Mechanisms Underlying C-type Inactivation in Kv Channels: Lessons From Structures of Human Kv1.3 and Fly Shaker-IR Channels.

ABSTRACT: Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels modulate the function of electrically-excitable and non-excitable cells by using several types of "gates" to regulate ion flow through the channels. An important gating mechanism, C-type inactivation, limits ion flow by transitioning Kv channels into a non-conducting inactivated state. Here, we highlight two recent papers, one on the human Kv1.3 channel and the second on the Drosophila Shaker Kv channel, that combined cryogenic electron microscopy and molecular dynamics simulation to define mechanisms underlying C-type inactivation. In both channels, the transition to the non-conducting inactivated conformation begins with the rupture of an intra-subunit hydrogen bond that fastens the selectivity filter to the pore helix. The freed filter swings

SUBMITTER: Ong ST 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9271579 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature