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It's Time for Entropic Clocks: The Roles of Random Chain Protein Sequences in Timing Ion Channel Processes Underlying

Esraa Nsasra1, Irit Dahan1, Jerry Eichler1

  • 1Department of Life Sciences, School of Brain Sciences and Cognition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)
|September 28, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Intrinsically disordered protein segments, known as entropic clocks, regulate cellular timing. This review explores their role in voltage-activated potassium channels, linking alternative splicing to functional diversity in electrical signaling.

Keywords:
action potentialalternative splicingball and chainchannel clusteringdensity regulationentropic chainshetero-oligomerizationintrinsic disorderpotassium channelsscaffold proteins

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Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Cellular Neuroscience

Background:

  • Intrinsically disordered protein segments (IDPS) are crucial for diverse cellular functions, challenging the classical structure-function paradigm.
  • Entropic clocks, a type of IDPS, are unstructured protein chains that regulate cellular timing mechanisms.
  • These clocks influence ion channel activity, impacting action potential dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the function of entropic clocks in timing molecular binding events in voltage-activated potassium channels.
  • To analyze the 'ball and chain' mechanism involving entropic clocks in channel gating and clustering.
  • To highlight the role of alternative splicing in modulating these functions.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on entropic clocks and voltage-activated potassium channels.
  • Analysis of the 'ball and chain' binding mechanism and its thermodynamic signatures.
  • Case study of the Shaker voltage-activated K+ channel.

Main Results:

  • Entropic clocks time intra- and inter-molecular binding events in voltage-activated potassium channels.
  • The 'ball and chain' mechanism, involving entropic clocks, governs channel gating and clustering.
  • Alternative splicing of Kv channel genes modulates entropic clock functions.

Conclusions:

  • Entropic clocks are key regulators of voltage-activated potassium channel function.
  • The interplay between alternative splicing and intrinsic disorder drives functional diversity in electrical signaling.
  • The Kv channel system exemplifies how these mechanisms contribute to cellular electrical signaling.