scholarly journals Spontaneous Transient Outward Currents Arise from Microdomains Where BK Channels Are Exposed to a Mean Ca2+ Concentration on the Order of 10 μM during a Ca2+ Spark

2002 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronghua ZhuGe ◽  
Kevin E. Fogarty ◽  
Richard A. Tuft ◽  
John V. Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Ryanodine Receptors ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Membrane Area ◽  
Outward Currents ◽  
Cell Recording ◽  
Excised Patches ◽  
Spontaneous Transient Outward Currents

Ca2+ sparks are small, localized cytosolic Ca2+ transients due to Ca2+ release from sarcoplasmic reticulum through ryanodine receptors. In smooth muscle, Ca2+ sparks activate large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels (BK channels) in the spark microdomain, thus generating spontaneous transient outward currents (STOCs). The purpose of the present study is to determine experimentally the level of Ca2+ to which the BK channels are exposed during a spark. Using tight seal, whole-cell recording, we have analyzed the voltage-dependence of the STOC conductance (g(STOC)), and compared it to the voltage-dependence of BK channel activation in excised patches in the presence of different [Ca2+]s. The Ca2+ sparks did not change in amplitude over the range of potentials of interest. In contrast, the magnitude of g(STOC) remained roughly constant from 20 to −40 mV and then declined steeply at more negative potentials. From this and the voltage dependence of BK channel activation, we conclude that the BK channels underlying STOCs are exposed to a mean [Ca2+] on the order of 10 μM during a Ca2+ spark. The membrane area over which a concentration ≥10 μM is reached has an estimated radius of 150–300 nm, corresponding to an area which is a fraction of one square micron. Moreover, given the constraints imposed by the estimated channel density and the Ca2+ current during a spark, the BK channels do not appear to be uniformly distributed over the membrane but instead are found at higher density at the spark site.

scholarly journals Differential Effects of β1 and β2 Subunits on BK Channel Activity

2005 ◽  
Vol 125 (4) ◽  
pp. 395-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricio Orio ◽  
Ramon Latorre
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Calcium Binding ◽  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Calcium Sensitivity ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Voltage Sensitivity ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Voltage Sensors

High conductance, calcium- and voltage-activated potassium (BK) channels are widely expressed in mammals. In some tissues, the biophysical properties of BK channels are highly affected by coexpression of regulatory (β) subunits. β1 and β2 subunits increase apparent channel calcium sensitivity. The β1 subunit also decreases the voltage sensitivity of the channel and the β2 subunit produces an N-type inactivation of BK currents. We further characterized the effects of the β1 and β2 subunits on the calcium and voltage sensitivity of the channel, analyzing the data in the context of an allosteric model for BK channel activation by calcium and voltage (Horrigan and Aldrich, 2002). In this study, we used a β2 subunit without its N-type inactivation domain (β2IR). The results indicate that the β2IR subunit, like the β1 subunit, has a small effect on the calcium binding affinity of the channel. Unlike the β1 subunit, the β2IR subunit also has no effect on the voltage sensitivity of the channel. The limiting voltage dependence for steady-state channel activation, unrelated to voltage sensor movements, is unaffected by any of the studied β subunits. The same is observed for the limiting voltage dependence of the deactivation time constant. Thus, the β1 subunit must affect the voltage sensitivity by altering the function of the voltage sensors of the channel. Both β subunits reduce the intrinsic equilibrium constant for channel opening (L0). In the allosteric activation model, the reduction of the voltage dependence for the activation of the voltage sensors accounts for most of the macroscopic steady-state effects of the β1 subunit, including the increase of the apparent calcium sensitivity of the BK channel. All allosteric coupling factors need to be increased in order to explain the observed effects when the α subunit is coexpressed with the β2IR subunit.

scholarly journals Spatial organization of RYRs and BK channels underlying the activation of STOCs by Ca2+ sparks in airway myocytes

2011 ◽  
Vol 138 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence M. Lifshitz ◽  
Jeffrey D. Carmichael ◽  
F. Anthony Lai ◽  
Vincenzo Sorrentino ◽  
Karl Bellvé ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Ryanodine Receptors ◽  
Spatial Relationship ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Outward Currents ◽  
Mechanistic Understanding

Short-lived, localized Ca2+ events mediate Ca2+ signaling with high efficiency and great fidelity largely as a result of the close proximity between Ca2+-permeable ion channels and their molecular targets. However, in most cases, direct evidence of the spatial relationship between these two types of molecules is lacking, and, thus, mechanistic understanding of local Ca2+ signaling is incomplete. In this study, we use an integrated approach to tackling this issue on a prototypical local Ca2+ signaling system composed of Ca2+ sparks resulting from the opening of ryanodine receptors (RYRs) and spontaneous transient outward currents (STOCs) caused by the opening of Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels in airway smooth muscle. Biophysical analyses of STOCs and Ca2+ sparks acquired at 333 Hz demonstrate that these two events are associated closely in time, and approximately eight RYRs open to give rise to a Ca2+ spark, which activates ∼15 BK channels to generate a STOC at 0 mV. Dual immunocytochemistry and 3-D deconvolution at high spatial resolution reveal that both RYRs and BK channels form clusters and RYR1 and RYR2 (but not RYR3) localize near the membrane. Using the spatial relationship between RYRs and BK channels, the spatial-temporal profile of [Ca2+] resulting from Ca2+ sparks, and the kinetic model of BK channels, we estimate that an average Ca2+ spark caused by the opening of a cluster of RYR1 or RYR2 acts on BK channels from two to three clusters that are randomly distributed within an ∼600-nm radius of RYRs. With this spatial organization of RYRs and BK channels, we are able to model BK channel currents with the same salient features as those observed in STOCs across a range of physiological membrane potentials. Thus, this study provides a mechanistic understanding of the activation of STOCs by Ca2+ sparks using explicit knowledge of the spatial relationship between RYRs (the Ca2+ source) and BK channels (the Ca2+ target).

scholarly journals Molecular basis for differential modulation of BK channel voltage-dependent gating by auxiliary γ subunits

2015 ◽  
Vol 145 (6) ◽  
pp. 543-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qin Li ◽  
Fei Fan ◽  
Ha Rim Kwak ◽  
Jiusheng Yan
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Small Region ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Differential Modulation ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Charged Amino Acids ◽  
Voltage Dependent ◽  
Positively Charged

Large conductance Ca2+- and voltage-activated potassium (BK) channels are comprised of pore-forming α subunits and various regulatory auxiliary subunits. The BK channel auxiliary γ (BKγ) subunits are a newly identified class of proteins containing an extracellular leucine-rich repeat domain (LRRD), a single transmembrane (TM) segment, and a short cytoplasmic C-terminal tail (C-tail). Although each of the four BKγ proteins shifts the voltage dependence of BK channel activation in a hyperpolarizing direction, they show markedly different efficacies, mediating shifts over a range of 15–145 mV. Analyses of chimeric BKγ subunits created by swapping individual structural elements, and of BKγ deletion and substitution mutants, revealed that differential modulation of BK gating by the four BKγ subunits depends on a small region consisting of the TM segment and the adjacent intracellular cluster of positively charged amino acids. The γ1 and γ2 TM segments contributed approximately −100 mV, and the γ1 and γ3 C-tails contributed approximately −40 mV, to shifting the voltage dependence of BK channel activation, whereas the γ3 and γ4 TM segments and the γ2 and γ4 C-tails contributed much less. The large extracellular LRRDs were mainly functionally interchangeable, although the γ1 LRRD was slightly less effective at enhancing (or slightly more effective at attenuating) the shift in BK channel voltage-dependent gating toward hyperpolarizing potentials than those of the other BKγ subunits. Analysis of mutated BKγ subunits revealed that juxta-membrane clusters of positively charged amino acids determine the functions of the γ1 and γ3 C-tails. Therefore, the modulatory functions of BKγ subunits are coarse- and fine-tuned, respectively, through variations in their TM segments and in the adjacent intracellular positively charged regions. Our results suggest that BK channel modulation by auxiliary γ subunits depends on intra- and/or juxta-membrane mechanisms.

Characteristics of Ca2+ release for activation of K+ current and contractile system in some smooth muscles

1996 ◽  
Vol 271 (3) ◽  
pp. C772-C782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Imaizumi ◽  
S. Henmi ◽  
Y. Uyama ◽  
K. Atsuki ◽  
Y. Torii ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Cells ◽  
Smooth Muscles ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Channel Activity ◽  
Acetoxymethyl Ester ◽  
Contractile System ◽  
Outward Currents ◽  
K Current ◽  
Spontaneous Transient Outward Currents

Characteristics of Ca2+ release from stores were investigated in strips from ileum and portal vein and in isolated myocytes from ileum and urinary bladder of the guinea pig with use of caffeine and 9-methyl-7-bromoeudistomin D (MBED), a potent releaser of Ca2+ from skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum. In skinned strips, 1-30 mM caffeine elicited a transient contraction, but 10-300 microM MBED did not. Pretreatment with 100 microM MBED did not affect the subsequent caffeine-induced contraction. In single cells loaded with indo 1-acetoxymethyl ester, 10 mM caffeine increased cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration, whereas 100 microM MBED elicited a small or no increase. Under whole cell clamp, spontaneous transient outward currents through Ca(2+)-dependent K+ (BK) channels were first enhanced and then suppressed by 30 microM MBED or 5 mM caffeine. The amplitude of Ca(2+)-dependent transient K+ current on depolarization was reduced by MBED and caffeine (50% inhibitory concentrations = 20 microM and 1 mM, respectively). Other currents and single BK channel activity were not significantly affected by MBED. The Ca2+ release from stores responsible for BK channel activation may be resolved from that for the activation of the contractile system by MBED in these smooth muscle cells.

scholarly journals Activation of Slo2.1 channels by niflumic acid

2010 ◽  
Vol 135 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Dai ◽  
Vivek Garg ◽  
Michael C. Sanguinetti
Keyword(s):  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Reversal Potential ◽  
Niflumic Acid ◽  
Flufenamic Acid ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Outward Currents ◽  
Transmembrane Voltage ◽  
High K ◽  
Charged Residues ◽  
K Current

Slo2.1 channels conduct an outwardly rectifying K+ current when activated by high [Na+]i. Here, we show that gating of these channels can also be activated by fenamates such as niflumic acid (NFA), even in the absence of intracellular Na+. In Xenopus oocytes injected with <10 ng cRNA, heterologously expressed human Slo2.1 current was negligible, but rapidly activated by extracellular application of NFA (EC50 = 2.1 mM) or flufenamic acid (EC50 = 1.4 mM). Slo2.1 channels activated by 1 mM NFA exhibited weak voltage dependence. In high [K+]e, the conductance–voltage (G-V) relationship had a V1/2 of +95 mV and an effective valence, z, of 0.48 e. Higher concentrations of NFA shifted V1/2 to more negative potentials (EC50 = 2.1 mM) and increased the minimum value of G/Gmax (EC50 = 2.4 mM); at 6 mM NFA, Slo2.1 channel activation was voltage independent. In contrast, V1/2 of the G-V relationship was shifted to more positive potentials when [K+]e was elevated from 1 to 300 mM (EC50 = 21.2 mM). The slope conductance measured at the reversal potential exhibited the same [K+]e dependency (EC50 = 23.5 mM). Conductance was also [Na+]e dependent. Outward currents were reduced when Na+ was replaced with choline or mannitol, but unaffected by substitution with Rb+ or Li+. Neutralization of charged residues in the S1–S4 domains did not appreciably alter the voltage dependence of Slo2.1 activation. Thus, the weak voltage dependence of Slo2.1 channel activation is independent of charged residues in the S1–S4 segments. In contrast, mutation of R190 located in the adjacent S4–S5 linker to a neutral (Ala or Gln) or acidic (Glu) residue induced constitutive channel activity that was reduced by high [K+]e. Collectively, these findings indicate that Slo2.1 channel gating is modulated by [K+]e and [Na+]e, and that NFA uncouples channel activation from its modulation by transmembrane voltage and intracellular Na+.

scholarly journals Intracellular calcium events activated by ATP in murine colonic myocytes

2000 ◽  
Vol 279 (1) ◽  
pp. C126-C135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orline Bayguinov ◽  
Brian Hagen ◽  
Adrian D. Bonev ◽  
Mark T. Nelson ◽  
Kenton M. Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Ryanodine Receptors ◽  
Smooth Muscles ◽  
Sk Channels ◽  
Inhibitory Neurotransmitter ◽  
Outward Currents ◽  
Ionic Conductances ◽  
Visceral Muscles ◽  
Murine Colon ◽  
Spontaneous Transient Outward Currents ◽  
Purinergic Stimulation

ATP is a candidate enteric inhibitory neurotransmitter in visceral smooth muscles. ATP hyperpolarizes visceral muscles via activation of small-conductance, Ca2+-activated K+ (SK) channels. Coupling between ATP stimulation and SK channels may be mediated by localized Ca2+ release. Isolated myocytes of the murine colon produced spontaneous, localized Ca2+ release events. These events corresponded to spontaneous transient outward currents (STOCs) consisting of charybdotoxin (ChTX)-sensitive and -insensitive events. ChTX-insensitive STOCs were inhibited by apamin. Localized Ca2+ transients were not blocked by ryanodine, but these events were reduced in magnitude and frequency by xestospongin C (Xe-C), a blocker of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors. Thus we have termed the localized Ca2+ events in colonic myocytes “Ca2+ puffs.” The P2Y receptor agonist 2-methylthio-ATP (2-MeS-ATP) increased the intensity and frequency of Ca2+ puffs. 2-MeS-ATP also increased STOCs in association with the increase in Ca2+ puffs. Pyridoxal-phospate-6-azophenyl-2′,4′-disculfonic acid tetrasodium, a P2 receptor inhibitor, blocked responses to 2-MeS-ATP. Spontaneous Ca2+ transients and the effects of 2-MeS-ATP on Ca2+ puffs and STOCs were blocked by U-73122, an inhibitor of phospholipase C. Xe-C and ryanodine also blocked responses to 2-MeS-ATP, suggesting that, in addition to release from IP3receptor-operated stores, ryanodine receptors may be recruited during agonist stimulation to amplify release of Ca2+. These data suggest that localized Ca2+ release modulates Ca2+-dependent ionic conductances in the plasma membrane. Localized Ca2+ release may contribute to the electrical responses resulting from purinergic stimulation.

Spontaneous Ryanodine-Receptor-Dependent Ca2+-Activated K+ Currents and Hyperpolarizations in Rat Medial Preoptic Neurons

2010 ◽  
Vol 103 (5) ◽  
pp. 2900-2911 ◽  
Author(s):  
Göran Klement ◽  
Michael Druzin ◽  
David Haage ◽  
Evgenya Malinina ◽  
Peter Århem ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ryanodine Receptor ◽  
Ryanodine Receptors ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Sk Channels ◽  
Patch Clamp Technique ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Impulse Generation ◽  
Outward Currents ◽  
Main Charge ◽  
Perforated Patch Clamp

The aim of the present study was to clarify the identity of slow spontaneous currents, the underlying mechanism and possible role for impulse generation in neurons of the rat medial preoptic nucleus (MPN). Acutely dissociated neurons were studied with the perforated patch-clamp technique. Spontaneous outward currents, at a frequency of ∼0.5 Hz and with a decay time constant of ∼200 ms, were frequently detected in neurons when voltage-clamped between approximately −70 and −30 mV. The dependence on extracellular K+ concentration was consistent with K+ as the main charge carrier. We concluded that the main characteristics were similar to those of spontaneous miniature outward currents (SMOCs), previously reported mainly for muscle fibers and peripheral nerve. From the dependence on voltage and from a pharmacological analysis, we concluded that the currents were carried through small-conductance Ca2+-activated (SK) channels, of the SK3 subtype. From experiments with ryanodine, xestospongin C, and caffeine, we concluded that the spontaneous currents were triggered by Ca2+ release from intracellular stores via ryanodine receptor channels. An apparent voltage dependence was explained by masking of the spontaneous currents as a consequence of steady SK-channel activation at membrane potentials > −30 mV. Under current-clamp conditions, corresponding transient hyperpolarizations occasionally exceeded 10 mV in amplitude and reduced the frequency of spontaneous impulses. In conclusion, MPN neurons display spontaneous hyperpolarizations triggered by Ca2+ release via ryanodine receptors and SK3-channel activation. Thus such events may affect impulse firing of MPN neurons.

scholarly journals Role of Charged Residues in the S1–S4 Voltage Sensor of BK Channels

2006 ◽  
Vol 127 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongming Ma ◽  
Xing Jian Lou ◽  
Frank T. Horrigan
Keyword(s):  
Voltage Dependence ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Voltage Sensor ◽  
Voltage Gating ◽  
Voltage Sensing ◽  
Kv Channels ◽  
Gating Charge ◽  
Charged Residues ◽  
Sensor Activation

The activation of large conductance Ca2+-activated (BK) potassium channels is weakly voltage dependent compared to Shaker and other voltage-gated K+ (KV) channels. Yet BK and KV channels share many conserved charged residues in transmembrane segments S1–S4. We mutated these residues individually in mSlo1 BK channels to determine their role in voltage gating, and characterized the voltage dependence of steady-state activation (Po) and IK kinetics (τ(IK)) over an extended voltage range in 0–50 μM [Ca2+]i. mSlo1 contains several positively charged arginines in S4, but only one (R213) together with residues in S2 (D153, R167) and S3 (D186) are potentially voltage sensing based on the ability of charge-altering mutations to reduce the maximal voltage dependence of PO. The voltage dependence of PO and τ(IK) at extreme negative potentials was also reduced, implying that the closed–open conformational change and voltage sensor activation share a common source of gating charge. Although the position of charged residues in the BK and KV channel sequence appears conserved, the distribution of voltage-sensing residues is not. Thus the weak voltage dependence of BK channel activation does not merely reflect a lack of charge but likely differences with respect to KV channels in the position and movement of charged residues within the electric field. Although mutation of most sites in S1–S4 did not reduce gating charge, they often altered the equilibrium constant for voltage sensor activation. In particular, neutralization of R207 or R210 in S4 stabilizes the activated state by 3–7 kcal mol−1, indicating a strong contribution of non–voltage-sensing residues to channel function, consistent with their participation in state-dependent salt bridge interactions. Mutations in S4 and S3 (R210E, D186A, and E180A) also unexpectedly weakened the allosteric coupling of voltage sensor activation to channel opening. The implications of our findings for BK channel voltage gating and general mechanisms of voltage sensor activation are discussed.

scholarly journals BK Channel Gating Mechanisms: Progresses Toward a Better Understanding of Variants Linked Neurological Diseases

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianmin Cui
Keyword(s):  
Neurological Disorders ◽  
Recent Progress ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Gating Mechanisms ◽  
Intracellular Ca ◽  
Atomistic Structure

The large conductance Ca2+-activated potassium (BK) channel is activated by both membrane potential depolarization and intracellular Ca2+ with distinct mechanisms. Neural physiology is sensitive to the function of BK channels, which is shown by the discoveries of neurological disorders that are associated with BK channel mutations. This article reviews the molecular mechanisms of BK channel activation in response to voltage and Ca2+ binding, including the recent progress since the publication of the atomistic structure of the whole BK channel protein, and the neurological disorders associated with BK channel mutations. These results demonstrate the unique mechanisms of BK channel activation and that these mechanisms are important factors in linking BK channel mutations to neurological disorders.

scholarly journals Molecular mechanism of BK channel activation by the smooth muscle relaxant NS11021

2020 ◽  
Vol 152 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael E. Rockman ◽  
Alexandre G. Vouga ◽  
Brad S. Rothberg
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Muscle Relaxant ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Bk Channels ◽  
Bk Channel ◽  
Neurological Deficits ◽  
Open Probability ◽  
Channel Activation ◽  
Voltage Sensors ◽  
Smooth Muscle Relaxant

Large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels (BK channels) are activated by cytosolic calcium and depolarized membrane potential under physiological conditions. Thus, these channels control electrical excitability in neurons and smooth muscle by gating K+ efflux and hyperpolarizing the membrane in response to Ca2+ signaling. Altered BK channel function has been linked to epilepsy, dyskinesia, and other neurological deficits in humans, making these channels a key target for drug therapies. To gain insight into mechanisms underlying pharmacological modulation of BK channel gating, here we studied mechanisms underlying activation of BK channels by the biarylthiourea derivative, NS11021, which acts as a smooth muscle relaxant. We observe that increasing NS11021 shifts the half-maximal activation voltage for BK channels toward more hyperpolarized voltages, in both the presence and nominal absence of Ca2+, suggesting that NS11021 facilitates BK channel activation primarily by a mechanism that is distinct from Ca2+ activation. 30 µM NS11021 slows the time course of BK channel deactivation at −200 mV by ∼10-fold compared with 0 µM NS11021, while having little effect on the time course of activation. This action is most pronounced at negative voltages, at which the BK channel voltage sensors are at rest. Single-channel kinetic analysis further shows that 30 µM NS11021 increases open probability by 62-fold and increases mean open time from 0.15 to 0.52 ms in the nominal absence of Ca2+ at voltages less than −60 mV, conditions in which BK voltage sensors are largely in the resting state. We could therefore account for the major activating effects of NS11021 by a scheme in which the drug primarily shifts the pore-gate equilibrium toward the open state.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document