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Structure basis for the activation of KCNQ2 by endogenous and exogenous ligands
Yiwen Zhao1, Zhenni Yang2, Sai Shi3
1Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, The Key Laboratory of New Drug Pharmacology and Toxicology of Hebei Province, The Collaboration Innovation Center for Mechanism, Diagnosis and Treatment of Neurological and Psychiatric Disease of Hebei Province, The Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology, Ministry of Education, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China.
Abstract:
The voltage-gated potassium channel KCNQ2 is crucial for stabilizing neuronal membrane potential, and its mutations can cause various epilepsies. KCNQ2 is activated by endogenous ligand phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) and exogenous ligands, yet the structural mechanisms underlying these activations remain unclear. Here, we report the cryo-electron microscopy structures of human KCNQ2 in complex with exogenous ligands QO-58 and QO-83 in the absence or presence of PIP2 in either closed or open conformation. While QO-83 binds in the classical fenestration pocket of the pore domain, QO-58 mainly binds at the flank of S4 in the voltage-sensing domain. These structures, along with electrophysiological assays and computational studies, provide mechanistic insights into the ligand activation of KCNQ2 and may guide the development of anti-epileptic drugs targeting KCNQ2.
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