The Link between Inactivation and High-Affinity Block of hERG1 Channels.

Block of human ether-à-go-go-related gene 1 (hERG1) K(+) channels by many drugs delays cardiac repolarization, prolongs QT interval, and is associated with an increased risk of cardiac arrhythmia. Preferential block of hERG1 channels in an inactivated state has been assumed because inactivation deficient mutant channels can exhibit dramatically reduced drug sensitivity. Here we reexamine the link between inactivation gating and potency of channel block using concatenated hERG1 tetramers containing a variable number (0-4) of subunits harboring a point mutation (S620T or S631A) that disrupts inactivation. Concatenated hERG1 tetramers containing four wild-type subunits exhibited high-affinity block by cisapride, dofetilide, and MK-499, similar to wild-type channels formed from hERG1 monomers. A single S620T subunit within a tetramer was sufficient to fully disrupt inactivation gating, whereas S631A suppressed inactivation as a graded function of the number of mutant subunits present in a concatenated tetramer. Drug potency was positively correlated to the number of S620T subunits contained within a tetramer but unrelated to mutation-induced disruption of channel inactivation. Introduction of a second point mutation (Y652W) into S620T hERG1 partially rescued drug sensitivity. The potency of cisapride was not altered for tetramers containing 0 to 3 S631A subunits, whereas the potency of dofetilide was a graded function of the number of S631A subunits contained within a tetramer. Together these findings indicate that S620T or S631A substitutions can allosterically disrupt drug binding by a mechanism that is independent of their effects on inactivation gating.