Dilation of ion selectivity filters in cation channels.

Ion channels establish the voltage gradient across cellular membranes by providing aqueous pathways for ions to selectively diffuse down their concentration gradients. The selectivity of any given channel for its favored ions has conventionally been viewed as a stable property, and in many cation channels, it is determined by an ion-selectivity filter within the external end of the ion-permeation pathway. In several instances, including voltage-activated K+ (Kv) channels, ATP-activated P2X receptor channels, and transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, the ion-permeation pathways have been proposed to dilate in response to persistent activation, dynamically altering ion permeation. Here, we discuss evidence for dynamic ion selectivity, examples where ion selectivity filters exhibit structural plasticity, and opportunities to fill gaps in our current understanding.

Eukaryotic Kv channel Shaker inactivates through selectivity filter dilation rather than collapse.

Eukaryotic voltage-gated K+ channels have been extensively studied, but the structural bases for some of their most salient functional features remain to be established. C-type inactivation, for example, is an auto-inhibitory mechanism that confers temporal resolution to their signal-firing activity. In a recent breakthrough, studies of a mutant of Shaker that is prone to inactivate indicated that this process entails a dilation of the selectivity filter, the narrowest part of the ion conduction pathway. Here, we report an atomic-resolution cryo-electron microscopy structure that demonstrates that the wild-type channel can also adopt this dilated state. All-atom simulations corroborate this conformation is congruent with the electrophysiological characteristics of the C-type inactivated state, namely, residual K+ conductance and altered ion specificity, and help rationalize why inactivation is accelerated or impeded by certain mutations. In summary, this study establishes the molecular basis for an important self-regulatory mechanism in eukaryotic K+ channels, laying a solid foundation for further studies.

Inactivation of the Kv2.1 channel through electromechanical coupling.

The Kv2.1 voltage-activated potassium (Kv) channel is a prominent delayed-rectifier Kv channel in the mammalian central nervous system, where its mechanisms of activation and inactivation are critical for regulating intrinsic neuronal excitability1,2. Here we present structures of the Kv2.1 channel in a lipid environment using cryo-electron microscopy to provide a framework for exploring its functional mechanisms and how mutations causing epileptic encephalopathies3-7 alter channel activity. By studying a series of disease-causing mutations, we identified one that illuminates a hydrophobic coupling nexus near the internal end of the pore that is critical for inactivation. Both functional and structural studies reveal that inactivation in Kv2.1 results from dynamic alterations in electromechanical coupling to reposition pore-lining S6 helices and close the internal pore. Consideration of these findings along with available structures for other Kv channels, as well as voltage-activated sodium and calcium channels, suggests that related mechanisms of inactivation are conserved in voltage-activated cation channels and likely to be engaged by widely used therapeutics to achieve state-dependent regulation of channel activity.

Structures of the T cell potassium channel Kv1.3 with immunoglobulin modulators.

The Kv1.3 potassium channel is expressed abundantly on activated T cells and mediates the cellular immune response. This role has made the channel a target for therapeutic immunomodulation to block its activity and suppress T cell activation. Here, we report structures of human Kv1.3 alone, with a nanobody inhibitor, and with an antibody-toxin fusion blocker. Rather than block the channel directly, four copies of the nanobody bind the tetramer's voltage sensing domains and the pore domain to induce an inactive pore conformation. In contrast, the antibody-toxin fusion docks its toxin domain at the extracellular mouth of the channel to insert a critical lysine into the pore. The lysine stabilizes an active conformation of the pore yet blocks ion permeation. This study visualizes Kv1.3 pore dynamics, defines two distinct mechanisms to suppress Kv1.3 channel activity with exogenous inhibitors, and provides a framework to aid development of emerging T cell immunotherapies.

Structure of the Shaker Kv channel and mechanism of slow C-type inactivation.

Voltage-activated potassium (Kv) channels open upon membrane depolarization and proceed to spontaneously inactivate. Inactivation controls neuronal firing rates and serves as a form of short-term memory and is implicated in various human neurological disorders. Here, we use high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy and computer simulations to determine one of the molecular mechanisms underlying this physiologically crucial process. Structures of the activated Shaker Kv channel and of its W434F mutant in lipid bilayers demonstrate that C-type inactivation entails the dilation of the ion selectivity filter and the repositioning of neighboring residues known to be functionally critical. Microsecond-scale molecular dynamics trajectories confirm that these changes inhibit rapid ion permeation through the channel. This long-sought breakthrough establishes how eukaryotic K+ channels self-regulate their functional state through the plasticity of their selectivity filters.

Gating interaction maps reveal a noncanonical electromechanical coupling mode in the Shaker K+ channel.

Membrane potential regulates the activity of voltage-dependent ion channels via specialized voltage-sensing modules, but the mechanisms involved in coupling voltage-sensor movement to pore opening remain unclear owing to a lack of resting state structures and robust methods to identify allosteric pathways. Here, using a newly developed interaction-energy analysis, we probe the interfaces of the voltage-sensing and pore modules in the Drosophila Shaker K+ channel. Our measurements reveal unexpectedly strong equilibrium gating interactions between contacts at the S4 and S5 helices in addition to those between S6 and the S4-S5 linker. Network analysis of MD trajectories shows that the voltage-sensor and pore motions are linked by two distinct pathways: a canonical pathway through the S4-S5 linker and a hitherto unknown pathway akin to rack-and-pinion coupling involving the S4 and S5 helices. Our findings highlight the central role of the S5 helix in electromechanical transduction in the voltage-gated ion channel (VGIC) superfamily.

BK channel activation by tungstate requires the ß1 subunit extracellular loop residues essential to modulate voltage sensor function and channel gating.

Tungstate, a compound with antidiabetic, antiobesity, and antihypertensive properties, activates the large-conductance voltage- and Ca(2+)-dependent K(+) (BK) channel containing either ß1 or ß4 subunits. The BK activation by tungstate is Mg(2+)-dependent and promotes arterial vasodilation, but only in precontracted mouse arteries expressing ß1. In this study, we further explored how the ß1 subunit participates in tungstate activation of BK channels. Activation of heterologously expressed human BKαß1 channels in inside-out patches is fully dependent on the Mg(2+) sensitivity of the BK α channel subunit even at high (10 µM) cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration. Alanine mutagenesis of ß1 extracellular residues Y74 or S104, which destabilize the active voltage sensor, greatly decreased the tungstate-induced left-shift of the BKαß1 G-V curves in either the absence or presence of physiologically relevant cytosolic Ca(2+) levels (10 µM). The weakened tungstate activation of the BKαß1Y74A and BKαß1S104A mutant channels was not related to decreased Mg(2+) sensitivity. These results, together with previously published reports, support the idea that the putative binding site for tungstate-mediated BK channel activation is located in the pore-forming α channel subunit, around the Mg(2+) binding site. The role of ß1 in tungstate-induced channel activation seems to rely on its interaction with the BK α subunit to modulate channel activity. Loop residues that are essential for the regulation of voltage sensor activation and gating of the BK channel are also relevant for BK activation by tungstate.

Tungstate activates BK channels in a ß subunit- and Mg2+-dependent manner: relevance for arterial vasodilatation.

AIMS: Tungstate reduces blood pressure in experimental animal models of both hypertension and metabolic syndrome, although the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Given that the large-conductance voltage- and Ca(2+)-dependent K(+) (BK) channel is a key element in the control of arterial tone, our aim was to evaluate whether BK channel modulation by tungstate can contribute to its antihypertensive effect. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patch-clamp studies of heterologously expressed human BK channels (α + ß(1-4) subunits) revealed that cytosolic tungstate (1 mM) induced a significant left shift (∼20 mV) in the voltage-dependent activation curve only in BK channels containing αß(1) or αß(4) subunits, but reduced the amplitude of K(+) currents through all BK channels tested. The ß(1)-dependent activation of BK channels by tungstate was enhanced at cytosolic Ca(2+) levels reached during myocyte contraction, and prevented either by removal of cytosolic Mg(2+) or by mutations rendering the channel insensitive to Mg(2+). A lower concentration of tungstate (0.1 mM) induced voltage-dependent activation of the vascular BKαß(1) channel without reducing current amplitude, and consistently exerted a vasodilatory action on wild-type but not on ß(1)-knockout mouse arteries pre-contracted with endothelin-1. CONCLUSION: Tungstate activates BK channels in a ß subunit- and Mg(2+)-dependent manner and induces vasodilatation only in mouse arteries that express the BK ß(1) subunit.