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Cooperative nature of gating transitions in K(+) channels as seen from dynamic importance sampling calculations.

ABSTRACT: The growing dataset of K(+) channel x-ray structures provides an excellent opportunity to begin a detailed molecular understanding of voltage-dependent gating. These structures, while differing in sequence, represent either a stable open or closed state. However, an understanding of the molecular details of gating will require models for the transitions and experimentally testable predictions for the gating transition. To explore these ideas, we apply dynamic importance sampling to a set of homology models for the molecular conformations of K(+) channels for four different sets of sequences and eight different states. In our results, we highlight the importance of particular residues upstream from the Pro-Val-Pro (PVP) region to the gating transition. This supports growing evidence that the PVP region is important for influencing the flexibility of the S6 helix and thus the opening of the gating domain. The results further suggest how gating on the molecular level depends on intra-subunit motions to influence the cooperative behavior of all four subunits of the K(+) channel. We hypothesize that the gating process occurs in steps: first sidechain movement, then inter-S5-S6 subunit motions, and lastly the large-scale domain rearrangements.

SUBMITTER: Denning EJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2822122 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Cooperative nature of gating transitions in K(+) channels as seen from dynamic importance sampling calculations.

Denning Elizabeth J EJ Woolf Thomas B TB

Proteins 20100401 5

The growing dataset of K(+) channel x-ray structures provides an excellent opportunity to begin a detailed molecular understanding of voltage-dependent gating. These structures, while differing in sequence, represent either a stable open or closed state. However, an understanding of the molecular details of gating will require models for the transitions and experimentally testable predictions for the gating transition. To explore these ideas, we apply dynamic importance sampling to a set of homo ...[more]

PMID: 19950367

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Project description:High voltage-activated Ca2+ (Ca(V)) channels are protein complexes containing pore-forming α1 and auxiliary β and α2δ subunits. The subcellular localization and membrane interactions of the β subunits play a crucial role in regulating Ca(V) channel inactivation and its lipid sensitivity. Here, we investigated the effects of membrane phosphoinositide (PI) turnover on Ca(V)2.2 channel function. The β2 isoform β2e associates with the membrane through electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. Using chimeric β subunits and liposome-binding assays, we determined that interaction between the N-terminal 23 amino acids of β2e and anionic phospholipids was sufficient for β2e membrane targeting. Binding of the β2e subunit N terminus to liposomes was significantly increased by inclusion of 1% phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) in the liposomes, suggesting that, in addition to phosphatidylserine, PIs are responsible for β2e targeting to the plasma membrane. Membrane binding of the β2e subunit slowed Ca(V)2.2 current inactivation. When membrane phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate and PIP2 were depleted by rapamycin-induced translocation of pseudojanin to the membrane, however, channel opening was decreased and fast inactivation of Ca(V)2.2(β2e) currents was enhanced. Activation of the M1 muscarinic receptor elicited transient and reversible translocation of β2e subunits from membrane to cytosol, but not that of β2a or β3, resulting in fast inactivation of Ca(V)2.2 channels with β2e. These results suggest that membrane targeting of the β2e subunit, which is mediated by nonspecific electrostatic insertion, is dynamically regulated by receptor stimulation, and that the reversible association of β2e with membrane PIs results in functional changes in Ca(V) channel gating. The phospholipid-protein interaction observed here provides structural insight into mechanisms of membrane-protein association and the role of phospholipids in ion channel regulation.

Dataset Information

Cooperative nature of gating transitions in K(+) channels as seen from dynamic importance sampling calculations.

Publications

Cooperative nature of gating transitions in K(+) channels as seen from dynamic importance sampling calculations.

Similar Datasets

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