scholarly journals Neutralization of Gating Charges in Domain II of the Sodium Channel α Subunit Enhances Voltage-Sensor Trapping by a β-Scorpion Toxin

2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandrine Cestèle ◽  
Todd Scheuer ◽  
Massimo Mantegazza ◽  
Hervé Rochat ◽  
William A. Catterall
Keyword(s):  
Sodium Channel ◽  
Sodium Channels ◽  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Membrane Potentials ◽  
Voltage Sensor ◽  
Scorpion Toxin ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Gating Charges

β-Scorpion toxins shift the voltage dependence of activation of sodium channels to more negative membrane potentials, but only after a strong depolarizing prepulse to fully activate the channels. Their receptor site includes the S3–S4 loop at the extracellular end of the S4 voltage sensor in domain II of the α subunit. Here, we probe the role of gating charges in the IIS4 segment in β-scorpion toxin action by mutagenesis and functional analysis of the resulting mutant sodium channels. Neutralization of the positively charged amino acid residues in the IIS4 segment by mutation to glutamine shifts the voltage dependence of channel activation to more positive membrane potentials and reduces the steepness of voltage-dependent gating, which is consistent with the presumed role of these residues as gating charges. Surprisingly, neutralization of the gating charges at the outer end of the IIS4 segment by the mutations R850Q, R850C, R853Q, and R853C markedly enhances β-scorpion toxin action, whereas mutations R856Q, K859Q, and K862Q have no effect. In contrast to wild-type, the β-scorpion toxin Css IV causes a negative shift of the voltage dependence of activation of mutants R853Q and R853C without a depolarizing prepulse at holding potentials from −80 to −140 mV. Reaction of mutant R853C with 2-aminoethyl methanethiosulfonate causes a positive shift of the voltage dependence of activation and restores the requirement for a depolarizing prepulse for Css IV action. Enhancement of sodium channel activation by Css IV causes large tail currents upon repolarization, indicating slowed deactivation of the IIS4 voltage sensor by the bound toxin. Our results are consistent with a voltage-sensor–trapping model in which the β-scorpion toxin traps the IIS4 voltage sensor in its activated position as it moves outward in response to depolarization and holds it there, slowing its inward movement on deactivation and enhancing subsequent channel activation. Evidently, neutralization of R850 and R853 removes kinetic barriers to binding of the IIS4 segment by Css IV, and thereby enhances toxin-induced channel activation.

scholarly journals Tracking S4 movement by gating pore currents in the bacterial sodium channel NaChBac

2014 ◽  
Vol 144 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamer M. Gamal El-Din ◽  
Todd Scheuer ◽  
William A. Catterall
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Potential ◽  
Sodium Channel ◽  
Sodium Channels ◽  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Periodic Paralysis ◽  
Membrane Potentials ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Voltage Gated ◽  
Voltage Gated Sodium Channels ◽  
Gating Charges

Voltage-gated sodium channels mediate the initiation and propagation of action potentials in excitable cells. Transmembrane segment S4 of voltage-gated sodium channels resides in a gating pore where it senses the membrane potential and controls channel gating. Substitution of individual S4 arginine gating charges (R1–R3) with smaller amino acids allows ionic currents to flow through the mutant gating pore, and these gating pore currents are pathogenic in some skeletal muscle periodic paralysis syndromes. The voltage dependence of gating pore currents provides information about the transmembrane position of the gating charges as S4 moves in response to membrane potential. Here we studied gating pore current in mutants of the homotetrameric bacterial sodium channel NaChBac in which individual arginine gating charges were replaced by cysteine. Gating pore current was observed for each mutant channel, but with different voltage-dependent properties. Mutating the first (R1C) or second (R2C) arginine to cysteine resulted in gating pore current at hyperpolarized membrane potentials, where the channels are in resting states, but not at depolarized potentials, where the channels are activated. Conversely, the R3C gating pore is closed at hyperpolarized membrane potentials and opens with channel activation. Negative conditioning pulses revealed time-dependent deactivation of the R3C gating pore at the most hyperpolarized potentials. Our results show sequential voltage dependence of activation of gating pore current from R1 to R3 and support stepwise outward movement of the substituted cysteines through the narrow portion of the gating pore that is sealed by the arginine side chains in the wild-type channel. This pattern of voltage dependence of gating pore current is consistent with a sliding movement of the S4 helix through the gating pore. Through comparison with high-resolution models of the voltage sensor of bacterial sodium channels, these results shed light on the structural basis for pathogenic gating pore currents in periodic paralysis syndromes.

scholarly journals Sodium Channel Activation Gating Is Affected by Substitutions of Voltage Sensor Positive Charges in All Four Domains

1997 ◽  
Vol 110 (4) ◽  
pp. 391-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris J. Kontis ◽  
Amir Rounaghi ◽  
Alan L. Goldin
Keyword(s):  
Sodium Channel ◽  
Positive Charge ◽  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Voltage Sensor ◽  
Positive Direction ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Positive Shift ◽  
Deactivation Kinetics ◽  
Maximal Activation ◽  
Domain Iii

The role of the voltage sensor positive charges in the activation and deactivation gating of the rat brain IIA sodium channel was investigated by mutating the second and fourth conserved positive charges in the S4 segments of all four homologous domains. Both charge-neutralizing (by glutamine substitution) and -conserving mutations were constructed in a cDNA encoding the sodium channel α subunit that had fast inactivation removed by the incorporation of the IFMQ3 mutation in the III–IV linker (West, J.W., D.E. Patton, T. Scheuer, Y. Wang, A.L. Goldin, and W.A. Catterall. 1992. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 89:10910–10914.). A total of 16 single and 2 double mutants were constructed and analyzed with respect to voltage dependence and kinetics of activation and deactivation. The most significant effects were observed with substitutions of the fourth positive charge in each domain. Neutralization of the fourth positive charge in domain I or II produced the largest shifts in the voltage dependence of activation, both in the positive direction. This change was accompanied by positive shifts in the voltage dependence of activation and deactivation kinetics. Combining the two mutations resulted in an even larger positive shift in half-maximal activation and a significantly reduced gating valence, together with larger positive shifts in the voltage dependence of activation and deactivation kinetics. In contrast, neutralization of the fourth positive charge in domain III caused a negative shift in the voltage of half-maximal activation, while the charge-conserving mutation resulted in a positive shift. Neutralization of the fourth charge in domain IV did not shift the half-maximal voltage of activation, but the conservative substitution produced a positive shift. These data support the idea that both charge and structure are determinants of function in S4 voltage sensors. Overall, the data supports a working model in which all four S4 segments contribute to voltage-dependent activation of the sodium channel.

scholarly journals Sodium Channel Inactivation Is Altered by Substitution of Voltage Sensor Positive Charges

1997 ◽  
Vol 110 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris J. Kontis ◽  
Alan L. Goldin
Keyword(s):  
Sodium Channel ◽  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Voltage Sensor ◽  
Voltage Sensitivity ◽  
Slow Inactivation ◽  
Fast Inactivation ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Channel Inactivation ◽  
Sodium Channel Inactivation ◽  
Domain I

The role of the voltage sensor positive charges in fast and slow inactivation of the rat brain IIA sodium channel was investigated by mutating the second and fourth conserved positive charges in the S4 segments of all four homologous domains. Both charge-neutralizing mutations (by glutamine substitution) and charge-conserving mutations were constructed in a cDNA encoding the sodium channel α subunit. To determine if fast inactivation altered the effects of the mutations on slow inactivation, the mutations were also constructed in a channel that had fast inactivation removed by the incorporation of the IFMQ3 mutation in the III–IV linker (West, J.W., D.E. Patton, T. Scheuer, Y. Wang, A.L. Goldin, and W.A. Catterall. 1992. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 89:10910– 10914). Most of the mutations shifted the v1/2 of fast inactivation in the negative direction, with the largest effects resulting from mutations in domains I and II. These shifts were in the opposite direction compared with those observed for activation. The effects of the mutations on slow inactivation depended on whether fast inactivation was intact or not. When fast inactivation was eliminated, most of the mutations resulted in positive shifts in the v1/2 of slow inactivation. The largest effects again resulted from mutations in domains I and II. When fast inactivation was intact, the mutations in domains II and III resulted in negative shifts in the v1/2 of slow inactivation. Neutralization of the fourth charge in domain I or II resulted in the appearance of a second component in the voltage dependence of slow inactivation that was only observable when fast inactivation was intact. These results suggest the S4 regions of all four domains of the sodium channel are involved in the voltage dependence of inactivation, but to varying extents. Fast inactivation is not strictly coupled to activation, but it derives some independent voltage sensitivity from the charges in the S4 domains. Finally, there is an interaction between the fast and slow inactivation processes.

scholarly journals β-Scorpion Toxin Modifies Gating Transitions in All Four Voltage Sensors of the Sodium Channel

2007 ◽  
Vol 130 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabiana V. Campos ◽  
Baron Chanda ◽  
Paulo S.L. Beirão ◽  
Francisco Bezanilla
Keyword(s):  
Sodium Channel ◽  
Sodium Channels ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Voltage Sensor ◽  
Scorpion Toxin ◽  
Charge Voltage ◽  
Voltage Sensors ◽  
Fluorescence Measurements ◽  
Voltage Gated Sodium Channels ◽  
Activated State

Several naturally occurring polypeptide neurotoxins target specific sites on the voltage-gated sodium channels. Of these, the gating modifier toxins alter the behavior of the sodium channels by stabilizing transient intermediate states in the channel gating pathway. Here we have used an integrated approach that combines electrophysiological and spectroscopic measurements to determine the structural rearrangements modified by the β-scorpion toxin Ts1. Our data indicate that toxin binding to the channel is restricted to a single binding site on domain II voltage sensor. Analysis of Cole-Moore shifts suggests that the number of closed states in the activation sequence prior to channel opening is reduced in the presence of toxin. Measurements of charge–voltage relationships show that a fraction of the gating charge is immobilized in Ts1-modified channels. Interestingly, the charge–voltage relationship also shows an additional component at hyperpolarized potentials. Site-specific fluorescence measurements indicate that in presence of the toxin the voltage sensor of domain II remains trapped in the activated state. Furthermore, the binding of the toxin potentiates the activation of the other three voltage sensors of the sodium channel to more hyperpolarized potentials. These findings reveal how the binding of β-scorpion toxin modifies channel function and provides insight into early gating transitions of sodium channels.

scholarly journals A gating charge interaction required for late slow inactivation of the bacterial sodium channel NavAb

2013 ◽  
Vol 142 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamer M. Gamal El-Din ◽  
Gilbert Q. Martinez ◽  
Jian Payandeh ◽  
Todd Scheuer ◽  
William A. Catterall
Keyword(s):  
Sodium Channel ◽  
Sodium Channels ◽  
Late Phase ◽  
Membrane Potentials ◽  
Charge Movement ◽  
Slow Inactivation ◽  
Functional Studies ◽  
Voltage Gated Sodium Channels ◽  
Gating Charge ◽  
Charge Interaction

Voltage-gated sodium channels undergo slow inactivation during repetitive depolarizations, which controls the frequency and duration of bursts of action potentials and prevents excitotoxic cell death. Although homotetrameric bacterial sodium channels lack the intracellular linker-connecting homologous domains III and IV that causes fast inactivation of eukaryotic sodium channels, they retain the molecular mechanism for slow inactivation. Here, we examine the functional properties and slow inactivation of the bacterial sodium channel NavAb expressed in insect cells under conditions used for structural studies. NavAb activates at very negative membrane potentials (V1/2 of approximately −98 mV), and it has both an early phase of slow inactivation that arises during single depolarizations and reverses rapidly, and a late use-dependent phase of slow inactivation that reverses very slowly. Mutation of Asn49 to Lys in the S2 segment in the extracellular negative cluster of the voltage sensor shifts the activation curve ∼75 mV to more positive potentials and abolishes the late phase of slow inactivation. The gating charge R3 interacts with Asn49 in the crystal structure of NavAb, and mutation of this residue to Cys causes a similar positive shift in the voltage dependence of activation and block of the late phase of slow inactivation as mutation N49K. Prolonged depolarizations that induce slow inactivation also cause hysteresis of gating charge movement, which results in a requirement for very negative membrane potentials to return gating charges to their resting state. Unexpectedly, the mutation N49K does not alter hysteresis of gating charge movement, even though it prevents the late phase of slow inactivation. Our results reveal an important molecular interaction between R3 in S4 and Asn49 in S2 that is crucial for voltage-dependent activation and for late slow inactivation of NavAb, and they introduce a NavAb mutant that enables detailed functional studies in parallel with structural analysis.

scholarly journals The Role of Na,k-Atpase α Subunit Serine 775 and Glutamate 779 in Determining the Extracellular K+And Membrane Potential–Dependent Properties of the Na,k -Pump

2000 ◽  
Vol 116 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Daniel Peluffo ◽  
José M. Argüello ◽  
Joshua R. Berlin
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Potential ◽  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Protein Structures ◽  
Pump Current ◽  
Transmembrane Segment ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Voltage Dependent ◽  
Kinetics Of ◽  
Α1 Subunit

The roles of Ser775 and Glu779, two amino acids in the putative fifth transmembrane segment of the Na,K -ATPase α subunit, in determining the voltage and extracellular K + (K +o) dependence of enzyme-mediated ion transport, were examined in this study. HeLa cells expressing the α1 subunit of sheep Na,K -ATPase were voltage clamped via patch electrodes containing solutions with 115 mM Na+ (37°C). Na,K -pump current produced by the ouabain-resistant control enzyme (RD), containing amino acid substitutions Gln111Arg and Asn122Asp, displayed a membrane potential and K +o dependence similar to wild-type Na,K -ATPase during superfusion with 0 and 148 mM Na+-containing salt solutions. Additional substitution of alanine at Ser775 or Glu779 produced 155- and 15-fold increases, respectively, in the K +o concentration that half-maximally activated Na,K -pump current at 0 mV in extracellular Na+-free solutions. However, the voltage dependence of Na,K -pump current was unchanged in RD and alanine-substituted enzymes. Thus, large changes in apparent K +o affinity could be produced by mutations in the fifth transmembrane segment of the Na,K -ATPase with little effect on voltage-dependent properties of K + transport. One interpretation of these results is that protein structures responsible for the kinetics of K +o binding and/or occlusion may be distinct, at least in part, from those that are responsible for the voltage dependence of K +o binding to the Na,K -ATPase.

scholarly journals TMPRSS4-dependent activation of the epithelial sodium channel requires cleavage of the γ-subunit distal to the furin cleavage site

2012 ◽  
Vol 302 (1) ◽  
pp. F1-F8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Passero ◽  
Gunhild M. Mueller ◽  
Michael M. Myerburg ◽  
Marcelo D. Carattino ◽  
Rebecca P. Hughey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sodium Channel ◽  
Cleavage Site ◽  
Epithelial Sodium Channel ◽  
Cleavage Sites ◽  
Furin Cleavage ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Γ Subunit ◽  
Furin Cleavage Site ◽  
Unique Mechanism

The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) is activated by a unique mechanism, whereby inhibitory tracts are released by proteolytic cleavage within the extracellular loops of two of its three homologous subunits. While cleavage by furin within the biosynthetic pathway releases one inhibitory tract from the α-subunit and moderately activates the channel, full activation through release of a second inhibitory tract from the γ-subunit requires cleavage once by furin and then at a distal site by a second protease, such as prostasin, plasmin, or elastase. We now report that coexpression of mouse transmembrane protease serine 4 (TMPRSS4) with mouse ENaC in Xenopus oocytes was associated with a two- to threefold increase in channel activity and production of a unique ∼70-kDa carboxyl-terminal fragment of the γ-subunit, similar to the ∼70-kDa γ-subunit fragment that we previously observed with prostasin-dependent channel activation. TMPRSS4-dependent channel activation and production of the ∼70-kDa fragment were partially blocked by mutation of the prostasin-dependent cleavage site (γRKRK186QQQQ). Complete inhibition of TMPRSS4-dependent activation of ENaC and γ-subunit cleavage was observed when three basic residues between the furin and prostasin cleavage sites were mutated (γK173Q, γK175Q, and γR177Q), in addition to γRKRK186QQQQ. Mutation of the four basic residues associated with the furin cleavage site (γRKRR143QQQQ) also prevented TMPRSS4-dependent channel activation. We conclude that TMPRSS4 primarily activates ENaC by cleaving basic residues within the tract γK173-K186 distal to the furin cleavage site, thereby releasing a previously defined key inhibitory tract encompassing γR158-F168 from the γ-subunit.

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