scholarly journals Molecular and biophysical basis of glutamate and trace metal modulation of voltage-gated Cav2.3 calcium channels

2012 ◽  
Vol 139 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandr Shcheglovitov ◽  
Iuliia Vitko ◽  
Roman M. Lazarenko ◽  
Peihan Orestes ◽  
Slobodan M. Todorovic ◽  
...  

Here, we describe a new mechanism by which glutamate (Glu) and trace metals reciprocally modulate activity of the Cav2.3 channel by profoundly shifting its voltage-dependent gating. We show that zinc and copper, at physiologically relevant concentrations, occupy an extracellular binding site on the surface of Cav2.3 and hold the threshold for activation of these channels in a depolarized voltage range. Abolishing this binding by chelation or the substitution of key amino acid residues in IS1–IS2 (H111) and IS2–IS3 (H179 and H183) loops potentiates Cav2.3 by shifting the voltage dependence of activation toward more negative membrane potentials. We demonstrate that copper regulates the voltage dependence of Cav2.3 by affecting gating charge movements. Thus, in the presence of copper, gating charges transition into the “ON” position slower, delaying activation and reducing the voltage sensitivity of the channel. Overall, our results suggest a new mechanism by which Glu and trace metals transiently modulate voltage-dependent gating of Cav2.3, potentially affecting synaptic transmission and plasticity in the brain.

1994 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
L P Wollmuth

IKx is a voltage-dependent K+ current in the inner segment of rod photoreceptors that shows many similarities to M-current. The depression of IKx by external Ba2+ was studied with whole-cell voltage clamp. Ba2+ reduced the conductance and voltage sensitivity of IKx tail currents and shifted the voltage range over which they appeared to more positive potentials. These effects showed different sensitivities to Ba2+: conductance was the least sensitive (K0.5 = 7.6 mM), voltage dependence intermediate (K0.5 = 2.4 mM) and voltage sensitivity the most sensitive (K0.5 = 0.2 mM). Ca2+, Co2+, Mn2+, Sr2+, and Zn2+ did not have actions comparable to Ba2+ on the voltage dependence or the voltage sensitivity of IKx tail currents. In high K+ (100 mM), the voltage range of activation of IKx was shifted 20 mV negative, as was the tau-voltage relation. High K+ did not prevent the effect of Ba2+ on conductance, but abolished its ability to affect voltage dependence and voltage sensitivity. Ba2+ also altered the apparent time-course of activation and deactivation of IKx. Low Ba2+ (0.2 mM) slowed both deactivation and activation, with most effect on deactivation; at higher concentrations (1-25 mM), deactivation and activation time courses were equally affected, and at the highest concentrations, 5 and 25 mM Ba2+, the time course became faster than control. Rapid application of 5 mM Ba2+ suggested that the time dependent currents in Ba2+ reflect in part the slow voltage-dependent block and unblock of IKx channels by Ba2+. This blocking action of Ba2+ was steeply voltage-dependent with an apparent electrical distance of 1.07. Ba2+ appears to interact with IKx channels at multiple sites. A model which assumes that Ba2+ has a voltage-independent and a voltage-dependent blocking action on open or closed IKx channels reproduced many aspects of the data; the voltage-dependent component could account for both the Ba(2+)-induced shift in voltage dependence and reduction in voltage sensitivity of IKx tail currents.


2004 ◽  
Vol 123 (5) ◽  
pp. 555-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dmytro Isaev ◽  
Karisa Solt ◽  
Oksana Gurtovaya ◽  
John P. Reeves ◽  
Roman Shirokov

Both intracellular calcium and transmembrane voltage cause inactivation, or spontaneous closure, of L-type (CaV1.2) calcium channels. Here we show that long-lasting elevations of intracellular calcium to the concentrations that are expected to be near an open channel (≥100 μM) completely and reversibly blocked calcium current through L-type channels. Although charge movements associated with the opening (ON) motion of the channel's voltage sensor were not altered by high calcium, the closing (OFF) transition was impeded. In two-pulse experiments, the blockade of calcium current and the reduction of gating charge movements available for the second pulse developed in parallel during calcium load. The effect depended steeply on voltage and occurred only after a third of the total gating charge had moved. Based on that, we conclude that the calcium binding site is located either in the channel's central cavity behind the voltage-dependent gate, or it is formed de novo during depolarization through voltage-dependent rearrangements just preceding the opening of the gate. The reduction of the OFF charge was due to the negative shift in the voltage dependence of charge movement, as previously observed for voltage-dependent inactivation. Elevation of intracellular calcium concentration from ∼0.1 to 100–300 μM sped up the conversion of the gating charge into the negatively distributed mode 10–100-fold. Since the “IQ-AA” mutant with disabled calcium/calmodulin regulation of inactivation was affected by intracellular calcium similarly to the wild-type, calcium/calmodulin binding to the “IQ” motif apparently is not involved in the observed changes of voltage-dependent gating. Although calcium influx through the wild-type open channels does not cause a detectable negative shift in the voltage dependence of their charge movement, the shift was readily observable in the Δ1733 carboxyl terminus deletion mutant, which produces fewer nonconducting channels. We propose that the opening movement of the voltage sensor exposes a novel calcium binding site that mediates inactivation.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eedann McCord ◽  
Goragot Wisedchaisri ◽  
William A. Catterall

ABSTRACTVoltage-gated sodium channels initiate action potentials in prokaryotes and in many eukaryotic cells, including vertebrate nerve and muscle. Their activation is steeply voltage-dependent, but it is unclear how the voltage sensitivity is set or whether it can be broadly shifted to positive voltages. Here we show that the voltage dependence of activation (VA) of the ancestral bacterial sodium channel NaVAb can be progressively shifted from −118 mV to +35 mV in chimeras with increasing numbers of amino acid residues from the extracellular half of the voltage sensor of human NaV1.7 channels. In a minimal chimera in which only 32 residues were transferred, we analyzed the effects of six additional mutations of conserved amino acid residues singly, in pairs, and as triple mutations. The resulting chimeric mutants exhibited a broad range of voltage sensitivity from VA=−118 mV to VA=+120 mV. Three mutations (N48K, L112A, and M119V) shifted VA to +61 mV when substituted in NaVAb itself, and substitution of two additional Cys residues in the Cys-free background of NaVAb further shifted VA to +105 mV. In these mutants, measurement of gating currents revealed that the voltage dependence of gating charge movement (VQ) shifted to positive membrane potentials as much or more than VA, confirming that the gating charges are trapped in their resting positions by these VA-shifting mutations. Our results demonstrate broadband shifting of VA and VQ of a sodium channel across a range of 240 mV and provide a toolbox of methods and constructs to analyze sodium channel structure and function in the resting state at 0 mV and in activated states at positive membrane potentials.GRAPHICAL ABSTRACTThe complete range of broadband tuning of voltage-dependent activation of a sodium channel.


eLife ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gucan Dai ◽  
William N Zagotta

EAG-like (ELK) voltage-gated potassium channels are abundantly expressed in the brain. These channels exhibit a behavior called voltage-dependent potentiation (VDP), which appears to be a specialization to dampen the hyperexitability of neurons. VDP manifests as a potentiation of current amplitude, hyperpolarizing shift in voltage sensitivity, and slowing of deactivation in response to a depolarizing prepulse. Here we show that VDP of D. rerio ELK channels involves the structural interaction between the intracellular N-terminal eag domain and C-terminal CNBHD. Combining transition metal ion FRET, patch-clamp fluorometry, and incorporation of a fluorescent noncanonical amino acid, we show that there is a rearrangement in the eag domain-CNBHD interaction with the kinetics, voltage-dependence, and ATP-dependence of VDP. We propose that the activation of ELK channels involves a slow open-state dependent rearrangement of the direct interaction between the eag domain and CNBHD, which stabilizes the opening of the channel.


1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 2404-2412 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Legendre ◽  
H. Korn

1. The kinetics and mechanisms underlying the voltage dependence of inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) recorded in the Mauthner cell (M cell) were investigated in the isolated medulla of 52-h-old zebrafish larvae, with the use of whole cell and outside-out patch-clamp recordings. 2. Spontaneous miniature IPSCs (mIPSCs) were recorded in the presence of 10(-6) M tetrodotoxin (TTX), 10 mM MgCl2, and 0.1 mM [CaCl2]o. Depolarizing the cell from -50 to +50 mV did not evoke any significant change in the distribution of mIPSC amplitudes, whereas synaptic currents were prolonged at positive voltages. The average decay time constant was increased twofold at +50 mV. 3. The voltage dependence of the kinetics of glycine-activated channels was first investigated during whole cell recording experiments. Currents evoked by voltage steps in the presence of glycine (50 microM) were compared with those obtained without glycine. The increase in chloride conductance (gCl-) evoked by glycine was time and voltage dependent. Inactivation and reactivation of the chloride current were observed during voltage pulses from 0 to -50 mV and from -50 to 0 mV, respectively, and they occurred with similar time constants (2-3 s). During glycine application, voltage-ramp analysis revealed a shift in the reversal potential (ECl-) occurring at all [Cl-]i tested. 4. The basis of the voltage sensitivity of glycine-evoked gCl- was first analyzed by measuring the relative changes in the total open probability (NPo) of glycine-activated channels with voltage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


PLoS ONE ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e0261960
Author(s):  
Ana Laura López-Serrano ◽  
Rodrigo Zamora-Cárdenas ◽  
Iván A. Aréchiga-Figueroa ◽  
Pedro D. Salazar-Fajardo ◽  
Tania Ferrer ◽  
...  

Inhibitory regulation of the heart is determined by both cholinergic M2 receptors (M2R) and adenosine A1 receptors (A1R) that activate the same signaling pathway, the ACh-gated inward rectifier K+ (KACh) channels via Gi/o proteins. Previously, we have shown that the agonist-specific voltage sensitivity of M2R underlies several voltage-dependent features of IKACh, including the ‘relaxation’ property, which is characterized by a gradual increase or decrease of the current when cardiomyocytes are stepped to hyperpolarized or depolarized voltages, respectively. However, it is unknown whether membrane potential also affects A1R and how this could impact IKACh. Upon recording whole-cell currents of guinea-pig cardiomyocytes, we found that stimulation of the A1R-Gi/o-IKACh pathway with adenosine only caused a very slight voltage dependence in concentration-response relationships (~1.2-fold EC50 increase with depolarization) that was not manifested in the relative affinity, as estimated by the current deactivation kinetics (τ = 4074 ± 214 ms at -100 mV and τ = 4331 ± 341 ms at +30 mV; P = 0.31). Moreover, IKACh did not exhibit relaxation. Contrarily, activation of the M2R-Gi/o-IKACh pathway with acetylcholine induced the typical relaxation of the current, which correlated with the clear voltage-dependent effect observed in the concentration-response curves (~2.8-fold EC50 increase with depolarization) and in the IKACh deactivation kinetics (τ = 1762 ± 119 ms at -100 mV and τ = 1503 ± 160 ms at +30 mV; P = 0.01). Our findings further substantiate the hypothesis of the agonist-specific voltage dependence of GPCRs and that the IKACh relaxation is consequence of this property.


Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis G. Knyazev ◽  
Roland Kuttner ◽  
Ana-Nicoleta Bondar ◽  
Mirjam Zimmerman ◽  
Christine Siligan ◽  
...  

The bacterial channel SecYEG efficiently translocates both hydrophobic and hydrophilic proteins across the plasma membrane. Translocating polypeptide chains may dislodge the plug, a half helix that blocks the permeation of small molecules, from its position in the middle of the aqueous translocation channel. Instead of the plug, six isoleucines in the middle of the membrane supposedly seal the channel, by forming a gasket around the translocating polypeptide. However, this hypothesis does not explain how the tightness of the gasket may depend on membrane potential. Here, we demonstrate voltage-dependent closings of the purified and reconstituted channel in the presence of ligands, suggesting that voltage sensitivity may be conferred by motor protein SecA, ribosomes, signal peptides, and/or translocating peptides. Yet, the presence of a voltage sensor intrinsic to SecYEG was indicated by voltage driven closure of pores that were forced-open either by crosslinking the plug to SecE or by plug deletion. We tested the involvement of SecY’s half-helix 2b (TM2b) in voltage sensing, since clearly identifiable gating charges are missing. The mutation L80D accelerated voltage driven closings by reversing TM2b’s dipolar orientation. In contrast, the L80K mutation decelerated voltage induced closings by increasing TM2b’s dipole moment. The observations suggest that TM2b is part of a larger voltage sensor. By partly aligning the combined dipole of this sensor with the orientation of the membrane-spanning electric field, voltage may drive channel closure.


2005 ◽  
Vol 125 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyeon-Gyu Shin ◽  
Zhe Lu

IRK1 (Kir2.1) inward-rectifier K+ channels exhibit exceedingly steep rectification, which reflects strong voltage dependence of channel block by intracellular cations such as the polyamine spermine. On the basis of studies of IRK1 block by various amine blockers, it was proposed that the observed voltage dependence (valence ∼5) of IRK1 block by spermine results primarily from K+ ions, not spermine itself, traversing the transmembrane electrical field that drops mostly across the narrow ion selectivity filter, as spermine and K+ ions displace one another during channel block and unblock. If indeed spermine itself only rarely penetrates deep into the ion selectivity filter, then a long blocker with head groups much wider than the selectivity filter should exhibit comparably strong voltage dependence. We confirm here that channel block by two molecules of comparable length, decane-bis-trimethylammonium (bis-QAC10) and spermine, exhibit practically identical overall voltage dependence even though the head groups of the former are much wider (∼6 Å) than the ion selectivity filter (∼3 Å). For both blockers, the overall equilibrium dissociation constant differs from the ratio of apparent rate constants of channel unblock and block. Also, although steady-state IRK1 block by both cations is strongly voltage dependent, their apparent channel-blocking rate constant exhibits minimal voltage dependence, which suggests that the pore becomes blocked as soon as the blocker encounters the innermost K+ ion. These findings strongly suggest the existence of at least two (potentially identifiable) sequentially related blocked states with increasing numbers of K+ ions displaced. Consequently, the steady-state voltage dependence of IRK1 block by spermine or bis-QAC10 should increase with membrane depolarization, a prediction indeed observed. Further kinetic analysis identifies two blocked states, and shows that most of the observed steady-state voltage dependence is associated with the transition between blocked states, consistent with the view that the mutual displacement of blocker and K+ ions must occur mainly as the blocker travels along the long inner pore.


1985 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
J R Stimers ◽  
F Bezanilla ◽  
R E Taylor

Treatment of giant axons from the squid, Loligo pealei, with pronase removes Na channel inactivation. It was found that the peak Na current is increased, but the activation kinetics are not significantly altered, by pronase. Measurements of the fraction of open channels as a function of voltage (F-V) showed an e-folding at 7 mV and a center point near -15 mV. The rate of e-folding implies that a minimum of 4 e-/channel must cross the membrane field to open the channel. The charge vs. voltage (Q-V) curve measured in a pronase-treated axon is not significantly different from that measured when inactivation is intact: approximately 1,850 e-/micron2 were measured over the voltage range -150 to 50 mV, and the center point was near -30 mV. Normalizing these two curves (F-V and Q-V) and plotting them together reveals that they cross when inactivation is intact but saturate together when inactivation is removed. This illustrates the error one makes when measuring peak conductance with intact inactivation and interpreting that to be the fraction of open channels. A model is described that was used to interpret these results. In the model, we propose that inactivation must be slightly voltage dependent and that an interaction occurs between the inactivating particle and the gating charge. A linear sequence of seven states (a single open state with six closed states) is sufficient to describe the data presented here for Na channel activation in pronase-treated axons.


2015 ◽  
Vol 145 (4) ◽  
pp. 345-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Itzel G. Ishida ◽  
Gisela E. Rangel-Yescas ◽  
Julia Carrasco-Zanini ◽  
León D. Islas

Much has been learned about the voltage sensors of ion channels since the x-ray structure of the mammalian voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.2 was published in 2005. High resolution structural data of a Kv channel enabled the structural interpretation of numerous electrophysiological findings collected in various ion channels, most notably Shaker, and permitted the development of meticulous computational simulations of the activation mechanism. The fundamental premise for the structural interpretation of functional measurements from Shaker is that this channel and Kv1.2 have the same characteristics, such that correlation of data from both channels would be a trivial task. We tested these assumptions by measuring Kv1.2 voltage-dependent gating and charge per channel. We found that the Kv1.2 gating charge is near 10 elementary charges (eo), ∼25% less than the well-established 13–14 eo in Shaker. Next, we neutralized positive residues in the Kv1.2 S4 transmembrane segment to investigate the cause of the reduction of the gating charge and found that, whereas replacing R1 with glutamine decreased voltage sensitivity to ∼50% of the wild-type channel value, mutation of the subsequent arginines had a much smaller effect. These data are in marked contrast to the effects of charge neutralization in Shaker, where removal of the first four basic residues reduces the gating charge by roughly the same amount. In light of these differences, we propose that the voltage-sensing domains (VSDs) of Kv1.2 and Shaker might undergo the same physical movement, but the septum that separates the aqueous crevices in the VSD of Kv1.2 might be thicker than Shaker’s, accounting for the smaller Kv1.2 gating charge.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document