scholarly journals Effect of Phosphatidylserine on Unitary Conductance and Ba2+ Block of the BK Ca2+–activated K+ Channel

2003 ◽  
Vol 121 (5) ◽  
pp. 375-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Bong Park ◽  
Hee Jeong Kim ◽  
Pan Dong Ryu ◽  
Edward Moczydlowski

Incorporation of BK Ca2+–activated K+ channels into planar bilayers composed of negatively charged phospholipids such as phosphatidylserine (PS) or phosphatidylinositol (PI) results in a large enhancement of unitary conductance (gch) in comparison to BK channels in bilayers formed from the neutral zwitterionic lipid, phospatidylethanolamine (PE). Enhancement of gch by PS or PI is inversely dependent on KCl concentration, decreasing from 70% at 10 mM KCl to 8% at 1,000 mM KCl. This effect was explained previously by a surface charge hypothesis (Moczydlowski, E., O. Alvarez, C. Vergara, and R. Latorre. 1985. J. Membr. Biol. 83:273–282), which attributed the conductance enhancement to an increase in local K+ concentration near the entryways of the channel. To test this hypothesis, we measured the kinetics of block by external and internal Ba2+, a divalent cation that is expected to respond strongly to changes in surface electrostatics. We observed little or no effect of PS on discrete blocking kinetics by external and internal Ba2+ at 100 mM KCl and only a small enhancement of discrete and fast block by external Ba2+ in PS-containing membranes at 20 mM KCl. Model calculations of effective surface potential sensed by the K+ conduction and Ba2+-blocking reactions using the Gouy-Chapman-Stern theory of lipid surface charge do not lend support to a simple electrostatic mechanism that predicts valence-dependent increase of local cation concentration. The results imply that the conduction pore of the BK channel is electrostatically insulated from the lipid surface, presumably by a lateral distance of separation (>20 Å) from the lipid head groups. The lack of effect of PS on apparent association and dissociation rates of Ba2+ suggest that lipid modulation of K+ conductance is preferentially coupled through conformational changes of the selectivity filter region that determine the high K+ flux rate of this channel relative to other cations. We discuss possible mechanisms for the effect of anionic lipids in the context of specific molecular interactions of phospholipids documented for the KcsA bacterial potassium channel and general membrane physical properties proposed to regulate membrane protein conformation via energetics of bilayer stress.

2014 ◽  
Vol 306 (5) ◽  
pp. C460-C470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiril L. Hristov ◽  
Amy C. Smith ◽  
Shankar P. Parajuli ◽  
John Malysz ◽  
Georgi V. Petkov

Large-conductance voltage- and Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels are critical regulators of detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) excitability and contractility. PKC modulates the contraction of DSM and BK channel activity in non-DSM cells; however, the cellular mechanism regulating the PKC-BK channel interaction in DSM remains unknown. We provide a novel mechanistic insight into BK channel regulation by PKC in DSM. We used patch-clamp electrophysiology, live-cell Ca2+ imaging, and functional studies of DSM contractility to elucidate BK channel regulation by PKC at cellular and tissue levels. Voltage-clamp experiments showed that pharmacological activation of PKC with PMA inhibited the spontaneous transient BK currents in native freshly isolated guinea pig DSM cells. Current-clamp recordings revealed that PMA significantly depolarized DSM membrane potential and inhibited the spontaneous transient hyperpolarizations in DSM cells. The PMA inhibitory effects on DSM membrane potential were completely abolished by the selective BK channel inhibitor paxilline. Activation of PKC with PMA did not affect the amplitude of the voltage-step-induced whole cell steady-state BK current or the single BK channel open probability (recorded in cell-attached mode) upon inhibition of all major Ca2+ sources for BK channel activation with thapsigargin, ryanodine, and nifedipine. PKC activation with PMA elevated intracellular Ca2+ levels in DSM cells and increased spontaneous phasic and nerve-evoked contractions of DSM isolated strips. Our results support the concept that PKC activation leads to a reduction of BK channel activity in DSM via a Ca2+-dependent mechanism, thus increasing DSM contractility.


2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Sun ◽  
D. Zhou ◽  
P. Zhang ◽  
E. G. Moczydlowski ◽  
G. G. Haddad

In this study, we examined the effect of arachidonic acid (AA) on the BK α-subunit with or without β-subunits expressed in Xenopus oocytes. In excised patches, AA potentiated the hSlo-α current and slowed inactivation only when β2/3 subunit was co-expressed. The β2-subunit–dependent modulation by AA persisted in the presence of either superoxide dismutase or inhibitors of AA metabolism such as nordihydroguaiaretic acid and eicosatetraynoic acid, suggesting that AA acts directly rather than through its metabolites. Other cis unsaturated fatty acids (docosahexaenoic and oleic acid) also enhanced hSlo-α + β2 currents and slowed inactivation, whereas saturated fatty acids (palmitic, stearic, and caprylic acid) were without effect. Pretreatment with trypsin to remove the cytosolic inactivation domain largely occluded AA action. Intracellularly applied free synthetic β2-ball peptide induced inactivation of the hSlo-α current, and AA failed to enhance this current and slow the inactivation. These results suggest that AA removes inactivation by interacting, possibly through conformational changes, with β2 to prevent the inactivation ball from reaching its receptor. Our data reveal a novel mechanism of β-subunit–dependent modulation of BK channels by AA. In freshly dissociated mouse neocortical neurons, AA eliminated a transient component of whole cell K+ currents. BK channel inactivation may be a specific mechanism by which AA and other unsaturated fatty acids influence neuronal death/survival in neuropathological conditions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 1652-1662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernat Elvira ◽  
Yogesh Singh ◽  
Jamshed Warsi ◽  
Carlos Munoz ◽  
Florian Lang

Background/Aims: The oxidative stress-responsive kinase 1 (OSR1) and the serine/threonine kinases SPAK (SPS1-related proline/alanine-rich kinase) are under the control of WNK (with-no-K [Lys]) kinases. OSR1 and SPAK participate in diverse functions including cell volume regulation and neuronal excitability. Cell volume and neuronal excitation are further modified by the large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels (maxi K+ channel or BK channels). An influence of OSR1 and/or SPAK on BK channel activity has, however, never been shown. The present study thus explored whether OSR1 and/or SPAK modify the activity of BK channels. Methods: cRNA encoding the Ca2+ insensitive BK channel mutant BKM513I+Δ899-903 was injected into Xenopus laevis oocytes without or with additional injection of cRNA encoding wild-type OSR1 or wild-type SPAK, constitutively active T185EOSR1, catalytically inactive D164AOSR1, constitutively active T233ESPAK or catalytically inactive D212ASPAK. K+ channel activity was measured utilizing dual electrode voltage clamp. Results: BK channel activity in BKM513I+Δ899-903 expressing oocytes was significantly decreased by co-expression of OSR1 or SPAK. The effect of wild-type OSR1/SPAK was mimicked by T185EOSR1 and T233ESPAK, but not by D164AOSR1 or D212ASPAK. Conclusions: OSR1 and SPAK suppress BK channels, an effect possibly contributing to cell volume regulation and neuroexcitability.


2006 ◽  
Vol 128 (4) ◽  
pp. 423-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiyan Li ◽  
Richard W. Aldrich

Crystal structures of potassium channels have strongly corroborated an earlier hypothetical picture based on functional studies, in which the channel gate was located on the cytoplasmic side of the pore. However, accessibility studies on several types of ligand-sensitive K+ channels have suggested that their activation gates may be located near or within the selectivity filter instead. It remains to be determined to what extent the physical location of the gate is conserved across the large K+ channel family. Direct evidence about the location of the gate in large conductance calcium-activated K+ (BK) channels, which are gated by both voltage and ligand (calcium), has been scarce. Our earlier kinetic measurements of the block of BK channels by internal quaternary ammonium ions have raised the possibility that they may lack a cytoplasmic gate. We show in this study that a synthesized Shaker ball peptide (ShBP) homologue acts as a state-dependent blocker for BK channels when applied internally, suggesting a widening at the intracellular end of the channel pore upon gating. This is consistent with a gating-related conformational change at the cytoplasmic end of the pore-lining helices, as suggested by previous functional and structural studies on other K+ channels. Furthermore, our results from two BK channel mutations demonstrate that similar types of interactions between ball peptides and channels are shared by BK and other K+ channel types.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Miranda ◽  
Miguel Holmgren ◽  
Teresa Giraldez

ABSTRACTThe open probability of large conductance voltage- and calcium-dependent potassium (BK) channels is regulated allosterically by changes in the transmembrane voltage and intracellular concentration of divalent ions (Ca2+ and Mg2+). The divalent cation sensors reside within the gating ring formed by eight Regulator of Conductance of Potassium (RCK) domains, two from each of the four channel subunits. Overall, the gating ring contains 12 sites that can bind Ca2+ with different affinities. Using patch-clamp fluorometry, we have shown robust changes in FRET signals within the gating ring in response to divalent ions and voltage, which do not directly track open probability. Only the conformational changes triggered through the RCK1 binding site are voltage-dependent in presence of Ca2+. Because the gating ring is outside the electric field, it must gain voltage sensitivity from coupling to the voltage-dependent channel opening, the voltage sensor or both. Here we demonstrate that alterations of voltage sensor dynamics known to shift gating currents produce a cognate shift in the gating ring voltage dependence, whereas changing BK channels’ relative probability of opening had little effect. These results strongly suggest that the conformational changes of the RCK1 domain of the gating ring are tightly coupled to the voltage sensor function, and this interaction is central to the allosteric modulation of BK channels.


2020 ◽  
Vol 319 (1) ◽  
pp. F52-F62
Author(s):  
Shan Chen ◽  
Xiuyan Feng ◽  
Xinxin Chen ◽  
Zhizhi Zhuang ◽  
Jia Xiao ◽  
...  

14-3-3γ is a small protein regulating its target proteins through binding to phosphorylated serine/threonine residues. Sequence analysis of large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels revealed a putative 14-3-3 binding site in the COOH-terminal region. Our previous data showed that 14-3-3γ is widely expressed in the mouse kidney. Therefore, we hypothesized that 14-3-3γ has a novel role in the regulation of BK channel activity and protein expression. We used electrophysiology, Western blot analysis, and coimmunoprecipitation to examine the effects of 14-3-3γ on BK channels both in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrated the interaction of 14-3-3γ with BK α-subunits (BKα) by coimmunoprecipitation. In human embryonic kidney-293 cells stably expressing BKα, overexpression of 14-3-3γ significantly decreased BK channel activity and channel open probability. 14-3-3γ inhibited both total and cell surface BKα protein expression while enhancing ERK1/2 phosphorylation in Cos-7 cells cotransfected with flag-14-3-3γ and myc-BK. Knockdown of 14-3-3γ by siRNA transfection markedly increased BKα expression. Blockade of the ERK1/2 pathway by incubation with the MEK-specific inhibitor U0126 partially abolished 14-3-3γ-mediated inhibition of BK protein expression. Similarly, pretreatment of the lysosomal inhibitor bafilomycin A1 reversed the inhibitory effects of 14-3-3γ on BK protein expression. Furthermore, overexpression of 14-3-3γ significantly increased BK protein ubiquitination in embryonic kidney-293 cells stably expressing BKα. Additionally, 3 days of dietary K+ challenge reduced 14-3-3γ expression and ERK1/2 phosphorylation while enhancing renal BK protein expression and K+ excretion. These data suggest that 14-3-3γ modulates BK channel activity and protein expression through an ERK1/2-mediated ubiquitin-lysosomal pathway.


2011 ◽  
Vol 106 (1) ◽  
pp. 144-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Liu ◽  
Iaroslav Savtchouk ◽  
Shoana Acharjee ◽  
Siqiong June Liu

Many fast-spiking inhibitory interneurons, including cerebellar stellate cells, fire brief action potentials and express α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA)-type glutamate receptors (AMPAR) that are permeable to Ca2+ and do not contain the GluR2 subunit. In a recent study, we found that increasing action potential duration promotes GluR2 gene transcription in stellate cells. We have now tested the prediction that activation of potassium channels that control the duration of action potentials can suppress the expression of GluR2-containing AMPARs at stellate cell synapses. We find that large-conductance Ca2+-activated potassium (BK) channels mediate a large proportion of the depolarization-evoked noninactivating potassium current in stellate cells. Pharmacological blockade of BK channels prolonged the action potential duration in postsynaptic stellate cells and altered synaptic AMPAR subtype from GluR2-lacking to GluR2-containing Ca2+-impermeable AMPARs. An L-type channel blocker abolished an increase in Ca2+ entry that was associated with spike broadening and also prevented the BK channel blocker-induced switch in AMPAR phenotype. Thus blocking BK potassium channels prolongs the action potential duration and increases the expression of GluR2-containing receptors at the synapse by enhancing Ca2+ entry in cerebellar stellate cells.


2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (25) ◽  
pp. 6991-6996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiusheng Yan ◽  
Qin Li ◽  
Richard W. Aldrich

Ion channels regulate ion flow by opening and closing their pore gates. K+ channels commonly possess two pore gates, one at the intracellular end for fast channel activation/deactivation and the other at the selectivity filter for slow C-type inactivation/recovery. The large-conductance calcium-activated potassium (BK) channel lacks a classic intracellular bundle-crossing activation gate and normally show no C-type inactivation. We hypothesized that the BK channel’s activation gate may spatially overlap or coexist with the C-type inactivation gate at or near the selectivity filter. We induced C-type inactivation in BK channels and studied the relationship between activation/deactivation and C-type inactivation/recovery. We observed prominent slow C-type inactivation/recovery in BK channels by an extreme low concentration of extracellular K+ together with a Y294E/K/Q/S or Y279F mutation whose equivalent in Shaker channels (T449E/K/D/Q/S or W434F) caused a greatly accelerated rate of C-type inactivation or constitutive C-inactivation. C-type inactivation in most K+ channels occurs upon sustained membrane depolarization or channel opening and then recovers during hyperpolarized membrane potentials or channel closure. However, we found that the BK channel C-type inactivation occurred during hyperpolarized membrane potentials or with decreased intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) and recovered with depolarized membrane potentials or elevated [Ca2+]i. Constitutively open mutation prevented BK channels from C-type inactivation. We concluded that BK channel C-type inactivation is closed state-dependent and that its extents and rates inversely correlate with channel-open probability. Because C-type inactivation can involve multiple conformational changes at the selectivity filter, we propose that the BK channel’s normal closing may represent an early conformational stage of C-type inactivation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 151 (10) ◽  
pp. 1173-1189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cole S. Bailey ◽  
Hans J. Moldenhauer ◽  
Su Mi Park ◽  
Sotirios Keros ◽  
Andrea L. Meredith

KCNMA1 encodes the pore-forming α subunit of the “Big K+” (BK) large conductance calcium and voltage-activated K+ channel. BK channels are widely distributed across tissues, including both excitable and nonexcitable cells. Expression levels are highest in brain and muscle, where BK channels are critical regulators of neuronal excitability and muscle contractility. A global deletion in mouse (KCNMA1−/−) is viable but exhibits pathophysiology in many organ systems. Yet despite the important roles in animal models, the consequences of dysfunctional BK channels in humans are not well characterized. Here, we summarize 16 rare KCNMA1 mutations identified in 37 patients dating back to 2005, with an array of clinically defined pathological phenotypes collectively referred to as “KCNMA1-linked channelopathy.” These mutations encompass gain-of-function (GOF) and loss-of-function (LOF) alterations in BK channel activity, as well as several variants of unknown significance (VUS). Human KCNMA1 mutations are primarily associated with neurological conditions, including seizures, movement disorders, developmental delay, and intellectual disability. Due to the recent identification of additional patients, the spectrum of symptoms associated with KCNMA1 mutations has expanded but remains primarily defined by brain and muscle dysfunction. Emerging evidence suggests the functional BK channel alterations produced by different KCNMA1 alleles may associate with semi-distinct patient symptoms, such as paroxysmal nonkinesigenic dyskinesia (PNKD) with GOF and ataxia with LOF. However, due to the de novo origins for the majority of KCNMA1 mutations identified to date and the phenotypic variability exhibited by patients, additional evidence is required to establish causality in most cases. The symptomatic picture developing from patients with KCNMA1-linked channelopathy highlights the importance of better understanding the roles BK channels play in regulating cell excitability. Establishing causality between KCNMA1-linked BK channel dysfunction and specific patient symptoms may reveal new treatment approaches with the potential to increase therapeutic efficacy over current standard regimens.


Endocrinology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 155 (8) ◽  
pp. 3112-3122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youe Li ◽  
Ramón A. Lorca ◽  
Xiaofeng Ma ◽  
Alexandra Rhodes ◽  
Sarah K. England

The large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channel plays an essential role in maintaining uterine quiescence during pregnancy. Growing evidence has shown a link between the BK channel and bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation in macrophages. In the uterus, NF-κB activation plays an important role in inflammatory processes that lead to parturition. Our objective was to determine whether the BK channel regulates uterine contraction, in part, by modulating NF-κB translocation into the nucleus. We compared the effects of BK channel modulation to those of LPS on NF-κB nuclear translocation and contraction in an immortalized human myometrial cell line (human telomerase reverse transcriptase [hTERT]) and uterine myocytes. Our results showed that BK channel inhibitors paxilline and penitrem A induced translocation of NF-κB into the nucleus in both hTERT cells and uterine myocytes to a similar extent as LPS treatment, and LPS and paxilline similarly reduced BK channel currents. Conversely, neither BK channel openers nor blockade of the small conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel protein 3 had an effect on NF-κB translocation. Additionally, collagen-based assays showed that paxilline induced contraction of hTERT cells and uterine myocytes. This was dependent upon cyclooxygenase-2 activity. Moreover, paxilline-induced contractility and increased cyclooxygenase-2 expression both depended on availability of free NF-κB. This study suggests that BK channels regulate myometrial contraction, in part, by modulating nuclear translocation of NF-κB.


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