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Muhammad A, Calandranis ME, Li B, Yang T, Blackwell DJ, Harvey ML, Smith JE, Chew AE, Capra JA, Matreyek KA, Fowler DM, Roden DM, Glazer AM. High-throughput functional mapping of variants in an arrhythmia gene, KCNE1, reveals novel biology. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.28.538612. [PMID: 37162834 PMCID: PMC10168370 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.28.538612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Background KCNE1 encodes a 129-residue cardiac potassium channel (IKs) subunit. KCNE1 variants are associated with long QT syndrome and atrial fibrillation. However, most variants have insufficient evidence of clinical consequences and thus limited clinical utility. Results Here, we demonstrate the power of variant effect mapping, which couples saturation mutagenesis with high-throughput sequencing, to ascertain the function of thousands of protein coding KCNE1 variants. We comprehensively assayed KCNE1 variant cell surface expression (2,554/2,709 possible single amino acid variants) and function (2,539 variants). We identified 470 loss-of-surface expression and 588 loss-of-function variants. Out of the 588 loss-of-function variants, only 155 had low cell surface expression. The latter half of the protein is dispensable for protein trafficking but essential for channel function. 22 of the 30 KCNE1 residues (73%) highly intolerant of variation were in predicted close contact with binding partners KCNQ1 or calmodulin. Our data were highly concordant with gold standard electrophysiological data (ρ = -0.65), population and patient cohorts (32/38 concordant variants), and computational metrics (ρ = -0.55). Our data provide moderate-strength evidence for the ACMG/AMP functional criteria for benign and pathogenic variants. Conclusions Comprehensive variant effect maps of KCNE1 can both provide insight into IKs channel biology and help reclassify variants of uncertain significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayesha Muhammad
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Maria E. Calandranis
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Bian Li
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Tao Yang
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Daniel J. Blackwell
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - M. Lorena Harvey
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Jeremy E. Smith
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Ashli E. Chew
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - John A. Capra
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Kenneth A. Matreyek
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Douglas M. Fowler
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Dan M. Roden
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Andrew M. Glazer
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
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2
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Wilson ZT, Jiang M, Geng J, Kaur S, Workman SW, Hao J, Bernas T, Tseng GN. Delayed KCNQ1/KCNE1 assembly on the cell surface helps I Ks fulfil its function as a repolarization reserve in the heart. J Physiol 2021; 599:3337-3361. [PMID: 33963564 DOI: 10.1113/jp281773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS In adult ventricular myocytes, the slow delayed rectifier (IKs ) channels are distributed on the surface sarcolemma, not t-tubules. In adult ventricular myocytes, KCNQ1 and KCNE1 have distinct cell surface and cytoplasmic pools. KCNQ1 and KCNE1 traffic from the endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane by separate routes, and assemble into IKs channels on the cell surface. Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry applied to affinity-purified KCNQ1 and KCNE1 interacting proteins reveals novel interactors involved in protein trafficking and assembly. Microtubule plus-end binding protein 1 (EB1) binds KCNQ1 preferentially in its dimer form, and promotes KCNQ1 to reach the cell surface. An LQT1-associated mutation, Y111C, reduces KCNQ1 binding to EB1 dimer. ABSTRACT Slow delayed rectifier (IKs ) channels consist of KCNQ1 and KCNE1. IKs functions as a 'repolarization reserve' in the heart by providing extra current for ventricular action potential shortening during β-adrenergic stimulation. There has been much debate about how KCNQ1 and KCNE1 traffic in cells, where they associate to form IKs channels, and the distribution pattern of IKs channels relative to β-adrenergic signalling complex. We used experimental strategies not previously applied to KCNQ1, KCNE1 or IKs , to provide new insights into these issues. 'Retention-using-selected-hook' experiments showed that newly translated KCNE1 constitutively trafficked through the conventional secretory path to the cell surface. KCNQ1 largely stayed in the endoplasmic reticulum, although dynamic KCNQ1 vesicles were observed in the submembrane region. Disulphide-bonded KCNQ1/KCNE1 constructs reported preferential association after they had reached cell surface. An in situ proximity ligation assay detected IKs channels in surface sarcolemma but not t-tubules of ventricular myocytes, similar to the reported location of adenylate cyclase 9/yotiao. Fluorescent protein-tagged KCNQ1 and KCNE1, in conjunction with antibodies targeting their extracellular epitopes, detected distinct cell surface and cytoplasmic pools of both proteins in myocytes. We conclude that, in cardiomyocytes, KCNQ1 and KCNE1 traffic by different routes to surface sarcolemma where they assemble into IKs channels. This mode of delayed channel assembly helps IKs fulfil its function of repolarization reserve. Proteomic experiments revealed a novel KCNQ1 interactor, microtubule plus-end binding protein 1 (EB1). EB1 dimer (active form) bound KCNQ1 and increased its surface level. An LQT1 mutation, Y111C, reduced KCNQ1 binding to EB1 dimer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary T Wilson
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Min Jiang
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.,Institute of Medicinal biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Geng
- Institute of Medicinal biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Sukhleen Kaur
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Samuel W Workman
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.,Present address: School of Medicine, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Jon Hao
- Poochon Scientific, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Tytus Bernas
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Gea-Ny Tseng
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
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3
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Fluorescence Fluctuation Spectroscopy enables quantification of potassium channel subunit dynamics and stoichiometry. Sci Rep 2021; 11:10719. [PMID: 34021177 PMCID: PMC8140153 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90002-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels are a family of membrane proteins that facilitate K+ ion diffusion across the plasma membrane, regulating both resting and action potentials. Kv channels comprise four pore-forming α subunits, each with a voltage sensing domain, and they are regulated by interaction with β subunits such as those belonging to the KCNE family. Here we conducted a comprehensive biophysical characterization of stoichiometry and protein diffusion across the plasma membrane of the epithelial KCNQ1-KCNE2 complex, combining total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy and a series of complementary Fluorescence Fluctuation Spectroscopy (FFS) techniques. Using this approach, we found that KCNQ1-KCNE2 has a predominant 4:4 stoichiometry, while non-bound KCNE2 subunits are mostly present as dimers in the plasma membrane. At the same time, we identified unique spatio-temporal diffusion modalities and nano-environment organization for each channel subunit. These findings improve our understanding of KCNQ1-KCNE2 channel function and suggest strategies for elucidating the subunit stoichiometry and forces directing localization and diffusion of ion channel complexes in general.
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4
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Hu B, Zeng WP, Li X, Al-Sheikh U, Chen SY, Ding J. A conserved arginine/lysine-based motif promotes ER export of KCNE1 and KCNE2 to regulate KCNQ1 channel activity. Channels (Austin) 2020; 13:483-497. [PMID: 31679457 PMCID: PMC6833972 DOI: 10.1080/19336950.2019.1685626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
KCNE β-subunits play critical roles in modulating cardiac voltage-gated potassium channels. Among them, KCNE1 associates with KCNQ1 channel to confer a slow-activated IKs current, while KCNE2 functions as a dominant negative modulator to suppress the current amplitude of KCNQ1. Any anomaly in these channels will lead to serious myocardial diseases, such as the long QT syndrome (LQTS). Trafficking defects of KCNE1 have been reported to account for the pathogenesis of LQT5. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying KCNE forward trafficking remain elusive. Here, we describe an arginine/lysine-based motif ([R/K](S)[R/K][R/K]) in the proximal C-terminus regulating the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) export of KCNE1 and KCNE2 in HEK293 cells. Notably, this motif is highly conserved in the KCNE family. Our results indicate that the forward trafficking of KCNE2 controlled by the motif (KSKR) is essential for suppressing the cell surface expression and current amplitude of KCNQ1. Unlike KCNE2, the motif (RSKK) in KCNE1 plays important roles in modulating the gating of KCNQ1 in addition to mediating the ER export of KCNE1. Furthermore, truncations of the C-terminus did not reduce the apparent affinity of KCNE2 for KCNQ1, demonstrating that the rigid C-terminus of KCNE2 may not physically interact with KCNQ1. In contrast, the KCNE1 C-terminus is critical for its interaction with KCNQ1. These results contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms of KCNE1 and KCNE2 membrane targeting and how they coassemble with KCNQ1 to regulate the channels activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Hu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Wen-Ping Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xia Li
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Umar Al-Sheikh
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - San-You Chen
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,CAS Key Laboratory of Microscale Magnetic Resonance and Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Jiuping Ding
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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5
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Wang Y, Eldstrom J, Fedida D. Gating and Regulation of KCNQ1 and KCNQ1 + KCNE1 Channel Complexes. Front Physiol 2020; 11:504. [PMID: 32581825 PMCID: PMC7287213 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The IKs channel complex is formed by the co-assembly of Kv7.1 (KCNQ1), a voltage-gated potassium channel, with its β-subunit, KCNE1 and the association of numerous accessory regulatory molecules such as PIP2, calmodulin, and yotiao. As a result, the IKs potassium current shows kinetic and regulatory flexibility, which not only allows IKs to fulfill physiological roles as disparate as cardiac repolarization and the maintenance of endolymph K+ homeostasis, but also to cause significant disease when it malfunctions. Here, we review new areas of understanding in the assembly, kinetics of activation and inactivation, voltage-sensor pore coupling, unitary events and regulation of this important ion channel complex, all of which have been given further impetus by the recent solution of cryo-EM structural representations of KCNQ1 alone and KCNQ1+KCNE3. Recently, the stoichiometric ratio of KCNE1 to KCNQ1 subunits has been confirmed to be variable up to a ratio of 4:4, rather than fixed at 2:4, and we will review the results and new methodologies that support this conclusion. Significant advances have been made in understanding differences between KCNQ1 and IKs gating using voltage clamp fluorimetry and mutational analysis to illuminate voltage sensor activation and inactivation, and the relationship between voltage sensor translation and pore domain opening. We now understand that the KCNQ1 pore can open with different permeabilities and conductance when the voltage sensor is in partially or fully activated positions, and the ability to make robust single channel recordings from IKs channels has also revealed the complicated pore subconductance architecture during these opening steps, during inactivation, and regulation by 1−4 associated KCNE1 subunits. Experiments placing mutations into individual voltage sensors to drastically change voltage dependence or prevent their movement altogether have demonstrated that the activation of KCNQ1 alone and IKs can best be explained using allosteric models of channel gating. Finally, we discuss how the intrinsic gating properties of KCNQ1 and IKs are highly modulated through the impact of intracellular signaling molecules and co-factors such as PIP2, protein kinase A, calmodulin and ATP, all of which modulate IKs current kinetics and contribute to diverse IKs channel complex function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yundi Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Jodene Eldstrom
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - David Fedida
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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6
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Oliveras A, Serrano-Novillo C, Moreno C, de la Cruz A, Valenzuela C, Soeller C, Comes N, Felipe A. The unconventional biogenesis of Kv7.1-KCNE1 complexes. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaay4472. [PMID: 32270035 PMCID: PMC7112945 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aay4472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The potassium channel Kv7.1 associates with the KCNE1 regulatory subunit to trigger cardiac I Ks currents. Although the Kv7.1/KCNE1 complex has received much attention, the subcellular compartment hosting the assembly is the subject of ongoing debate. Evidence suggests that the complex forms either earlier in the endoplasmic reticulum or directly at the plasma membrane. Kv7.1 and KCNE1 mutations, responsible for long QT syndromes, impair association and traffic, thereby altering I Ks currents. We found that Kv7.1 and KCNE1 do not assemble in the first stages of their biogenesis. Data support an unconventional secretory pathway for Kv7.1-KCNE1 that bypasses Golgi. This route targets channels to endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane junctions, where Kv7.1-KCNE1 assemble. This mechanism helps to resolve the ongoing controversy about the subcellular compartment hosting the association. Our results also provide new insights into I Ks channel localization at endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane junctions, highlighting an alternative anterograde trafficking mechanism for oligomeric ion channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Oliveras
- Molecular Physiology Laboratory, Departamento de Bioquímica i Biomedicina Molecular, Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Clara Serrano-Novillo
- Molecular Physiology Laboratory, Departamento de Bioquímica i Biomedicina Molecular, Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristina Moreno
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Alicia de la Cruz
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Alberto Sols CSIC-UAM, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen Valenzuela
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Alberto Sols CSIC-UAM, Madrid, Spain
- Spanish Network for Biomedical Research in Cardiovascular Research (CIBERCV), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Christian Soeller
- Living Systems Institute and Biomedical Physics, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Núria Comes
- Departamento De Biomedicina, Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antonio Felipe
- Molecular Physiology Laboratory, Departamento de Bioquímica i Biomedicina Molecular, Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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7
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Lussier Y, Fürst O, Fortea E, Leclerc M, Priolo D, Moeller L, Bichet DG, Blunck R, D'Avanzo N. Disease-linked mutations alter the stoichiometries of HCN-KCNE2 complexes. Sci Rep 2019; 9:9113. [PMID: 31235733 PMCID: PMC6591248 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45592-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The four hyperpolarization-activated cylic-nucleotide gated (HCN) channel isoforms and their auxiliary subunit KCNE2 are important in the regulation of peripheral and central neuronal firing and the heartbeat. Disruption of their normal function has been implicated in cardiac arrhythmias, peripheral pain, and epilepsy. However, molecular details of the HCN-KCNE2 complexes are unknown. Using single-molecule subunit counting, we determined that the number of KCNE2 subunits in complex with the pore-forming subunits of human HCN channels differs with each HCN isoform and is dynamic with respect to concentration. These interactions can be altered by KCNE2 gene-variants with functional implications. The results provide an additional consideration necessary to understand heart rhythm, pain, and epileptic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoann Lussier
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Oliver Fürst
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Eva Fortea
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Marc Leclerc
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Dimitri Priolo
- Department of Physics, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Lena Moeller
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Daniel G Bichet
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Rikard Blunck
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.,Department of Physics, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Nazzareno D'Avanzo
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada. .,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
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8
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Carrington SJ, Hernandez CC, Swale DR, Aluko OA, Denton JS, Cone RD. G protein-coupled receptors differentially regulate glycosylation and activity of the inwardly rectifying potassium channel Kir7.1. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:17739-17753. [PMID: 30257863 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.003238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Revised: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Kir7.1 is an inwardly rectifying potassium channel with important roles in the regulation of the membrane potential in retinal pigment epithelium, uterine smooth muscle, and hypothalamic neurons. Regulation of G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) via the G protein βγ subunits has been well characterized. However, how Kir channels are regulated is incompletely understood. We report here that Kir7.1 is also regulated by GPCRs, but through a different mechanism. Using Western blotting analysis, we observed that multiple GPCRs tested caused a striking reduction in the complex glycosylation of Kir7.1. Further, GPCR-mediated reduction of Kir7.1 glycosylation in HEK293T cells did not alter its expression at the cell surface but decreased channel activity. Of note, mutagenesis of the sole Kir7.1 glycosylation site reduced conductance and open probability, as indicated by single-channel recording. Additionally, we report that the L241P mutation of Kir7.1 associated with Lebers congenital amaurosis (LCA), an inherited retinal degenerative disease, has significantly reduced complex glycosylation. Collectively, these results suggest that Kir7.1 channel glycosylation is essential for function, and this activity within cells is suppressed by most GPCRs. The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R), a GPCR previously reported to induce ligand-regulated activity of this channel, is the only GPCR tested that does not have this effect on Kir7.1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheridan J Carrington
- From the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232; Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Ciria C Hernandez
- Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Daniel R Swale
- Department of Entomology, Louisiana State University AgCenter, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803
| | - Oluwatosin A Aluko
- Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Jerod S Denton
- Departments of Anesthesiology; Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | - Roger D Cone
- From the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232; Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109; Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109.
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9
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Jiang M, Wang Y, Tseng GN. Adult Ventricular Myocytes Segregate KCNQ1 and KCNE1 to Keep the IKs Amplitude in Check Until When Larger IKs Is Needed. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol 2017; 10:CIRCEP.117.005084. [PMID: 28611207 DOI: 10.1161/circep.117.005084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND KCNQ1 and KCNE1 assemble to form the slow delayed rectifier (IKs) channel critical for shortening ventricular action potentials during high β-adrenergic tone. However, too much IKs under basal conditions poses an arrhythmogenic risk. Our objective is to understand how adult ventricular myocytes regulate the IKs amplitudes under basal conditions and in response to stress. METHODS AND RESULTS We express fluorescently tagged KCNQ1 and KCNE1 in adult ventricular myocytes and follow their biogenesis and trafficking paths. We also study the distribution patterns of native KCNQ1 and KCNE1, and their relationship to IKs amplitudes, in chronically stressed ventricular myocytes, and use COS-7 cell expression to probe the underlying mechanism. We show that KCNQ1 and KCNE1 are both translated in the perinuclear region but traffic by different routes, independent of each other, to their separate subcellular locations. KCNQ1 mainly resides in the jSR (junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum), whereas KCNE1 resides on the cell surface. Under basal conditions, only a small portion of KCNQ1 reaches the cell surface to support the IKs function. However, in response to chronic stress, KCNQ1 traffics from jSR to the cell surface to boost the IKs amplitude in a process depending on Ca binding to CaM (calmodulin). CONCLUSIONS In adult ventricular myocytes, KCNE1 maintains a stable presence on the cell surface, whereas KCNQ1 is dynamic in its localization. KCNQ1 is largely in an intracellular reservoir under basal conditions but can traffic to the cell surface and boost the IKs amplitude in response to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Jiang
- From the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond (M.J., Y.W., G.-N.T.); and Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing (M.J.)
| | - Yuhong Wang
- From the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond (M.J., Y.W., G.-N.T.); and Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing (M.J.)
| | - Gea-Ny Tseng
- From the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond (M.J., Y.W., G.-N.T.); and Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing (M.J.).
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10
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Abstract
Studying how the membrane modulates ion channel and transporter activity is challenging because cells actively regulate membrane properties, whereas existing in vitro systems have limitations, such as residual solvent and unphysiologically high membrane tension. Cell-sized giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) would be ideal for in vitro electrophysiology, but efforts to measure the membrane current of intact GUVs have been unsuccessful. In this work, two challenges for obtaining the "whole-GUV" patch-clamp configuration were identified and resolved. First, unless the patch pipette and GUV pressures are precisely matched in the GUV-attached configuration, breaking the patch membrane also ruptures the GUV. Second, GUVs shrink irreversibly because the membrane/glass adhesion creating the high-resistance seal (>1 GΩ) continuously pulls membrane into the pipette. In contrast, for cell-derived giant plasma membrane vesicles (GPMVs), breaking the patch membrane allows the GPMV contents to passivate the pipette surface, thereby dynamically blocking membrane spreading in the whole-GMPV mode. To mimic this dynamic passivation mechanism, beta-casein was encapsulated into GUVs, yielding a stable, high-resistance, whole-GUV configuration for a range of membrane compositions. Specific membrane capacitance measurements confirmed that the membranes were truly solvent-free and that membrane tension could be controlled over a physiological range. Finally, the potential for ion transport studies was tested using the model ion channel, gramicidin, and voltage-clamp fluorometry measurements were performed with a voltage-dependent fluorophore/quencher pair. Whole-GUV patch-clamping allows ion transport and other voltage-dependent processes to be studied while controlling membrane composition, tension, and shape.
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11
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Neethling A, Mouton J, Loos B, Corfield V, de Villiers C, Kinnear C. Filamin C: a novel component of the KCNE2 interactome during hypoxia. Cardiovasc J Afr 2016; 27:4-11. [PMID: 26956495 PMCID: PMC4816932 DOI: 10.5830/cvja-2015-049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2014] [Accepted: 05/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim KCNE2 encodes for the potassium voltage-gated channel, KCNE2. Mutations in KCNE2 have been associated with long-QT syndrome (LQTS). While KCNE2 has been extensively studied, the functions of its C-terminal domain remain inadequately described. Here, we aimed to elucidate the functions of this domain by identifying its protein interactors using yeast two-hybrid analysis. Methods The C-terminal domain of KCNE2 was used as bait to screen a human cardiac cDNA library for putative interacting proteins. Co-localisation and co-immunoprecipitation analyses were used for verification. Results Filamin C (FLNC) was identified as a putative interactor with KCNE2. FLNC and KCNE2 co-localised within the cell, however, a physical interaction was only observed under hypoxic conditions. Conclusion The identification of FLNC as a novel KCNE2 ligand not only enhances current understanding of ion channel function and regulation, but also provides valuable information about possible pathways likely to be involved in LQTS pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Neethling
- DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, SA MRC Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
| | - Jomien Mouton
- DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, SA MRC Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
| | - Ben Loos
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Valerie Corfield
- DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, SA MRC Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
| | - Carin de Villiers
- DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, SA MRC Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
| | - Craig Kinnear
- DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, SA MRC Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
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12
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Grandi E, Sanguinetti MC, Bartos DC, Bers DM, Chen-Izu Y, Chiamvimonvat N, Colecraft HM, Delisle BP, Heijman J, Navedo MF, Noskov S, Proenza C, Vandenberg JI, Yarov-Yarovoy V. Potassium channels in the heart: structure, function and regulation. J Physiol 2016; 595:2209-2228. [PMID: 27861921 DOI: 10.1113/jp272864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper is the outcome of the fourth UC Davis Systems Approach to Understanding Cardiac Excitation-Contraction Coupling and Arrhythmias Symposium, a biannual event that aims to bring together leading experts in subfields of cardiovascular biomedicine to focus on topics of importance to the field. The theme of the 2016 symposium was 'K+ Channels and Regulation'. Experts in the field contributed their experimental and mathematical modelling perspectives and discussed emerging questions, controversies and challenges on the topic of cardiac K+ channels. This paper summarizes the topics of formal presentations and informal discussions from the symposium on the structural basis of voltage-gated K+ channel function, as well as the mechanisms involved in regulation of K+ channel gating, expression and membrane localization. Given the critical role for K+ channels in determining the rate of cardiac repolarization, it is hardly surprising that essentially every aspect of K+ channel function is exquisitely regulated in cardiac myocytes. This regulation is complex and highly interrelated to other aspects of myocardial function. K+ channel regulatory mechanisms alter, and are altered by, physiological challenges, pathophysiological conditions, and pharmacological agents. An accompanying paper focuses on the integrative role of K+ channels in cardiac electrophysiology, i.e. how K+ currents shape the cardiac action potential, and how their dysfunction can lead to arrhythmias, and discusses K+ channel-based therapeutics. A fundamental understanding of K+ channel regulatory mechanisms and disease processes is fundamental to reveal new targets for human therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Grandi
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Michael C Sanguinetti
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Daniel C Bartos
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Donald M Bers
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Ye Chen-Izu
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Nipavan Chiamvimonvat
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Henry M Colecraft
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Brian P Delisle
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Jordi Heijman
- Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Manuel F Navedo
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Sergei Noskov
- Centre for Molecular Simulation, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Catherine Proenza
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado - Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Jamie I Vandenberg
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia
| | - Vladimir Yarov-Yarovoy
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
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13
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Mruk K, Kobertz WR. Bioreactive Tethers. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2015; 869:77-100. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-2845-3_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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14
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Plant LD, Xiong D, Dai H, Goldstein SAN. Individual IKs channels at the surface of mammalian cells contain two KCNE1 accessory subunits. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:E1438-46. [PMID: 24591645 PMCID: PMC3986162 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1323548111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
KCNE1 (E1) β-subunits assemble with KCNQ1 (Q1) voltage-gated K(+) channel α-subunits to form IKslow (IKs) channels in the heart and ear. The number of E1 subunits in IKs channels has been an issue of ongoing debate. Here, we use single-molecule spectroscopy to demonstrate that surface IKs channels with human subunits contain two E1 and four Q1 subunits. This stoichiometry does not vary. Thus, IKs channels in cells with elevated levels of E1 carry no more than two E1 subunits. Cells with low levels of E1 produce IKs channels with two E1 subunits and Q1 channels with no E1 subunits--channels with one E1 do not appear to form or are restricted from surface expression. The plethora of models of cardiac function, transgenic animals, and drug screens based on variable E1 stoichiometry do not reflect physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Hui Dai
- Department of Biochemistry, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453
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15
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16
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Zhang X, Hughes BA. KCNQ and KCNE potassium channel subunit expression in bovine retinal pigment epithelium. Exp Eye Res 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2013.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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17
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Molecular determinants of co- and post-translational N-glycosylation of type I transmembrane peptides. Biochem J 2013; 453:427-34. [PMID: 23718681 DOI: 10.1042/bj20130028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Type I transmembrane peptides acquire N-linked glycans during and after protein synthesis to facilitate anterograde trafficking through the secretory pathway. Mutations in N-glycosylation consensus sites (NXT and NXS, where X≠P) that alter the kinetics of the initial N-glycan attachment have been associated with cardiac arrhythmias; however, the molecular determinants that define co- and post-translational consensus sites in proteins are not known. In the present study, we identified co- and post-translational consensus sites in the KCNE family of K+ channel regulatory subunits to uncover three determinants that favour co-translational N-glycosylation kinetics of type I transmembrane peptides which lack a cleavable signal sequence: threonine-containing consensus sites (NXT), multiple N-terminal consensus sites and long C-termini. The identification of these three molecular determinants now makes it possible to predict co- and post-translational consensus sites in type I transmembrane peptides.
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18
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David JP, Andersen MN, Olesen SP, Rasmussen HB, Schmitt N. Trafficking of the IKs -complex in MDCK cells: site of subunit assembly and determinants of polarized localization. Traffic 2013; 14:399-411. [PMID: 23324056 DOI: 10.1111/tra.12042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2012] [Revised: 01/08/2013] [Accepted: 01/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The voltage-gated potassium channel KV 7.1 is regulated by non-pore forming regulatory KCNE β-subunits. Together with KCNE1, it forms the slowly activating delayed rectifier potassium current IKs . However, where the subunits assemble and which of the subunits determines localization of the IKs -complex has not been unequivocally resolved yet. We employed trafficking-deficient KV 7.1 and KCNE1 mutants to investigate IKs trafficking using the polarized Madin-Darby Canine Kidney cell line. We find that the assembly happens early in the secretory pathway but provide three lines of evidence that it takes place in a post-endoplasmic reticulum compartment. We demonstrate that KV 7.1 targets the IKs -complex to the basolateral membrane, but that KCNE1 can redirect the complex to the apical membrane upon mutation of critical KV 7.1 basolateral targeting signals. Our data provide a possible explanation to the fact that KV 7.1 can be localized apically or basolaterally in different epithelial tissues and offer a solution to divergent literature results regarding the effect of KCNE subunits on the subcellular localization of KV 7.1/KCNE complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens-Peter David
- The Ion Channel Group, Danish National Foundation Centre for Cardiac Arrhythmia, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 2200, Denmark
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19
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Kanda VA, Abbott GW. KCNE Regulation of K(+) Channel Trafficking - a Sisyphean Task? Front Physiol 2012; 3:231. [PMID: 22754540 PMCID: PMC3385356 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2012.00231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2012] [Accepted: 06/08/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels shape the action potentials of excitable cells and regulate membrane potential and ion homeostasis in excitable and non-excitable cells. With 40 known members in the human genome and a variety of homomeric and heteromeric pore-forming α subunit interactions, post-translational modifications, cellular locations, and expression patterns, the functional repertoire of the Kv α subunit family is monumental. This versatility is amplified by a host of interacting proteins, including the single membrane-spanning KCNE ancillary subunits. Here, examining both the secretory and the endocytic pathways, we review recent findings illustrating the surprising virtuosity of the KCNE proteins in orchestrating not just the function, but also the composition, diaspora and retrieval of channels formed by their Kv α subunit partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikram A Kanda
- Department of Biology, Manhattan College Riverdale, New York, NY, USA
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20
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Roura-Ferrer M, Solé L, Oliveras A, Villarroel A, Comes N, Felipe A. Targeting of Kv7.5 (KCNQ5)/KCNE channels to surface microdomains of cell membranes. Muscle Nerve 2012; 45:48-54. [PMID: 22190306 DOI: 10.1002/mus.22231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Kv7.5 (KCNQ5) channels conduct M-type potassium currents in the brain, are expressed in skeletal muscle, and contribute to vascular muscle tone. METHODS We coexpressed Kv7.5 and KCNE1-3 peptides in HEK293 cells and then analyzed their association using electrophysiology and co-immunoprecipitation, assessed localization using confocal microscopy, examined targeting of the oligomeric channels to cholesterol-rich membrane surface microdomains using lipid raft isolation, and evaluated their membrane dynamics using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP). RESULTS Kv7.5 forms oligomeric channels specifically with KCNE1 and KCNE3. The expression of Kv7.5 targeted to cholesterol-rich membrane surface microdomains was very low. Oligomeric Kv7.5/KCNE1 and Kv7.5/KCNE3 channels did not localize to lipid rafts. However, Kv7.5 association impaired KCNE3 expression in lipid raft microdomains. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that Kv7.5 contributes to the spatial regulation of KCNE3. This new scenario could greatly assist in determining the physiological relevance of putative KCNE3 interactions in nerve and muscle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meritxell Roura-Ferrer
- Molecular Physiology Laboratory, Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biomedicina, Universitat de Barcelona, Avenida Diagonal 645, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
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21
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Abstract
KCNE2, originally designated MinK-related peptide 1 (MiRP1), belongs to a five-strong family of potassium channel ancillary (β) subunits that, despite the diminutive size of the family and its members, has loomed large in the field of ion channel physiology. KCNE2 dictates K (+) channel gating, conductance, α subunit composition, trafficking and pharmacology, and also modifies functional properties of monovalent cation-nonselective HCN channels. The Kcne2 (-/-) mouse exhibits cardiac arrhythmia and hypertrophy, achlorhydria, gastric neoplasia, hypothyroidism, alopecia, stunted growth and choroid plexus epithelial dysfunction, illustrating the breadth and depth of the influence of KCNE2, mutations which are also associated with human cardiac arrhythmias. Here, the modus operandi and physiological roles of this potent regulator of membrane excitability and ion secretion are reviewed with particular emphasis on the ability of KCNE2 to shape the electrophysiological landscape of both excitable and non-excitable cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey W Abbott
- Departments of Pharmacology and Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
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22
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The voltage-gated channel accessory protein KCNE2: multiple ion channel partners, multiple ways to long QT syndrome. Expert Rev Mol Med 2011; 13:e38. [DOI: 10.1017/s1462399411002092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The single-pass transmembrane protein KCNE2 or MIRP1 was once thought to be the missing accessory protein that combined with hERG to fully recapitulate the cardiac repolarising current IKr. As a result of this role, it was an easy next step to associate mutations in KCNE2 to long QT syndrome, in which there is delayed repolarisation of the heart. Since that time however, KCNE2 has been shown to modify the behaviour of several other channels and currents, and its role in the heart and in the aetiology of long QT syndrome has become less clear. In this article, we review the known interactions of the KCNE2 protein and the resulting functional effects, and the effects of mutations in KCNE2 and their clinical role.
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23
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Girmatsion Z, Biliczki P, Takac I, Schwerthelm C, Hohnloser SH, Ehrlich JR. N-terminal arginines modulate plasma-membrane localization of Kv7.1/KCNE1 channel complexes. PLoS One 2011; 6:e26967. [PMID: 22073228 PMCID: PMC3208574 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0026967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2011] [Accepted: 10/06/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The slow delayed rectifier current (I(Ks)) is important for cardiac action potential termination. The underlying channel is composed of Kv7.1 α-subunits and KCNE1 β-subunits. While most evidence suggests a role of KCNE1 transmembrane domain and C-terminus for the interaction, the N-terminal KCNE1 polymorphism 38G is associated with reduced I(Ks) and atrial fibrillation (a human arrhythmia). Structure-function relationship of the KCNE1 N-terminus for I(Ks) modulation is poorly understood and was subject of this study. METHODS We studied N-terminal KCNE1 constructs disrupting structurally important positively charged amino-acids (arginines) at positions 32, 33, 36 as well as KCNE1 constructs that modify position 38 including an N-terminal truncation mutation. Experimental procedures included molecular cloning, patch-clamp recording, protein biochemistry, real-time-PCR and confocal microscopy. RESULTS All KCNE1 constructs physically interacted with Kv7.1. I(Ks) resulting from co-expression of Kv7.1 with non-atrial fibrillation '38S' was greater than with any other construct. Ionic currents resulting from co-transfection of a KCNE1 mutant with arginine substitutions ('38G-3xA') were comparable to currents evoked from cells transfected with an N-terminally truncated KCNE1-construct ('Δ1-38'). Western-blots from plasma-membrane preparations and confocal images consistently showed a greater amount of Kv7.1 protein at the plasma-membrane in cells co-transfected with the non-atrial fibrillation KCNE1-38S than with any other construct. CONCLUSIONS The results of our study indicate that N-terminal arginines in positions 32, 33, 36 of KCNE1 are important for reconstitution of I(Ks). Furthermore, our results hint towards a role of these N-terminal amino-acids in membrane representation of the delayed rectifier channel complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zenawit Girmatsion
- Division of Cardiology, Section of Electrophysiology, JW Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
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24
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Kanda VA, Lewis A, Xu X, Abbott GW. KCNE1 and KCNE2 inhibit forward trafficking of homomeric N-type voltage-gated potassium channels. Biophys J 2011; 101:1354-63. [PMID: 21943416 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2011.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2011] [Revised: 07/25/2011] [Accepted: 08/04/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Potassium currents generated by voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels comprising α-subunits from the Kv1, 2, and 3 subfamilies facilitate high-frequency firing of mammalian neurons. Within these subfamilies, only three α-subunits (Kv1.4, Kv3.3, and Kv3.4) generate currents that decay rapidly in the open state because an N-terminal ball domain blocks the channel pore after activation-a process termed N-type inactivation. Despite its importance to shaping cellular excitability, little is known of the processes regulating surface expression of N-type α-subunits, versus their slowly inactivating (delayed rectifier) counterparts. Here we found that currents generated by homomeric Kv1.4, Kv3.3, and Kv3.4 channels are all strongly suppressed by the single transmembrane domain ancillary (β) subunits KCNE1 and KCNE2. A combination of electrophysiological, biochemical, and immunofluorescence analyses revealed this suppression is due to KCNE1 and KCNE2 retaining Kv1.4 and Kv3.4 intracellularly, early in the secretory pathway. The retention is specific, requires α-β coassembly, and does not involve the dynamin-dependent endocytosis pathway. However, the small fraction of Kv3.4 that escapes KCNE-dependent retention is regulated by dynamin-dependent endocytosis. The findings illustrate two contrasting mechanisms controlling surface expression of N-type Kv α-subunits and therefore, potentially, cellular excitability and refractory periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikram A Kanda
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
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25
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Bas T, Gao GY, Lvov A, Chandrasekhar KD, Gilmore R, Kobertz WR. Post-translational N-glycosylation of type I transmembrane KCNE1 peptides: implications for membrane protein biogenesis and disease. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:28150-9. [PMID: 21676880 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.235168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
N-Glycosylation of membrane proteins is critical for their proper folding, co-assembly and subsequent matriculation through the secretory pathway. Here, we examine the kinetics of N-glycan addition to type I transmembrane KCNE1 K(+) channel β-subunits, where point mutations that prevent N-glycosylation at one consensus site give rise to disorders of the cardiac rhythm and congenital deafness. We show that KCNE1 has two distinct N-glycosylation sites: a typical co-translational site and a consensus site ∼20 residues away that unexpectedly acquires N-glycans after protein synthesis (post-translational). Mutations that ablate the co-translational site concomitantly reduce glycosylation at the post-translational site, resulting in unglycosylated KCNE1 subunits that cannot reach the cell surface with their cognate K(+) channel. This long range inhibition is highly specific for post-translational N-glycosylation because mutagenic conversion of the KCNE1 post-translational site into a co-translational site restored both monoglycosylation and anterograde trafficking. These results directly explain how a single point mutation can prevent N-glycan attachment at multiple sites, providing a new biogenic mechanism for human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuba Bas
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605-2324, USA
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26
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Chandrasekhar KD, Lvov A, Terrenoire C, Gao GY, Kass RS, Kobertz WR. O-glycosylation of the cardiac I(Ks) complex. J Physiol 2011; 589:3721-30. [PMID: 21669976 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2011.211284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Post-translational modifications of the KCNQ1–KCNE1 (Kv7) K+ channel complex are vital for regulation of the cardiac IKs current and action potential duration. Here, we show the KCNE1 regulatory subunit is O-glycosylated with mucin-type glycans in vivo. As O-linked glycosylation sites are not recognizable by sequence gazing, we designed a novel set of glycosylation mutants and KCNE chimeras and analysed their glycan content using deglycosylation enzymes. Our results show that KCNE1 is exclusively O-glycosylated at Thr-7, which is also required for N-glycosylation at Asn-5. For wild type KCNE1, the overlapping N- and O-glycosylation sites are innocuous for subunit biogenesis; however, mutation of Thr-7 to a non-hydroxylated residue yielded mostly unglycosylated protein and a small fraction of mono-N-glycosylated protein. The compounded hypoglycosylation was equally deleterious for KCNQ1–KCNE1 cell surface expression, demonstrating that KCNE1 O-glycosylation is a post-translational modification that is integral for the proper biogenesis and anterograde trafficking of the cardiac IKs complex. The enzymatic assays and panel of glycosylation mutants used here will be valuable for identifying the different KCNE1 glycoforms in native cells and determining the roles N- and O-glycosylation play in KCNQ1–KCNE1 function and localization in cardiomyocytes,
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Affiliation(s)
- Kshama D Chandrasekhar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605-2324, USA
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27
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Hua Z, Lvov A, Morin TJ, Kobertz WR. Chemical control of metabolically-engineered voltage-gated K+ channels. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2011; 21:5021-4. [PMID: 21576020 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2011.04.099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2011] [Revised: 04/19/2011] [Accepted: 04/21/2011] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic oligosaccharide engineering is a powerful approach for installing unnatural glycans with unique functional groups into the glycocalyx of living cells and animals. Using this approach, we showed that K(+) channel complexes decorated with thiol-containing sialic acids were irreversibly inhibited with scorpion toxins bearing a pendant maleimide group. Irreversible inhibition required a glycosylated K(+) channel subunit and was completely reversible with mild reductant when the tether connecting the toxin to the maleimide contained a disulfide bond. Cleavage of the disulfide bond not only restored function, but delivered a biotin moiety to the modified K(+) channel subunit, providing a novel approach for preferentially labeling wild type K(+) channel complexes functioning in cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengmao Hua
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Programs in Neuroscience and Chemical Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605-2324, USA
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28
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Kim DG, Oh JH, Lee EH, Lee JH, Park HJ, Kim CY, Kwon MS, Yoon S. The stoichiometric relationship between KCNH-2 and KCNE-2 in IKr channel formation. Int J Cardiol 2010; 145:272-274. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2009.09.552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2009] [Revised: 08/25/2009] [Accepted: 09/09/2009] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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29
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Abstract
The KCNQ1 voltage-gated potassium channel and its auxiliary subunit KCNE1 play a crucial role in the regulation of the heartbeat. The stoichiometry of KCNQ1 and KCNE1 complex has been debated, with some results suggesting that the four KCNQ1 subunits that form the channel associate with two KCNE1 subunits (a 42 stoichiometry), while others have suggested that the stoichiometry may not be fixed. We applied a single molecule fluorescence bleaching method to count subunits in many individual complexes and found that the stoichiometry of the KCNQ1 - KCNE1 complex is flexible, with up to four KCNE1 subunits associating with the four KCNQ1 subunits of the channel (a 44 stoichiometry). The proportion of the various stoichiometries was found to depend on the relative expression densities of KCNQ1 and KCNE1. Strikingly, both the voltage-dependence and kinetics of gating were found to depend on the relative densities of KCNQ1 and KCNE1, suggesting the heart rhythm may be regulated by the relative expression of the auxiliary subunit and the resulting stoichiometry of the channel complex.
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30
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Roura-Ferrer M, Solé L, Oliveras A, Dahan R, Bielanska J, Villarroel A, Comes N, Felipe A. Impact of KCNE subunits on KCNQ1 (Kv7.1) channel membrane surface targeting. J Cell Physiol 2010; 225:692-700. [PMID: 20533308 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.22265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The KCNQ1 (Kv7.1) channel plays an important role in cardiovascular physiology. Cardiomyocytes co-express KCNQ1 with KCNE1-5 proteins. KCNQ1 may co-associate with multiple KCNE regulatory subunits to generate different biophysically and pharmacologically distinct channels. Increasing evidence indicates that the location and targeting of channels are important determinants of their function. In this context, the presence of K(+) channels in sphingolipid-cholesterol-enriched membrane microdomains (lipid rafts) is under investigation. Lipid rafts are important for cardiovascular functioning. We aimed to determine whether KCNE subunits modify the localization and targeting of KCNQ1 channels in lipid rafts microdomains. HEK-293 cells were transiently transfected with KCNQ1 and KCNE1-5, and their traffic and presence in lipid rafts were analyzed. Only KCNQ1 and KCNE3, when expressed alone, co-localized in raft fractions. In addition, while KCNE2 and KCNE5 notably stained the cell surface, KCNQ1 and the rest of the KCNEs showed strong intracellular retention. KCNQ1 targets multiple membrane surface microdomains upon association with KCNE peptides. Thus, while KCNQ1/KCNE1 and KCNQ1/KCNE2 channels target lipid rafts, KCNQ1 associated with KCNE3-5 did not. Channel membrane dynamics, analyzed by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) experiments, further supported these results. In conclusion, the trafficking and targeting pattern of KCNQ1 can be influenced by its association with KCNEs. Since KCNQ1 is crucial for cardiovascular physiology, the temporal and spatial regulations that different KCNE subunits may confer to the channels could have a dramatic impact on membrane electrical activity and putative endocrine regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meritxell Roura-Ferrer
- Molecular Physiology Laboratory, Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Lvov A, Gage SD, Berrios VM, Kobertz WR. Identification of a protein-protein interaction between KCNE1 and the activation gate machinery of KCNQ1. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 135:607-18. [PMID: 20479109 PMCID: PMC2888057 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.200910386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
KCNQ1 channels assemble with KCNE1 transmembrane (TM) peptides to form voltage-gated K+ channel complexes with slow activation gate opening. The cytoplasmic C-terminal domain that abuts the KCNE1 TM segment has been implicated in regulating KCNQ1 gating, yet its interaction with KCNQ1 has not been described. Here, we identified a protein–protein interaction between the KCNE1 C-terminal domain and the KCNQ1 S6 activation gate and S4–S5 linker. Using cysteine cross-linking, we biochemically screened over 300 cysteine pairs in the KCNQ1–KCNE1 complex and identified three residues in KCNQ1 (H363C, P369C, and I257C) that formed disulfide bonds with cysteine residues in the KCNE1 C-terminal domain. Statistical analysis of cross-link efficiency showed that H363C preferentially reacted with KCNE1 residues H73C, S74C, and D76C, whereas P369C showed preference for only D76C. Electrophysiological investigation of the mutant K+ channel complexes revealed that the KCNQ1 residue, H363C, formed cross-links not only with KCNE1 subunits, but also with neighboring KCNQ1 subunits in the complex. Cross-link formation involving the H363C residue was state dependent, primarily occurring when the KCNQ1–KCNE1 complex was closed. Based on these biochemical and electrophysiological data, we generated a closed-state model of the KCNQ1–KCNE1 cytoplasmic region where these protein–protein interactions are poised to slow activation gate opening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anatoli Lvov
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Programs in Neuroscience and Chemical Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
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32
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Vanoye CG, Welch RC, Tian C, Sanders CR, George AL. KCNQ1/KCNE1 assembly, co-translation not required. Channels (Austin) 2010; 4:108-14. [PMID: 20139709 DOI: 10.4161/chan.4.2.11141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Voltage-gated potassium channels are often assembled with accessory proteins that increase their functional diversity. KCNE proteins are small accessory proteins that modulate voltage-gated potassium (K(V)) channels. Although the functional effects of various KCNE proteins have been described, many questions remain regarding their assembly with the pore-forming subunits. For example, while previous experiments with some K(V) channels suggest that the association of the pore-subunit with the accessory subunits occurs co-translationally in the endoplasmic reticulum, it is not known whether KCNQ1 assembly with KCNE1 occurs in a similar manner to generate the medically important cardiac slow delayed rectifier current (I(Ks)). In this study we used a novel approach to demonstrate that purified recombinant human KCNE1 protein (prKCNE1) modulates KCNQ1 channels heterologously expressed in Xenopus oocytes resulting in generation of I(Ks). Incubation of KCNQ1-expressing oocytes with cycloheximide did not prevent I(Ks) expression following prKCNE1 injection. By contrast, incubation with brefeldin A prevented KCNQ1 modulation by prKCNE1. Moreover, injection of the trafficking-deficient KCNE1-L51H reduced KCNQ1 currents. Together, these observations indicate that while assembly of KCNE1 with KCNQ1 does not require co-translation, functional KCNQ1-prKCNE1 channels assemble early in the secretory pathway and reach the plasma membrane via vesicular trafficking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos G Vanoye
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
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33
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Harmer SC, Wilson AJ, Aldridge R, Tinker A. Mechanisms of disease pathogenesis in long QT syndrome type 5. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2009; 298:C263-73. [PMID: 19907016 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00308.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
KCNE1 associates with the pore-forming alpha-subunit KCNQ1 to generate the slow (I(Ks)) current in cardiac myocytes. Mutations in either KCNQ1 or KCNE1 can alter the biophysical properties of I(Ks) and mutations in KCNE1 underlie cases of long QT syndrome type 5 (LQT5). We previously investigated a mutation in KCNE1, T58P/L59P, which causes severe attenuation of I(Ks). However, how T58P/L59P acts to disrupt I(Ks) has not been determined. In this study, we investigate and compare the effects of T58P/L59P with three other LQT5 mutations (G52R, S74L, and R98W) on the biophysical properties of the current, trafficking of KCNQ1, and assembly of the I(Ks) channel. G52R and T58P/L59P produce currents that lack the kinetic behavior of I(Ks). In contrast, S74L and R98W both produce I(Ks)-like currents but with rightward shifted voltage dependence of activation. All of the LQT5 mutants express protein robustly, and T58P/L59P and R98W cause modest, but significant, defects in the trafficking of KCNQ1. Despite defects in trafficking, in the presence of KCNQ1, T58P/L59P and the other LQT5 mutants are present at the plasma membrane. Interestingly, in comparison to KCNE1 and the other LQT5 mutants, T58P/L59P associates only weakly with KCNQ1. In conclusion, we identify the disease mechanisms for each mutation and reveal that T58P/L59P causes disease through a novel mechanism that involves defective I(Ks) complex assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen C Harmer
- Department of Medicine, University College London, London, WC1E 6JJ, UK
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34
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Solé L, Roura-Ferrer M, Pérez-Verdaguer M, Oliveras A, Calvo M, Fernández-Fernández JM, Felipe A. KCNE4 suppresses Kv1.3 currents by modulating trafficking, surface expression and channel gating. J Cell Sci 2009; 122:3738-48. [PMID: 19773357 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.056689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Voltage-dependent potassium channels (Kv) play a crucial role in the activation and proliferation of leukocytes. Kv channels are either homo- or hetero-oligomers. This composition modulates their surface expression and serves as a mechanism for regulating channel activity. Kv channel interaction with accessory subunits provides mechanisms for channels to respond to stimuli beyond changes in membrane potential. Here, we demonstrate that KCNE4 (potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily E member 4), but not KCNE2, functions as an inhibitory Kv1.3 partner in leukocytes. Kv1.3 trafficking, targeting and activity are altered by the presence of KCNE4. KCNE4 decreases current density, slows activation, accelerates inactivation, increases cumulative inactivation, retains Kv1.3 in the ER and impairs channel targeting to lipid raft microdomains. KCNE4 associates with Kv1.3 in the ER and decreases the number of Kv1.3 channels at the cell surface, which diminishes cell excitability. Kv1.3 and KCNE4 are differentially regulated upon activation or immunosuppression in macrophages. Thus, lipopolysaccharide-induced activation increases Kv1.3 and KCNE4 mRNA, whereas dexamethasone triggers a decrease in Kv1.3 with no changes in KCNE4. The channelosome composition determines the activity and affects surface expression and membrane localization. Therefore, KCNE4 association might play a crucial role in controlling immunological responses. Our results indicate that KCNE ancillary subunits could be new targets for immunomodulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Solé
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Molecular Physiology Laboratory, Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Avda. Diagonal 645, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
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35
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Clancy SM, Chen B, Bertaso F, Mamet J, Jegla T. KCNE1 and KCNE3 beta-subunits regulate membrane surface expression of Kv12.2 K(+) channels in vitro and form a tripartite complex in vivo. PLoS One 2009; 4:e6330. [PMID: 19623261 PMCID: PMC2710002 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0006330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2009] [Accepted: 06/17/2009] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Voltage-gated potassium channels that activate near the neuronal resting membrane potential are important regulators of excitation in the nervous system, but their functional diversity is still not well understood. For instance, Kv12.2 (ELK2, KCNH3) channels are highly expressed in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, and although they are most likely to contribute to resting potassium conductance, surprisingly little is known about their function or regulation. Here we demonstrate that the auxiliary MinK (KCNE1) and MiRP2 (KCNE3) proteins are important regulators of Kv12.2 channel function. Reduction of endogenous KCNE1 or KCNE3 expression by siRNA silencing, significantly increased macroscopic Kv12.2 currents in Xenopus oocytes by around 4-fold. Interestingly, an almost 9-fold increase in Kv12.2 currents was observed with the dual injection of KCNE1 and KCNE3 siRNA, suggesting an additive effect. Consistent with these findings, over-expression of KCNE1 and/or KCNE3 suppressed Kv12.2 currents. Membrane surface biotinylation assays showed that surface expression of Kv12.2 was significantly increased by KCNE1 and KCNE3 siRNA, whereas total protein expression of Kv12.2 was not affected. KCNE1 and KCNE3 siRNA shifted the voltages for half-maximal activation to more hyperpolarized voltages, indicating that KCNE1 and KCNE3 may also inhibit activation gating of Kv12.2. Native co-immunoprecipitation assays from mouse brain membranes imply that KCNE1 and KCNE3 interact with Kv12.2 simultaneously in vivo, suggesting the existence of novel KCNE1-KCNE3-Kv12.2 channel tripartite complexes. Together these data indicate that KCNE1 and KCNE3 interact directly with Kv12.2 channels to regulate channel membrane trafficking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinead M. Clancy
- Department of Cell Biology, Institute for Childhood and Neglected Diseases, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Bihan Chen
- Department of Cell Biology, Institute for Childhood and Neglected Diseases, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Federica Bertaso
- Department of Cell Biology, Institute for Childhood and Neglected Diseases, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Julien Mamet
- Department of Cell Biology, Institute for Childhood and Neglected Diseases, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Timothy Jegla
- Department of Cell Biology, Institute for Childhood and Neglected Diseases, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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36
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Haitin Y, Wiener R, Shaham D, Peretz A, Cohen EBT, Shamgar L, Pongs O, Hirsch JA, Attali B. Intracellular domains interactions and gated motions of I(KS) potassium channel subunits. EMBO J 2009; 28:1994-2005. [PMID: 19521339 DOI: 10.1038/emboj.2009.157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2009] [Accepted: 05/11/2009] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Voltage-gated K(+) channels co-assemble with auxiliary beta subunits to form macromolecular complexes. In heart, assembly of Kv7.1 pore-forming subunits with KCNE1 beta subunits generates the repolarizing K(+) current I(KS). However, the detailed nature of their interface remains unknown. Mutations in either Kv7.1 or KCNE1 produce the life-threatening long or short QT syndromes. Here, we studied the interactions and voltage-dependent motions of I(KS) channel intracellular domains, using fluorescence resonance energy transfer combined with voltage-clamp recording and in vitro binding of purified proteins. The results indicate that the KCNE1 distal C-terminus interacts with the coiled-coil helix C of the Kv7.1 tetramerization domain. This association is important for I(KS) channel assembly rules as underscored by Kv7.1 current inhibition produced by a dominant-negative C-terminal domain. On channel opening, the C-termini of Kv7.1 and KCNE1 come close together. Co-expression of Kv7.1 with the KCNE1 long QT mutant D76N abolished the K(+) currents and gated motions. Thus, during channel gating KCNE1 is not static. Instead, the C-termini of both subunits experience molecular motions, which are disrupted by the D76N causing disease mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoni Haitin
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
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37
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Cai SQ, Wang Y, Park KH, Tong X, Pan Z, Sesti F. Auto-phosphorylation of a voltage-gated K+ channel controls non-associative learning. EMBO J 2009; 28:1601-11. [PMID: 19387491 DOI: 10.1038/emboj.2009.112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2008] [Accepted: 03/30/2009] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Here, we characterize a new K(+) channel-kinase complex that operates in the metazoan Caenorhabditis elegans to control learning behaviour. This channel is composed of a pore-forming subunit, dubbed KHT-1 (73% homology to human Kv3.1), and the accessory subunit MPS-1, which shows kinase activity. Genetic, biochemical and electrophysiological evidence show that KHT-1 and MPS-1 form a complex in vitro and in native mechanosensory PLM neurons, and that KHT-1 is a substrate for the kinase activity of MPS-1. Behavioural analysis further shows that the kinase activity of MPS-1 is specifically required for habituation to repetitive mechanical stimulation. Thus, worms bearing an inactive MPS-1 variant (D178N) respond normally to touch on the body but do not habituate to repetitive mechanical stimulation such as tapping on the side of the Petri dish. Hence, the phosphorylation status of KHT-1-MPS-1 seems to be linked to distinct behavioural responses. In the non-phosphorylated state the channel is necessary for the normal function of the touch neurons. In the auto-phosphorylated state the channel acts to induce neuronal adaptation to mechanical stimulation. Taken together, these data establish a new mechanism of dynamic regulation of electrical signalling in the nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi-Qing Cai
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
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38
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Jiang M, Xu X, Wang Y, Toyoda F, Liu XS, Zhang M, Robinson RB, Tseng GN. Dynamic partnership between KCNQ1 and KCNE1 and influence on cardiac IKs current amplitude by KCNE2. J Biol Chem 2009; 284:16452-16462. [PMID: 19372218 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m808262200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiac slow delayed rectifier (IKs) channel is composed of KCNQ1 (pore-forming) and KCNE1 (auxiliary) subunits. Although KCNE1 is an obligate IKs component that confers the uniquely slow gating kinetics, KCNE2 is also expressed in human heart. In vitro experiments suggest that KCNE2 can associate with the KCNQ1-KCNE1 complex to suppress the current amplitude without altering the slow gating kinetics. Our goal here is to test the role of KCNE2 in cardiac IKs channel function. Pulse-chase experiments in COS-7 cells show that there is a KCNE1 turnover in the KCNQ1-KCNE1 complex, supporting the possibility that KCNE1 in the IKs channel complex can be substituted by KCNE2 when the latter is available. Biotinylation experiments in COS-7 cells show that although KCNE1 relies on KCNQ1 coassembly for more efficient cell surface expression, KCNE2 can independently traffic to the cell surface, thus becoming available for substituting KCNE1 in the IKs channel complex. Injecting vesicles carrying KCNE1 or KCNE2 into KCNQ1-expressing oocytes leads to KCNQ1 modulation in the same manner as KCNQ1+KCNEx (where x=1 or 2) cRNA coinjection. Thus, free KCNEx peptides delivered to the cell membrane can associate with existing KCNQ1 channels to modulate their function. Finally, adenovirus-mediated KCNE2 expression in adult guinea pig ventricular myocytes exhibited colocalization with native KCNQ1 protein and reduces the native IKs current density. We propose that in cardiac myocytes the IKs current amplitude is under dynamic control by the availability of KCNE2 subunits in the cell membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Jiang
- From the Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298
| | - Xulin Xu
- From the Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298
| | - Yuhong Wang
- From the Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298
| | - Futoshi Toyoda
- Department of Physiology, Shiga University of Medical Science, Shiga 520-2192, Japan
| | - Xian-Sheng Liu
- From the Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298
| | - Mei Zhang
- From the Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298
| | - Richard B Robinson
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Molecular Therapeutics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032
| | - Gea-Ny Tseng
- From the Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298.
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39
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Location of KCNE1 relative to KCNQ1 in the I(KS) potassium channel by disulfide cross-linking of substituted cysteines. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2009; 106:743-8. [PMID: 19131515 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0811897106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The cardiac-delayed rectifier K(+) current (I(KS)) is carried by a complex of KCNQ1 (Q1) subunits, containing the voltage-sensor domains and the pore, and auxiliary KCNE1 (E1) subunits, required for the characteristic I(KS) voltage dependence and kinetics. To locate the transmembrane helix of E1 (E1-TM) relative to the Q1 TM helices (S1-S6), we mutated, one at a time, the first four residues flanking the extracellular ends of S1-S6 and E1-TM to Cys, coexpressed all combinations of Q1 and E1 Cys-substituted mutants in CHO cells, and determined the extents of spontaneous disulfide-bond formation. Cys-flanking E1-TM readily formed disulfides with Cys-flanking S1 and S6, much less so with the S3-S4 linker, and not at all with S2 or S5. These results imply that the extracellular flank of the E1-TM is located between S1 and S6 on different subunits of Q1. The salient functional effects of selected cross-links were as follows. A disulfide from E1 K41C to S1 I145C strongly slowed deactivation, and one from E1 L42C to S6 V324C eliminated deactivation. Given that E1-TM is between S1 and S6 and that K41C and L42C are likely to point approximately oppositely, these two cross-links are likely to favor similar axial rotations of E1-TM. In the opposite orientation, a disulfide from E1 K41C to S6 V324C slightly slowed activation, and one from E1 L42C to S1 I145C slightly speeded deactivation. Thus, the first E1 orientation strongly favors the open state, while the approximately opposite orientation favors the closed state.
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40
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Jerng HH, Pfaffinger PJ. Multiple Kv channel-interacting proteins contain an N-terminal transmembrane domain that regulates Kv4 channel trafficking and gating. J Biol Chem 2008; 283:36046-59. [PMID: 18957440 PMCID: PMC2602920 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m806852200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2008] [Revised: 10/22/2008] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Kv channel-interacting proteins (KChIPs) are auxiliary subunits of the heteromultimeric channel complexes that underlie neuronal I(SA), the subthreshold transient K(+) current that dynamically regulates membrane excitability, action potential firing properties, and long term potentiation. KChIPs form cytoplasmic associations with the principal pore-forming Kv4 subunits and typically mediate enhanced surface expression and accelerated recovery from depolarization-induced inactivation. An exception is KChIP4a, which dramatically suppresses Kv4 inactivation while promoting neither surface expression nor recovery. These unusual properties are attributed to the effects of a K channel inactivation suppressor domain (KISD) encoded within the variable N terminus of KChIP4a. Here, we have functionally and biochemically characterized two brain KChIP isoforms, KChIP2x and KChIP3x (also known as KChIP3b) and show that they also contain a functional KISD. Like KChIP4a and in contrast with non-KISD-containing KChIPs, both KChIP2x and KChIP3x strongly suppress inactivation and slow activation and inhibit the typical increases in surface expression of Kv4.2 channels. We then examined the properties of the KISD to determine potential mechanisms for its action. Subcellular fractionation shows that KChIP4a, KChIP2x, and KChIP3x are highly associated with the membrane fraction. Fluorescent confocal imaging of enhanced green fluorescent proteins (eGFP) N-terminally fused with KISD in HEK293T cells indicates that KISDs of KChIP4a, KChIP2x, and KChIP3x all autonomously target eGFP to intracellular membranes. Cell surface biotinylation experiments on KChIP4a indicate that the N terminus is exposed extracellularly, consistent with a transmembrane KISD. In summary, KChIP4a, KChIP2x, and KChIP3x comprise a novel class of KChIP isoforms characterized by an unusual transmembrane domain at their N termini that modulates Kv4 channel gating and trafficking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry H Jerng
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
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41
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McKeown L, Swanton L, Robinson P, Jones OT. Surface expression and distribution of voltage-gated potassium channels in neurons (Review). Mol Membr Biol 2008; 25:332-43. [PMID: 18446619 DOI: 10.1080/09687680801992470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The last decade has witnessed an exponential increase in interest in one of the great mysteries of nerve cell biology: Specifically, how do neurons know where to place the ion channels that control their excitability? Many of the most important insights have been gleaned from studies on the voltage-gated potassium channels (Kvs) which underlie the shape, duration and frequency of action potentials. In this review, we gather recent evidence on the expression, trafficking and maintenance mechanisms which control the surface density of Kvs in different subcellular compartments of neurons and how these may be regulated to control cell excitability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn McKeown
- Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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42
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Abstract
Voltage-gated K+ channels are dynamic macromolecular machines that open and close in response to changes in membrane potential. These multisubunit membrane-embedded proteins are responsible for governing neuronal excitability, maintaining cardiac rhythmicity, and regulating epithelial electrolyte homeostasis. High resolution crystal structures have provided snapshots of K+ channels caught in different states with incriminating molecular detail. Nonetheless, the connection between these static images and the specific trajectories of K+ channel movements is still being resolved by biochemical experimentation. Electrophysiological recordings in the presence of chemical modifying reagents have been a staple in ion channel structure/function studies during both the pre- and post-crystal structure eras. Small molecule tethering agents (chemoselective electrophiles linked to ligands) have proven to be particularly useful tools for defining the architecture and motions of K+ channels. This Minireview examines the synthesis and utilization of chemical tethering agents to probe and manipulate the assembly, structure, function, and molecular movements of voltage-gated K+ channel protein complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor J Morin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Programs in Neuroscience and Chemical Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605-2324
| | - William R Kobertz
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Programs in Neuroscience and Chemical Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605-2324.
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43
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Abstract
Voltage-gated potassium (K(V)) channels can form heteromultimeric complexes with a variety of accessory subunits, including KCNE proteins. Heterologous expression studies have demonstrated diverse functional effects of KCNE subunits on several K(V) channels, including KCNQ1 (K(V)7.1) that, together with KCNE1, generates the slow-delayed rectifier current (I(Ks)) important for cardiac repolarization. In particular, KCNE4 exerts a strong inhibitory effect on KCNQ1 and other K(V) channels, raising the possibility that this accessory subunit is an important potassium current modulator. A polyclonal KCNE4 antibody was developed to determine the human tissue expression pattern and to investigate the biochemical associations of this protein with KCNQ1. We found that KCNE4 is widely and variably expressed in several human tissues, with greatest abundance in brain, liver and testis. In heterologous expression experiments, immunoprecipitation followed by immunoblotting was used to establish that KCNE4 directly associates with KCNQ1, and can co-associate together with KCNE1 in the same KCNQ1 complex to form a 'triple subunit' complex (KCNE1-KCNQ1-KCNE4). We also used cell surface biotinylation to demonstrate that KCNE4 does not impair plasma membrane expression of either KCNQ1 or the triple subunit complex, indicating that biophysical mechanisms probably underlie the inhibitory effects of KCNE4. The observation that multiple KCNE proteins can co-associate with and modulate KCNQ1 channels to produce biochemically diverse channel complexes has important implications for understanding K(V) channel regulation in human physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren J Manderfield
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, 2215 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
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44
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Abstract
LQTS (long QT syndrome) is an important cause of cardiac sudden death. LQTS is characterized by a prolongation of the QT interval on an electrocardiogram. This prolongation predisposes the individual to torsade-de-pointes and subsequent sudden death by ventricular fibrillation. Mutations in a number of genes that encode ion channels have been implicated in LQTS. Hereditary mutations in the alpha- and beta-subunits, KCNQ1 and KCNE1 respectively, of the K(+) channel pore I(Ks) are the commonest cause of LQTS and account for LQTS types 1 and 5 respectively (LQT1 and LQT5). Recently, it has been shown that disease pathogenesis in LQT1 can be influenced by the abnormal trafficking of KCNQ1. In comparison, whether defective trafficking of KCNE1 plays a role in LQT5 is less well established.
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45
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Counting membrane-embedded KCNE beta-subunits in functioning K+ channel complexes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2008; 105:1478-82. [PMID: 18223154 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0710366105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Ion channels are multisubunit proteins responsible for the generation and propagation of action potentials in nerve, skeletal muscle, and heart as well as maintaining salt and water homeostasis in epithelium. The subunit composition and stoichiometry of these membrane protein complexes underlies their physiological function, as different cells pair ion-conducting alpha-subunits with specific regulatory beta-subunits to produce complexes with diverse ion-conducting and gating properties. However, determining the number of alpha- and beta-subunits in functioning ion channel complexes is challenging and often fraught with contradictory results. Here we describe the synthesis of a chemically releasable, irreversible K(+) channel inhibitor and its iterative application to tally the number of beta-subunits in a KCNQ1/KCNE1 K(+) channel complex. Using this inhibitor in electrical recordings, we definitively show that there are two KCNE subunits in a functioning tetrameric K(+) channel, breaking the apparent fourfold arrangement of the ion-conducting subunits. This digital determination rules out any measurable contribution from supra, sub, and multiple stoichiometries, providing a uniform structural picture to interpret KCNE beta-subunit modulation of voltage-gated K(+) channels and the inherited mutations that cause dysfunction. Moreover, the architectural asymmetry of the K(+) channel complex affords a unique opportunity to therapeutically target ion channels that coassemble with KCNE beta-subunits.
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46
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Poulsen AN, Klaerke DA. The KCNE1 beta-subunit exerts a transient effect on the KCNQ1 K+ channel. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2007; 363:133-9. [PMID: 17845799 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2007.08.146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2007] [Accepted: 08/21/2007] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The KCNE1 beta-subunit is a modulatory one-trans-membrane segment accessory protein that alters KCNQ1 K(+) channel current characteristics, though it is not required for channel expression. The KCNE1 and KCNQ1 interaction was investigated by looking for effects of expression time on channel currents in Xenopus laevis oocytes. We found that long-time expression of KCNQ1+KCNE1 (2-14 days) resulted in gradual changes in current characteristics resembling a disappearance of KCNE1 from the oocyte plasma membrane. Towards the end of the expression period the current of oocytes expressing KCNQ1+KCNE1 was indistinguishable from those expressing KCNQ1 alone. No time dependent effect was seen in oocytes expressing KCNQ1 alone or a concatamer of KCNQ1 and KCNE1. Brefeldin A was tested, showing that measured current was independent of exocytosis (decreased capacitance) thus eliminating a continuous displacement-explanation. Based on the functional data, we suggest that the interaction between KNCE1 and KCNQ1 may be reversible and transient in a "Kiss & Go" manner, supporting a physiological role for KCNE1 as a dynamic regulatory molecule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asser Nyander Poulsen
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, IBHV, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Groennegaardsvej 7, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
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Tian C, Vanoye CG, Kang C, Welch RC, Kim HJ, George AL, Sanders CR. Preparation, functional characterization, and NMR studies of human KCNE1, a voltage-gated potassium channel accessory subunit associated with deafness and long QT syndrome. Biochemistry 2007; 46:11459-72. [PMID: 17892302 PMCID: PMC2565491 DOI: 10.1021/bi700705j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
KCNE1, also known as minK, is a member of the KCNE family of membrane proteins that modulate the function of KCNQ1 and certain other voltage-gated potassium channels (KV). Mutations in human KCNE1 cause congenital deafness and congenital long QT syndrome, an inherited predisposition to potentially life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. Although its modulation of KCNQ1 function has been extensively characterized, many questions remain regarding KCNE1's structure and location within the channel complex. In this study, KCNE1 was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified. Micellar solutions of the protein were then microinjected into Xenopus oocytes expressing KCNQ1 channels, followed by electrophysiological recordings aimed at testing whether recombinant KCNE1 can co-assemble with the channel. Nativelike modulation of channel properties was observed following injection of KCNE1 in lyso-myristoylphosphatidylglycerol (LMPG) micelles, indicating that KCNE1 is not irreversibly misfolded and that LMPG is able to act as a vehicle for delivering membrane proteins into the membranes of viable cells. 1H-15N TROSY NMR experiments indicated that LMPG micelles are well-suited for structural studies of KCNE1, leading to assignment of its backbone resonances and to relaxation studies. The chemical shift data confirmed that KCNE1's secondary structure includes several alpha-helices and demonstrated that its distal C-terminus is disordered. Surprisingly, for KCNE1 in LMPG micelles, there appears to be a break in alpha-helicity at sites 59-61, near the middle of the transmembrane segment, a feature that is accompanied by increased local backbone mobility. Given that this segment overlaps with sites 57-59, which are known to play a critical role in modulating KCNQ1 channel activation kinetics, this unusual structural feature likely has considerable functional relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Charles R. Sanders
- To whom correspondence should be addressed: E-mail: ; phone: 615−936−3756; fax: 615−936−2211
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Um SY, McDonald TV. Differential association between HERG and KCNE1 or KCNE2. PLoS One 2007; 2:e933. [PMID: 17895974 PMCID: PMC1978535 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0000933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2007] [Accepted: 09/04/2007] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The small proteins encoded by KCNE1 and KCNE2 have both been proposed as accessory subunits for the HERG channel. Here we report our investigation into the cell biology of the KCNE-HERG interaction. In a co-expression system, KCNE1 was more readily co-precipitated with co-expressed HERG than was KCNE2. When forward protein trafficking was prevented (either by Brefeldin A or engineering an ER-retention/retrieval signal onto KCNE cDNA) the intracellular abundance of KCNE2 and its association with HERG markedly increased relative to KCNE1. HERG co-localized more completely with KCNE1 than with KCNE2 in all the membrane-processing compartments of the cell (ER, Golgi and plasma membrane). By surface labeling and confocal immunofluorescence, KCNE2 appeared more abundant at the cell surface compared to KCNE1, which exhibited greater co-localization with the ER-marker calnexin. Examination of the extracellular culture media showed that a significant amount of KCNE2 was extracellular (both soluble and membrane-vesicle-associated). Taken together, these results suggest that during biogenesis of channels HERG is more likely to assemble with KCNE1 than KCNE2 due to distinctly different trafficking rates and retention in the cell rather than differences in relative affinity. The final channel subunit constitution, in vivo, is likely to be determined by a combination of relative cell-to-cell expression rates and differential protein processing and trafficking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung Yon Um
- Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
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Liu XS, Zhang M, Jiang M, Wu DM, Tseng GN. Probing the interaction between KCNE2 and KCNQ1 in their transmembrane regions. J Membr Biol 2007; 216:117-27. [PMID: 17676362 DOI: 10.1007/s00232-007-9047-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2007] [Accepted: 05/23/2007] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
KCNE1-KCNE5 are single membrane-spanning proteins that associate with voltage-gated potassium channels to diversify their function. Other than the KCNQ1/KCNE1 complex, little is known about how KCNE proteins work. We focus on KCNE2, which associates with KCNQ1 to form K channels critical for gastric acid secretion in parietal cells. We use cysteine (Cys)-scanning mutagenesis to probe the functional role of residues along the KCNE2 transmembrane domain (TMD) in modulating KCNQ1 function. There is an alpha-helical periodicity in how Cys substitutions along the KCNE2 TMD perturb KCNQ1 pore conductance/ion selectivity. However, positions where Cys substitutions perturb KCNQ1 gating kinetics cluster to the extracellular end and cytoplasmic half of the KCNE2 TMD. This is the first systematic perturbation analysis of a KCNE TMD. We propose that the KCNE2 TMD adopts an alpha-helical secondary structure with one face making intimate contact with the KCNQ1 pore domain, while the contacts with the KCNQ1 voltage-sensing domain appear more dynamic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian-Sheng Liu
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
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Morin TJ, Kobertz WR. A derivatized scorpion toxin reveals the functional output of heteromeric KCNQ1-KCNE K+ channel complexes. ACS Chem Biol 2007; 2:469-73. [PMID: 17602620 PMCID: PMC2561296 DOI: 10.1021/cb700089s] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
KCNE transmembrane peptides are a family of modulatory beta-subunits that assemble with voltage-gated K+ channels, producing the diversity of potassium currents needed for proper function in a variety of tissues. Although all five KCNE transcripts have been found in cardiac and other tissues, it is unclear whether two different KCNE peptides can assemble with the same K+ channel to form a functional complex. Here, we describe the derivatization of a scorpion toxin that irreversibly inhibits KCNQ1 (Q1) K+ channel complexes that contain a specific KCNE peptide. Using this KCNE sensor, we show that heteromeric complexes form, and the functional output from these complexes reveals a hierarchy in KCNE modulation of Q1 channels: KCNE3 > KCNE1 >> KCNE4. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that Q1/KCNE1/KCNE4 complexes also generate a slowly activating current that has been previously attributed to homomeric Q1/KCNE1 complexes, providing a potential functional role for KCNE4 peptides in the heart.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - William R. Kobertz
- Address correspondence to: Dr. William R. Kobertz, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605-2324, 508.856.8861 (phone), 508.856.8867 (fax),
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