[25] Investigating single-channel gating mechanisms through Analysis of two-dimensional dwell-time distributions

Author(s):  
Brad Srothberg ◽  
Karl L. Magleby
1989 ◽  
Vol 236 (1285) ◽  
pp. 385-416 ◽  

Patch-clamp data may be analysed in terms of Markov process models of channel gating mechanisms. We present a maximum likelihood algorithm for estimation of gating parameters from records where only a single channel is present. Computer simulated data for three different models of agonist receptor gated channels are used to demonstrate the performance of the procedure. Full details of the implementation of the algorithm are given for an example gating mechanism. The effects of omission of brief openings and closings from the single-channel data on parameter estimation are explored. A strategy for discriminating between alternative possible gating models, based upon use of the Schwarz criterion, is described. Omission of brief events is shown not to lead to incorrect model identification, except in extreme circumstances. Finally, the algorithm is extended to include channel gating models exhibiting multiple conductance levels.


Author(s):  
G. Brent Dawe ◽  
Patricia M. G. E. Brown ◽  
Derek Bowie

α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) and kainate-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs and KARs) are dynamic ion channel proteins that govern neuronal excitation and signal transduction in the mammalian brain. The four AMPAR and five KAR subunits can heteromerize with other subfamily members to create several combinations of tetrameric channels with unique physiological and pharmacological properties. While both receptor classes are noted for their rapid, millisecond-scale channel gating in response to agonist binding, the intricate structural rearrangements underlying their function have only recently been elucidated. This chapter begins with a review of AMPAR and KAR nomenclature, topology, and rules of assembly. Subsequently, receptor gating properties are outlined for both single-channel and synaptic contexts. The structural biology of AMPAR and KAR proteins is also discussed at length, with particular focus on the ligand-binding domain, where allosteric regulation and alternative splicing work together to dictate gating behavior. Toward the end of the chapter there is an overview of several classes of auxiliary subunits, notably transmembrane AMPAR regulatory proteins and Neto proteins, which enhance native AMPAR and KAR expression and channel gating, respectively. Whether bringing an ion channel novice up to speed with glutamate receptor theory and terminology or providing a refresher for more seasoned biophysicists, there is much to appreciate in this summation of work from the glutamate receptor field.


2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manning J. Correia ◽  
Thomas G. Wood ◽  
Deborah Prusak ◽  
Tianxiang Weng ◽  
Katherine J. Rennie ◽  
...  

A fast inwardly rectifying current has been observed in some of the sensory cells (hair cells) of the inner ear of several species. While the current was presumed to be an IKir current, contradictory evidence existed as to whether the cloned channel actually belonged to the Kir2.0 subfamily of potassium inward rectifiers. In this paper, we report for the first time converging evidence from electrophysiological, biochemical, immunohistochemical, and genetic studies that show that the Kir2.1 channel carries the fast inwardly rectifying currents found in pigeon vestibular hair cells. Following cytoplasm extraction from single type II and multiple pigeon vestibular hair cells, mRNA was reverse transcribed, amplified, and sequenced. The open reading frame (ORF), consisting of a 1,284-bp nucleotide sequence, showed 94, 85, and 83% identity with Kir2.1 subunit sequences from chick lens, Kir2 sequences from human heart, and a mouse macrophage cell line, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that pKir2.1 formed an immediate node with hKir2.1 but not with hKir2.2–2.4. Hair cells (type I and type II) and supporting cells in the sensory epithelium reacted positively with a Kir2.1 antibody. The whole cell current recorded in oocytes and CHO cells, transfected with pigeon hair cell Kir2.1 (pKir2.1), demonstrated blockage by Ba2+ and sensitivity to changing K+ concentration. The mean single-channel linear slope conductance in transfected CHO cells was 29 pS. The open dwell time was long (∼300 ms at −100 mV), and the closed dwell time was short (∼34 ms at −100 mV). Multistates ranging from 3–6 were noted in some single-channel responses. All of the above features have been described for other Kir2.1 channels. Current clamp studies of native pigeon vestibular hair cells illustrated possible physiological roles of the channel and showed that blockage of the channel by Ba2+ depolarized the resting membrane potential by ∼30 mV. Negative currents hyperpolarized the membrane ∼20 mV before block but ∼60 mV following block. RT-PCR studies revealed that the pKir2.1 channels found in pigeon vestibular hair cells were also present in pigeon vestibular nerve, vestibular ganglion, lens, neck muscle, brain (brain stem, cerebellum and optic tectum), liver, and heart.


2016 ◽  
Vol 148 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuriya Mukhtasimova ◽  
Corrie J.B. daCosta ◽  
Steven M. Sine

The acetylcholine receptor (AChR) from vertebrate skeletal muscle initiates voluntary movement, and its kinetics of activation are crucial for maintaining the safety margin for neuromuscular transmission. Furthermore, the kinetic mechanism of the muscle AChR serves as an archetype for understanding activation mechanisms of related receptors from the Cys-loop superfamily. Here we record currents through single muscle AChR channels with improved temporal resolution approaching half an order of magnitude over our previous best. A range of concentrations of full and partial agonists are used to elicit currents from human wild-type and gain-of-function mutant AChRs. For each agonist–receptor combination, rate constants are estimated from maximum likelihood analysis using a kinetic scheme comprised of agonist binding, priming, and channel gating steps. The kinetic scheme and rate constants are tested by stochastic simulation, followed by incorporation of the experimental step response, sampling rate, background noise, and filter bandwidth. Analyses of the simulated data confirm all rate constants except those for channel gating, which are overestimated because of the established effect of noise on the briefest dwell times. Estimates of the gating rate constants were obtained through iterative simulation followed by kinetic fitting. The results reveal that the agonist association rate constants are independent of agonist occupancy but depend on receptor state, whereas those for agonist dissociation depend on occupancy but not on state. The priming rate and equilibrium constants increase with successive agonist occupancy, and for a full agonist, the forward rate constant increases more than the equilibrium constant; for a partial agonist, the forward rate and equilibrium constants increase equally. The gating rate and equilibrium constants also increase with successive agonist occupancy, but unlike priming, the equilibrium constants increase more than the forward rate constants. As observed for a full and a partial agonist, the gain-of-function mutation affects the relationship between rate and equilibrium constants for priming but not for channel gating. Thus, resolving brief single channel currents distinguishes priming from gating steps and reveals how the corresponding rate and equilibrium constants depend on agonist occupancy.


2011 ◽  
Vol 286 (41) ◽  
pp. 35571-35577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Murayama ◽  
Nagomi Kurebayashi ◽  
Toshiharu Oba ◽  
Hideto Oyamada ◽  
Katsuji Oguchi ◽  
...  

The type 1 ryanodine receptor (RyR1) is a Ca2+ release channel found in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscle and plays a pivotal role in excitation-contraction coupling. The RyR1 channel is activated by a conformational change of the dihydropyridine receptor upon depolarization of the transverse tubule, or by Ca2+ itself, i.e. Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release (CICR). The molecular events transmitting such signals to the ion gate of the channel are unknown. The S4-S5 linker, a cytosolic loop connecting the S4 and S5 transmembrane segments in six-transmembrane type channels, forms an α-helical structure and mediates signal transmission in a wide variety of channels. To address the role of the S4-S5 linker in RyR1 channel gating, we performed alanine substitution scan of N-terminal half of the putative S4-S5 linker (Thr4825–Ser4829) that exhibits high helix probability. The mutant RyR1 was expressed in HEK cells, and CICR activity was investigated by caffeine-induced Ca2+ release, single-channel current recordings, and [3H]ryanodine binding. Four mutants (T4825A, I4826A, S4828A, and S4829A) had reduced CICR activity without changing Ca2+ sensitivity, whereas the L4827A mutant formed a constitutive active channel. T4825I, a disease-associated mutation for malignant hyperthermia, exhibited enhanced CICR activity. An α-helical wheel representation of the N-terminal S4-S5 linker provides a rational explanation to the observed activities of the mutants. These results suggest that N-terminal half of the S4-S5 linker may form an α-helical structure and play an important role in RyR1 channel gating.


2000 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Grosman ◽  
Frank N. Salamone ◽  
Steven M. Sine ◽  
Anthony Auerbach

We describe the functional consequences of mutations in the linker between the second and third transmembrane segments (M2–M3L) of muscle acetylcholine receptors at the single-channel level. Hydrophobic mutations (Ile, Cys, and Phe) placed near the middle of the linker of the α subunit (αS269) prolong apparent openings elicited by low concentrations of acetylcholine (ACh), whereas hydrophilic mutations (Asp, Lys, and Gln) are without effect. Because the gating kinetics of the αS269I receptor (a congenital myasthenic syndrome mutant) in the presence of ACh are too fast, choline was used as the agonist. This revealed an ∼92-fold increased gating equilibrium constant, which is consistent with an ∼10-fold decreased EC50 in the presence of ACh. With choline, this mutation accelerates channel opening ∼28-fold, slows channel closing ∼3-fold, but does not affect agonist binding to the closed state. These ratios suggest that, with ACh, αS269I acetylcholine receptors open at a rate of ∼1.4 × 106 s−1 and close at a rate of ∼760 s−1. These gating rate constants, together with the measured duration of apparent openings at low ACh concentrations, further suggest that ACh dissociates from the diliganded open receptor at a rate of ∼140 s−1. Ile mutations at positions flanking αS269 impair, rather than enhance, channel gating. Inserting or deleting one residue from this linker in the α subunit increased and decreased, respectively, the apparent open time approximately twofold. Contrary to the αS269I mutation, Ile mutations at equivalent positions of the β, ε, and δ subunits do not affect apparent open-channel lifetimes. However, in β and ε, shifting the mutation one residue to the NH2-terminal end enhances channel gating. The overall results indicate that this linker is a control element whose hydrophobicity determines channel gating in a position- and subunit-dependent manner. Characterization of the transition state of the gating reaction suggests that during channel opening the M2–M3L of the α subunit moves before the corresponding linkers of the β and ε subunits.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document