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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Iwamoto M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3545751 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Iwamoto Masayuki M Oiki Shigetoshi S
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20121224 2
Membrane lipids modulate the function of membrane proteins. In the case of ion channels, they bias the gating equilibrium, although the underlying mechanism has remained elusive. Here we demonstrate that the N-terminal segment (M0) of the KcsA potassium channel mediates the effect of changes in the lipid milieu on channel gating. The M0 segment is a membrane-anchored amphipathic helix, bearing positively charged residues. In asymmetric membranes, the M0 helix senses the presence of negatively ch ...[more]