scholarly journals The NH2 terminus regulates voltage-dependent gating of CALHM ion channels

2017 ◽  
Vol 313 (2) ◽  
pp. C173-C186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica E. Tanis ◽  
Zhongming Ma ◽  
J. Kevin Foskett

Calcium homeostasis modulator protein-1 (CALHM1) and its Caenorhabditis elegans (ce) homolog, CLHM-1, belong to a new family of physiologically important ion channels that are regulated by voltage and extracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+o) but lack a canonical voltage-sensing domain. Consequently, the intrinsic voltage-dependent gating mechanisms for CALHM channels are unknown. Here, we performed voltage-clamp experiments on ceCLHM-1 chimeric, deletion, insertion, and point mutants to assess the role of the NH2 terminus (NT) in CALHM channel gating. Analyses of chimeric channels in which the ceCLHM-1 and human (h)CALHM1 NH2 termini were interchanged showed that the hCALHM1 NT destabilized channel-closed states, whereas the ceCLHM-1 NT had a stabilizing effect. In the absence of Ca2+o, deletion of up to eight amino acids from the ceCLHM-1 NT caused a hyperpolarizing shift in the conductance-voltage relationship with little effect on voltage-dependent slope. However, deletion of nine or more amino acids decreased voltage dependence and induced a residual conductance at hyperpolarized voltages. Insertion of amino acids into the NH2-terminal helix also decreased voltage dependence but did not prevent channel closure. Mutation of ceCLHM-1 valine 9 and glutamine 13 altered half-maximal activation and voltage dependence, respectively, in 0 Ca2+. In 2 mM Ca2+o, ceCLHM-1 NH2-terminal deletion and point mutant channels closed completely at hyperpolarized voltages with apparent affinity for Ca2+o indistinguishable from wild-type ceCLHM-1, although the ceCLHM-1 valine 9 mutant exhibited an altered conductance-voltage relationship and kinetics. We conclude that the NT plays critical roles modulating voltage dependence and stabilizing the closed states of CALHM channels.

2000 ◽  
Vol 116 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Daniel Peluffo ◽  
José M. Argüello ◽  
Joshua R. Berlin

The roles of Ser775 and Glu779, two amino acids in the putative fifth transmembrane segment of the Na,K -ATPase α subunit, in determining the voltage and extracellular K + (K +o) dependence of enzyme-mediated ion transport, were examined in this study. HeLa cells expressing the α1 subunit of sheep Na,K -ATPase were voltage clamped via patch electrodes containing solutions with 115 mM Na+ (37°C). Na,K -pump current produced by the ouabain-resistant control enzyme (RD), containing amino acid substitutions Gln111Arg and Asn122Asp, displayed a membrane potential and K +o dependence similar to wild-type Na,K -ATPase during superfusion with 0 and 148 mM Na+-containing salt solutions. Additional substitution of alanine at Ser775 or Glu779 produced 155- and 15-fold increases, respectively, in the K +o concentration that half-maximally activated Na,K -pump current at 0 mV in extracellular Na+-free solutions. However, the voltage dependence of Na,K -pump current was unchanged in RD and alanine-substituted enzymes. Thus, large changes in apparent K +o affinity could be produced by mutations in the fifth transmembrane segment of the Na,K -ATPase with little effect on voltage-dependent properties of K + transport. One interpretation of these results is that protein structures responsible for the kinetics of K +o binding and/or occlusion may be distinct, at least in part, from those that are responsible for the voltage dependence of K +o binding to the Na,K -ATPase.


1998 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine J. Smith-Maxwell ◽  
Jennifer L. Ledwell ◽  
Richard W. Aldrich

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.


2007 ◽  
Vol 130 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita M. Engh ◽  
José D. Faraldo-Gómez ◽  
Merritt Maduke

ClC-0 is a chloride channel whose gating is sensitive to voltage, chloride, and pH. In a previous publication, we showed that the K149C mutation causes a +70-mV shift in the voltage dependence of ClC-0 fast gating. In this paper we analyze the effects of a series of mutations at K149 on the voltage and chloride dependence of gating. By fitting our data to the previously proposed four-state model for ClC-0 fast gating, we show which steps in fast-gate opening are likely to be affected by these mutations. Computational analysis of mutant ClC-0 homology models show electrostatic contributions to chloride binding that may partially account for the effects of K149 on gating. The analysis of gating kinetics in combination with the available structural information suggests some of the structural changes likely to underpin fast-gate opening.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
William T. Clusin ◽  
Ting-Hsuan Wu ◽  
Ling-Fang Shi ◽  
Peter N. Kao

AbstractOur comparative studies seek to understand the structure and function of ion channels in cartilaginous fish that can detect very low voltage gradients in seawater. The principal channels of the electroreceptor include a calcium activated K channel, whose α subunit is Kcnma1, a voltage-dependent calcium channel, Cacna1d, and a relatively uncharacterized K channel which interacts with the calcium channel to produce fast (20 Hz) oscillations. Large conductance calcium-activated K channels (BK) are comprised of four α subunits, encoded by Kcnma1 and modulatory β subunits of the Kcnmb class. We recently cloned and published the skate Kcnma1 gene and most of Kcnmb4 derived from using purified mRNA of homogenized isolated electroreceptors. Bellono et al. have recently performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) on purified mRNA from skate electroreceptors and found several ion channels including Kcnma1. We searched the the Bellono et al RNA-seq repository for additional channels and subunits. Our most significant findings are the presence of two Shaker type voltage dependent potassium channel sequences which are grouped together as isoforms in the data repository. The larger of these is a skate ortholog of the voltage dependent fast potassium channel Kv1.1, which is expressed at appreciable levels and seems likely to explain the 20 Hz oscillations believed to occur in vivo. The second was more similar to Kv1.5 than to Kv1.1 but was somewhat atypical. We also found a beta subunit sequence (Kcnab2) which appears not to cause fast inactivation due to specific structural features. The new channels and subunits were verified by RT-PCR and the Kv1.1 sequence was confirmed by cloning. We also searched the RNA-seq repository for accessory subunits of the calcium activated potassium channel, Kcnma1, and found a computer generated assembly that contained a complete sequence of its beta subunit, Kcnmb2. Skate Kcnmb2 has a total of 279 amino acids, with 51 novel amino acids at the N-terminus which may play a specific physiological role. This sequence was confirmed by PCR and cloning. However, skate Kcnmb2 is expressed at low levels in the electroreceptor compared to Kcnma1 and skate Kcnmb1 (beta1) is absent. The evolutionary origin of the newly described channels and subunits was studied by aligning skate sequences with human sequences and those found in related fish: the whale shark (R. typus) an elasmobranch, and ghost shark (C.milii). There is also homology with the lamprey, which has electroreceptors. An evolutionary tree is presented. Further research should include focusing on the subcellular locations of these channels in the receptor cells, their gating behavior, and the effects of accessory subunits on gating.


Author(s):  
Nazlee Sharmin ◽  
Shawn M. Lamothe ◽  
Victoria A. Baronas ◽  
Grace Silver ◽  
Yubin Hao ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTMany voltage-dependent ion channels are regulated by accessory proteins, although the underlying mechanisms and consequences are often poorly understood. We recently reported a novel function of the amino acid transporter Slc7a5 as a powerful regulator of Kv1.2 voltage-dependent activation. In this study, we report that Kv1.1 channels are also regulated by Slc7a5, albeit with different functional outcomes. In heterologous expression systems, Kv1.1 exhibits prominent current enhancement (‘disinhibition’) with holding potentials more negative than −120 mV. Disinhibition of Kv1.1 is strongly attenuated by shRNA knockdown of endogenous Slc7a5. We investigated a variety of chimeric combinations of Kv1.1 and Kv1.2, demonstrating that exchange of the voltage-sensing domain controls the sensitivity and response to Slc7a5. Overall, our study highlights additional Slc7a5-sensitive Kv1 subunits, and demonstrates that features of Slc7a5 sensitivity can be swapped by exchanging voltage-sensing domains.IMPACT STATEMENTThe voltage-sensing mechanism of a subfamily of potassium channels can be powerfully modulated in unconventional ways, by poorly understood regulatory partners.


2015 ◽  
Vol 145 (6) ◽  
pp. 543-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qin Li ◽  
Fei Fan ◽  
Ha Rim Kwak ◽  
Jiusheng Yan

Large conductance Ca2+- and voltage-activated potassium (BK) channels are comprised of pore-forming α subunits and various regulatory auxiliary subunits. The BK channel auxiliary γ (BKγ) subunits are a newly identified class of proteins containing an extracellular leucine-rich repeat domain (LRRD), a single transmembrane (TM) segment, and a short cytoplasmic C-terminal tail (C-tail). Although each of the four BKγ proteins shifts the voltage dependence of BK channel activation in a hyperpolarizing direction, they show markedly different efficacies, mediating shifts over a range of 15–145 mV. Analyses of chimeric BKγ subunits created by swapping individual structural elements, and of BKγ deletion and substitution mutants, revealed that differential modulation of BK gating by the four BKγ subunits depends on a small region consisting of the TM segment and the adjacent intracellular cluster of positively charged amino acids. The γ1 and γ2 TM segments contributed approximately −100 mV, and the γ1 and γ3 C-tails contributed approximately −40 mV, to shifting the voltage dependence of BK channel activation, whereas the γ3 and γ4 TM segments and the γ2 and γ4 C-tails contributed much less. The large extracellular LRRDs were mainly functionally interchangeable, although the γ1 LRRD was slightly less effective at enhancing (or slightly more effective at attenuating) the shift in BK channel voltage-dependent gating toward hyperpolarizing potentials than those of the other BKγ subunits. Analysis of mutated BKγ subunits revealed that juxta-membrane clusters of positively charged amino acids determine the functions of the γ1 and γ3 C-tails. Therefore, the modulatory functions of BKγ subunits are coarse- and fine-tuned, respectively, through variations in their TM segments and in the adjacent intracellular positively charged regions. Our results suggest that BK channel modulation by auxiliary γ subunits depends on intra- and/or juxta-membrane mechanisms.


1986 ◽  
Vol 251 (2) ◽  
pp. H475-H480
Author(s):  
P. M. Vassilev ◽  
R. W. Hadley ◽  
K. S. Lee ◽  
J. R. Hume

Single Na+ channel currents have been examined in isolated guinea pig ventricular myocytes using the patch-clamp technique. The effects of lidocaine, extracellular calcium [(Ca)o], and tetrodotoxin on patch Na+ channel availability were assessed using ensemble averages of Na+-channel openings during depolarizing test potential steps from 7 to 10 different patch-holding potentials in each cell-attached patch. In six control patches, the potential for 50% channel availability (Vh) was -15 mV (relative to an average resting membrane potential of -80 mV). Exposure of patches to either lidocaine or elevated (Ca)o produced the expected shifts in Vh [average -22 mV for lidocaine and +10 mV for 6 mM (Ca)o]. Exposure of patches to tetrodotoxin (0.5 microM or 1.0 microM) produced a dose-dependent hyperpolarizing shift of Vh (average -10 and -17 mV) compared with control patches. The hyperpolarizing shift by tetrodotoxin was observed with pulses applied at frequencies of 1.0 or 0.067 Hz. In agreement with earlier maximal upstroke velocity studies in the same preparation, we conclude that block of ventricular Na+ channels by tetrodotoxin exhibits genuine steady-state voltage dependence.


2007 ◽  
Vol 129 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianina Panaghie ◽  
Geoffrey W. Abbott

Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels extend their functional repertoire by coassembling with MinK-related peptides (MiRPs). MinK slows the activation of channels formed with KCNQ1 α subunits to generate the voltage-dependent IKs channel in human heart; MiRP1 and MiRP2 remove the voltage dependence of KCNQ1 to generate potassium “leak” currents in gastrointestinal epithelia. Other Kv α subunits interact with MiRP1 and MiRP2 but without loss of voltage dependence; the mechanism for this disparity is unknown. Here, sequence alignments revealed that the voltage-sensing S4 domain of KCNQ1 bears lower net charge (+3) than that of any other eukaryotic voltage-gated ion channel. We therefore examined the role of KCNQ1 S4 charges in channel activation using alanine-scanning mutagenesis and two-electrode voltage clamp. Alanine replacement of R231, at the N-terminal side of S4, produced constitutive activation in homomeric KCNQ1 channels, a phenomenon not observed with previous single amino acid substitutions in S4 of other channels. Homomeric KCNQ4 channels were also made constitutively active by mutagenesis to mimic the S4 charge balance of R231A-KCNQ1. Loss of single S4 charges at positions R231 or R237 produced constitutively active MinK-KCNQ1 channels and increased the constitutively active component of MiRP2-KCNQ1 currents. Charge addition to the CO2H-terminal half of S4 eliminated constitutive activation in MiRP2-KCNQ1 channels, whereas removal of homologous charges from KCNQ4 S4 produced constitutively active MiRP2-KCNQ4 channels. The results demonstrate that the unique S4 charge paucity of KCNQ1 facilitates its unique conversion to a leak channel by ancillary subunits such as MiRP2.


eLife ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gucan Dai ◽  
William N Zagotta

EAG-like (ELK) voltage-gated potassium channels are abundantly expressed in the brain. These channels exhibit a behavior called voltage-dependent potentiation (VDP), which appears to be a specialization to dampen the hyperexitability of neurons. VDP manifests as a potentiation of current amplitude, hyperpolarizing shift in voltage sensitivity, and slowing of deactivation in response to a depolarizing prepulse. Here we show that VDP of D. rerio ELK channels involves the structural interaction between the intracellular N-terminal eag domain and C-terminal CNBHD. Combining transition metal ion FRET, patch-clamp fluorometry, and incorporation of a fluorescent noncanonical amino acid, we show that there is a rearrangement in the eag domain-CNBHD interaction with the kinetics, voltage-dependence, and ATP-dependence of VDP. We propose that the activation of ELK channels involves a slow open-state dependent rearrangement of the direct interaction between the eag domain and CNBHD, which stabilizes the opening of the channel.


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