scholarly journals Interpreting the functional role of a novel interaction motif in prokaryotic sodium channels

2017 ◽  
Vol 149 (6) ◽  
pp. 613-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Altin Sula ◽  
B.A. Wallace

Voltage-gated sodium channels enable the translocation of sodium ions across cell membranes and play crucial roles in electrical signaling by initiating the action potential. In humans, mutations in sodium channels give rise to several neurological and cardiovascular diseases, and hence they are targets for pharmaceutical drug developments. Prokaryotic sodium channel crystal structures have provided detailed views of sodium channels, which by homology have suggested potentially important functionally related structural features in human sodium channels. A new crystal structure of a full-length prokaryotic channel, NavMs, in a conformation we proposed to represent the open, activated state, has revealed a novel interaction motif associated with channel opening. This motif is associated with disease when mutated in human sodium channels and plays an important and dynamic role in our new model for channel activation.

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhirui Liu ◽  
Jie Tao ◽  
Pin Ye ◽  
Yonghua Ji

Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are important membrane protein carrying on the molecular basis for action potentials (AP) in neuronal firings. Even though the structure-function studies were the most pursued spots, the posttranslation modification processes, such as glycosylation, phosphorylation, and alternative splicing associating with channel functions captured less eyesights. The accumulative research suggested an interaction between the sialic acids chains and ion-permeable pores, giving rise to subtle but significant impacts on channel gating. Sodium channel-specific neurotoxic toxins, a family of long-chain polypeptides originated from venomous animals, are found to potentially share the binding sites adjacent to glycosylated region on VGSCs. Thus, an interaction between toxin and glycosylated VGSC might hopefully join the campaign to approach the role of glycosylation in modulating VGSCs-involved neuronal network activity. This paper will cover the state-of-the-art advances of researches on glycosylation-mediated VGSCs function and the possible underlying mechanisms of interactions between toxin and glycosylated VGSCs, which may therefore, fulfill the knowledge in identifying the pharmacological targets and therapeutic values of VGSCs.


Ion Channels ◽  
1990 ◽  
pp. 33-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. R. Levinson ◽  
W. B. Thornhill ◽  
D. S. Duch ◽  
E. Recio-Pinto ◽  
B. W. Urban

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weijia Mao ◽  
Jie Zhang ◽  
Heinrich Körner ◽  
Yong Jiang ◽  
Songcheng Ying

Toxins ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yashad Dongol ◽  
Fernanda Caldas Cardoso ◽  
Richard J Lewis

Voltage-gated sodium channels (NaVs) are a key determinant of neuronal signalling. Neurotoxins from diverse taxa that selectively activate or inhibit NaV channels have helped unravel the role of NaV channels in diseases, including chronic pain. Spider venoms contain the most diverse array of inhibitor cystine knot (ICK) toxins (knottins). This review provides an overview on how spider knottins modulate NaV channels and describes the structural features and molecular determinants that influence their affinity and subtype selectivity. Genetic and functional evidence support a major involvement of NaV subtypes in various chronic pain conditions. The exquisite inhibitory properties of spider knottins over key NaV subtypes make them the best lead molecules for the development of novel analgesics to treat chronic pain.


2005 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1744-8069-1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed A Nassar ◽  
Alessandra Levato ◽  
L Caroline Stirling ◽  
John N Wood

Two voltage gated sodium channel α-subunits, Nav1.7 and Nav1.8, are expressed at high levels in nociceptor terminals and have been implicated in the development of inflammatory pain. Mis-expression of voltage-gated sodium channels by damaged sensory neurons has also been implicated in the development of neuropathic pain, but the role of Nav1.7 and Nav1.8 is uncertain. Here we show that deleting Nav1.7 has no effect on the development of neuropathic pain. Double knockouts of both Nav1.7 and Nav1.8 also develop normal levels of neuropathic pain, despite a lack of inflammatory pain symptoms and altered mechanical and thermal acute pain thresholds. These studies demonstrate that, in contrast to the highly significant role for Nav1.7 in determining inflammatory pain thresholds, the development of neuropathic pain does not require the presence of either Nav1.7 or Nav1.8 alone or in combination.


2013 ◽  
Vol 450 (1) ◽  
pp. 126-129
Author(s):  
V. I. Chubinskiy-Nadezhdin ◽  
A. V. Sudarikova ◽  
N. N. Nikolsky ◽  
E. A. Morachevskaya

2018 ◽  
Vol 293 (23) ◽  
pp. 9041-9052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akello J. Agwa ◽  
Steve Peigneur ◽  
Chun Yuen Chow ◽  
Nicole Lawrence ◽  
David J. Craik ◽  
...  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document