Regulatory switch at the cytoplasmic interface controls TRPV channel gating
- Duke University School of Medicine, United States
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, United States
Abstract
Temperature-sensitive transient receptor potential vanilloid (thermoTRPV) channels are activated by ligands and heat, and are involved in various physiological processes. ThermoTRPV channels possess a large cytoplasmic ring consisting of N-terminal ankyrin repeat domains (ARD) and C-terminal domains (CTD). The cytoplasmic inter-protomer interface is unique and consists of a CTD coiled around a b-sheet which makes contacts with the neighboring ARD. Despite much existing evidence that the cytoplasmic ring is important for thermoTRPV function, the mechanism by which this unique structure is involved in thermoTRPV gating has not been clear. Here we present cryo-EM and electrophysiological studies which demonstrate that TRPV3 gating involves large rearrangements at the cytoplasmic inter-protomer interface and that this motion triggers coupling between cytoplasmic and transmembrane domains, priming the channel for opening. Furthermore, our studies unveil the role of this interface in the distinct biophysical and physiological properties of individual thermoTRPV subtypes.
Data availability
Cryo-EM data and structural models are deposited in the EMDB and RCSB, respectively with the following codes: EMD-20192, PDB: 6OT2 and EMD-20194, PDB: 6OT5
-
Structure of the TRPV3 K169A sensitized mutant in apo form at 4.1 A resolutionProtein Data, Bank, 6OT2.
Article and author information
Author details
Funding
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R35NS097241)
- Seok-Yong Lee
The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
Reviewing Editor
- Kenton Jon Swartz, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, United States
Version history
- Received: April 16, 2019
- Accepted: May 8, 2019
- Accepted Manuscript published: May 9, 2019 (version 1)
- Version of Record published: May 28, 2019 (version 2)
Copyright
This is an open-access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.
Metrics
-
- 3,004
- views
-
- 609
- downloads
-
- 54
- citations
Views, downloads and citations are aggregated across all versions of this paper published by eLife.
Download links
A two-part list of links to download the article, or parts of the article, in various formats.
Downloads (link to download the article as PDF)
Open citations (links to open the citations from this article in various online reference manager services)
Cite this article (links to download the citations from this article in formats compatible with various reference manager tools)
Regulatory switch at the cytoplasmic interface controls TRPV channel gating
eLife 8:e47746.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.47746
Further reading
-
- Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
Connexins allow intercellular communication by forming gap junction channels (GJCs) between juxtaposed cells. Connexin26 (Cx26) can be regulated directly by CO2. This is proposed to be mediated through carbamylation of K125. We show that mutating K125 to glutamate, mimicking the negative charge of carbamylation, causes Cx26 GJCs to be constitutively closed. Through cryo-EM we observe that the K125E mutation pushes a conformational equilibrium towards the channel having a constricted pore entrance, similar to effects seen on raising the partial pressure of CO2. In previous structures of connexins, the cytoplasmic loop, important in regulation and where K125 is located, is disordered. Through further cryo-EM studies we trap distinct states of Cx26 and observe density for the cytoplasmic loop. The interplay between the position of this loop, the conformations of the transmembrane helices and the position of the N-terminal helix, which controls the aperture to the pore, provides a mechanism for regulation.
-
- Microbiology and Infectious Disease
- Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
Bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae are associated with gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and bacteremia and are a leading cause of death, from sepsis, for individuals with inflammatory bowel diseases. The bacterial behaviors and mechanisms underlying why these bacteria are prone to bloodstream entry remain poorly understood. Herein, we report that clinical isolates of non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica serovars, Escherichia coli, and Citrobacter koseri are rapidly attracted toward sources of human serum. To simulate GI bleeding, we utilized an injection-based microfluidics device and found that femtoliter volumes of human serum are sufficient to induce bacterial attraction to the serum source. This response is orchestrated through chemotaxis and the chemoattractant L-serine, an amino acid abundant in serum that is recognized through direct binding by the chemoreceptor Tsr. We report the first crystal structures of Salmonella Typhimurium Tsr in complex with L-serine and identify a conserved amino acid recognition motif for L-serine shared among Tsr orthologues. We find Tsr to be widely conserved among Enterobacteriaceae and numerous World Health Organization priority pathogens associated with bloodstream infections. Lastly, we find that Enterobacteriaceae use human serum as a source of nutrients for growth and that chemotaxis and the chemoreceptor Tsr provide a competitive advantage for migration into enterohemorrhagic lesions. We define this bacterial behavior of taxis toward serum, colonization of hemorrhagic lesions, and the consumption of serum nutrients as ‘bacterial vampirism’, which may relate to the proclivity of Enterobacteriaceae for bloodstream infections.
