scholarly journals Molecular basis for differential modulation of BK channel voltage-dependent gating by auxiliary γ subunits

2015 ◽  
Vol 145 (6) ◽  
pp. 543-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qin Li ◽  
Fei Fan ◽  
Ha Rim Kwak ◽  
Jiusheng Yan
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Small Region ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Differential Modulation ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Charged Amino Acids ◽  
Voltage Dependent ◽  
Positively Charged

Large conductance Ca2+- and voltage-activated potassium (BK) channels are comprised of pore-forming α subunits and various regulatory auxiliary subunits. The BK channel auxiliary γ (BKγ) subunits are a newly identified class of proteins containing an extracellular leucine-rich repeat domain (LRRD), a single transmembrane (TM) segment, and a short cytoplasmic C-terminal tail (C-tail). Although each of the four BKγ proteins shifts the voltage dependence of BK channel activation in a hyperpolarizing direction, they show markedly different efficacies, mediating shifts over a range of 15–145 mV. Analyses of chimeric BKγ subunits created by swapping individual structural elements, and of BKγ deletion and substitution mutants, revealed that differential modulation of BK gating by the four BKγ subunits depends on a small region consisting of the TM segment and the adjacent intracellular cluster of positively charged amino acids. The γ1 and γ2 TM segments contributed approximately −100 mV, and the γ1 and γ3 C-tails contributed approximately −40 mV, to shifting the voltage dependence of BK channel activation, whereas the γ3 and γ4 TM segments and the γ2 and γ4 C-tails contributed much less. The large extracellular LRRDs were mainly functionally interchangeable, although the γ1 LRRD was slightly less effective at enhancing (or slightly more effective at attenuating) the shift in BK channel voltage-dependent gating toward hyperpolarizing potentials than those of the other BKγ subunits. Analysis of mutated BKγ subunits revealed that juxta-membrane clusters of positively charged amino acids determine the functions of the γ1 and γ3 C-tails. Therefore, the modulatory functions of BKγ subunits are coarse- and fine-tuned, respectively, through variations in their TM segments and in the adjacent intracellular positively charged regions. Our results suggest that BK channel modulation by auxiliary γ subunits depends on intra- and/or juxta-membrane mechanisms.

scholarly journals Uncharged S4 Residues and Cooperativity in Voltage-dependent Potassium Channel Activation

1998 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine J. Smith-Maxwell ◽  
Jennifer L. Ledwell ◽  
Richard W. Aldrich
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Potassium Channel ◽  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Channel Gating ◽  
Ionic Currents ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Functional Changes ◽  
Activation Pathway ◽  
Voltage Dependent

Substitution of the S4 of Shaw into Shaker alters cooperativity in channel activation by slowing a cooperative transition late in the activation pathway. To determine the amino acids responsible for the functional changes in Shaw S4, we created several mutants by substituting amino acids from Shaw S4 into Shaker. The S4 amino acid sequences of Shaker and Shaw S4 differ at 11 positions. Simultaneous substitution of just three noncharged residues from Shaw S4 into Shaker (V369I, I372L, S376T; ILT) reproduces the kinetic and voltage-dependent properties of Shaw S4 channel activation. These substitutions cause very small changes in the structural and chemical properties of the amino acid side chains. In contrast, substituting the positively charged basic residues in the S4 of Shaker with neutral or negative residues from the S4 of Shaw S4 does not reproduce the shallow voltage dependence or other properties of Shaw S4 opening. Macroscopic ionic currents for ILT could be fit by modifying a single set of transitions in a model for Shaker channel gating (Zagotta, W.N., T. Hoshi, and R.W. Aldrich. 1994. J. Gen. Physiol. 103:321–362). Changing the rate and voltage dependence of a final cooperative step in activation successfully reproduces the kinetic, steady state, and voltage-dependent properties of ILT ionic currents. Consistent with the model, ILT gating currents activate at negative voltages where the channel does not open and, at more positive voltages, they precede the ionic currents, confirming the existence of voltage-dependent transitions between closed states in the activation pathway. Of the three substitutions in ILT, the I372L substitution is primarily responsible for the changes in cooperativity and voltage dependence. These results suggest that noncharged residues in the S4 play a crucial role in Shaker potassium channel gating and that small steric changes in these residues can lead to large changes in cooperativity within the channel protein.

scholarly journals Spontaneous Transient Outward Currents Arise from Microdomains Where BK Channels Are Exposed to a Mean Ca2+ Concentration on the Order of 10 μM during a Ca2+ Spark

2002 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronghua ZhuGe ◽  
Kevin E. Fogarty ◽  
Richard A. Tuft ◽  
John V. Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Ryanodine Receptors ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Membrane Area ◽  
Outward Currents ◽  
Cell Recording ◽  
Excised Patches ◽  
Spontaneous Transient Outward Currents

Ca2+ sparks are small, localized cytosolic Ca2+ transients due to Ca2+ release from sarcoplasmic reticulum through ryanodine receptors. In smooth muscle, Ca2+ sparks activate large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels (BK channels) in the spark microdomain, thus generating spontaneous transient outward currents (STOCs). The purpose of the present study is to determine experimentally the level of Ca2+ to which the BK channels are exposed during a spark. Using tight seal, whole-cell recording, we have analyzed the voltage-dependence of the STOC conductance (g(STOC)), and compared it to the voltage-dependence of BK channel activation in excised patches in the presence of different [Ca2+]s. The Ca2+ sparks did not change in amplitude over the range of potentials of interest. In contrast, the magnitude of g(STOC) remained roughly constant from 20 to −40 mV and then declined steeply at more negative potentials. From this and the voltage dependence of BK channel activation, we conclude that the BK channels underlying STOCs are exposed to a mean [Ca2+] on the order of 10 μM during a Ca2+ spark. The membrane area over which a concentration ≥10 μM is reached has an estimated radius of 150–300 nm, corresponding to an area which is a fraction of one square micron. Moreover, given the constraints imposed by the estimated channel density and the Ca2+ current during a spark, the BK channels do not appear to be uniformly distributed over the membrane but instead are found at higher density at the spark site.

scholarly journals Differential Effects of β1 and β2 Subunits on BK Channel Activity

2005 ◽  
Vol 125 (4) ◽  
pp. 395-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricio Orio ◽  
Ramon Latorre
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Calcium Binding ◽  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Calcium Sensitivity ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Voltage Sensitivity ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Voltage Sensors

High conductance, calcium- and voltage-activated potassium (BK) channels are widely expressed in mammals. In some tissues, the biophysical properties of BK channels are highly affected by coexpression of regulatory (β) subunits. β1 and β2 subunits increase apparent channel calcium sensitivity. The β1 subunit also decreases the voltage sensitivity of the channel and the β2 subunit produces an N-type inactivation of BK currents. We further characterized the effects of the β1 and β2 subunits on the calcium and voltage sensitivity of the channel, analyzing the data in the context of an allosteric model for BK channel activation by calcium and voltage (Horrigan and Aldrich, 2002). In this study, we used a β2 subunit without its N-type inactivation domain (β2IR). The results indicate that the β2IR subunit, like the β1 subunit, has a small effect on the calcium binding affinity of the channel. Unlike the β1 subunit, the β2IR subunit also has no effect on the voltage sensitivity of the channel. The limiting voltage dependence for steady-state channel activation, unrelated to voltage sensor movements, is unaffected by any of the studied β subunits. The same is observed for the limiting voltage dependence of the deactivation time constant. Thus, the β1 subunit must affect the voltage sensitivity by altering the function of the voltage sensors of the channel. Both β subunits reduce the intrinsic equilibrium constant for channel opening (L0). In the allosteric activation model, the reduction of the voltage dependence for the activation of the voltage sensors accounts for most of the macroscopic steady-state effects of the β1 subunit, including the increase of the apparent calcium sensitivity of the BK channel. All allosteric coupling factors need to be increased in order to explain the observed effects when the α subunit is coexpressed with the β2IR subunit.

scholarly journals Voltage and Ca2+ Activation of Single Large-Conductance Ca2+-Activated K+ Channels Described by a Two-Tiered Allosteric Gating Mechanism

2000 ◽  
Vol 116 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brad S. Rothberg ◽  
Karl L. Magleby
Keyword(s):  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Open Probability ◽  
Gating Charge ◽  
Gating Mechanism ◽  
Single Channel Analysis ◽  
Voltage Dependent ◽  
The Mean

The voltage- and Ca2+-dependent gating mechanism of large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels from cultured rat skeletal muscle was studied using single-channel analysis. Channel open probability (Po) increased with depolarization, as determined by limiting slope measurements (11 mV per e-fold change in Po; effective gating charge, qeff, of 2.3 ± 0.6 eo). Estimates of qeff were little changed for intracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+i) ranging from 0.0003 to 1,024 μM. Increasing Ca2+i from 0.03 to 1,024 μM shifted the voltage for half maximal activation (V1/2) 175 mV in the hyperpolarizing direction. V1/2 was independent of Ca2+i for Ca2+i ≤ 0.03 μM, indicating that the channel can be activated in the absence of Ca2+i. Open and closed dwell-time distributions for data obtained at different Ca2+i and voltage, but at the same Po, were different, indicating that the major action of voltage is not through concentrating Ca2+ at the binding sites. The voltage dependence of Po arose from a decrease in the mean closing rate with depolarization (qeff = −0.5 eo) and an increase in the mean opening rate (qeff = 1.8 eo), consistent with voltage-dependent steps in both the activation and deactivation pathways. A 50-state two-tiered model with separate voltage- and Ca2+-dependent steps was consistent with the major features of the voltage and Ca2+ dependence of the single-channel kinetics over wide ranges of Ca2+i (∼0 through 1,024 μM), voltage (+80 to −80 mV), and Po (10−4 to 0.96). In the model, the voltage dependence of the gating arises mainly from voltage-dependent transitions between closed (C-C) and open (O-O) states, with less voltage dependence for transitions between open and closed states (C-O), and with no voltage dependence for Ca2+-binding and unbinding. The two-tiered model can serve as a working hypothesis for the Ca2+- and voltage-dependent gating of the BK channel.

BK Channel Activation by Brief Depolarizations Requires Ca2+ Influx Through L- and Q-Type Ca2+ Channels in Rat Chromaffin Cells

1999 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
pp. 2267-2278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murali Prakriya ◽  
Christopher J. Lingle
Keyword(s):  
Chromaffin Cells ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Selective Blockade ◽  
Voltage Dependent ◽  
Current Activation ◽  
Adrenal Chromaffin ◽  
P Type ◽  
Ca2 Channels

BK channel activation by brief depolarizations requires Ca2+ influx through L- and Q-type Ca2+ channels in rat chromaffin cells. Ca2+- and voltage-dependent BK-type K+ channels contribute to action potential repolarization in rat adrenal chromaffin cells. Here we characterize the Ca2+ currents expressed in these cells and identify the Ca2+ channel subtypes that gate the activation of BK channels during Ca2+ influx. Selective Ca2+ channel antagonists indicate the presence of at least four types of high-voltage-gated Ca2+ channels: L-, N-, P, and Q type. Mean amplitudes of the L-, N-, P-, and Q-type Ca2+ currents were 33, 21, 12, and 24% of the total Ca2+ current, respectively. Five-millisecond Ca2+ influx steps to 0 mV were employed to assay the contribution of Ca2+ influx through these Ca2+channels to the activation of BK current. Blockade of L-type Ca2+ channels by 5 μM nifedipine or Q-type Ca2+ channels by 2 μM Aga IVA reduced BK current activation by 77 and 42%, respectively. In contrast, blockade of N-type Ca2+ channels by brief applications of 1–2 μM CnTC MVIIC or P-type Ca2+ channels by 50–100 nM Aga IVA reduced BK current activation by only 11 and 12%, respectively. Selective blockade of L- and Q-type Ca2+ channels also eliminated activation of BK current during action potentials, whereas almost no effects were seen by the selective blockade of N- or P-type Ca2+ channels. Finally, the L-type Ca2+ channel agonist Bay K 8644 promoted activation of BK current by brief Ca2+ influx steps by more than twofold. These data show that, despite the presence of at least four types of Ca2+channels in rat chromaffin cells, BK channel activation in rat chromaffin cells is predominantly coupled to Ca2+ influx through L- and Q-type Ca2+ channels.

scholarly journals The single transmembrane segment determines the modulatory function of the BK channel auxiliary γ subunit

2016 ◽  
Vol 147 (4) ◽  
pp. 337-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qin Li ◽  
Xin Guan ◽  
Karen Yen ◽  
Jiyuan Zhang ◽  
Jiusheng Yan
Keyword(s):  
Cell Types ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Functional Coupling ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Charged Cluster ◽  
Molecular Determinant ◽  
Function Relationship ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Positively Charged

The large-conductance, calcium-activated potassium (BK) channels consist of the pore-forming, voltage- and Ca2+-sensing α subunits (BKα) and the tissue-specific auxiliary β and γ subunits. The BK channel γ1 subunit is a leucine-rich repeat (LRR)–containing membrane protein that potently facilitates BK channel activation in many tissues and cell types through a vast shift in the voltage dependence of channel activation by ∼140 mV in the hyperpolarizing direction. In this study, we found that the single transmembrane (TM) segment together with its flanking charged residues is sufficient to fully modulate BK channels upon its transplantation into the structurally unrelated β1 subunit. We identified Phe273 and its neighboring residues in the middle of the TM segment and a minimum of three intracellular juxtamembrane Arg residues as important for the γ1 subunit’s modulatory function and observed functional coupling between residues of these two locations. We concluded that the TM segment is a key molecular determinant for channel association and modulation and that the intracellular positively charged cluster is involved mainly in channel association, likely through its TM-anchoring effect. Our findings provide insights into the structure–function relationship of the γ1 subunit in understanding its potent modulatory effects on BK channels.

scholarly journals The Superagonistic Activity of Bovine Thyroid-stimulating Hormone (TSH) and the Human TR1401 TSH Analog Is Determined by Specific Amino Acids in the Hinge Region of the Human TSH Receptor

2009 ◽  
Vol 284 (24) ◽  
pp. 16317-16324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Mueller ◽  
Gunnar Kleinau ◽  
Mariusz W. Szkudlinski ◽  
Holger Jaeschke ◽  
Gerd Krause ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone ◽  
Hinge Region ◽  
Camp Production ◽  
Glycoprotein Hormone ◽  
Charged Amino Acids ◽  
Bovine Thyroid ◽  
Positively Charged ◽  
Bovine Tsh ◽  
Signaling Activity

Bovine TSH (bTSH) has a higher affinity to the human TSHR (hTSHR) and a higher signaling activity than human TSH (hTSH). The molecular reasons for these phenomena are unknown. Distinct negatively charged residues (Glu297, Glu303, and Asp382) in the hinge region of the hTSHR are known to be important for bTSH binding and signaling. To investigate the potential relevance of these positions for differences between bTSH and hTSH in the interaction to the hTSHR, we determined bTSH- and hTSH-mediated cAMP production of several substitutions at these three hinge residues. To examine specific variations of hTSH, we also investigated the superagonistic hTSH analog TR1401 (TR1401), whose sequence differs from hTSH by four additional positively charged amino acids that are also present in bTSH. To characterize possible interactions between the acidic hTSHR positions Glu297, Glu303, or Asp382 and the additional basic residues of TR1401, we investigated TR1401 binding and signaling properties. Our data reveal increased cAMP signaling of the hTSHR using TR1401 and bTSH compared with hTSH. Whereas Asp382 seems to be important for bTSH- and TR1401-mediated but not for hTSH-mediated signaling, the substitution E297K exhibits a decreased signaling for all three TSH variants. Interestingly, bTSH and TR1401 showed only a slightly different binding pattern. These observations imply that specific residues of the hinge region are mediators of the superagonistic activity of bTSH and TR1401 in contrast to hTSH. Moreover, the simultaneous localization of binding components in the glycoprotein hormone molecule and the receptor hinge region permits important reevaluation of interacting hormone receptor domains.

scholarly journals BK channel inhibition by strong extracellular acidification

eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Zhou ◽  
Xiao-Ming Xia ◽  
Christopher J Lingle
Keyword(s):  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Extracellular Acidification ◽  
Channel Inhibition ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Family ◽  
Voltage Dependent ◽  
Intracellular Organelles ◽  
Extracellular Side ◽  
Key Residues

Mammalian BK-type voltage- and Ca2+-dependent K+ channels are found in a wide range of cells and intracellular organelles. Among different loci, the composition of the extracellular microenvironment, including pH, may differ substantially. For example, it has been reported that BK channels are expressed in lysosomes with their extracellular side facing the strongly acidified lysosomal lumen (pH ~4.5). Here we show that BK activation is strongly and reversibly inhibited by extracellular H+, with its conductance-voltage relationship shifted by more than +100 mV at pHO 4. Our results reveal that this inhibition is mainly caused by H+ inhibition of BK voltage-sensor (VSD) activation through three acidic residues on the extracellular side of BK VSD. Given that these key residues (D133, D147, D153) are highly conserved among members in the voltage-dependent cation channel superfamily, the mechanism underlying BK inhibition by extracellular acidification might also be applicable to other members in the family.

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