Structural basis of pH-dependent activation in a CLC transporter.

CLCs are dimeric chloride channels and anion/proton exchangers that regulate processes such as muscle contraction and endo-lysosome acidification. Common gating controls their activity; its closure simultaneously silences both protomers, and its opening allows them to independently transport ions. Mutations affecting common gating in human CLCs cause dominant genetic disorders.

The mechanism of regulation of -catalyzed hydrolysis.

() enzymes cleave phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate ( producing and (diacylglycerol). modulates the function of many ion channels, while and regulate intracellular Ca levels and protein phosphorylation by protein kinase C, respectively. enzymes are under the control of G protein coupled receptor signaling through direct interactions with G proteins and and have been shown to be coincidence detectors for dual stimulation of and -coupled receptors.

The mechanism of regulation of -catalyzed hydrolysis.

Unlabelled: enzymes cleave producing IP3 and DAG. modulates the function of many ion channels, while IP3 and DAG regulate intracellular Ca levels and protein phosphorylation by protein kinase C, respectively. enzymes are under the control of GPCR signaling through direct interactions with G proteins and and have been shown to be coincidence detectors for dual stimulation of and G coupled receptors.

activates hydrolysis by recruiting and orienting on the membrane surface.

catalyze the hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4, 5-bisphosphate [Formula: see text] into [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]  [Formula: see text]. [Formula: see text] regulates the activity of many membrane proteins, while and lead to increased intracellular Ca levels and activate protein kinase C, respectively. are regulated by G protein-coupled receptors through direct interaction with [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] and are aqueous-soluble enzymes that must bind to the cell membrane to act on their lipid substrate.

TMEM16 scramblases thin the membrane to enable lipid scrambling.

TMEM16 scramblases dissipate the plasma membrane lipid asymmetry to activate multiple eukaryotic cellular pathways. Scrambling was proposed to occur with lipid headgroups moving between leaflets through a membrane-spanning hydrophilic groove. Direct information on lipid-groove interactions is lacking.

Reconstitution of Proteoliposomes for Phospholipid Scrambling and Nonselective Channel Assays.

Phospholipid scramblases catalyze the rapid trans-bilayer movement of lipids down their concentration gradients. This process is essential for numerous cellular signaling functions including cell fusion, blood coagulation, and apoptosis. The importance of scramblases is highlighted by the number of human diseases caused by mutations in these proteins.

Membrane lipids are both the substrates and a mechanistically responsive environment of TMEM16 scramblase proteins.

Recent discoveries about functional mechanisms of proteins in the TMEM16 family of phospholipid scramblases have illuminated the dual role of the membrane as both the substrate and a mechanistically responsive environment in the wide range of physiological processes and genetic disorders in which they are implicated. This is highlighted in the review of recent findings from our collaborative investigations of molecular mechanisms of TMEM16 scramblases that emerged from iterative functional, structural, and computational experimentation. In the context of this review, we present new MD simulations and trajectory analyses motivated by the fact that new structural information about the TMEM16 scramblases is emerging from cryo-EM determinations in lipid nanodiscs.

Dynamic modulation of the lipid translocation groove generates a conductive ion channel in Ca-bound nhTMEM16.

Both lipid and ion translocation by Ca-regulated TMEM16 transmembrane proteins utilizes a membrane-exposed hydrophilic groove. Several conformations of the groove are observed in TMEM16 protein structures, but how these conformations form, and what functions they support, remains unknown. From analyses of atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of Ca-bound nhTMEM16 we find that the mechanism of a conformational transition of the groove from membrane-exposed to occluded from the membrane involves the repositioning of transmembrane helix 4 (TM4) following its disengagement from a TM3/TM4 interaction interface.

The structural basis of lipid scrambling and inactivation in the endoplasmic reticulum scramblase TMEM16K.

Membranes in cells have defined distributions of lipids in each leaflet, controlled by lipid scramblases and flip/floppases. However, for some intracellular membranes such as the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) the scramblases have not been identified. Members of the TMEM16 family have either lipid scramblase or chloride channel activity.

Structural basis of Ca-dependent activation and lipid transport by a TMEM16 scramblase.

The lipid distribution of plasma membranes of eukaryotic cells is asymmetric and phospholipid scramblases disrupt this asymmetry by mediating the rapid, nonselective transport of lipids down their concentration gradients. As a result, phosphatidylserine is exposed to the outer leaflet of membrane, an important step in extracellular signaling networks controlling processes such as apoptosis, blood coagulation, membrane fusion and repair. Several TMEM16 family members have been identified as Ca-activated scramblases, but the mechanisms underlying their Ca-dependent gating and their effects on the surrounding lipid bilayer remain poorly understood.

Out-of-the-groove transport of lipids by TMEM16 and GPCR scramblases.

Phospholipid scramblases externalize phosphatidylserine to facilitate numerous physiological processes. Several members of the structurally unrelated TMEM16 and G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) protein families mediate phospholipid scrambling. The structure of a TMEM16 scramblase shows a membrane-exposed hydrophilic cavity, suggesting that scrambling occurs via the ‟credit-card" mechanism where lipid headgroups permeate through the cavity while their tails remain associated with the membrane core.

Known structures and unknown mechanisms of TMEM16 scramblases and channels.

The TMEM16 family of membrane proteins is composed of both Ca-gated Cl channels and Ca-dependent phospholipid scramblases. The functional diversity of TMEM16s underlies their involvement in numerous signal transduction pathways that connect changes in cytosolic Ca levels to cellular signaling networks. Indeed, defects in the function of several TMEM16s cause a variety of genetic disorders, highlighting their fundamental pathophysiological importance.