Exploring the open pore of the potassium channel fromStreptomyces lividans

Autor: Heiner Splitt, Hildgund Schrempf, Richard Wagner, Dirk Meuser
Rok vydání: 1999
Předmět:
Zdroj: FEBS Letters. 462:447-452
ISSN: 0014-5793
DOI: 10.1016/s0014-5793(99)01579-3
Popis: The tetrameric potassium channel from Streptomyces lividans (KcsA) embedded in planar bilayers exhibits the following electrophysiological characteristics: (i) K+ ions can cross the pore in a highly hydrated state (nH2Oor = 6), (ii) the selectivity for K+ exceeds that for Na+ ions by 11 times, and both Ca2+ and Mg2+ are permeant, (iii) the internal side is blocked by Ba2+ ions in a voltage-dependent manner, (iv) intrinsic rectification is due to gating, depending on the direction of the electric field, (v) the internal side is pH-sensitive, and (vi) the open pore has a diameter of approximately 5.8 A. In conclusion, our results show that ion conduction and selectivity of KcsA cannot easily be reconciled with the properties deduced from the rigid crystal structure [Doyle et al., Science 280 (1998) 69-77], which must be concluded to have the pore trapped in its closed state.
Databáze: OpenAIRE