KCNQ1 (K7.1) K channels are expressed in multiple tissues, including the heart, pancreas, colon, and inner ear. The gene encoding the KCNQ1 protein was discovered by a positional cloning effort to determine the genetic basis of long QT syndrome, an inherited ventricular arrhythmia that can cause sudden death. Mutations in KCNQ1 can also cause other types of arrhythmia (i.e., short QT syndrome, atrial fibrillation) and the gene may also have a role in diabetes and certain cancers. KCNQ1 α-subunits can partner with accessory β-subunits (KCNE1-KCNE5) to form K-selective channels that have divergent biophysical properties. In the heart, KCNQ1 α-subunits coassemble with KCNE1 β-subunits to form channels that conduct I, a very slowly activating delayed rectifier K current. K7.1 channels are highly regulated by PIP, calmodulin, and phosphorylation, and rich pharmacology includes blockers and gating modulators. Recent biophysical studies and a cryo-EM structure of the KCNQ1-calmodulin complex have provided new insights into K7.1 channel function, and how interactions between KCNQ1 and KCNE subunits alter the gating properties of heteromultimeric channels.
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Chem Biodivers
January 2025
Center of Plasma Nano-interface Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
In recent years, there has been an increase in the study of the mechanisms behind plasma oncology. For this, many wet lab experiments and computational studies were conducted. Computational studies give an advantage in examining protein structures that are costly to extract in enough amounts to analyze the biophysical properties following plasma treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Mol Biol
January 2025
Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, Italy; The Wohl Institute, King's College London, 5 Cutcombe Rd, SW59RT London, UK. Electronic address:
Annexins are a family of calcium-dependent phospholipid-binding proteins involved in crucial cellular processes such as cell division, calcium signaling, vesicle trafficking, membrane repair, and apoptosis. In addition to these properties, Annexins have also been shown to bind RNA, although this function is not universally recognized. In the attempt to clarify this important issue, we employed an integrated combination of experimental and computational approaches.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Chem Theory Comput
January 2025
Department of Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PU, U.K.
Mechanisms of anion permeation within ion channels and nanopores remain poorly understood. Recent cryo-electron microscopy structures of the human bestrophin 1 Cl channel (hBest1) provide an opportunity to evaluate ion interactions predicted by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations against experimental observations. Here, we implement the fully polarizable force field AMOEBA in MD simulations on different conformations of hBest1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur J Med Chem
December 2024
School of Pharmacy and Food Engineering, Wuyi University, 529020, Jiangmen, China; Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, L69 7ZD, Liverpool, UK. Electronic address:
Aryl quinolone derivatives can target the cytochrome bc complex of Plasmodium falciparum, exhibiting excellent in vitro and in vivo antimalarial activity. However, their clinical development has been hindered due to their poor aqueous solubility profiles. In this study, a series of bioisosteres containing saturated heterocycles fused to a 4-pyridone ring were designed to replace the inherently poorly soluble quinolone core in antimalarial quinolones with the aim to reduce π-π stacking interactions in the crystal packing solid state, and a synthetic route was developed to prepare these alternative core derivatives.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur Phys J E Soft Matter
January 2025
Center for Life Nano Science@La Sapienza, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161, Rome, Italy.
Understanding the values and origin of fundamental physical constants, one of the grandest challenges in modern science, has been discussed in particle physics, astronomy and cosmology. More recently, it was realized that fundamental constants have a biofriendly window set by life processes involving motion and flow. This window is related to intrinsic fluid properties such as energy and length scales in condensed matter set by fundamental constants.
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