Journal of Biological Chemistry
Volume 287, Issue 51, 14 December 2012, Pages 43063-43070
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Membrane Biology
Crystal Structure of a Voltage-gated K+ Channel Pore Module in a Closed State in Lipid Membranes*

https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M112.415091Get rights and content
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Voltage-gated K+ channels underlie the electrical excitability of cells. Each subunit of the functional tetramer consists of the tandem fusion of two modules, an N-terminal voltage-sensor and a C-terminal pore. To investigate how sensor coupling to the pore generates voltage-dependent channel opening, we solved the crystal structure and characterized the function of a voltage-gated K+ channel pore in a lipid membrane. The structure of a functional channel in a membrane environment at 3.1 Å resolution establishes an unprecedented connection between channel structure and function. The structure is unique in delineating an ion-occupied ready to conduct selectivity filter, a confined aqueous cavity, and a closed activation gate, embodying a dynamic entity trapped in an unstable closed state.

Ion Channels
Membrane Proteins
Membrane Reconstitution
Structural Biology
X-ray Crystallography
Lipidic Cubic Phase
Channel Gating
Droplet Interface Bilayers
Ion Selectivity
Lipid Bilayers

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*

This work was supported, in whole or in part, by National Institutes of Health Grants GM-073197 and GM-49711. This work was also supported by National Cancer Institute Grant Y1-CO-1020 and National Institute of General Medical Sciences Grant Y1-GM-1104.

1

These authors contributed equally to this work.