Dataset Information

Structural determinants underlying permeant discrimination of the Cx43 hemichannel.

ABSTRACT: Connexin (Cx) gap junction channels comprise two hemichannels in neighboring cells, and their permeability is well-described, but permeabilities of the single Cx hemichannel remain largely unresolved. Moreover, determination of isoform-specific Cx hemichannel permeability is challenging because of concurrent expression of other channels with similar permeability profiles and inhibitor sensitivities. The mammalian Cx hemichannels Cx30 and Cx43 are gated by extracellular divalent cations, removal of which promotes fluorescent dye uptake in both channels but atomic ion conductance only through Cx30. To determine the molecular determinants of this difference, here we employed chimeras and mutagenesis of predicted pore-lining residues in Cx43. We expressed the mutated channels in Xenopus laevis oocytes to avoid background activity of alternative channels. Oocytes expressing a Cx43 hemichannel chimera containing the N terminus or the first extracellular loop from Cx30 displayed ethidium uptake and, unlike WT Cx43, ion conduction, an observation further supported by molecular dynamics simulations. Additional C-terminal truncation of the chimeric Cx43 hemichannel elicited an even greater ion conductance with a magnitude closer to that of Cx30. The inhibitory profile for the connexin hemichannels depended on the permeant, with conventional connexin hemichannel inhibitors having a higher potency toward the ion conductance pathway than toward fluorescent dye uptake. Our results demonstrate a permeant-dependent, isoform-specific inhibition of connexin hemichannels. They further reveal that the outer segments of the pore-lining region, including the N terminus and the first extracellular loop, together with the C terminus preclude ion conductance of the open Cx43 hemichannel.

SUBMITTER: Nielsen BS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6851295 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Structural determinants underlying permeant discrimination of the Cx43 hemichannel.

Nielsen Brian Skriver BS Zonta Francesco F Farkas Thomas T Litman Thomas T Nielsen Morten Schak MS MacAulay Nanna N

The Journal of biological chemistry 20190925 45

Connexin (Cx) gap junction channels comprise two hemichannels in neighboring cells, and their permeability is well-described, but permeabilities of the single Cx hemichannel remain largely unresolved. Moreover, determination of isoform-specific Cx hemichannel permeability is challenging because of concurrent expression of other channels with similar permeability profiles and inhibitor sensitivities. The mammalian Cx hemichannels Cx30 and Cx43 are gated by extracellular divalent cations, removal ...[more]

PMID: 31554662

Similar Datasets

Project description:Tauhe beta-phosphoglucomutase (beta-PGM) of the haloacid dehalogenase enzyme superfamily (HADSF) catalyzes the conversion of beta-glucose 1-phosphate (betaG1P) to glucose 6-phosphate (G6P) using Asp8 of the core domain active site to mediate phosphoryl transfer from beta-glucose 1,6-(bis)phosphate (betaG1,6bisP) to betaG1P. Herein, we explore the mechanism by which hydrolysis of the beta-PGM phospho-Asp8 is avoided during the time that the active site must remain open to solvent to allow the exchange of the bound product G6P with the substrate betaG1P. On the basis of structural information, a model of catalysis is proposed in which the general acid/base (Asp10) side chain moves from a position where it forms a hydrogen bond to the Thr16-Ala17 portion of the domain-domain linker to a functional position where it forms a hydrogen bond to the substrate leaving group O and a His20-Lys76 pair of the cap domain. This repositioning of the general acid/base within the core domain active site is coordinated with substrate-induced closure of the cap domain over the core domain. The model predicts that Asp10 is required for general acid/base catalysis and for stabilization of the enzyme in the cap-closed conformation. It also predicts that hinge residue Thr16 plays a key role in productive domain-domain association, that hydrogen bond interaction with the Thr16 backbone amide NH group is required to prevent phospho-Asp8 hydrolysis in the cap-open conformation, and that the His20-Lys76 pair plays an important role in substrate-induced cap closure. The model is examined via kinetic analyses of Asp10, Thr16, His20, and Lys76 site-directed mutants. Replacement of Asp10 with Ala, Ser, Cys, Asn, or Glu resulted in no observable activity. The kinetic consequences of the replacement of linker residue Thr16 with Pro include a reduced rate of Asp8 phosphorylation by betaG1,6bisP, a reduced rate of cycling of the phosphorylated enzyme to convert betaG1P to G6P, and an enhanced rate of phosphoryl transfer from phospho-Asp8 to water. The X-ray crystal structure of the T16P mutant at 2.7 A resolution provides a snapshot of the enzyme in an unnatural cap-open conformation where the Asp10 side chain is located in the core domain active site. The His20 and Lys76 site-directed mutants exhibit reduced activity in catalysis of the Asp8-mediated phosphoryl transfer between betaG1,6bisP and betaG1P but no reduction in the rate of phospho-Asp8 hydrolysis. Taken together, the results support a substrate induced-fit model of catalysis in which betaG1P binding to the core domain facilitates recruitment of the general acid/base Asp10 to the catalytic site and induces cap closure.

Dataset Information

Structural determinants underlying permeant discrimination of the Cx43 hemichannel.

Publications

Structural determinants underlying permeant discrimination of the Cx43 hemichannel.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets