Structure-guided unlocking of Na reveals a non-selective tetrodotoxin-sensitive cation channel
Nature Communications, ISSN: 2041-1723, Vol: 13, Issue: 1, Page: 1416
2022
- 14Citations
- 24Captures
- 3Mentions
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Example: if you select the 1-year option for an article published in 2019 and a metric category shows 90%, that means that the article or review is performing better than 90% of the other articles/reviews published in that journal in 2019. If you select the 3-year option for the same article published in 2019 and the metric category shows 90%, that means that the article or review is performing better than 90% of the other articles/reviews published in that journal in 2019, 2018 and 2017.
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Metrics Details
- Citations14
- Citation Indexes14
- 14
- CrossRef1
- Captures24
- Readers24
- 24
- Mentions3
- References3
- 3
Article Description
Unlike classical voltage-gated sodium (Na) channels, Na has been characterized as a voltage-insensitive, tetrodotoxin-resistant, sodium (Na)-activated channel involved in regulating Na homeostasis. However, Na remains refractory to functional characterization in traditional heterologous systems. Here, to gain insight into its atypical physiology, we determine structures of the human Na channel in complex with the auxiliary β3-subunit. Na reveals structural alterations within the selectivity filter, voltage sensor-like domains, and pore module. We do not identify an extracellular Na-sensor or any evidence for a Na-based activation mechanism in Na. Instead, the S6-gate remains closed, membrane lipids fill the central cavity, and the domain III-IV linker restricts S6-dilation. We use protein engineering to identify three pore-wetting mutations targeting the hydrophobic S6-gate that unlock a robust voltage-insensitive leak conductance. This constitutively active Na-QTT channel construct is non-selective among monovalent cations, inhibited by extracellular calcium, and sensitive to classical Na channel blockers, including tetrodotoxin. Our findings highlight a functional diversity across the Na channel scaffold, reshape our understanding of Na physiology, and provide a template to demystify recalcitrant ion channels.
Bibliographic Details
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
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