Functional dynamics and allosteric modulation of TRPA1.

The cation channel TRPA1 is a potentially important drug target, and characterization of TRPA1 functional dynamics might help guide structure-based drug design. Here, we present results from long-timescale molecular dynamics simulations of TRPA1 with an allosteric activator, allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), in which we observed spontaneous transitions from a closed, non-conducting channel conformation into an open, conducting conformation. Based on these transitions, we propose a gating mechanism in which movement of a regulatory TRP-like domain allosterically translates into pore opening in a manner reminiscent of pore opening in voltage-gated ion channels.

Gating and modulation of an inward-rectifier potassium channel.

Inward-rectifier potassium channels (Kirs) are lipid-gated ion channels that differ from other K+ channels in that they allow K+ ions to flow more easily into, rather than out of, the cell. Inward rectification is known to result from endogenous magnesium ions or polyamines (e.g.

Suppressing Kv1.3 Ion Channel Activity with a Novel Small Molecule Inhibitor Ameliorates Inflammation in a Humanised Mouse Model of Ulcerative Colitis.

Background And Aims: The potassium channel Kv1.3 is a potentially attractive therapeutic target in T cell-mediated inflammatory diseases, as the activity of antigen-activated T cells is selectively impeded by Kv1.3 inhibition.

Mechanism of NMDA receptor channel block by MK-801 and memantine.

The NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor transduces the binding of glutamate and glycine, coupling it to the opening of a calcium-permeable ion channel . Owing to the lack of high-resolution structural studies of the NMDA receptor, the mechanism by which ion-channel blockers occlude ion permeation is not well understood. Here we show that removal of the amino-terminal domains from the GluN1-GluN2B NMDA receptor yields a functional receptor and crystals with good diffraction properties, allowing us to map the binding site of the NMDA receptor blocker, MK-801.

Atomic-level simulation of current-voltage relationships in single-file ion channels.

The difficulty in characterizing ion conduction through membrane channels at the level of individual permeation events has made it challenging to elucidate the mechanistic principles underpinning this fundamental physiological process. Using long, all-atom simulations enabled by special-purpose hardware, we studied K(+) permeation across the KV1.2/2.

Expression, purification, and reconstitution of the voltage-sensing domain from Ci-VSP.

The voltage-sensing domain (VSD) is the common scaffold responsible for the functional behavior of voltage-gated ion channels, voltage sensitive enzymes, and proton channels. Because of the position of the voltage dependence of the available VSD structures, at present, they all represent the activated state of the sensor. Yet in the absence of a consensus resting state structure, the mechanistic details of voltage sensing remain controversial.

Mechanism of Cd2+ coordination during slow inactivation in potassium channels.

In K+ channels, rearrangements of the pore outer vestibule have been associated with C-type inactivation gating. Paradoxically, the crystal structure of Open/C-type inactivated KcsA suggests these movements to be modest in magnitude. In this study, we show that under physiological conditions, the KcsA outer vestibule undergoes relatively large dynamic rearrangements upon inactivation.

Mechanism of voltage gating in potassium channels.

The mechanism of ion channel voltage gating-how channels open and close in response to voltage changes-has been debated since Hodgkin and Huxley's seminal discovery that the crux of nerve conduction is ion flow across cellular membranes. Using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we show how a voltage-gated potassium channel (KV) switches between activated and deactivated states. On deactivation, pore hydrophobic collapse rapidly halts ion flow.

A multipoint hydrogen-bond network underlying KcsA C-type inactivation.

In the prokaryotic potassium channel KcsA activation gating at the inner bundle gate is followed by C-type inactivation at the selectivity filter. Entry into the C-type inactivated state has been directly linked to the strength of the H-bond interaction between residues Glu-71 and Asp-80 behind the filter, and is allosterically triggered by the rearrangement of the inner bundle gate. Here, we show that H-bond pairing between residues Trp-67 and Asp-80, conserved in most K⁺ channels, constitutes another critical interaction that determines the rate and extent of KcsA C-type inactivation.

On the structural basis of modal gating behavior in K(+) channels.

Modal-gating shifts represent an effective regulatory mechanism by which ion channels control the extent and time course of ionic fluxes. Under steady-state conditions, the K(+) channel KcsA shows three distinct gating modes, high-P(o), low-P(o) and a high-frequency flicker mode, each with about an order of magnitude difference in their mean open times. Here we show that in the absence of C-type inactivation, mutations at the pore-helix position Glu71 unmask a series of kinetically distinct modes of gating in a side chain-specific way.

Voltage profile along the permeation pathway of an open channel.

For ion channels, the transmembrane potential plays a critical role by acting as a driving force for permeant ions. At the microscopic level, the transmembrane potential is thought to decay nonlinearly across the ion permeation pathway because of the irregular three-dimensional shape of the channel's pore. By taking advantage of the current structural and functional understanding of cyclic nucleotide-gated channels, in this study we experimentally explore the transmembrane potential's distribution across the open pore.

Structural dynamics of the magnesium-bound conformation of CorA in a lipid bilayer.

The transmembrane conformation of Thermotoga maritima CorA, a magnesium transport system, has been studied in its Mg(2+)-bound form by site-directed spin labeling and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Probe mobility together with accessibility data were used to evaluate the overall dynamics and relative arrangement of individual transmembrane segments TM1 and TM2. TM1 extends toward the cytoplasmic side creating a water-filled cavity, while TM2 is located in the periphery of the oligomer, contacting the lipid bilayer.

Structural basis for the coupling between activation and inactivation gates in K(+) channels.

The coupled interplay between activation and inactivation gating is a functional hallmark of K(+) channels. This coupling has been experimentally demonstrated through ion interaction effects and cysteine accessibility, and is associated with a well defined boundary of energetically coupled residues. The structure of the K(+) channel KcsA in its fully open conformation, in addition to four other partial channel openings, richly illustrates the structural basis of activation-inactivation gating.

Structural mechanism of C-type inactivation in K(+) channels.

Interconversion between conductive and non-conductive forms of the K(+) channel selectivity filter underlies a variety of gating events, from flicker transitions (at the microsecond timescale) to C-type inactivation (millisecond to second timescale). Here we report the crystal structure of the Streptomyces lividans K(+) channel KcsA in its open-inactivated conformation and investigate the mechanism of C-type inactivation gating at the selectivity filter from channels 'trapped' in a series of partially open conformations. Five conformer classes were identified with openings ranging from 12 A in closed KcsA (Calpha-Calpha distances at Thr 112) to 32 A when fully open.

Calculation of the gating charge for the Kv1.2 voltage-activated potassium channel.

The atomic models of the Kv1.2 potassium channel in the active and resting state, originally presented elsewhere, are here refined using molecular dynamics simulations in an explicit membrane-solvent environment. With a minor adjustment of the orientation of the first arginine along the S4 segment, the total gating charge of the channel determined from >0.

Principles of conduction and hydrophobic gating in K+ channels.

We present the first atomic-resolution observations of permeation and gating in a K(+) channel, based on molecular dynamics simulations of the Kv1.2 pore domain. Analysis of hundreds of simulated permeation events revealed a detailed conduction mechanism, resembling the Hodgkin-Keynes "knock-on" model, in which translocation of two selectivity filter-bound ions is driven by a third ion; formation of this knock-on intermediate is rate determining.

Design and characterization of a constitutively open KcsA.

The molecular nature of the structure responsible for proton sensitivity in KcsA has been identified as a charge cluster that surrounds the inner helical bundle gate. Here, we show that this proton sensor can be modified to engineer a constitutively open form of KcsA, amenable to functional, spectroscopic and structural analyses. By combining charge neutralizations for all acidic and basic residues in the cluster at positions 25, 117-122 and 124 (but not E118), a mutant KcsA is generated that displays constitutively open channel activity up to pH 9.

A molecular mechanism for proton-dependent gating in KcsA.

Activation gating in KcsA is elicited by changes in intracellular proton concentration. Thompson et al. identified a charge cluster around the inner gate that plays a key role in defining proton activation in KcsA.

Atomic constraints between the voltage sensor and the pore domain in a voltage-gated K+ channel of known structure.

In voltage-gated K(+) channels (Kv), membrane depolarization promotes a structural reorganization of each of the four voltage sensor domains surrounding the conducting pore, inducing its opening. Although the crystal structure of Kv1.2 provided the first atomic resolution view of a eukaryotic Kv channel, several components of the voltage sensors remain poorly resolved.

Molecular driving forces determining potassium channel slow inactivation.

K+ channels undergo a time-dependent slow inactivation process that plays a key role in modulating cellular excitability. Here we show that in the prokaryotic proton-gated K+ channel KcsA, the number and strength of hydrogen bonds between residues in the selectivity filter and its adjacent pore helix determine the rate and extent of C-type inactivation. Upon channel activation, the interaction between residues at positions Glu71 and Asp80 promotes filter constriction parallel to the permeation pathway, which affects K+-binding sites and presumably abrogates ion conduction.

Dynamics of the Kv1.2 voltage-gated K+ channel in a membrane environment.

All-atom molecular dynamics simulations are used to better understand the dynamic environment experienced by the Kv1.2 channel in a lipid membrane. The structure of the channel is stable during the trajectories.

Mechanism of intracellular block of the KcsA K+ channel by tetrabutylammonium: insights from X-ray crystallography, electrophysiology and replica-exchange molecular dynamics simulations.

The mechanism of intracellular blockade of the KcsA potassium channel by tetrabutylammonium (TBA) is investigated through functional, structural and computational studies. Using planar-membrane electrophysiological recordings, we characterize the binding kinetics as well as the dependence on the transmembrane voltage and the concentration of the blocker. It is found that the apparent affinity of the complex is significantly greater than that of any of the eukaryotic K(+) channels studied previously, and that the off-rate increases with the applied transmembrane voltage.

Molecular determinants of gating at the potassium-channel selectivity filter.

We show that in the potassium channel KcsA, proton-dependent activation is followed by an inactivation process similar to C-type inactivation, and this process is suppressed by an E71A mutation in the pore helix. EPR spectroscopy demonstrates that the inner gate opens maximally at low pH regardless of the magnitude of the single-channel-open probability, implying that stationary gating originates mostly from rearrangements at the selectivity filter. Two E71A crystal structures obtained at 2.

Electrostatics of the intracellular vestibule of K+ channels.

Previous calculations using continuum electrostatic calculations showed that a fully hydrated monovalent cation is electrostatically stabilized at the center of the cavity of the KcsA potassium channel. Further analysis demonstrated that this cavity stabilization was controlled by a balance between the unfavorable reaction field due to the finite size of the cavity and the favorable electrostatic field arising from the pore helices. In the present study, continuum electrostatic calculations are used to investigate how the stability of an ion in the intracellular vestibular cavity common to known potassium channels is affected as the inner channel gate opens and the cavity becomes larger and contiguous with the intracellular solution.

Transglutaminase 5 is regulated by guanine-adenine nucleotides.

Transglutaminases (TGases) are Ca2+-dependent enzymes capable of catalysing transamidation of glutamine residues to form intermolecular isopeptide bonds. Nine distinct TGases have been described in mammals, and two of them (types 2 and 3) are regulated by GTP/ATP. TGase2 hydrolyses GTP and is therefore a bifunctional enzyme.