Domain- and state-specific shape of the electric field tunes voltage sensing in voltage-gated sodium channels.

ABSTRACT: The ability to sense transmembrane voltage underlies most physiological roles of voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels. Whereas the key role of their voltage-sensing domains (VSDs) in channel activation is well established, the molecular underpinnings of voltage coupling remain incompletely understood. Voltage-dependent energetics of the activation process can be described in terms of the gating charge that is defined by coupling of charged residues to the external electric field. The shape of the electric field within VSDs is therefore crucial for the activation of voltage-gated ion channels. Here, we employed molecular dynamics simulations of cardiac Nav1.5 and bacterial NavAb, together with our recently developed tool g_elpot, to gain insights into the voltage-sensing mechanisms of Nav ch

SUBMITTER: Kostritskii AY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10209041 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature