The 40Ca+ ion optical clock.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Gao K
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8290938 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:MgtE is a Mg2+-selective ion channel whose orthologs are widely distributed from prokaryotes to eukaryotes, including humans, and are important participants in the maintenance of cellular Mg2+ homeostasis. The previous high-resolution structure determination of the MgtE transmembrane (TM) domain in complex with Mg2+ ions revealed a recognition mechanism of MgtE for Mg2+ ions. In contrast, the previous Ca2+-bound structure of the MgtE TM domain was determined only at moderate resolution (3.2 Å resolution), which was insufficient to visualize the water molecules coordinated to Ca2+ ions. Here, we showed that the metal-binding site of the MgtE TM domain binds to Mg2+ ∼500-fold more strongly than to Ca2+. We then determined the crystal structure of the MgtE TM domain in complex with Ca2+ ions at a higher resolution (2.5 Å resolution), revealing hexahydrated Ca2+. These results provide mechanistic insights into the ion selectivity of MgtE for Mg2+ over Ca2+.
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