scholarly journals CaV1.1 defects in hypokalemic periodic paralysis and harnessing multiple approaches for therapeutic intervention

2021 ◽  
Vol 154 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fenfen Wu ◽  
Marbella Quiñonez ◽  
Marino Difranco ◽  
Stephen Cannon

The recurrent attacks of weakness in hypokalemic periodic paralysis (HypoPP) are caused by failure to maintain the resting potential, with paradoxical depolarization in low K+. Remarkably, 24 out of 25 HypoPP mutations are R/X substitutions in S4 segments of voltage-sensing domains of CaV1.1 (70% of cases) or NaV1.4 (10% of cases). Expression studies in oocytes and murine muscle show anomalous gating pore leakage currents (ω-pore) for six of eight CaV1.1-HypoPP mutations, with one exception being the charge-conserving R897K. The proposed consensus pathomechanism, whereby a gating pore leak predisposes to paradoxical depolarization in low K+, is now verified by continuous recording of Vm. Selective measurement of voltage-dependent Ca2+ release, in “healthy appearing” HypoPP fibers, shows only a modest decrease in the Ca2+-dependent peak fluorescence (Oregon green 488/EGTA), and supports the notion that stabilizing Vrest will be sufficient to prevent low-K+–induced loss of force. In our knockin mouse models of HypoPP (CaV1.1-R528H and NaV1.4-R669H), pretreatment with K+-channel openers protects against the loss of force with a 2 mM K+ challenge. Alternatively, gene editing offers the possibility of sustained protection from attacks of weakness, and may prevent the late-onset permanent myopathy. In a proof-of-principle study of cultured myoblasts and in vivo electroporation, we show selective editing of the mutant HypoPP allele, without compromise of the WT allele, using CRISPR/Cas-mediated indel formation to destroy the HypoPP allele or a CRISPR/Cas base editor to correct the missense mutation.

2014 ◽  
Vol 144 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wentao Mi ◽  
Volodymyr Rybalchenko ◽  
Stephen C. Cannon

Missense mutations at arginine residues in the S4 voltage-sensor domains of NaV1.4 are an established cause of hypokalemic periodic paralysis, an inherited disorder of skeletal muscle involving recurrent episodes of weakness in conjunction with low serum K+. Expression studies in oocytes have revealed anomalous, hyperpolarization-activated gating pore currents in mutant channels. This aberrant gating pore conductance creates a small inward current at the resting potential that is thought to contribute to susceptibility to depolarization in low K+ during attacks of weakness. A critical component of this hypothesis is the magnitude of the gating pore conductance relative to other conductances that are active at the resting potential in mammalian muscle: large enough to favor episodes of paradoxical depolarization in low K+, yet not so large as to permanently depolarize the fiber. To improve the estimate of the specific conductance for the gating pore in affected muscle, we sequentially measured Na+ current through the channel pore, gating pore current, and gating charge displacement in oocytes expressing R669H, R672G, or wild-type NaV1.4 channels. The relative conductance of the gating pore to that of the pore domain pathway for Na+ was 0.03%, which implies a specific conductance in muscle from heterozygous patients of ∼10 µS/cm2 or 1% of the total resting conductance. Unexpectedly, our data also revealed a substantial decoupling between gating charge displacement and peak Na+ current for both R669H and R672G mutant channels. This decoupling predicts a reduced Na+ current density in affected muscle, consistent with the observations that the maximal dV/dt and peak amplitude of the action potential are reduced in fibers from patients with R672G and in a knock-in mouse model of R669H. The defective coupling between gating charge displacement and channel activation identifies a previously unappreciated mechanism that contributes to the reduced excitability of affected fibers seen with these mutations and possibly with other R/X mutations of S4 of NaV, CaV, and KV channels associated with human disease.


1982 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 1321-1335 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Gutnick ◽  
B. W. Connors ◽  
D. A. Prince

1. The cellular mechanisms underlying interictal epileptogenesis have been examined in an in vitro slice preparation of guinea pig neocortex. Penicillin or bicuculline was applied to the tissue, and intracellular recordings were obtained from neurons and glia. 2. Following convulsant application, stimulation could elicit a short-latency excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) and a large, longer latency depolarization shift (DS) in single neurons. DSs in neurons of the slice were very similar to those evoked in neurons of neocortex in vivo in that they displayed an all-or-none character, large shifts in latency during repetitive stimuli, long afterpotentials, and a prolonged refractory period. In contrast to epileptogenesis produced by penicillin in intact cortex, neither spontaneous DSs nor ictal episodes were observed in neocortical slices. 3. In simultaneous recordings from pairs of neurons within the same cortical column, DS generation and latency shifts were invariably synchronous. DS generation in neurons was also coincident with large, paroxysmal increases of extracellular [K+], as indicated by simultaneous recordings from glia. 4. When polarizing currents were applied to neurons injected with the local anesthetic QX-314, the DS amplitude varied monotonically and had an extrapolated reversal potential near 0 mV. In neurons injected with the K+-current blocker Cs+, large displacements of membrane potential were possible, and both the short-latency EPSP and the peak of the DS diminished completely at about 0 mV. At potentials positive to this, the short-latency EPSP was reversed, and the DS was replaced by a paroxysmal hyperpolarization whose rise time and peak latency were prolonged compared to the DS evoked at resting potential. The paroxysmal hyperpolarization probably represents the prolonged activation of the impaled neuron by EPSPs. 5. Voltage-dependent components, including slow spikes, appeared to contribute to generation of the DS at resting potential in Cs+-filled cells, and these components were blocked during large depolarizations. 6. The results suggest that DS generation in single neocortical neurons occurs during synchronous synaptic activation of a large group of cells. DS onset in a given neuron is determined by the timing of a variable-latency excitatory input that differs from the short-latency EPSP. The DS slow envelope appears to be generated by long-duration excitatory synaptic currents and may be modulated by intrinsic voltage-dependent membrane conductances. 7. We present a hypothesis for the initiation of the DS, based on the anatomical and physiological organization of the intrinsic neocortical circuits.


2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 1064-1068 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.P. Mohapatra ◽  
K.-S. Park ◽  
J.S. Trimmer

Voltage-gated K+ channels are key regulators of neuronal excitability. The Kv2.1 voltage-gated K+ channel is the major delayed rectifier K+ channel expressed in most central neurons, where it exists as a highly phosphorylated protein. Kv2.1 plays a critical role in homoeostatic regulation of intrinsic neuronal excitability through its activity- and calcineurin-dependent dephosphorylation. Here, we review studies leading to the identification and functional characterization of in vivo Kv2.1 phosphorylation sites, a subset of which contribute to graded modulation of voltage-dependent gating. These findings show that distinct developmental-, cell- and state-specific regulation of phosphorylation at specific sites confers a diversity of functions on Kv2.1 that is critical to its role as a regulator of intrinsic neuronal excitability.


1998 ◽  
Vol 274 (3) ◽  
pp. R677-R685 ◽  
Author(s):  
James W. Butcher ◽  
Julian F. R. Paton

We investigated the role of potassium conductances in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) in determining the efficacy of the baroreceptor and cardiopulmonary reflexes in anesthetized rats. The baroreceptor reflex was elicited with an intravenous injection of phenylephrine to evoke a reflex bradycardia, and the cardiopulmonary reflex was evoked with a right atrial injection of phenylbiguanide. Microinjection of two Ca-dependent potassium channel antagonists (apamin and charybdotoxin) into the NTS potentiated the baroreceptor reflex bradycardia. This may reflect the increased neuronal excitability observed previously in vitro with these blockers. In contrast, the Ca-dependent potassium channel antagonists attenuated the cardiopulmonary reflex, whereas voltage-dependent potassium channel antagonists (4-aminopyridine and dendrotoxin) attenuated both the baro- and cardiopulmonary reflexes when microinjected into the NTS. The possibility that the reflex attenuation observed indicates a predominant distribution of certain potassium channels on γ-aminobutyric acid interneurons is discussed.


1988 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
R MacKinnon ◽  
C Miller

The mechanism of charybdotoxin (CTX) block of single Ca2+-activated K+ channels from rat muscle was studied in planar lipid bilayers. CTX blocks the channel from the external solution, and K+ in the internal solution specifically relieves toxin block. The effect of K+ is due solely to an enhancement of the CTX dissociation rate. As internal K+ is raised, the CTX dissociation rate increases in a rectangular hyperbolic fashion from a minimum value at low K+ of 0.01 s-1 to a maximum value of approximately 0.2 s-1. As the membrane is depolarized, internal K+ more effectively accelerates CTX dissociation. As the membrane is hyperpolarized, the toxin dissociation rate approaches 0.01 s-1, regardless of the K+ concentration. When internal K+ is replaced by Na+, CTX dissociation is no longer voltage dependent. The permeant ion Rb also accelerates toxin dissociation from the internal solution, while the impermeant ions Li, Na, Cs, and arginine do not. These results argue that K ions can enter the CTX-blocked channel from the internal solution to reach a site located nearly all the way through the conduction pathway; when K+ occupies this site, CTX is destabilized on its blocking site by approximately 1.8 kcal/mol. The most natural way to accommodate these conclusions is to assume that CTX physically plugs the channel's externally facing mouth.


2019 ◽  
Vol 151 (4) ◽  
pp. 555-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wentao Mi ◽  
Fenfen Wu ◽  
Marbella Quinonez ◽  
Marino DiFranco ◽  
Stephen C. Cannon

Periodic paralysis is an ion channelopathy of skeletal muscle in which recurrent episodes of weakness or paralysis are caused by sustained depolarization of the resting potential and thus reduction of fiber excitability. Episodes are often triggered by environmental stresses, such as changes in extracellular K+, cooling, or exercise. Rest after vigorous exercise is the most common trigger for weakness in periodic paralysis, but the mechanism is unknown. Here, we use knock-in mutant mouse models of hypokalemic periodic paralysis (HypoKPP; NaV1.4-R669H or CaV1.1-R528H) and hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HyperKPP; NaV1.4-M1592V) to investigate whether the coupling between pH and susceptibility to loss of muscle force is a possible contributor to exercise-induced weakness. In both mouse models, acidosis (pH 6.7 in 25% CO2) is mildly protective, but a return to pH 7.4 (5% CO2) unexpectedly elicits a robust loss of force in HypoKPP but not HyperKPP muscle. Prolonged exposure to low pH (tens of minutes) is required to cause susceptibility to post-acidosis loss of force, and the force decrement can be prevented by maneuvers that impede Cl− entry. Based on these data, we propose a mechanism for post-acidosis loss of force wherein the reduced Cl− conductance in acidosis leads to a slow accumulation of myoplasmic Cl−. A rapid recovery of both pH and Cl− conductance, in the context of increased [Cl]in/[Cl]out, favors the anomalously depolarized state of the bistable resting potential in HypoKPP muscle, which reduces fiber excitability. This mechanism is consistent with the delayed onset of exercise-induced weakness that occurs with rest after vigorous activity.


2007 ◽  
Vol 130 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arie F. Struyk ◽  
Stephen C. Cannon

The heritable muscle disorder hypokalemic periodic paralysis (HypoPP) is characterized by attacks of flaccid weakness, brought on by sustained sarcolemmal depolarization. HypoPP is genetically linked to missense mutations at charged residues in the S4 voltage-sensing segments of either CaV1.1 (the skeletal muscle L-type Ca2+ channel) or NaV1.4 (the skeletal muscle voltage-gated Na+ channel). Although these mutations alter the gating of both channels, these functional defects have proven insufficient to explain the sarcolemmal depolarization in affected muscle. Recent insight into the topology of the S4 voltage-sensing domain has aroused interest in an alternative pathomechanism, wherein HypoPP mutations might generate an aberrant ionic leak conductance by unblocking the putative aqueous crevice (“gating-pore”) in which the S4 segment resides. We tested the rat isoform of NaV1.4 harboring the HypoPP mutation R663H (human R669H ortholog) at the outermost arginine of S4 in domain II for a gating-pore conductance. We found that the mutation R663H permits transmembrane permeation of protons, but not larger cations, similar to the conductance displayed by histidine substitution at Shaker K+ channel S4 sites. These results are consistent with the notion that the outermost charged residue in the DIIS4 segment is simultaneously accessible to the cytoplasmic and extracellular spaces when the voltage sensor is positioned inwardly. The predicted magnitude of this proton leak in mature skeletal muscle is small relative to the resting K+ and Cl− conductances, and is thus not likely to fully account for the aberrant sarcolemmal depolarization underlying the paralytic attacks. Rather, it is possible that a sustained proton leak may contribute to instability of VREST indirectly, for instance, by interfering with intracellular pH homeostasis.


2010 ◽  
Vol 136 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanislav Sokolov ◽  
Todd Scheuer ◽  
William A. Catterall

Hypokalemic periodic paralysis and normokalemic periodic paralysis are caused by mutations of the gating charge–carrying arginine residues in skeletal muscle NaV1.4 channels, which induce gating pore current through the mutant voltage sensor domains. Inward sodium currents through the gating pore of mutant R666G are only ∼1% of central pore current, but substitution of guanidine for sodium in the extracellular solution increases their size by 13- ± 2-fold. Ethylguanidine is permeant through the R666G gating pore at physiological membrane potentials but blocks the gating pore at hyperpolarized potentials. Guanidine is also highly permeant through the proton-selective gating pore formed by the mutant R666H. Gating pore current conducted by the R666G mutant is blocked by divalent cations such as Ba2+ and Zn2+ in a voltage-dependent manner. The affinity for voltage-dependent block of gating pore current by Ba2+ and Zn2+ is increased at more negative holding potentials. The apparent dissociation constant (Kd) values for Zn2+ block for test pulses to −160 mV are 650 ± 150 µM, 360 ± 70 µM, and 95.6 ± 11 µM at holding potentials of 0 mV, −80 mV, and −120 mV, respectively. Gating pore current is blocked by trivalent cations, but in a nearly voltage-independent manner, with an apparent Kd for Gd3+ of 238 ± 14 µM at −80 mV. To test whether these periodic paralyses might be treated by blocking gating pore current, we screened several aromatic and aliphatic guanidine derivatives and found that 1-(2,4-xylyl)guanidinium can block gating pore current in the millimolar concentration range without affecting normal NaV1.4 channel function. Together, our results demonstrate unique permeability of guanidine through NaV1.4 gating pores, define voltage-dependent and voltage-independent block by divalent and trivalent cations, respectively, and provide initial support for the concept that guanidine-based gating pore blockers could be therapeutically useful.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie-Yuan Jin ◽  
Bing-Bing Guo ◽  
Yi Dong ◽  
Yue Sheng ◽  
Liang-Liang Fan ◽  
...  

Hypokalemic periodic paralysis (HypoPP) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by episodic flaccid paralysis with concomitant hypokalemia. More than half of patients were associated with mutations in CACNA1S that encodes the alpha-1-subunit of the skeletal muscle L-type voltage-dependent calcium channel. Mutations in CACNA1S may alter the structure of CACNA1S and affect the functions of calcium channels, which damages Ca2+-mediated excitation-contraction coupling. In this research, we identified and described a Chinese HypoPP patient with a novel frameshift mutation in CACNA1S [NM_000069.2: c.1364delA (p.Asn455fs)] by targeted sequencing. This study would expand the spectrum of CACNA1S mutations, further our understanding of HypoPP, and provided a new perspective for selecting effective treatments.


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