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Evolution and Structural Characteristics of Plant Voltage-Gated K+ Channels
Timothy Jegla1, Gregory Busey2, Sarah M Assmann3
1Department of Biology and Huck Institute for the Life Sciences, Penn State University, 230 Life Sciences Building, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 tjj3@psu.edu sma3@psu.edu.
The Plant Cell
|November 4, 2018
Summary
The term "plant Shaker" for plant potassium channels is outdated. Evolutionary genomics shows plant and animal K+ channels originate from different ancestors, belonging to distinct CNBD channel superfamilies.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Evolutionary Genomics
- Biophysics
Background:
- Plant voltage-gated K+ channels were historically termed "plant Shakers" after animal Shaker channels.
- Recent research highlights significant evolutionary and structural divergence between plant and animal K+ channels.
- The "plant Shaker" nomenclature no longer accurately reflects the distinct nature of these channels.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-evaluate and propose retiring the "plant Shaker" designation for plant voltage-gated K+ channels.
- To elucidate the evolutionary origins and structural relationships of plant K+ channels.
- To establish a new classification framework for plant K+ channels based on evolutionary and structural data.
Main Methods:
- Comparative evolutionary genomics analysis of plant and metazoan K+ channel genes.
- Structural analysis of voltage-gated K+ channels within the CNBD channel superfamily.
- Examination of the coupling mechanisms between voltage sensors and ion pores.
Main Results:
- Evolutionary genomics indicates that plant voltage-gated K+ channels and metazoan Shakers originate from distinct prokaryotic ancestors.
- Plant K+ channels are classified within the CNBD (cyclic nucleotide-gated domain) channel superfamily, sharing ancestry with other related channel types.
- Structural studies reveal significant differences in voltage sensor-pore coupling in CNBD superfamily channels compared to metazoan Shakers.
Conclusions:
- The "plant Shaker" designation should be retired due to the distinct evolutionary paths and structural divergence of plant K+ channels.
- Plant voltage-gated K+ channels belong to the CNBD channel superfamily, necessitating a revised understanding of their function and regulation.
- Future research on plant K+ channel regulation should be informed by the structural and evolutionary context of the CNBD channel superfamily.
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