Koch Hans P, Kurokawa Tatsuki, Okochi Yoshifumi, Sasaki Mari, Okamura Yasushi, Larsson H Peter
Neurological Sciences Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, 505 NW 185th Avenue, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Jul 1;105(26):9111-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0801553105. Epub 2008 Jun 26.
Voltage-gated potassium channels are comprised of four subunits, and each subunit has a pore domain and a voltage-sensing domain (VSD). The four pore domains assemble to form one single central pore, and the four individual VSDs control the gate of the pore. Recently, a family of voltage-gated proton channels, such as H(V) or voltage sensor only protein (VSOP), was discovered that contain a single VSD but no pore domain. It has been assumed that VSOP channels are monomeric and contain a single VSD that functions as both the VSD and the pore domain. It remains unclear, however, how a protein that contains only a VSD and no pore domain can conduct ions. Using fluorescence measurements and immunoprecipitation techniques, we show here that VSOP channels are expressed as multimeric channels. Further, FRET experiments on constructs with covalently linked subunits show that VSOP channels are dimers. Truncation of the cytoplasmic regions of VSOP reduced the dimerization, suggesting that the dimerization is caused mainly by cytoplasmic protein-protein interactions. However, these N terminus- and C terminus-deleted channels displayed large proton currents. Therefore, we conclude that even though VSOP channels are expressed mainly as dimers in the cell membrane, single VSOP subunits could function independently as proton channels.
电压门控钾通道由四个亚基组成,每个亚基都有一个孔道结构域和一个电压感应结构域(VSD)。四个孔道结构域组装形成一个单一的中央孔道,四个独立的电压感应结构域控制孔道的门控。最近,发现了一类电压门控质子通道,如H(V)或仅含电压传感器蛋白(VSOP),它们只含有一个电压感应结构域但没有孔道结构域。据推测,VSOP通道是单体的,含有一个既作为电压感应结构域又作为孔道结构域的单一电压感应结构域。然而,仅含电压感应结构域而没有孔道结构域的蛋白质如何传导离子仍不清楚。利用荧光测量和免疫沉淀技术,我们在此表明VSOP通道以多聚体通道的形式表达。此外,对具有共价连接亚基的构建体进行的荧光共振能量转移实验表明VSOP通道是二聚体。VSOP细胞质区域的截短降低了二聚化,表明二聚化主要是由细胞质中的蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用引起的。然而,这些N端和C端缺失的通道显示出较大的质子电流。因此,我们得出结论,尽管VSOP通道在细胞膜中主要以二聚体形式表达,但单个VSOP亚基可以独立作为质子通道发挥作用。