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Voltage-dependent gating rearrangements in the intracellular T1-T1 interface of a K+ channel.

ABSTRACT: The intracellular tetramerization domain (T1) of most eukaryotic voltage-gated potassium channels (Kv channels) exists as a "hanging gondola" below the transmembrane regions that directly control activation gating via the electromechanical coupling between the S4 voltage sensor and the main S6 gate. However, much less is known about the putative contribution of the T1 domain to Kv channel gating. This possibility is mechanistically intriguing because the T1-S1 linker connects the T1 domain to the voltage-sensing domain. Previously, we demonstrated that thiol-specific reagents inhibit Kv4.1 channels by reacting in a state-dependent manner with native Zn(2+) site thiolate groups in the T1-T1 interface; therefore, we concluded that the T1-T1 interface is functionally active and not protected by Zn(2+) (Wang, G., M. Shahidullah, C.A. Rocha, C. Strang, P.J. Pfaffinger, and M. Covarrubias. 2005. J. Gen. Physiol. 126:55-69). Here, we co-expressed Kv4.1 channels and auxiliary subunits (KChIP-1 and DPPX-S) to investigate the state and voltage dependence of the accessibility of MTSET to the three interfacial cysteines in the T1 domain. The results showed that the average MTSET modification rate constant (k(MTSET)) is dramatically enhanced in the activated state relative to the resting and inactivated states (approximately 260- and approximately 47-fold, respectively). Crucially, under three separate conditions that produce distinct activation profiles, k(MTSET) is steeply voltage dependent in a manner that is precisely correlated with the peak conductance-voltage relations. These observations strongly suggest that Kv4 channel gating is tightly coupled to voltage-dependent accessibility changes of native T1 cysteines in the intersubunit Zn(2+) site. Furthermore, cross-linking of cysteine pairs across the T1-T1 interface induced substantial inhibition of the channel, which supports the functionally dynamic role of T1 in channel gating. Therefore, we conclude that the complex voltage-dependent gating rearrangements of eukaryotic Kv channels are not limited to the membrane-spanning core but must include the intracellular T1-T1 interface. Oxidative stress in excitable tissues may perturb this interface to modulate Kv4 channel function.

SUBMITTER: Wang G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2151515 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Voltage-dependent gating rearrangements in the intracellular T1-T1 interface of a K+ channel.

Wang Guangyu G Covarrubias Manuel M

The Journal of general physiology 20060313 4

The intracellular tetramerization domain (T1) of most eukaryotic voltage-gated potassium channels (Kv channels) exists as a "hanging gondola" below the transmembrane regions that directly control activation gating via the electromechanical coupling between the S4 voltage sensor and the main S6 gate. However, much less is known about the putative contribution of the T1 domain to Kv channel gating. This possibility is mechanistically intriguing because the T1-S1 linker connects the T1 domain to th ...[more]

PMID: 16533897

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Project description:P2X receptors are ligand-gated cation channels activated by extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Nonetheless, P2X(2) channel currents observed during the steady-state after ATP application are known to exhibit voltage dependence; there is a gradual increase in the inward current upon hyperpolarization. We used a Xenopus oocyte expression system and two-electrode voltage clamp to analyze this "activation" phase quantitatively. We characterized the conductance-voltage relationship in the presence of various [ATP], and observed that it shifted toward more depolarized potentials with increases in [ATP]. By analyzing the rate constants for the channel's transition between a closed and an open state, we showed that the gating of P2X(2) is determined in a complex way that involves both membrane voltage and ATP binding. The activation phase was similarly recorded in HEK293 cells expressing P2X(2) even by inside-out patch clamp after intensive perfusion, excluding a possibility that the gating is due to block/unblock by endogenous blocker(s) of oocytes. We investigated its structural basis by substituting a glycine residue (G344) in the second transmembrane (TM) helix, which may provide a kink that could mediate "gating." We found that, instead of a gradual increase, the inward current through the G344A mutant increased instantaneously upon hyperpolarization, whereas a G344P mutant retained an activation phase that was slower than the wild type (WT). Using glycine-scanning mutagenesis in the background of G344A, we could recover the activation phase by introducing a glycine residue into the middle of second TM. These results demonstrate that the flexibility of G344 contributes to the voltage-dependent gating. Finally, we assumed a three-state model consisting of a fast ATP-binding step and a following gating step and estimated the rate constants for the latter in P2X(2)-WT. We then executed simulation analyses using the calculated rate constants and successfully reproduced the results observed experimentally, voltage-dependent activation that is accelerated by increases in [ATP].

Dataset Information

Voltage-dependent gating rearrangements in the intracellular T1-T1 interface of a K+ channel.

Publications

Voltage-dependent gating rearrangements in the intracellular T1-T1 interface of a K+ channel.

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