Biomedical subjects

Rikard Blunck

Publications and source records attributed to Rikard Blunck.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Distance measurements reveal a common topology of prokaryotic voltage-gated ion channels in the lipid bilayer.

Voltage-dependent ion channels are fundamental to the physiology of excitable cells because they underlie the generation and propagation of the action potential and excitation-contraction coupling. To understand how ion channels work, it is important to determine their structures in different conformations in a membrane environment. The validity of the crystal structure for the prokaryotic K(+) channel, K(V)AP, has been questioned based on discrepancies with biophysical data from functional eukaryotic channels, underlining the need for independent structural data under native conditions. We investigated the structural organization of two prokaryotic voltage-gated channels, NaChBac and K(V)AP, in liposomes by using luminescence resonance energy transfer. We describe here a transmembrane packing representation of the voltage sensor and pore domains of the prokaryotic Na channel, NaChBac. We find that NaChBac and K(V)AP share a common arrangement in which the structures of the Na and K selective pores and voltage-sensor domains are conserved. The packing arrangement of the voltage-sensing region as determined by luminescence resonance energy transfer differs significantly from that of the K(V)AP crystal structure, but resembles that of the eukaryotic K(V)1.2 crystal structure. However, the voltage-sensor domain in prokaryotic channels is closer to the pore domain than in the K(V)1.2 structure. Our results indicate that prokaryotic and eukaryotic channels that share similar functional properties have similar helix arrangements, with differences arising likely from the later introduction of additional structural elements.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed2006

Detection of the opening of the bundle crossing in KcsA with fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy reveals the existence of two gates for ion conduction.

The closed KcsA channel structure revealed a crossing of the cytosolic ends of the transmembrane helices blocking the permeation pathway. It is generally agreed that during channel opening this helical bundle crossing has to widen in order to enable access to the inner cavity. Here, we address the question of whether the opening of the inner gate is sufficient for ion conduction, or if a second gate, located elsewhere, may interrupt the ion flow. We used fluorescence lifetime measurements on KcsA channels labeled with tetramethylrhodamine at residues in the C-terminal end of TM2 to report on the opening of the lower pore region. We found two populations of channels with different fluorescence lifetimes, whose relative distribution agrees with the open probability of the channel. The absolute fraction of channels found with an open bundle crossing is too high to explain the low open probability of the KcsA-WT channel. We found the same distribution as in the WT channel between open and closed bundle crossing for two KcsA mutants, A73E and E71A, which significantly increase open probability at low pH. These two results strongly suggest that a second gate in the ion permeation pathway exists. The location of the mutations A73E and E71A suggests that the second gate may be the selectivity filter, which resides in an inactivated state under steady-state conditions. Since the long closed times observed in KcsA-WT are not present in KcsA-A73E or -E71A, we propose that KcsA-WT remains predominantly in a state with an open bundle crossing but closed (inactivated) second gate, while the mutations A73E and E71A sharply decrease the tendency to enter in the inactivated state, and as a consequence, the second gate is predominantly open at steady state. The ability to monitor the opening of the bundle crossing optically enables the direct recording of the movement of the pore helices while the channel is functioning.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed2006

Cell activation by ligands of the toll-like receptor and interleukin-1 receptor family depends on the function of the large-conductance potassium channel MaxiK in human macrophages.

Performing patch-clamp experiments on human macrophages, we show that the K(+) channel MaxiK is activated by lipopolysaccharide, peptidoglycan, and interleukin-1. Cytokine production initiated by several Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands and by interleukin-1 is inhibited by MaxiK blockade. This provides evidence for functional association of the MaxiK channel and TLR signaling complexes.

Cell Line↗

PubMed2005

A hybrid approach to measuring electrical activity in genetically specified neurons.

The development of genetically encoded fluorescent voltage probes is essential to image electrical activity from neuronal populations. Previous green fluorescent protein (GFP)-based probes have had limited success in recording electrical activity of neurons because of their low sensitivity and poor temporal resolution. Here we describe a hybrid approach that combines a genetically encoded fluorescent probe (membrane-anchored enhanced GFP) with dipicrylamine, a synthetic voltage-sensing molecule that partitions into the plasma membrane. The movement of the synthetic voltage sensor is translated via fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) into a large fluorescence signal (up to 34% change per 100 mV) with a fast response and recovery time (0.5 ms). Using this two-component approach, we were able to optically record action potentials from neuronal cell lines and trains of action potentials from primary cultured neurons. This hybrid approach may form the basis for a new generation of protein-based voltage probes.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed2005

Gating charge displacement in voltage-gated ion channels involves limited transmembrane movement.

Voltage-gated ion channels are responsible for generating electrical impulses in nerves and other excitable cells. The fourth transmembrane helix (S4) in voltage-gated channels is the primary voltage-sensing unit that mediates the response to a changing membrane electric field. The molecular mechanism of voltage sensing, particularly with respect to the magnitude of the transmembrane movement of S4, remains controversial. To determine the extent of this transmembrane movement, we use fluorescent resonance energy transfer between the S4 domain and a reference point in the lipid bilayer. The lipophilic ion dipicrylamine distributes on either side of the lipid bilayer depending on the membrane potential, and is used here as a resonance-energy-transfer acceptor from donor molecules attached to several positions in the Shaker K+ channel. A voltage-driven transmembrane movement of the donor should produce a transient fluorescence change because the acceptor also translocates as a function of voltage. In Shaker K+ channels no such transient fluorescence is observed, indicating that the S4 segment does not translocate across the lipid bilayer. Based on these observations, we propose a molecular model of voltage gating that can account for the observed 13e gating charge with limited transmembrane S4 movement.

Cell Membrane↗

PubMed2004

Silicon chip-based patch-clamp electrodes integrated with PDMS microfluidics.

We report on a silicon wafer-based device that can be used for recording macroscopic ion channel protein activities across a diverse group of cell-types. Gigaohm seals were achieved for CHO-K1 and RIN m5F cells, and both cell-attached and whole-cell mode configurations were also demonstrated. Two distinct intrinsic potassium ion channels were recorded in whole-cell mode for HIT-T15 and RAW 264.7 cells. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidics were also coupled with the micromachined silicon chips in order to demonstrate that a single cell could be selectively directed to a micropore, and membrane protein currents could subsequently be recorded. These silicon chip-based devices have significant advantages over traditional micropipette approaches, and may serve as combinatorial tools for investigating membrane biophysics, pharmaceutical screening, and other bio-sensing tasks.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Detecting rearrangements of shaker and NaChBac in real-time with fluorescence spectroscopy in patch-clamped mammalian cells.

Time-resolved fluorescence detection of site-directed probes is a major tool in the investigation of structure-function relationships of voltage-dependent ion channels. However, the technique has been limited so far to the Xenopus-oocyte system making it difficult to study proteins, like, e.g., the prokaryotic sodium channel NaChBac, whose expression in oocytes is insufficient or whose physiological functions are distorted in oocytes. To expand the application of site-directed fluorescence detection to these proteins, we used two techniques-semiconfocal epifluorescence and total internal reflection fluorescence-to detect time-resolved fluorescence changes from site-directed labeled proteins expressed in mammalian cells under patch-clamp conditions, and investigated the characteristics and limitations of the techniques. The voltage-sensitive dye, di-8-ANEPPS, was used to monitor control of the membrane voltage in epifluorescence and total internal reflection fluorescence. Fluorescence changes in patch-clamped cells were recorded from a Shaker channel mutant (M356C) labeled in the S3-S4 linker using semiconfocal epifluorescence. The gating kinetics and fluorescence changes were in accordance with previous studies using fluorescence spectroscopy in Xenopus-oocyte systems. We applied our technique to the prokaryotic sodium channel NaChBac. Voltage-dependent protein-rearrangements of S4 could be detected that are independent of inactivation. Comparison of the S3-S4 linker regions revealed structural differences to the KvAP voltage sensor. The results from the NaChBac channel point to structural requirements for the S3-S4 loop to generate a fluorescence signal.

Amino Acid Sequence↗