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Published on: January 10, 2011
Structural basis of slow activation gating in the cardiac I Ks channel complex
Nathalie Strutz-Seebohm1, Michael Pusch, Steffen Wolf
1Department of Biochemistry I--Cation Channel Group, Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany.
Abstract:
Accessory β-subunits of the KCNE gene family modulate the function of various cation channel α-subunits by the formation of heteromultimers. Among the most dramatic changes of biophysical properties of a voltage-gated channel by KCNEs are the effects of KCNE1 on KCNQ1 channels. KCNQ1 and KCNE1 are believed to form nativeI(Ks) channels. Here, we characterize molecular determinants of KCNE1 interaction with KCNQ1 channels by scanning mutagenesis, double mutant cycle analysis, and molecular dynamics simulations. Our findings suggest that KCNE1 binds to the outer face of the KCNQ1 channel pore domain, modifies interactions between voltage sensor, S4-S5 linker and the pore domain, leading to structural modifications of the selectivity filter and voltage sensor domain. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest a stable interaction of the KCNE1 transmembrane α-helix with the pore domain S5/S6 and part of the voltage sensor domain S4 of KCNQ1 in a putative pre-open channel state. Formation of this state may induce slow activation gating, the pivotal characteristic of native cardiac I(Ks) channels. This new KCNQ1-KCNE1 model may become useful for dynamic modeling of disease-associated mutant I(Ks) channels.
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