scholarly journals Relationship between Pore Occupancy and Gating in BK Potassium Channels

2006 ◽  
Vol 127 (5) ◽  
pp. 557-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca A. Piskorowski ◽  
Richard W. Aldrich
Keyword(s):  
Potassium Channels ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Ion Concentration ◽  
Open Time ◽  
Voltage Curve ◽  
Activation Pathways ◽  
Opening And Closing ◽  
Kcsa Potassium Channel

Permeant ions can have significant effects on ion channel conformational changes. To further understand the relationship between ion occupancy and gating conformational changes, we have studied macroscopic and single-channel gating of BK potassium channels with different permeant monovalent cations. While the slopes of the conductance–voltage curve were reduced with respect to potassium for all permeant ions, BK channels required stronger depolarization to open only when thallium was the permeant ion. Thallium also slowed the activation and deactivation kinetics. Both the change in kinetics and the shift in the GV curve were dependent on the thallium passing through the permeation pathway, as well as on the concentration of thallium. There was a decrease in the mean open time and an increase in the number of short flicker closing events with thallium as the permeating ion. Mean closed durations were unaffected. Application of previously established allosteric gating models indicated that thallium specifically alters the opening and closing transition of the channel and does not alter the calcium activation or voltage activation pathways. Addition of a closed flicker state into the allosteric model can account for the effect of thallium on gating. Consideration of the thallium concentration dependence of the gating effects suggests that the flicker state may correspond to the collapsed selectivity filter seen in crystal structures of the KcsA potassium channel under the condition of low permeant ion concentration.

Potassium channels activated by GABAB agonists and serotonin in cultured hippocampal neurons

1994 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 2570-2575 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. S. Premkumar ◽  
P. W. Gage
Keyword(s):  
Potassium Channels ◽  
Hippocampal Neurons ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Gamma Aminobutyric Acid ◽  
Kinetic Behavior ◽  
Open Time ◽  
Voltage Dependent ◽  
Single Channel Currents ◽  
Channel Currents ◽  
Cultured Hippocampal Neurons

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.

Two types of K+ channels at the basolateral membrane of proximal tubule: inhibitory effect of taurine

1999 ◽  
Vol 277 (2) ◽  
pp. F290-F297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-François Noulin ◽  
Emmanuelle Brochiero ◽  
Jean-Yves Lapointe ◽  
Raynald Laprade
Keyword(s):  
Potassium Channels ◽  
Time Constant ◽  
Potassium Conductance ◽  
Single Type ◽  
K Channel ◽  
Open Probability ◽  
Open Time ◽  
Voltage Curve ◽  
Current Voltage ◽  
Current Voltage Curve

The cell-attached configuration of the patch-clamp technique was used to investigate the effects of taurine on the basolateral potassium channels of rabbit proximal convoluted tubule. In the absence of taurine, the previously reported ATP-blockable channel, KATP, was observed in 51% of patches. It is characterized by an inwardly rectifying current-voltage curve with an inward slope conductance of 49 ± 5 pS ( n = 15) and an outward slope conductance of 13 ± 6 pS ( n = 15). The KATP channel open probability ( P o) is low, 0.15 ± 0.06 ( n = 15) at a − V p = −100 mV ( V pis the pipette potential), and increases slightly with depolarization. The gating kinetics are characterized by one open time constant (τo = 5.0 ± 1.9 ms, n = 6) and two closed time constants (τC1 = 5.2 ± 1.5 ms, τC2 = 140 ± 40 ms; n = 6). In 34% of patches, a second type of potassium channel, sK, with distinct properties was recorded. Its current-voltage curve is characterized by a sigmoidal shape, with an inward slope conductance of 12 ± 2 pS ( n = 4). Its P o is voltage independent and averages 0.67 ± 0.03 ( n = 4) at − V p = −80 mV. Both its open time and closed time distributions are described by a single time constant (τo = 96 ± 19 ms, τC = 10.5 ± 3.6 ms; n = 4). Extracellular perfusion of 40 mM taurine fails to affect sK channels, whereas KATP channel P o decreases by 75% (from 0.17 ± 0.06 to 0.04 ± 0.02, n = 7, P < 0.05). In conclusion, the absolute basolateral potassium conductance of rabbit proximal tubules is the resulting combination of, at least, two types of potassium channels of roughly equal importance: a high-conductance low-open probability KATP channel and a low-conductance high-open probability sK channel. The previously described decrease in the basolateral absolute potassium conductance by taurine is, however, mediated by a single type of K channel: the ATP-blockable K channel.

scholarly journals Conformational coupling in BK potassium channels

2012 ◽  
Vol 140 (6) ◽  
pp. 625-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank T. Horrigan
Keyword(s):  
Potassium Channels ◽  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Muscle Tone ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
The Body ◽  
Secretory Cells ◽  
Auditory Hair Cells ◽  
Conformational Coupling

Large conductance calcium- and voltage-dependent BK potassium channels (aka BKCa, MaxiK, Slo1, KCa1.1, and KCNMA1) are expressed in a wide variety of tissues throughout the body and are activated by both intracellular Ca2+ and membrane depolarization. Owing to these properties, BK channels participate in diverse physiological processes from electrical excitability in neurons and secretory cells, and regulation of smooth muscle tone to tuning of auditory hair cells (Vergara et al., 1998; Ghatta et al., 2006). The response to voltage and Ca2+ allows BK channels to integrate electrical and calcium signaling, which is central to their physiological role. Understanding how BK and other multimodal channels are regulated by and integrate diverse stimuli is not only physiologically important but also relevant to the topic of conformational coupling. As a voltage- and ligand-dependent channel, BK channels contain both voltage-sensor and ligand-binding domains as well as a gate to regulate the flow of K+ through the pore. Coupling of conformational changes in one domain to another provides the basis for transducing voltage and ligand binding into channel opening and, therefore, defines, together with the functional properties of the gate and sensors, the signal transduction properties of the channel. The goal of this perspective is to provide an overview on the role and molecular basis of conformational coupling between functional domains in BK channels and outline some of the questions that remain to be answered.

scholarly journals Hidden Markov Model Analysis of Intermediate Gating Steps Associated with the Pore Gate of Shaker Potassium Channels

2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (5) ◽  
pp. 547-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Zheng ◽  
Lalitha Vankataramanan ◽  
Fred J. Sigworth
Keyword(s):  
Potassium Channels ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Hidden Markov ◽  
Voltage Sensitivity ◽  
Open Probability ◽  
Shaker Channels ◽  
Voltage Dependent ◽  
Shaker Potassium Channels

Cooperativity among the four subunits helps give rise to the remarkable voltage sensitivity of Shaker potassium channels, whose open probability changes tenfold for a 5-mV change in membrane potential. The cooperativity in these channels is thought to arise from a concerted structural transition as the final step in opening the channel. Recordings of single-channel ionic currents from certain other channel types, as well as our previous recordings from T442S mutant Shaker channels, however, display intermediate conductance levels in addition to the fully open and closed states. These sublevels might represent stepwise, rather than concerted, transitions in the final steps of channel activation. Here, we report a similar fine structure in the closing transitions of Shaker channels lacking the mutation. Describing the deactivation time course with hidden Markov models, we find that two subconductance levels are rapidly traversed during most closing transitions of chimeric, high conductance Shaker channels. The lifetimes of these levels are voltage-dependent, with maximal values of 52 and 22 μs at −100 mV, and the voltage dependences of transitions among these states suggest that they arise from equivalent conformational changes occurring in individual subunits. At least one subconductance level is found to be traversed in normal conductance Shaker channels. We speculate that voltage-dependent conformational changes in the subunits give rise to changes in a “pore gate” associated with the selectivity filter region of the channel, producing the subconductance states. As a control for the hidden Markov analysis, we applied the same procedures to recordings of the recovery from N-type inactivation in Shaker channels. These transitions are found to be instantaneous in comparison.

scholarly journals Gating and Conductance Properties of Bk Channels Are Modulated by the S9–S10 Tail Domain of the α Subunit

2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (6) ◽  
pp. 711-734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda L. Moss ◽  
Karl L. Magleby
Keyword(s):  
Single Channel ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Burst Duration ◽  
Tail Domain ◽  
Channel Conductance ◽  
Single Channel Conductance ◽  
Open Time ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Single Channel Currents

The COOH-terminal S9–S10 tail domain of large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels is a major determinant of Ca2+ sensitivity (Schreiber, M., A. Wei, A. Yuan, J. Gaut, M. Saito, and L. Salkoff. 1999. Nat. Neurosci. 2:416–421). To investigate whether the tail domain also modulates Ca2+-independent properties of BK channels, we explored the functional differences between the BK channel mSlo1 and another member of the Slo family, mSlo3 (Schreiber, M., A. Yuan, and L. Salkoff. 1998. J. Biol. Chem. 273:3509–3516). Compared with mSlo1 channels, mSlo3 channels showed little Ca2+ sensitivity, and the mean open time, burst duration, gaps between bursts, and single-channel conductance of mSlo3 channels were only 32, 22, 41, and 37% of that for mSlo1 channels, respectively. To examine which channel properties arise from the tail domain, we coexpressed the core of mSlo1 with either the tail domain of mSlo1 or the tail domain of mSlo3 channels, and studied the single-channel currents. Replacing the mSlo1 tail with the mSlo3 tail resulted in the following: increased open probability in the absence of Ca2+; reduced the Ca2+ sensitivity greatly by allowing only partial activation by Ca2+ and by reducing the Hill coefficient for Ca2+ activation; decreased the voltage dependence ∼28%; decreased the mean open time two- to threefold; decreased the mean burst duration three- to ninefold; decreased the single-channel conductance ∼14%; decreased the Kd for block by TEAi ∼30%; did not change the minimal numbers of three to four open and five to seven closed states entered during gating; and did not change the major features of the dependency between adjacent interval durations. These observations support a modular construction of the BK channel in which the tail domain modulates the gating kinetics and conductance properties of the voltage-dependent core domain, in addition to determining most of the high affinity Ca2+ sensitivity.

scholarly journals Permeant Ion-Dependent Changes in Gating of Kir2.1 Inward Rectifier Potassium Channels

2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (5) ◽  
pp. 509-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Lu ◽  
Li Wu ◽  
Jun Xiao ◽  
Jian Yang
Keyword(s):  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Selectivity Filter ◽  
Channel Current ◽  
Inward Rectifier Potassium Channels ◽  
Slow Decay ◽  
Open Time ◽  
Channel Opening ◽  
Conduction Pathway ◽  
Kinetics Of

We studied the effect of monovalent thallium ion (Tl+) on the gating of single Kir2.1 channels, which open and close spontaneously at a constant membrane potential. In cell-attached recordings of single-channel inward current, changing the external permeant ion from K+ to Tl+ decreases the mean open-time by ∼20-fold. Furthermore, the channel resides predominantly at a subconductance level, which results from a slow decay (τ = 2.7 ms at −100 mV) from the fully open level immediately following channel opening. Mutation of a pore-lining cysteine (C169) to valine abolishes the slow decay and subconductance level, and single-channel recordings from channels formed by tandem tetramers containing one to three C169V mutant subunits indicate that Tl+ must interact with at least three C169 residues to induce these effects. However, the C169V mutation does not alter the single-channel closing kinetics of Tl+ current. These results suggest that Tl+ ions change the conformation of the ion conduction pathway during permeation and alter gating by two distinct mechanisms. First, they interact with the thiolate groups of C169 lining the cavity to induce conformational changes of the ion passageway, and thereby produce a slow decay of single-channel current and a dominant subconductance state. Second, they interact more strongly than K+ with the main chain carbonyl oxygens lining the selectivity filter to destabilize the open state of the channel and, thus, alter the open/close kinetics of gating. In addition to altering gating, Tl+ greatly diminishes Ba2+ block. The unblocking rate of Ba2+ is increased by &gt;22-fold when the external permeant ion is switched from K+ to Tl+ regardless of the direction of Ba2+ exit. This effect cannot be explained solely by ion–ion interactions, but is consistent with the notion that Tl+ induces conformational changes in the selectivity filter.

scholarly journals Selectivity filter ion binding affinity determines inactivation in a potassium channel

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (47) ◽  
pp. 29968-29978
Author(s):  
Céline Boiteux ◽  
David J. Posson ◽  
Toby W. Allen ◽  
Crina M. Nimigean
Keyword(s):  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Selectivity Filter ◽  
Ion Binding ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Extracellular Side ◽  
Opening And Closing ◽  
Low K ◽  
Conductive State

Potassium channels can become nonconducting via inactivation at a gate inside the highly conserved selectivity filter (SF) region near the extracellular side of the membrane. In certain ligand-gated channels, such as BK channels and MthK, a Ca2+-activated K+channel fromMethanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, the SF has been proposed to play a role in opening and closing rather than inactivation, although the underlying conformational changes are unknown. Using X-ray crystallography, identical conductive MthK structures were obtained in wide-ranging K+concentrations (6 to 150 mM), unlike KcsA, whose SF collapses at low permeant ion concentrations. Surprisingly, three of the SF’s four binding sites remained almost fully occupied throughout this range, indicating high affinities (likely submillimolar), while only the central S2 site titrated, losing its ion at 6 mM, indicating low K+affinity (∼50 mM). Molecular simulations showed that the MthK SF can also collapse in the absence of K+, similar to KcsA, but that even a single K+binding at any of the SF sites, except S4, can rescue the conductive state. The uneven titration across binding sites differs from KcsA, where SF sites display a uniform decrease in occupancy with K+concentration, in the low millimolar range, leading to SF collapse. We found that ions were disfavored in MthK’s S2 site due to weaker coordination by carbonyl groups, arising from different interactions with the pore helix and water behind the SF. We conclude that these differences in interactions endow the seemingly identical SFs of KcsA and MthK with strikingly different inactivating phenotypes.

scholarly journals Lack of negative slope in I-V plots for BK channels at positive potentials in the absence of intracellular blockers

2013 ◽  
Vol 141 (4) ◽  
pp. 493-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanyan Geng ◽  
Xiaoyu Wang ◽  
Karl L. Magleby
Keyword(s):  
Single Channel ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Negative Slope ◽  
Channel Conductance ◽  
Single Channel Conductance ◽  
Linear Current ◽  
Joint Application ◽  
Current Voltage ◽  
Α Subunits

Large-conductance, voltage- and Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels display near linear current–voltage (I-V) plots for voltages between −100 and +100 mV, with an increasing sublinearity for more positive potentials. As is the case for many types of channels, BK channels are blocked at positive potentials by intracellular Ca2+ and Mg2+. This fast block progressively reduces single-channel conductance with increasing voltage, giving rise to a negative slope in the I-V plots beyond about +120 mV, depending on the concentration of the blockers. In contrast to these observations of pronounced differences in the magnitudes and shapes of I-V plots in the absence and presence of intracellular blockers, Schroeder and Hansen (2007. J. Gen. Physiol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1085/jgp.200709802) have reported identical I-V plots in the absence and presence of blockers for BK channels, with both plots having reduced conductance and negative slopes, as expected for blockers. Schroeder and Hansen included both Ca2+ and Mg2+ in the intracellular solution rather than a single blocker, and they also studied BK channels expressed from α plus β1 subunits, whereas most previous studies used only α subunits. Although it seems unlikely that these experimental differences would account for the differences in findings between previous studies and those of Schroeder and Hansen, we repeated the experiments using BK channels comprised of α plus β1 subunits with joint application of 2.5 mM Ca2+ plus 2.5 mM Mg2+, as Schroeder and Hansen did. In contrast to the findings of Schroeder and Hansen of identical I-V plots, we found marked differences in the single-channel I-V plots in the absence and presence of blockers. Consistent with previous studies, we found near linear I-V plots in the absence of blockers and greatly reduced currents and negative slopes in the presence of blockers. Hence, studies of conductance mechanisms for BK channels should exclude intracellular Ca2+/Mg2+, as they can reduce conductance and induce negative slopes.

scholarly journals Gating of Na channels in the rat cortical collecting tubule: effects of voltage and membrane stretch.

1996 ◽  
Vol 107 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
L G Palmer ◽  
G Frindt
Keyword(s):  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Apical Membrane ◽  
Na Channels ◽  
Patch Clamp Technique ◽  
Open Time ◽  
Collecting Tubule ◽  
Excised Patches ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Cortical Collecting Tubule

The gating kinetics of apical membrane Na channels in the rat cortical collecting tubule were assessed in cell-attached and inside-out excised patches from split-open tubules using the patch-clamp technique. In patches containing a single channel the open probability (Po) was variable, ranging from 0.05 to 0.9. The average Po was 0.5. However, the individual values were not distributed normally, but were mainly &lt; or = 0.25 or &gt; or = 0.75. Mean open times and mean closed times were correlated directly and inversely, respectively, with Po. In patches where a sufficient number of events could be recorded, two time constants were required to describe the open-time and closed-time distributions. In most patches in which basal Po was &lt; 0.3 the channels could be activated by hyperpolarization of the apical membrane. In five such patches containing a single channel hyperpolarization by 40 mV increased Po by 10-fold, from 0.055 +/- 0.023 to 0.58 +/- 0.07. This change reflected an increase in the mean open time of the channels from 52 +/- 17 to 494 +/- 175 ms and a decrease in the mean closed time from 1,940 +/- 350 to 336 +/- 100 ms. These responses, however, could not be described by a simple voltage dependence of the opening and closing rates. In many cases significant delays in both the activation by hyperpolarization and deactivation by depolarization were observed. These delays ranged from several seconds to several tens of seconds. Similar effects of voltage were seen in cell-attached and excised patches, arguing against a voltage-dependent chemical modification of the channel, such as a phosphorylation. Rather, the channels appeared to switch between gating modes. These switches could be spontaneous but were strongly influenced by changes in membrane voltage. Voltage dependence of channel gating was also observed under whole-cell clamp conditions. To see if mechanical perturbations could also influence channel kinetics or gating mode, negative pressures of 10-60 mm Hg were applied to the patch pipette. In most cases (15 out of 22), this maneuver had no significant effect on channel behavior. In 6 out of 22 patches, however, there was a rapid and reversible increase in Po when the pressure was applied. In one patch, there was a reversible decrease. While no consistent effects of pressure could be documented, membrane deformation could contribute to the variation in Po under some conditions.

scholarly journals Correlation of membrane protein conformational and functional dynamics

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raghavendar Reddy Sanganna Gari ◽  
Joel José Montalvo‐Acosta ◽  
George R. Heath ◽  
Yining Jiang ◽  
Xiaolong Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Conformational Dynamics ◽  
Md Simulations ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Functional Dynamics ◽  
Ph Dependent ◽  
Open States

AbstractConformational changes in ion channels lead to gating of an ion-conductive pore. Ion flux has been measured with high temporal resolution by single-channel electrophysiology for decades. However, correlation between functional and conformational dynamics remained difficult, lacking experimental techniques to monitor sub-millisecond conformational changes. Here, we use the outer membrane protein G (OmpG) as a model system where loop-6 opens and closes the β-barrel pore like a lid in a pH-dependent manner. Functionally, single-channel electrophysiology shows that while closed states are favored at acidic pH and open states are favored at physiological pH, both states coexist and rapidly interchange in all conditions. Using HS-AFM height spectroscopy (HS-AFM-HS), we monitor sub-millisecond loop-6 conformational dynamics, and compare them to the functional dynamics from single-channel recordings, while MD simulations provide atomistic details and energy landscapes of the pH-dependent loop-6 fluctuations. HS-AFM-HS offers new opportunities to analyze conformational dynamics at timescales of domain and loop fluctuations.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document