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Updated: Aug 30, 2026

Study of the Functions and Activities of Neuronal K-Cl Co-Transporter KCC2 Using Western Blotting
Published on: December 9, 2022
Conformational changes in the C terminus of Shaker K+ channel bound to the rat Kvbeta2-subunit
Olga Sokolova1, Alessio Accardi, David Gutierrez
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Biochemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454-9110, USA.
Abstract:
We studied the structure of the C terminus of the Shaker potassium channel. The 3D structures of the full-length and a C-terminal deletion (Delta C) mutant of Shaker were determined by electron microscopy and single-particle analysis. The difference map between the full-length and the truncated channels clearly shows a compact density, located on the sides of the T1 domain, that corresponds to a large part of the C terminus. We also expressed and purified both WT and Delta C Shaker, assembled with the rat KvBeta2-subunit. By using a difference map between the full-length and truncated Shaker alpha-beta complexes, a conformational change was identified that shifts a large part of the C terminus away from the membrane domain and into close contact with the Beta-subunit. This conformational change, induced by the binding of the KvBeta2-subunit, suggests a possible mechanism for the modulation of the K+ voltage-gated channel function by its Beta-subunit.
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