Structural basis for ion selectivity in potassium-selective channelrhodopsins

KCR channelrhodopsins (K+-selective light-gated ion channels) have received attention as potential inhibitory optogenetic tools but more broadly pose a fundamental mystery regarding how their K+ selectivity is achieved. Here, we present 2.5-2.7 Å cryo-electron microscopy structures of HcKCR1 and HcKCR2 and of a structure-guided mutant with enhanced K+ selectivity. Structural, electrophysiological, computational, spectroscopic, and biochemical analyses reveal a distinctive mechanism for K+ selectivity; rather than forming the symmetrical filter of canonical K+ channels achieving both selectivity and dehydration, instead, three extracellular-vestibule residues within each monomer form a flexible asymmetric selectivity gate, while a distinct dehydration pathway extends intracellularly. Structural comparisons reveal a retinal-binding pocket that induces retinal rotation (accounting for HcKCR1/HcKCR2 spectral differences), and design of corresponding KCR variants with increased K+ selectivity (KALI-1/KALI-2) provides key advantages for optogenetic inhibition in vitro and in vivo. Thus, discovery of a mechanism for ion-channel K+ selectivity also provides a framework for next-generation optogenetics.

Twisting and Protonation of Retinal Chromophore Regulate Channel Gating of Channelrhodopsin C1C2

Channelrhodopsins (ChRs) are light-gated ion channels and central optogenetic tools that can control neuronal activity with high temporal resolution at the single-cell level. Although their application in optogenetics has rapidly progressed, it is unsolved how their channels open and close. ChRs transport ions through a series of interlocking elementary processes that occur over a broad time scale of subpicoseconds to seconds. During these processes, the retinal chromophore functions as a channel regulatory domain and transfers the optical input as local structural changes to the channel operating domain, the helices, leading to channel gating. Thus, the core question on channel gating dynamics is how the retinal chromophore structure changes throughout the photocycle and what rate-limits the kinetics. Here, we investigated the structural changes in the retinal chromophore of canonical ChR, C1C2, in all photointermediates using time-resolved resonance Raman spectroscopy. Moreover, to reveal the rate-limiting factors of the photocycle and channel gating, we measured the kinetic isotope effect of all photoreaction processes using laser flash photolysis and laser patch clamp, respectively. Spectroscopic and electrophysiological results provided the following understanding of the channel gating: the retinal chromophore highly twists upon the retinal Schiff base (RSB) deprotonation, causing the surrounding helices to move and open the channel. The ion-conducting pathway includes the RSB, where inflowing water mediates the proton to the deprotonated RSB. The twisting of the retinal chromophore relaxes upon the RSB reprotonation, which closes the channel. The RSB reprotonation rate-limits the channel closing.

Time-resolved detection of SDS-induced conformational changes in α-synuclein by a micro-stopped-flow system

An intrinsically disordered protein, α-synuclein (αSyn), binds to negatively charged phospholipid membranes and adopts an α-helical structure. This conformational change is also induced by interaction with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), which is an anionic surfactant used in previous studies to mimic membrane binding. However, while the structure of the αSyn and SDS complex has been studied widely by various static measurements, the process of structural change from the denatured state to the folded state remains unclear. In this study, the interaction dynamics between αSyn and SDS micelles was investigated using time-resolved measurements with a micro-stopped-flow system, which has been recently developed. In particular, the time-resolved diffusion based on the transient grating technique in combination with a micro-stopped-flow system revealed the gradual change in diffusion triggered by the presence of SDS micelles. This change is induced not only by binding to SDS micelles, but also by an intramolecular conformational change. It was interesting to find that the diffusion coefficient decreased in an intermediate state and then increased to the final state in the binding reaction. We also carried out stopped-flow-kinetic measurements of circular dichroism and intramolecular fluorescence resonance energy transfer, and the D change was assigned to the formation of a compact structure derived from the helix bending on the micelle.

Dynamics of conformation changes of α-synuclein induced by the presence of SDS micelles are revealed using time-resolved diffusion, CD, and FRET measurements combined with a micro-stopped flow system.

Time-Resolved Diffusion Detection with Microstopped Flow System

The transient grating (TG) method is a powerful technique for monitoring the time dependence of the diffusion coefficient during photochemical reactions. However, the applications of this technique have been limited to photochemical reactions. Here, a microstopped flow (μ-SF) system is developed to expand the technique's applicability. The constructed μ-SF system can be used for a solution with a total volume as small as 3 μL, and mixing times for absorption and diffusion measurements were determined to be 400 μs and 100 ms, respectively. To demonstrate this system with the TG method, an acid-induced denaturation of a photosensor protein, phototropin LOV2 domain with a linker, was studied from the viewpoint of the reactivity. This system can be used not only for time-resolved diffusion measurement but also for conventional absorption or fluorescence detection methods. In particular, this system has a great advantage for a target solution in that only a very small amount is needed.