scholarly journals Reversal of HCN Channel Voltage Dependence via Bridging of the S4–S5 Linker and Post-S6

2006 ◽  
Vol 128 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Prole ◽  
Gary Yellen
Keyword(s):  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Disulfide Bridges ◽  
Hcn Channel ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Transmembrane Voltage ◽  
Pacemaker Channel ◽  
Positive Voltage ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Inactivation Process ◽  
Voltage Gated Ion Channels

Voltage-gated ion channels possess charged domains that move in response to changes in transmembrane voltage. How this movement is transduced into gating of the channel pore is largely unknown. Here we show directly that two functionally important regions of the spHCN1 pacemaker channel, the S4–S5 linker and the C-linker, come into close proximity during gating. Cross-linking these regions with high-affinity metal bridges or disulfide bridges dramatically alters channel gating in the absence of cAMP; after modification the polarity of voltage dependence is reversed. Instead of being closed at positive voltage and activating with hyperpolarization, modified channels are closed at negative voltage and activate with depolarization. Mechanistically, this reversal of voltage dependence occurs as a result of selectively eliminating channel deactivation, while retaining an existing inactivation process. Bridging also alters channel activation by cAMP, showing that interaction of these two regions can also affect the efficacy of physiological ligands.

scholarly journals Activation of Slo2.1 channels by niflumic acid

2010 ◽  
Vol 135 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Dai ◽  
Vivek Garg ◽  
Michael C. Sanguinetti
Keyword(s):  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Reversal Potential ◽  
Niflumic Acid ◽  
Flufenamic Acid ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Outward Currents ◽  
Transmembrane Voltage ◽  
High K ◽  
Charged Residues ◽  
K Current

Slo2.1 channels conduct an outwardly rectifying K+ current when activated by high [Na+]i. Here, we show that gating of these channels can also be activated by fenamates such as niflumic acid (NFA), even in the absence of intracellular Na+. In Xenopus oocytes injected with <10 ng cRNA, heterologously expressed human Slo2.1 current was negligible, but rapidly activated by extracellular application of NFA (EC50 = 2.1 mM) or flufenamic acid (EC50 = 1.4 mM). Slo2.1 channels activated by 1 mM NFA exhibited weak voltage dependence. In high [K+]e, the conductance–voltage (G-V) relationship had a V1/2 of +95 mV and an effective valence, z, of 0.48 e. Higher concentrations of NFA shifted V1/2 to more negative potentials (EC50 = 2.1 mM) and increased the minimum value of G/Gmax (EC50 = 2.4 mM); at 6 mM NFA, Slo2.1 channel activation was voltage independent. In contrast, V1/2 of the G-V relationship was shifted to more positive potentials when [K+]e was elevated from 1 to 300 mM (EC50 = 21.2 mM). The slope conductance measured at the reversal potential exhibited the same [K+]e dependency (EC50 = 23.5 mM). Conductance was also [Na+]e dependent. Outward currents were reduced when Na+ was replaced with choline or mannitol, but unaffected by substitution with Rb+ or Li+. Neutralization of charged residues in the S1–S4 domains did not appreciably alter the voltage dependence of Slo2.1 activation. Thus, the weak voltage dependence of Slo2.1 channel activation is independent of charged residues in the S1–S4 segments. In contrast, mutation of R190 located in the adjacent S4–S5 linker to a neutral (Ala or Gln) or acidic (Glu) residue induced constitutive channel activity that was reduced by high [K+]e. Collectively, these findings indicate that Slo2.1 channel gating is modulated by [K+]e and [Na+]e, and that NFA uncouples channel activation from its modulation by transmembrane voltage and intracellular Na+.

scholarly journals Dravet variant SCN1AA1783V impairs interneuron firing predominantly by altered channel activation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Layer ◽  
L. Sonnenberg ◽  
E. Pardo González ◽  
J. Benda ◽  
H. Lerche ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Dravet Syndrome ◽  
Slice Culture ◽  
List Type ◽  
Slow Inactivation ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Peak Current Density ◽  
Action Potential Firing ◽  
Channel Activation

AbstractDravet syndrome (DS) is a developmental epileptic encephalopathy mainly caused by functional NaV1.1 haploinsufficiency in interneurons (IN). Recently, a new conditional mouse model expressing the recurrent human p.A1783V missense variant has become available. Here we provide an electrophysiological characterization of this variant in tsA201 cells, revealing both altered voltage-dependence of activation and slow inactivation without reduced sodium peak current density. Simulating IN excitability in a Hodgkin-Huxley one-compartment model suggested surprisingly similar firing deficits for Scn1aA1783V and full haploinsufficiency as caused by heterozygous truncation variants. Impaired NaVA1783V channel activation was predicted to have a significantly larger impact on channel function than altered slow inactivation and is therefore proposed as the main mechanism underlying IN dysfunction. The computational model was validated in cortical organotypic slice cultures derived from conditional Scn1aA1783V mice. Pan-neuronal activation of the p.A1783V variant in vitro confirmed the predicted IN firing deficit while demonstrating normal excitability of pyramidal neurons. Taken together these data demonstrate that despite maintained physiological peak currents density LOF gating properties may match effects of full haploinsufficiency on neuronal level, thereby causing DS.HighlightsNaV1.1A1783V alters voltage-dependence of activation and slow inactivation while not affecting fast inactivation.Depolarizing and hyperpolarizing shifts of activation and slow inactivation curves result in combined channel loss of function (LOF).Simulations of NaV1.1A1783V interneuronal properties indicate reduced action potential firing rates comparable to full SCN1A haploinsufficiency, which is often found in Dravet syndrome.In silico modelling identifies impaired channel activation as the predominant mechanism of channel LOF.Panneuronal induction of Scn1a+/A1783V in a cortical slice culture model confirms restriction of loss of function and its restriction to interneurons.

Acetylcholine activates nonselective cation channels in guinea pig ileum through a G protein

1990 ◽  
Vol 258 (6) ◽  
pp. C1173-C1178 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Inoue ◽  
G. Isenberg
Keyword(s):  
G Protein ◽  
Calcium Ions ◽  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Sodium Ions ◽  
Nonselective Cation Channel ◽  
Guinea Pig Ileum ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Present Evidence ◽  
Nonselective Cation Channels ◽  
Gamma S

Acetylcholine (ACh) depolarizes the membrane of mammalian intestinal myocytes by activating a nonselective cation channel (G. D. Benham, T. B. Bolton, and R. J. Lang. Nature Lond. 316: 345-347, 1985; R. Inoue, K. Kitamura, and H. Kuriyama. Pfluegers Arch. 410: 69-74, 1987). Here, we present evidence that occupation of the muscarinic receptor by ACh couples to channel activation via a G protein; the coupling can be blocked by pertussis toxin or by intracellular guanosine 5'-O-(2-thio-diphosphate) (GDP beta S), whereas intracellular guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S) activates the channel in the absence of ACh. The currents, activated by either ACh or GTP gamma S, are nonadditive, conduct sodium ions, and are similar in their voltage dependence and facilitation by submicromolar calcium ions in the cytosol.

Stochastic Hodgkin-Huxley Equations with Colored Noise Terms in the Conductances

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marifi Güler
Keyword(s):  
Colored Noise ◽  
Open Channel ◽  
Small Cells ◽  
Spontaneous Firing ◽  
Spike Generation ◽  
Membrane Area ◽  
Transmembrane Voltage ◽  
Cross Correlations ◽  
Firing Efficiency ◽  
Voltage Gated Ion Channels

The excitability of cells is facilitated by voltage-gated ion channels. These channels accommodate a multiple number of gates individually. The possible impact of that gate multiplicity on the cell's function, specifically when the membrane area is of limited size, was investigated in the author's prior work (Güler, 2011 ). There, it was found that a nontrivially persistent correlation takes place between the transmembrane voltage fluctuations (also between the fluctuations in the gating variables) and the component of open channel fluctuations attributed to the gate multiplicity. This nontrivial phenomenon was found to be playing a major augmentative role for the elevation of excitability and spontaneous firing in small cells. In addition, the same phenomenon was found to be enhancing spike coherence significantly. Here we extend Fox and Lu's ( 1994 ) stochastic Hodgkin-Huxley equations by incorporating colored noise terms into the conductances there to obtain a formalism capable of capturing the addressed cross-correlations. Statistics of spike generation, spike coherence, firing efficiency, latency, and jitter from the articulated set of equations are found to be highly accurate in comparison with the corresponding statistics from the exact microscopic Markov simulations. This way, it is demonstrated vividly that our formulation overcomes the inherent inadequacy of the Fox and Lu equations. Finally, a recently proposed diffusion approximation method (Linaro, Storace, & Giugliano, 2011 ) is taken into consideration, and a discussion on its character is pursued.

scholarly journals Uncharged S4 Residues and Cooperativity in Voltage-dependent Potassium Channel Activation

1998 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine J. Smith-Maxwell ◽  
Jennifer L. Ledwell ◽  
Richard W. Aldrich
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Potassium Channel ◽  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Channel Gating ◽  
Ionic Currents ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Functional Changes ◽  
Activation Pathway ◽  
Voltage Dependent

Substitution of the S4 of Shaw into Shaker alters cooperativity in channel activation by slowing a cooperative transition late in the activation pathway. To determine the amino acids responsible for the functional changes in Shaw S4, we created several mutants by substituting amino acids from Shaw S4 into Shaker. The S4 amino acid sequences of Shaker and Shaw S4 differ at 11 positions. Simultaneous substitution of just three noncharged residues from Shaw S4 into Shaker (V369I, I372L, S376T; ILT) reproduces the kinetic and voltage-dependent properties of Shaw S4 channel activation. These substitutions cause very small changes in the structural and chemical properties of the amino acid side chains. In contrast, substituting the positively charged basic residues in the S4 of Shaker with neutral or negative residues from the S4 of Shaw S4 does not reproduce the shallow voltage dependence or other properties of Shaw S4 opening. Macroscopic ionic currents for ILT could be fit by modifying a single set of transitions in a model for Shaker channel gating (Zagotta, W.N., T. Hoshi, and R.W. Aldrich. 1994. J. Gen. Physiol. 103:321–362). Changing the rate and voltage dependence of a final cooperative step in activation successfully reproduces the kinetic, steady state, and voltage-dependent properties of ILT ionic currents. Consistent with the model, ILT gating currents activate at negative voltages where the channel does not open and, at more positive voltages, they precede the ionic currents, confirming the existence of voltage-dependent transitions between closed states in the activation pathway. Of the three substitutions in ILT, the I372L substitution is primarily responsible for the changes in cooperativity and voltage dependence. These results suggest that noncharged residues in the S4 play a crucial role in Shaker potassium channel gating and that small steric changes in these residues can lead to large changes in cooperativity within the channel protein.

scholarly journals Spontaneous Transient Outward Currents Arise from Microdomains Where BK Channels Are Exposed to a Mean Ca2+ Concentration on the Order of 10 μM during a Ca2+ Spark

2002 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronghua ZhuGe ◽  
Kevin E. Fogarty ◽  
Richard A. Tuft ◽  
John V. Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Ryanodine Receptors ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Membrane Area ◽  
Outward Currents ◽  
Cell Recording ◽  
Excised Patches ◽  
Spontaneous Transient Outward Currents

Ca2+ sparks are small, localized cytosolic Ca2+ transients due to Ca2+ release from sarcoplasmic reticulum through ryanodine receptors. In smooth muscle, Ca2+ sparks activate large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels (BK channels) in the spark microdomain, thus generating spontaneous transient outward currents (STOCs). The purpose of the present study is to determine experimentally the level of Ca2+ to which the BK channels are exposed during a spark. Using tight seal, whole-cell recording, we have analyzed the voltage-dependence of the STOC conductance (g(STOC)), and compared it to the voltage-dependence of BK channel activation in excised patches in the presence of different [Ca2+]s. The Ca2+ sparks did not change in amplitude over the range of potentials of interest. In contrast, the magnitude of g(STOC) remained roughly constant from 20 to −40 mV and then declined steeply at more negative potentials. From this and the voltage dependence of BK channel activation, we conclude that the BK channels underlying STOCs are exposed to a mean [Ca2+] on the order of 10 μM during a Ca2+ spark. The membrane area over which a concentration ≥10 μM is reached has an estimated radius of 150–300 nm, corresponding to an area which is a fraction of one square micron. Moreover, given the constraints imposed by the estimated channel density and the Ca2+ current during a spark, the BK channels do not appear to be uniformly distributed over the membrane but instead are found at higher density at the spark site.

scholarly journals Differential Effects of β1 and β2 Subunits on BK Channel Activity

2005 ◽  
Vol 125 (4) ◽  
pp. 395-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricio Orio ◽  
Ramon Latorre
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Calcium Binding ◽  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Calcium Sensitivity ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Voltage Sensitivity ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Voltage Sensors

High conductance, calcium- and voltage-activated potassium (BK) channels are widely expressed in mammals. In some tissues, the biophysical properties of BK channels are highly affected by coexpression of regulatory (β) subunits. β1 and β2 subunits increase apparent channel calcium sensitivity. The β1 subunit also decreases the voltage sensitivity of the channel and the β2 subunit produces an N-type inactivation of BK currents. We further characterized the effects of the β1 and β2 subunits on the calcium and voltage sensitivity of the channel, analyzing the data in the context of an allosteric model for BK channel activation by calcium and voltage (Horrigan and Aldrich, 2002). In this study, we used a β2 subunit without its N-type inactivation domain (β2IR). The results indicate that the β2IR subunit, like the β1 subunit, has a small effect on the calcium binding affinity of the channel. Unlike the β1 subunit, the β2IR subunit also has no effect on the voltage sensitivity of the channel. The limiting voltage dependence for steady-state channel activation, unrelated to voltage sensor movements, is unaffected by any of the studied β subunits. The same is observed for the limiting voltage dependence of the deactivation time constant. Thus, the β1 subunit must affect the voltage sensitivity by altering the function of the voltage sensors of the channel. Both β subunits reduce the intrinsic equilibrium constant for channel opening (L0). In the allosteric activation model, the reduction of the voltage dependence for the activation of the voltage sensors accounts for most of the macroscopic steady-state effects of the β1 subunit, including the increase of the apparent calcium sensitivity of the BK channel. All allosteric coupling factors need to be increased in order to explain the observed effects when the α subunit is coexpressed with the β2IR subunit.

scholarly journals Ion channels activated by light in Limulus ventral photoreceptors.

1986 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Bacigalupo ◽  
K Chinn ◽  
J E Lisman
Keyword(s):  
Light Adaptation ◽  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Patch Clamp Technique ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Voltage Range ◽  
Secondary Result ◽  
Channel Open Time ◽  
Single Channel Currents ◽  
Channel Currents

The light-activated conductance of Limulus ventral photoreceptors was studied using the patch-clamp technique. Channels (40 pS) were observed whose probability of opening was greatly increased by light. In some cells the latency of channel activation was nearly the same as that of the macroscopic response, while in other cells the channel latency was much greater. Like the macroscopic conductance, channel activity was reduced by light adaptation but enhanced by the intracellular injection of the calcium chelator EGTA. The latter observation indicates that channel activation was not a secondary result of the light-induced rise in intracellular calcium. A two-microelectrode voltage-clamp method was used to measure the voltage dependence of the light-activated macroscopic conductance. It was found that this conductance is constant over a wide voltage range more negative than zero, but it increases markedly at positive voltages. The single channel currents measured over this same voltage range show that the single channel conductance is independent of voltage, but that channel gating properties are dependent on voltage. Both the mean channel open time and the opening rate increase at positive voltages. These properties change in a manner consistent with the voltage dependence of the macroscopic conductance. The broad range of similarities between the macroscopic and single channel currents supports the conclusion that the 40-pS channel that we have observed is the principal channel underlying the response to light in these photoreceptors.

Operantly conditioned motoneuron plasticity: possible role of sodium channels

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 867-871 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Halter ◽  
J. S. Carp ◽  
J. R. Wolpaw
Keyword(s):  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Myelinated Axon ◽  
H Reflex ◽  
Na Channel ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Positive Shift ◽  
Fiber Properties ◽  
Kinase C ◽  
Experimental Findings

1. Learning is traditionally thought to depend on synaptic plasticity. However, recent work shows that operantly conditioned decrease in the primate H reflex is associated with an increase in the depolarization needed to fire the spinal motoneuron (VDEP) and a decrease in its conduction velocity (CV). Furthermore, the increase in VDEP appears to be largely responsible for the H-reflex decrease. The conjunction of these changes in VDEP and CV suggests that an alteration in Na+ channel properties throughout the soma and axon could be responsible. 2. A mathematical model of the mammalian myelinated axon was used to test whether a positive shift in the voltage dependence of Na+ channel activation, a decrease in Na+ channel peak permeability, or changes in other fiber properties could have accounted for the experimental findings. 3. A positive shift of 2.2 mV in Na+ channel activation reproduced the experimentally observed changes in VDEP and CV, whereas a reduction in Na+ channel permeability or changes in other fiber properties did not. 4. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that operantly conditioned decrease in the primate H reflex is largely due to a positive shift in the voltage dependence of Na+ channel activation. Recent studies suggest that change in activation of protein kinase C may mediate this effect.

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