Abstract
STUDIES on the activation of ligand- and voltage-gated ion channels have identified regions involved in both ligand binding1 and voltage sensing2, but relatively little is known about how such domains are coupled to channel opening. Here we investigate the structural basis for the activation of cyclic-nucleotide-gated channels, which are directly opened by cytoplasmic cyclic nucleotides3,4 but are structurally homologous to voltage-gated channels5–7. By constructing chimaeras between cyclic-nucleotide-gated channels cloned from bovine retinal photoreceptors8 and catfish olfactory neurons7, we identify two distinct domains that are important for ligand binding and channel gating. A putative α-helix in the carboxy-terminal binding domain determines the selectivity of the channel for activation by cGMP relative to cAMP. A domain in the amino-terminal region determines the ease with which channels open and thus influences agonist efficacy. We propose that channel opening is coupled to an allosteric conformational change in the binding site which enhances agonist binding. Thus, cyclic nucleotides activate the channel by binding tightly to the open state and stabilizing it.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Karlin, A. Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 2, 299–309 (1993).
Stuhmer, W. et al. Nature 339, 597–603 (1989).
Fesenko, E. E., Kaoesnikov, S. S. & Lyubarsky, A. L. Nature 313, 310–313 (1985).
Nakamura, T. & Gold, G. H. Nature 325, 342–344 (1987).
Jan, L. Y. & Jan, Y. N. Nature 345, 672 (1990).
Guy, H. R., Durell, S. R., Warmke, J., Drysdale, R. & Ganetzky, B. Science 254, 730 (1991).
Goulding, E. H. et al. Neuron 8, 45–58 (1992).
Kaupp, U. B. et al. Nature 342, 762–766 (1989).
Castillo, J. & Katz, B. Proc. R. Soc. B 146, 369–381 (1957).
Fersht, A. Enzyme Structure and Mechanism 98–106, 311–317 (Freeman, New York, 1985).
Avis, J. M. & Fersht, A. R. Biochemistry 32, 5321–5326 (1993).
Catterall, W. A. Science 243, 236–237 (1989).
Jackson, M. B. Biophys. J. 63, 1443–1444 (1992).
Weber, I. T. & Steitz, T. A. J. molec Biol. 198, 311–326 (1987).
Shabb, J. M. & Corbin, J. D. J. biol. Chem. 267, 5723–5726 (1992).
Miller, C. Science 252, 1092–1096 (1991).
Monod, J., Wyman, J. & Changeux, J.-P. J. molec. Biol. 12, 88–118 (1965).
MacKinnon, R. Nature 350, 232–235 (1991).
Li, M., Jan, Y. N. & Jan, L. Y. Science 257, 1225–1230 (1992).
Shen, N. V., Chen, X., Boyer, M. M. & Pfaffinger, P. J. Neuron 11, 67–76 (1993).
Babila, T. et al. Neuron 12, 615–626 (1994).
Perutz, M. F. Nature 228, 726–739 (1990).
Unwin, P. N. T. & Ennis, P. D. Nature 307, 609–613 (1984).
Goulding, E. H., Tibbs, G. R., Liu, D. & Siegelbaum, S. A. Nature 364, 61–64 (1993).
Zagotta, W. N., Hoshi, Y. & Aldrich, R. W. Science 250, 568–571 (1990).
Kramer, R. H., Goulding, E. & Siegelbaum, S. A. Neuron 12, 655–662 (1994).
Liman, E. R., Tytgat, J. & Hess, P. Neuron 9, 861–871 (1992).
Takio, K. et al. Biochemistry 23, 4207–4218 (1984).
Titani, K. et al. Biochemistry 23, 4193–4199 (1984).
Skoog, D. A. & West, D. M. Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry 75–80 (CBS College, New York, 1982).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Goulding, E., Tibbs, G. & Siegelbaum, S. Molecular mechanism of cyclic-nucleotide-gated channel activation. Nature 372, 369–374 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/372369a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/372369a0
This article is cited by
-
Fast functional mapping of ligand-gated ion channels
Communications Biology (2023)
-
Illuminating Cyclic Nucleotides: Sensors for cAMP and cGMP and Their Application in Live Cell Imaging
Journal of the Indian Institute of Science (2017)
-
Quantifying the cooperative subunit action in a multimeric membrane receptor
Scientific Reports (2016)
-
Hysteresis of ligand binding in CNGA2 ion channels
Nature Communications (2013)
-
How subunits cooperate in cAMP-induced activation of homotetrameric HCN2 channels
Nature Chemical Biology (2012)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.