dependent gating mechanisms of large conductance Ca2+ and voltage-activated (BK) channels were investigated using two-dimensional maximum likelihood analysis of single-channel open and closed intervals. To obtain sufficient data at negative as well as positive voltages, single-channel currents were recorded at saturating Ca2+ from BK channels mutated to remove the RCK1 Ca2+ and Mg2+ sensors. The saturating Ca2+ acting on the Ca2+ bowl sensors of the resulting BKB channels increased channel activity while driving the gating into a reduced number of states, simplifying the model. Five highly constrained idealized gating mechanisms based on extensions of the Monod-Wyman-Changeux model for allosteric proteins were examined. A 10-state model without coupling between the voltage sensors and the opening/closing transitions partially described the voltage dependence of Po but not the single-channel kinetics. With allowed coupling, the model gave improved descriptions of Po and approximated the single-channel kinetics; each activated voltage sensor increased the opening rate approximately an additional 23-fold while having little effect on the closing rate. Allowing cooperativity among voltage sensors further improved the description of the data: each activated voltage sensor increased the activation rate of the remaining voltage sensors approximately fourfold, with little effect on the deactivation rate. The coupling factor was decreased in models with cooperativity from ∼23 to ∼18. Whether the apparent cooperativity among voltage sensors arises from imposing highly idealized models or from actual cooperativity will require additional studies to resolve. For both cooperative and noncooperative models, allowing transitions to five additional brief (flicker) closed states further improved the description of the data. These observations show that the voltage-dependent single-channel kinetics of BKB channels can be approximated by highly idealized allosteric models in which voltage sensor movement increases Po mainly through an increase in channel opening rates, with limited effects on closing rates.


2007 ◽  
Vol 130 (5) ◽  
pp. 479-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudha Chakrapani ◽  
Julio F Cordero-Morales ◽  
Eduardo Perozo

The kinetic transitions of proton-activated WT KcsA and the noninactivating E71A mutant were studied at the single-channel level in purified, liposome-reconstituted preparations. Single-channel currents were recorded using patch-clamp techniques under nonstationary and steady-state conditions. Maximum-likelihood analyses reveal that the key influence of acidic pH is to increase the frequency of bursting without an effect on the intraburst open and closed dwell times, consistent with the finding from macroscopic currents that protons promote activation without a significant effect on inactivation. However, in steady-conditions of pH, voltage not only alters the burst frequency but also affects their properties, such as the frequency of the flickers and the dwell times of the closed and open states. This is to be expected if voltage modulates pathways connecting open and inactivated states. Upon opening, KcsA can enter at least two closed states that are not part of the activation pathway. The frequency and duration of these closed states was found to be voltage dependent and therefore these are likely to represent short-lived inactivated states. Single-channel recordings of WT KcsA also show varying propensity for the presence of subconductance states. The probability of occurrence of these states did not show clear modulation by voltage or pH and their origin remains unclear and a focus for further investigation. A kinetic model is proposed to describe the gating events in KcsA that recapitulates its macroscopic and single-channel behavior. The model has been constrained by the single-channel analyses presented in this work along with data from macroscopic currents in the preceding paper.


1994 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 2570-2575 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. S. Premkumar ◽  
P. W. Gage

1. Single-channel currents were recorded in cell-attached patches on cultured hippocampal neurons in response to gamma-aminobutyric acid-B (GABAB) agonists or serotonin applied to the cell surface outside the patch area. 2. The channels activated by GABAB agonists and serotonin were potassium selective but had a different conductance and kinetic behavior. Channels activated by GABAB agonists had a higher conductance, longer open-time, and longer burst-length than channels activated by serotonin. 3. The kinetic behavior of channels activated by GABAB agonists varied with potential whereas channels activated by serotonin did not show voltage-dependent changes in kinetics. 4. In a few cell-attached patches, both types of channel were activated when the cell was exposed to GABA together with serotonin. 5. It was concluded that GABAB agonists and serotonin activate different potassium channels in the soma of cultured hippocampal neurons.


1987 ◽  
Vol 253 (1) ◽  
pp. H210-H214
Author(s):  
M. Horie ◽  
H. Irisawa

Rectifying properties of the acetylcholine (ACh)-sensitive K+ channels were studied using a patch-clamp method in single atrial cells prepared enzymatically from adult guinea pig hearts. In the presence of micromolar concentration of nonhydrolyzable guanosine 5'-triphosphate (GTP) analogue 5'-guanylylimidodiphosphate (GppNHp) and the absence of Mg2+ at the inner surface of patch membrane [( Mg2+]i), the channel activity recovered in inside-out patch condition. The single channel conductance became ohmic between -80 and +80 mV (symmetrical 150 mM K+ solutions). The rapid relaxation of outward single channel currents was disclosed on a depolarization. [Mg2+]i blocked the outward current through the channel dose- and voltage-dependently and also induced a dose-dependent increase in the channel activation. The apparent paradoxical role of [Mg2+]i is important for the cholinergic control in the heart; voltage-dependent Mg block ensures a low K+ conductance of cell membrane at the plateau of action potentials during the exposure to ACh, thereby slowing the heart rate without unfavorable shortening of the action potentials.


2002 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lai-Hua Xie ◽  
Scott A. John ◽  
James N. Weiss

Inward rectification in strong inward rectifiers such as Kir2.1 is attributed to voltage-dependent block by intracellular polyamines and Mg2+. Block by the polyamine spermine has a complex voltage dependence with shallow and steep components and complex concentration dependence. To understand the mechanism, we measured macroscopic Kir2.1 currents in excised inside-out giant patches from Xenopus oocytes expressing Kir2.1, and single channel currents in the inside-out patches from COS7 cells transfected with Kir2.1. We found that as spermine concentration or voltage increased, the shallow voltage-dependent component of spermine block at more negative voltages was caused by progressive reduction in the single channel current amplitude, without a decrease in open probability. We attributed this effect to spermine screening negative surface charges involving E224 and E299 near the inner vestibule of the channel, thereby reducing K ion permeation rate. This idea was further supported by experiments in which increasing ionic strength also decreased Kir2.1 single channel amplitude, and by mutagenesis experiments showing that this component of spermine block decreased when E224 and E299, but not D172, were neutralized. The steep voltage-dependent component of block at more depolarized voltages was attributed to spermine migrating deeper into the pore and causing fast open channel block. A quantitative model incorporating both features showed excellent agreement with the steady-state and kinetic data. In addition, this model accounts for previously described substate behavior induced by a variety of Kir2.1 channel blockers.


1993 ◽  
Vol 264 (3) ◽  
pp. C745-C754 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Rich ◽  
J. L. Kenyon ◽  
J. R. Hume ◽  
K. Overturf ◽  
B. Horowitz ◽  
...  

Experiments were performed to identify and characterize the types of calcium channels that regulate inward calcium current in canine colonic smooth muscle. Freshly dispersed smooth muscle cells from the circular layer of the canine proximal colon were used. Single-channel currents were measured with 80 mM Ba2+ as the charge carrier. Small-conductance (10 +/- 2 pS, EBa = 46 +/- 11 mV, n = 9) and large-conductance (21 +/- 1 pS, EBa = 52 +/- 3 mV, n = 19) single-channel currents were observed during depolarizing voltage steps positive to -30 mV. Both types of single-channel currents were inhibited by the addition of 10(-6) M nifedipine to the bath solution. The smaller current was infrequently observed and therefore was not further characterized. Open probability (P(o)) of the larger current amplitude was strongly dependent on voltage. Activation curves were well described by a Boltzmann function with half activation occurring at 4 mV, and a 5-mV increase in membrane potential resulted in an e-fold increase in P(o). BAY K 8644 (1 microM) shifted the activation curve to the left while nifedipine (1 microM) resulted in a right shift. Molecular analysis showed that only the C class of Ca2+ channel alpha 1-subunit is expressed in this tissue. Furthermore, only a single splice variant (rbc-II) was observed. The results suggest that a single class of dihydropyridine-sensitive calcium channels regulates inward calcium current in canine colonic smooth muscle cells.


1998 ◽  
Vol 111 (4) ◽  
pp. 565-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgit Hirschberg ◽  
James Maylie ◽  
John P. Adelman ◽  
Neil V. Marrion

Small-conductance Ca-activated K+ channels play an important role in modulating excitability in many cell types. These channels are activated by submicromolar concentrations of intracellular Ca2+, but little is known about the gating kinetics upon activation by Ca2+. In this study, single channel currents were recorded from Xenopus oocytes expressing the apamin-sensitive clone rSK2. Channel activity was detectable in 0.2 μM Ca2+ and was maximal above 2 μM Ca2+. Analysis of stationary currents revealed two open times and three closed times, with only the longest closed time being Ca dependent, decreasing with increasing Ca2+ concentrations. In addition, elevated Ca2+ concentrations resulted in a larger percentage of long openings and short closures. Membrane voltage did not have significant effects on either open or closed times. The open probability was ∼0.6 in 1 μM free Ca2+. A lower open probability of ∼0.05 in 1 μM Ca2+ was also observed, and channels switched spontaneously between behaviors. The occurrence of these switches and the amount of time channels spent displaying high open probability behavior was Ca2+ dependent. The two behaviors shared many features including the open times and the short and intermediate closed times, but the low open probability behavior was characterized by a different, long Ca2+-dependent closed time in the range of hundreds of milliseconds to seconds. Small-conductance Ca- activated K+ channel gating was modeled by a gating scheme consisting of four closed and two open states. This model yielded a close representation of the single channel data and predicted a macroscopic activation time course similar to that observed upon fast application of Ca2+ to excised inside-out patches.


1999 ◽  
Vol 114 (5) ◽  
pp. 653-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Nasi ◽  
Maria del Pilar Gomez

The light-dependent K conductance of hyperpolarizing Pecten photoreceptors exhibits a pronounced outward rectification that is eliminated by removal of extracellular divalent cations. The voltage-dependent block by Ca2+ and Mg2+ that underlies such nonlinearity was investigated. Both divalents reduce the photocurrent amplitude, the potency being significantly higher for Ca2+ than Mg2+ (K1/2 ≈ 16 and 61 mM, respectively, at Vm = −30 mV). Neither cation is measurably permeant. Manipulating the concentration of permeant K ions affects the blockade, suggesting that the mechanism entails occlusion of the permeation pathway. The voltage dependency of Ca2+ block is consistent with a single binding site located at an electrical distance of δ ≈ 0.6 from the outside. Resolution of light-dependent single-channel currents under physiological conditions indicates that blockade must be slow, which prompted the use of perturbation/relaxation methods to analyze its kinetics. Voltage steps during illumination produce a distinct relaxation in the photocurrent (τ = 5–20 ms) that disappears on removal of Ca2+ and Mg2+ and thus reflects enhancement or relief of blockade, depending on the polarity of the stimulus. The equilibration kinetics are significantly faster with Ca2+ than with Mg2+, suggesting that the process is dominated by the “on” rate, perhaps because of a step requiring dehydration of the blocking ion to access the binding site. Complementary strategies were adopted to investigate the interaction between blockade and channel gating: the photocurrent decay accelerates with hyperpolarization, but the effect requires extracellular divalents. Moreover, conditioning voltage steps terminated immediately before light stimulation failed to affect the photocurrent. These observations suggest that equilibration of block at different voltages requires an open pore. Inducing channels to close during a conditioning hyperpolarization resulted in a slight delay in the rising phase of a subsequent light response; this effect can be interpreted as closure of the channel with a divalent ion trapped inside.


2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 341-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Proks ◽  
Charlotte E. Capener ◽  
Phillippa Jones ◽  
Frances M. Ashcroft

The ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel exhibits spontaneous bursts of rapid openings, which are separated by long closed intervals. Previous studies have shown that mutations at the internal mouth of the pore-forming (Kir6.2) subunit of this channel affect the burst duration and the long interburst closings, but do not alter the fast intraburst kinetics. In this study, we have investigated the nature of the intraburst kinetics by using recombinant Kir6.2/SUR1 KATP channels heterologously expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Single-channel currents were studied in inside-out membrane patches. Mutations within the pore loop of Kir6.2 (V127T, G135F, and M137C) dramatically affected the mean open time (τo) and the short closed time (τC1) within a burst, and the number of openings per burst, but did not alter the burst duration, the interburst closed time, or the channel open probability. Thus, the V127T and M137C mutations produced longer τo, shorter τC1, and fewer openings per burst, whereas the G135F mutation had the opposite effect. All three mutations also reduced the single-channel conductance: from 70 pS for the wild-type channel to 62 pS (G135F), 50 pS (M137C), and 38 pS (V127T). These results are consistent with the idea that the KATP channel possesses a gate that governs the intraburst kinetics, which lies close to the selectivity filter. This gate appears to be able to operate independently of that which regulates the long interburst closings.


1994 ◽  
Vol 267 (1) ◽  
pp. L94-L100 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Yue ◽  
R. L. Shoemaker ◽  
S. Matalon

We determined the mechanisms by which beta-agonists increase sodium (Na+) currents across rat alveolar type II (ATII) cells grown in primary culture. When ATII cells were patched in the cell-attached mode using symmetrical Na+ solutions (150 mM Na(+)-glutamate), single-channel currents were observed for holding potentials between -80 and 30 mV (referenced to the pipette solution) with a single-channel conductance of 27 +/- 3 pS, a mean open time (tau 1) of 3.3 +/- 0.15 ms and an open probability (Po) of 0.36 +/- 0.06 (n = 7). Addition of 10 microM terbutaline into the bath increased tau 1 to 6.43 +/- 0.5 ms and Po to 0.62 +/- 0.06 (n = 7) without affecting channel conductance. Single-channel currents with a conductance of 25 +/- 2 pS were also recorded across ATII cells patched in the inside-out mode. Addition of 250 U/ml of protein kinase A (PKA), 1 mM ATP, and 5 mM MgCl2 in the bath solution (150 mM Na(+)-glutamate) increased the single channel tau 1 from 3.26 +/- 0.15 to 7.38 +/- 0.38 and Po from 0.41 +/- 0.06 to 0.72 +/- 0.07 (n = 6) without altering conductance. Addition of 1 microM amiloride or ethylisopropylamiloride (EIPA) in the pipette solution (150 mM Na(+)-glutamate) blocked single-channel activity almost completely. Ionic substitution experiments showed the relative permeability of Na+ to K+ and Na+ to Cl- to be 7:1 and 8:1, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document