Ion conduction pore is conserved among potassium channels

Nature. 2001 Oct 25;413(6858):809-13. doi: 10.1038/35101535.

Abstract

Potassium channels, a group of specialized membrane proteins, enable K+ ions to flow selectively across cell membranes. Transmembrane K+ currents underlie electrical signalling in neurons and other excitable cells. The atomic structure of a bacterial K+ channel pore has been solved by means of X-ray crystallography. To the extent that the prokaryotic pore is representative of other K+ channels, this landmark achievement has profound implications for our general understanding of K+ channels. But serious doubts have been raised concerning whether the prokaryotic K+ channel pore does actually represent those of eukaryotes. Here we have addressed this fundamental issue by substituting the prokaryotic pore into eukaryotic voltage-gated and inward-rectifier K+ channels. The resulting chimaeras retain the respective functional hallmarks of the eukaryotic channels, which indicates that the ion conduction pore is indeed conserved among K+ channels.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Amino Acid Substitution
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / physiology*
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Conserved Sequence
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Eukaryotic Cells
  • Ion Channel Gating*
  • Ion Transport
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Potassium / metabolism
  • Potassium Channels / chemistry
  • Potassium Channels / genetics
  • Potassium Channels / physiology*
  • Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying / chemistry
  • Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying / genetics
  • Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying / physiology
  • Prokaryotic Cells
  • Protein Conformation
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Shaker Superfamily of Potassium Channels
  • Species Specificity
  • Structure-Activity Relationship

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Potassium Channels
  • Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Shaker Superfamily of Potassium Channels
  • prokaryotic potassium channel
  • Potassium