Direct activation of mammalian atrial muscarinic potassium channels by GTP regulatory protein Gk

The mammalian heart rate is regulated by the vagus nerve, which acts via muscarinic acetylcholine receptors to cause hyperpolarization of atrial pacemaker cells. The hyperpolarization is produced by the opening of potassium channels and involves an intermediary guanosine triphosphate-binding regulatory (G) protein. Potassium channels in isolated, inside-out patches of membranes from atrial cells now are shown to be activated by a purified pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein of subunit composition alpha beta gamma, with an alpha subunit of 40,000 daltons. Thus, mammalian atrial muscarinic potassium channels are activated directly by a G protein, not indirectly through a cascade of intermediary events. The G protein regulating these channels is identified as a potent Gk; it is active at 0.2 to 1 pM. Thus, proteins other than enzymes can be under control of receptor coupling G proteins.     

The alpha subunit of the GTP binding protein activates muscarinic potassium channels of the atrium

It has been debated whether the potassium channel of the atrium is activated by the alpha subunit or by the beta gamma subunits of guanine nucleotide binding (G) proteins, which dissociate on activation with guanosine triphosphate (GTP). Therefore, the channel-activating effectiveness of these subunits on isolated guinea pig atrial cells was tested. The activated alpha K subunit from human erythrocytes activated the channel in subpicomolar concentrations. The beta gamma dimer from bovine brain activated the channel in nanomolar concentrations. These results support the view that, physiologically, the alpha subunit activates the channel.     

A monoclonal antibody to the alpha subunit of Gk blocks muscarinic activation of atrial K+ channels

The activated heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide binding (G) protein Gk, at subpicomolar concentrations, mimics muscarinic stimulation of a specific atrial potassium current. Reconstitution studies have implicated the alpha and beta gamma subunits as mediators, but subunit coupling by the endogenous G protein has not been analyzed. To study this process, a monoclonal antibody (4A) that binds to alpha k but not to beta gamma was applied to the solution bathing an inside-out patch of atrial membrane; the antibody blocked carbachol-activated currents irreversibly. The state of the endogenous Gk determined its susceptibility to block by the antibody. When agonist was absent or when activation by muscarinic stimulation was interrupted by withdrawal of guanosine triphosphate (GTP) in the presence or absence of guanosine diphosphate (GDP), the effects of the antibody did not persist. Thus, monoclonal antibody 4A blocked muscarinic activation of potassium channels by binding to the activated G protein in its holomeric form or by binding to the dissociated alpha subunit.     

Newly identified brain potassium channels gated by the guanine nucleotide binding protein Go

Potassium channels in neurons are linked by guanine nucleotide binding (G) proteins to numerous neurotransmitter receptors. The ability of Go, the predominant G protein in the brain, to stimulate potassium channels was tested in cell-free membrane patches of hippocampal pyramidal neurons. Four distinct types of potassium channels, which were otherwise quiescent, were activated by both isolated brain G0 and recombinant Go alpha. Hence brain Go can couple diverse brain potassium channels to neurotransmitter receptors.     

Splice variants of the alpha subunit of the G protein Gs activate both adenylyl cyclase and calcium channels

Signal transducing guanine nucleotide binding (G) proteins are heterotrimers with different alpha subunits that confer specificity for interactions with receptors and effectors. Eight to ten such G proteins couple a large number of receptors for hormones and neurotransmitters to at least eight different effectors. Although one G protein can interact with several receptors, a given G protein was thought to interact with but one effector. The recent finding that voltage-gated calcium channels are stimulated by purified Gs, which stimulates adenylyl cyclase, challenged this concept. However, purified Gs may have four distinct alpha-subunit polypeptides, produced by alternative splicing of messenger RNA. By using recombinant DNA techniques, three of the splice variants were synthesized in Escherichia coli and each variant was shown to stimulate both adenylyl cyclase and calcium channels. Thus, a single G protein alpha subunit may regulate more than one effector function.     

Identification of an alpha subunit of dihydropyridine-sensitive brain calcium channels

Voltage-sensitive calcium channels in different tissues have diverse functional properties. Polyclonal antibodies (PAC-2) against the alpha subunits of purified rabbit skeletal muscle calcium channels immunoprecipitated calcium channels labeled with the dihydropyridine PN200-110 from both skeletal muscle and brain. The immunoreactivity of PAC-2 with the skeletal muscle channel was greater than that with the brain calcium channel and was absorbed only partially by prior treatment with the brain channel. PAC-2 specifically recognized a large peptide in synaptic plasma membranes of rabbit brain with an apparent molecular size of 169,000 daltons. This protein resembles an alpha subunit of the skeletal muscle calcium channel in apparent molecular weight, antigenic properties, and electrophoretic behavior after reduction of disulfide bonds. Thus, the dihydropyridine-sensitive calcium channel of rabbit brain has an alpha subunit that is homologous, but not identical, to those of the skeletal muscle calcium channel. The different functional properties of these two calcium channels may result from minor variations in structurally similar components.     

Mutant potassium channels with altered binding of charybdotoxin, a pore-blocking peptide inhibitor

The inhibition by charybdotoxin of A-type potassium channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes was studied for several splicing variants of the Drosophila Shaker gene and for several site-directed mutants of this channel. Charybdotoxin blocking affinity is lowered by a factor of 3.5 upon replacing glutamate-422 with glutamine, and by a factor of about 12 upon substituting lysine in this position. Replacement of glutamate-422 by aspartate had no effect on toxin affinity. Thus, the glutamate residue at position 422 of this potassium channel is near or in the externally facing mouth of the potassium conduction pathway, and the positively charged toxin is electrostatically focused toward its blocking site by the negative potential set up by glutamate-422.     

Molecular cloning of complementary DNA for the alpha subunit of the G protein that stimulates adenylate cyclase

A complementary DNA clone encoding the alpha subunit of the adenylate cyclase stimulatory G protein (Gs) was isolated and identified. A bovine brain complementary DNA library was screened with an oligonucleotide probe derived from amino acid sequence common to known G proteins. The only clone that was obtained with this probe has a complementary DNA insert of approximately 1670 base pairs. An antibody to a peptide synthesized according to deduced amino acid sequence reacts specifically with the alpha subunit of Gs. In addition, RNA that hybridizes with probes made from the clone is detected in wild-type S49 cells; however, cyc- S49 cells, which are deficient in Gs alpha activity, are devoid of this messenger RNA.     

重组金黄色葡萄球菌FnbpA亚单位疫苗的研制

【目的】制备金黄色葡萄球菌纤连蛋白结合蛋白A(FnbpA)基因工程亚单位疫苗,并以小白鼠为试验模型,检测其免疫保护效果。【方法】诱导表达FnbpA,经组氨酸标签亲合纯化后用Bradford法测定纯化的目的蛋白的含量,并检测其黏附活性及对动物的安全性。制备FnbpA亚单位疫苗,经无菌检验及安全检验后,进行免疫保护试验,用ELISA方法检测被免疫小鼠血清中的抗体效价,通过腹腔攻毒试验检测疫苗的免疫保护力。【结果】纯化的目的蛋白在80 ku处出现单一条带,蛋白质量浓度为0.245 mg/mL。细菌黏附抑制试验发现,经FnbpA蛋白预处理过的MDBK细胞黏附的金黄色葡萄球菌数较对照极显著减少;动物安全性试验显示,小鼠注射FnbpA亚单位疫苗后均健活,表明制备的FnbpA亚单位疫苗安全性良好。所有免疫组小鼠于首免后7 d即可在血清中检测到特异性抗体,抗体效价逐渐上升,在21 d达到最高值,之后逐渐降低。【结论】纯化的FnbpA蛋白达到了电泳级纯度,且依然保持良好的黏附活性;制备的FnbpA亚单位疫苗作用机体产生的抗体水平符合抗体消长规律,且表现出良好的免疫保护力。     

Mechanism of voltage gating in potassium channels

The mechanism of ion channel voltage gating-how channels open and close in response to voltage changes-has been debated since Hodgkin and Huxley's seminal discovery that the crux of nerve conduction is ion flow across cellular membranes. Using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we show how a voltage-gated potassium channel (KV) switches between activated and deactivated states. On deactivation, pore hydrophobic collapse rapidly halts ion flow. Subsequent voltage-sensing domain (VSD) relaxation, including inward, 15-angstrom S4-helix motion, completes the transition. On activation, outward S4 motion tightens the VSD-pore linker, perturbing linker-S6-helix packing. Fluctuations allow water, then potassium ions, to reenter the pore; linker-S6 repacking stabilizes the open pore. We propose a mechanistic model for the sodium/potassium/calcium voltage-gated ion channel superfamily that reconciles apparently conflicting experimental data.     

1990: annus mirabilis of potassium channels

Voltage-gated potassium channels make up a large molecular family of integral membrane proteins that are fundamentally involved in the generation of bioelectric signals such as nerve impulses. These proteins span the cell membrane, forming potassium-selective pores that are rapidly switched open or closed by changes in membrane voltage. After the cloning of the first potassium channel over 3 years ago, recombinant DNA manipulation of potassium channel genes is now leading to a molecular understanding of potassium channel behavior. During the past year, functional domains responsible for channel gating and potassium selectivity have been identified, and detailed structural pictures underlying these functions are beginning to emerge.     

流产布鲁氏菌ATP/GTP结合蛋白基因缺失株保护力及安全性研究

为筛选具有诊断标记的布鲁氏菌病疫苗菌株,本研究利用同源重组和负筛选技术,构建了流产布鲁氏菌株2 308的ATP/GTP结合蛋白基因缺失株BDA14,并通过菌落染色和凝集特性,培养传代,小鼠接种试验及怀孕羊攻毒试验对其生物学特性、安全性和免疫效果进行了研究.结果表明:1)缺失菌株BDA14为粗糙型菌株,体外培养传代表型不发生改变;2)缺失菌株BDA14在小鼠体内的毒力与亲本菌株2308相比显著降低,且不产生针对OPS(O-antigen)的抗体;3)缺失菌株BDA14可提供与疫苗株RB51相当的攻毒保护力;4)缺失菌株BDA14对怀孕靶动物的安全性显著提高,接种怀孕羊不引起流产.说明ATP/GTP结合蛋白基因缺失株BDA14作为安全、有效且能鉴别诊断的疫苗菌株有明显优势.     

Occult Drosophila calcium channels and twinning of calcium and voltage-activated potassium channels

In the membrane of the flight muscle cells of developing Drosophila a large calcium-sensitive potassium current, IKc, was found. It was present before the development of voltage-activated potassium channels and seems to be the first potassium current to develop in the membrane. Also present in these early cells were large numbers of occult (hidden) calcium channels, which remained inactive until the end of pupal development. These inactive calcium channels could be made to function by injecting adenosine triphosphate or ethyleneglycol tetraacetic acid into the early cells. IKc has kinetic properties resembling the later developing voltage-sensitive current IKv, and is distinct from the fast, transient calcium-dependent outward current IAc, which appears much later in development. IAc closely resembles the voltage-sensitive current IAv, also present in these cells. Thus, both of the voltage-sensitive potassium channel types, IAv and IKv, have similar calcium-sensitive counterparts, IAc and IKc, that are present in the same cells.     

Sequence of the alpha subunit of photoreceptor G protein: homologies between transducin, ras, and elongation factors

A bovine retinal complementary DNA clone encoding the alpha subunit of transducin (T alpha) was isolated with the use of synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides as probes, and the complete nucleotide sequence of the insert was determined. THe predicted protein sequence of 354 amino acids includes the known sequences of four tryptic peptides and sequences adjacent to the residues that undergo adenosine diphosphate ribosylation by cholera toxin and pertussis toxin. On the basis of homologies to other proteins, such as the elongation factors of protein synthesis and the ras oncogene proteins, regions are identified that are predicted to be acylated and involved in guanine nucleotide binding and hydrolysis. Amino acid sequence similarity between T alpha and ras is confined to these regions of the molecules.     

Biosynthesis of the Torpedo californica acetylcholine receptor alpha subunit in yeast

Yeast cells were transformed with a plasmid containing complementary DNA encoding the alpha subunit of the Torpedo californica acetylcholine receptor. These cells synthesized a protein that had the expected molecular weight, antigenic specificity, and ligand-binding properties of the alpha subunit. The subunit was inserted into the yeast plasma membrane, demonstrating that yeast has the apparatus to express a membrane-bound receptor protein and to insert such a foreign protein into its plasma membrane. The alpha subunit constituted approximately 1 percent of the total yeast membrane. The alpha subunit constituted approximately 1 percent of the total yeast membrane proteins, and its density was about the same in the plasma membrane of yeast and in the receptor-rich electric organ of Electrophorus electricus. In view of the available technology for obtaining large quantities of yeast proteins, it may now be possible to obtain amplified amounts of interesting membrane-bound proteins for physical and biochemical studies.     

(-)Pentobarbital opens ion channels of long duration in cultured mouse spinal neurons

Intracellular recordings from voltage-clamped mouse spinal neurons in tissue culture were used to study the membrane mechanisms underlying inhibitory responses to gamma-aminobutyric acid and the (-) isomer of pentobarbital. Fluctuation analysis suggested that both substances activated ion channels in the membranes. However, the channels activated by pentobarbital remained open five times longer than those activated by gamma-aminobutyric acid.     

Protective role of ATP-sensitive potassium channels in hypoxia-induced generalized seizure

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channels are activated by various metabolic stresses, including hypoxia. The substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr), the area with the highest expression of K(ATP) channels in the brain, plays a pivotal role in the control of seizures. Mutant mice lacking the Kir6.2 subunit of K(ATP) channels [knockout (KO) mice] were susceptible to generalized seizures after brief hypoxia. In normal mice, SNr neuron activity was inactivated during hypoxia by the opening of the postsynaptic K(ATP) channels, whereas in KO mice, the activity of these neurons was enhanced. K(ATP) channels exert a depressant effect on SNr neuronal activity during hypoxia and may be involved in the nigral protection mechanism against generalized seizures.     

Molecular basis of gating charge immobilization in Shaker potassium channels

Voltage-dependent ion channels respond to changes in the membrane potential by means of charged voltage sensors intrinsic to the channel protein. Changes in transmembrane potential cause movement of these charged residues, which results in conformational changes in the channel. Movements of the charged sensors can be detected as currents known as gating currents. Measurement of the gating currents of the Drosophila Shaker potassium channel indicates that the charge on the voltage sensor of the channels is progressively immobilized by prolonged depolarizations. The charge is not immobilized in a mutant of the channel that lacks inactivation. These results show that the region of the molecule responsible for inactivation interacts, directly or indirectly, with the voltage sensor to prevent the return of the charge to its original position. The gating transitions between closed states of the channel appear not to be independent, suggesting that the channel subunits interact during activation.     

The periplasmic galactose binding protein of Escherichia coli

A specific high affinity galactose transport system called P(betag) can be induced by trace amounts of galactose in the medium by virtue of its own ability to capture and accumulate galactose. The transport system is coregulated with the production of a high affinity periplasmic galactose binding protein, which constitutes but one part of the transport system. Some transport negative mutants still remain producers of this binding protein. A close correlation exists between production of the active binding protein and the presence of galactose chemotaxis. The hypothesis, that this binding protein is a common element of the specific galactose transport system, P(betag), and of galactose chemotaxis is supported by observations on structural mutants, being defective in galactose binding protein as well as showing a lack of galactose chemotaxis. The binding protein is a monomer with two binding sites for galactose. Binding of one or two of the galactose molecules elicits specific conformational changes of the galactose binding protein (lowered affinity for galactose, increase of charges of the protein, increased fluorescence of tryptophan residues). The importance of these features for transport and for chemotaxis is discussed (70).