Song Zigang, Xue Lingfeng, Ouyang Qi, Song Chen
School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Commun Chem. 2025 Apr 3;8(1):101. doi: 10.1038/s42004-025-01503-4.
Ion channels are essential for various physiological processes, and their defects are associated with many diseases. Previous research has revealed that a Terahertz electromagnetic field can alter the channel conductance by affecting the motion of chemical groups of ion channels, and hence regulate the electric signals of neurons. In this study, we conducted molecular dynamics simulations to systematically investigate the effects of terahertz electromagnetic fields on the ion permeation of voltage-gated potassium and sodium channels, particularly focusing on the bound ions in the selectivity filters that have not been extensively studied previously. Our results identified multiple new characteristic frequencies and showed that 1.4, 2.2, or 2.9 THz field increases the ion permeability of K1.2, and 2.5 or 48.6 THz field increases the ion permeability of Na1.5. Such effects are specific to the frequencies and directions of the electric field, which are determined by the intrinsic oscillation motions of the permeating ions in the selectivity filter or certain chemical groups of the ion channels. The amplitude of the THz field positively correlates with the change in ion permeation. This study demonstrates that THz fields can specifically regulate ion channel conductances by multiple mechanisms, which may carry great potential in biomedical applications.
离子通道对各种生理过程至关重要，其缺陷与许多疾病相关。先前的研究表明，太赫兹电磁场可通过影响离子通道化学基团的运动来改变通道电导，从而调节神经元的电信号。在本研究中，我们进行了分子动力学模拟，以系统地研究太赫兹电磁场对电压门控钾通道和钠通道离子渗透的影响，特别关注先前未被广泛研究的选择性过滤器中的结合离子。我们的结果确定了多个新的特征频率，并表明1.4、2.2或2.9太赫兹的场增加了K1.2的离子渗透性，而2.5或48.6太赫兹的场增加了Na1.5的离子渗透性。这些效应对于电场的频率和方向具有特异性，这由选择性过滤器中渗透离子或离子通道的某些化学基团的固有振荡运动决定。太赫兹场的振幅与离子渗透的变化呈正相关。本研究表明，太赫兹场可通过多种机制特异性调节离子通道电导，这在生物医学应用中可能具有巨大潜力。
