An open state of a voltage-gated sodium channel involving a π-helix and conserved pore-facing asparagine.

ABSTRACT: Voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels play critical roles in propagating action potentials and otherwise manipulating ionic gradients in excitable cells. These channels open in response to membrane depolarization, selectively permeating sodium ions until rapidly inactivating. Structural characterization of the gating cycle in this channel family has proved challenging, particularly due to the transient nature of the open state. A structure from the bacterium Magnetococcus marinus Nav (NavMs) was initially proposed to be open, based on its pore diameter and voltage-sensor conformation. However, the functional annotation of this model, and the structural details of the open state, remain disputed. In this work, we used molecular modeling and simulations to test possible open-state models of Na

SUBMITTER: Choudhury K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8758419 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature