Molecular determinants of pH sensing in the proton-activated chloride channel.
Molecular determinants of pH sensing in the proton-activated chloride channel.
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质子激活氯离子通道中pH传感的分子决定因素。
DOI:
10.1073/pnas.2200727119
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发表时间:
2022-08-02
影响因子:
11.1
通讯作者:
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
The acidic environment is critical for the proper function of many intracellular organelles. It is also associated with various diseases such as ischemia, cancer, and inflammation. In response to acidic pH, the proton-activated chloride (PAC) channel permeates chloride ions across membranes and plays an important role in endosomal acidification. It is also involved in acid-induced cell death and ischemic brain injury. However, how proton binding leads to the opening of this newly identified family of ion channels remains unknown. In this study, we identified several critical protonation sites and intersubunit interactions that work together to determine PAC pH sensitivity. Our work reveals a distinct pH-sensing mechanism and is relevant to the development of inhibitors targeting PAC in diseases associated with acidosis. In response to acidic pH, the widely expressed proton-activated chloride (PAC) channel opens and conducts anions across cellular membranes. By doing so, PAC plays an important role in both cellular physiology (endosome acidification) and diseases associated with tissue acidosis (acid-induced cell death). Despite the available structural information, how proton binding in the extracellular domain (ECD) leads to PAC channel opening remains largely unknown. Here, through comprehensive mutagenesis and electrophysiological studies, we identified several critical titratable residues, including two histidine residues (H130 and H131) and an aspartic acid residue (D269) at the distal end of the ECD, together with the previously characterized H98 at the transmembrane domain–ECD interface, as potential pH sensors for human PAC. Mutations of these residues resulted in significant changes in pH sensitivity. Some combined mutants also exhibited large basal PAC channel activities at neutral pH. By combining molecular dynamics simulations with structural and functional analysis, we further found that the β12 strand at the intersubunit interface and the associated “joint region” connecting the upper and lower ECDs allosterically regulate the proton-dependent PAC activation. Our studies suggest a distinct pH-sensing and gating mechanism of this new family of ion channels sensitive to acidic environment.
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影响因子:
5.8
作者:
Cai R;Tang J;Chen XZ
通讯作者:
Chen XZ
影响因子:
64.8
作者:
Ruan Z;Osei-Owusu J;Du J;Qiu Z;Lü W
通讯作者:
Lü W
影响因子:
8.8
作者:
Osei-Owusu J;Yang J;Leung KH;Ruan Z;Lü W;Krishnan Y;Qiu Z
通讯作者:
Qiu Z
影响因子:
64.5
作者:
Baconguis I;Bohlen CJ;Goehring A;Julius D;Gouaux E
通讯作者:
Gouaux E
影响因子:
10.7
作者:
Katoh K;Standley DM
通讯作者:
Standley DM