Ion transport articles within Nature Communications

Featured

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Inactivation is an intrinsic property of NaV channel, but the mechanism for slow inactivation is not fully understood. Here, authors show a NaVEh structure in a potential slow-inactivated state, elucidating structural basis for slow inactivation.

    • Huiwen Chen
    • , Zhanyi Xia
    •  & Daohua Jiang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Yeast cadmium factor 1 (Ycf1), a heavy metal and glutathione transporter, is regulated by an intrinsically disordered region called the regulatory domain. In this work, the authors show that this domain controls activity through autoinhibition of the glutathione cavity when it is dephosphorylated.

    • Nitesh Kumar Khandelwal
    •  & Thomas M. Tomasiak

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Probing the molecular dynamics of the membrane motor, prestin, with biophysical measures and MD simulations, Kuwabara et al. find that an elevator-like domain movement across the membrane produces the unique piezoelectric behavior.

    • Makoto F. Kuwabara
    • , Bassam G. Haddad
    •  & Dominik Oliver

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) are intracellular Ca2+ channels that produce Ca2+ oscillations in response to GPCR and RTK activation. Here, Paknejad et al. resolve the conformational landscape of IP3Rs that gives rise to the biphasic dependence on Ca2+ for channel activity.

    • Navid Paknejad
    • , Vinay Sapuru
    •  & Richard K. Hite

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The potassium channel KCNQ2 can be activated by analgesics and antiepileptic drugs via an unclear mechanism. Here authors report structures of KCNQ2-CaM in complex with cannabidiol, PIP2, and HN37 and elucidate the mechanisms of activation.

    • Demin Ma
    • , Yueming Zheng
    •  & Jiangtao Guo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mechanosensitive channels exhibit large structural variations. Here, the authors reveal that OSCA channels exhibit different oligomeric states and are gated/regulated by lipids at different locations in response to physical forces.

    • Mingfeng Zhang
    • , Yuanyue Shan
    •  & Duanqing Pei

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors report the structure of human oncochannel TRPV6 in complex with the plant derived phytoestrogen genistein. The structure provides insights into genistein binding in the channel pore, and how it acts as blocker and gating modifier, suggesting a mechanism of inhibition that can be explored for the structure-based drug design.

    • Arthur Neuberger
    • , Yury A. Trofimov
    •  & Alexander I. Sobolevsky

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The PANX2 channel is involved in skin homeostasis and neuronal development, but the molecular basis of channel function remains largely unknown. Here, the authors provide detailed analysis of the structure, function, and pharmacology of human PANX2.

    • Zhihui He
    • , Yonghui Zhao
    •  & Peng Yuan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bacteria and archaea use tripartite ATP-independent periplasmic (TRAP) transporters to import essential nutrients. Davies et al. report a high resolution structure of a TRAP and show that it uses an ‘elevator-with-an operator’ mechanism.

    • James S. Davies
    • , Michael J. Currie
    •  & Renwick C. J. Dobson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The potassium channel selectivity filter is responsible for conduction and selectivity of K + over other cations. Here, the authors use a combination of single molecule FRET, non-canonical fluorescent amino acid incorporation, and single channel patch-clamp electrophysiology, to establish the generality of K + -induced SF conformational stability across the K + channel superfamily.

    • Marcos Matamoros
    • , Xue Wen Ng
    •  & Colin G. Nichols

  • Article
    | Open Access

    CLC-type channels selectively transport Cl− across biological membranes, but it is unclear how discrimination between anions is maintained. Here, authors use a combination of non-natural amino acid substitutions, electrophysiology, and molecular dynamics simulations to determine Cl− specificity within this family of ion channels.

    • Lilia Leisle
    • , Kin Lam
    •  & Alessio Accardi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    This study demonstrates that the curvature of the cell membrane directly regulates the spatial distribution of Piezo1, a widely expressed mechanosensitive ion channel. Piezo1 may flatten upon activation and can mechanically inhibit membrane dynamics

    • Shilong Yang
    • , Xinwen Miao
    •  & Zheng Shi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    TMEM16F is a dual ion channel and lipid scramblase that is involved in blood coagulation and cell fusion. Here, authors elucidate how the protein is activated by Ca2+ to accomplish both functions in a single protein conformation.

    • Melanie Arndt
    • , Carolina Alvadia
    •  & Raimund Dutzler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Gi/o protein-coupled receptors (Gi/o-GPCRs) limit β-cell insulin secretion by decreasing Ca2+ entry; however, the underlying mechanism has not been identified. Here, the authors show that Gi/o-GPCRs hyperpolarize mouse and human β-cell membrane potential by activating Na+/K+ATPases.

    • Matthew T. Dickerson
    • , Prasanna K. Dadi
    •  & David A. Jacobson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Alpha-helix nanopores have a range of potential applications and the inclusion of non-natural amino acids allows for modification. Here, the authors report on the creation of alpha-helix pores using D-amino acids and show the pores formed, have different properties to the L-counterparts and were resistant to proteases.

    • Smrithi Krishnan R
    • , Kalyanashis Jana
    •  & Kozhinjampara R. Mahendran

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bestrophin channels are critical for physiology of the eye. Here, authors report cryo-EM structures of human bestrophins in various states at up to 1.8 Å resolution, revealing paralog-specific features that underlie molecular mechanisms of permeation.

    • Aaron P. Owji
    • , Jiali Wang
    •  & Tingting Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    TMEM16A, a calcium-activated chloride channel involved in multiple cellular processes, is implicated in various diseases, but its pharmacology remains poorly understood. Here, the authors combine cryo-EM and electrophysiology to elucidate the mechanism of TMEM16A inhibition by the pore blocker 1PBC.

    • Andy K. M. Lam
    • , Sonja Rutz
    •  & Raimund Dutzler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Voltage-gated sodium channels mediate electrical signaling. Here, authors report the cryo-EM structure of NaVEh from the marine plant Emiliania huxleyi, revealing an unexpected mechanism of N-type fast inactivation.

    • Jiangtao Zhang
    • , Yiqiang Shi
    •  & Daohua Jiang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Constriction of the selectivity filter is assumed to be a hallmark of C-type inactivation in K+ channels. Using different high-resolution methods, this study shows a distinct C-type inactivation mechanism in a KcsA mutant that emulates Kv-channels.

    • Ahmed Rohaim
    • , Bram J. A. Vermeulen
    •  & Markus Weingarth

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The venom of Latrodectus spiders contains seven Latrotoxins (LaTXs), among them α-latrocrustatoxin (LCT) and δ- latroinsectotoxins δ-LIT. LaTXs bind to specific receptors on the surface of neuronal cells and target the molecular exocytosis machinery. Here, the authors present the cryo-EM structure of the α-LCT monomer and the δ-LIT dimer, which reveal that LaTXs are organized in four domains and they discuss the potential oligomerisation mechanism that takes place before LaTXs membrane insertion. Both recombinant α-LCT and δ-LIT form channels in artificial membrane bilayers, that are stabilized by Ca2+ ions.

    • Minghao Chen
    • , Daniel Blum
    •  & Christos Gatsogiannis

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Berberine is a compound with glucose-lowering effects in mice and humans. Here, the authors show that in mice berberine has beneficial glycemic effects by promoting insulin secretion, which requires the potassium channel KCNH6 in beta cells, and that berberine can promote insulin secretion in healthy men in a phase 1 clinical trial.

    • Miao-Miao Zhao
    • , Jing Lu
    •  & Jin-Kui Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Volume-regulated anion channels (VRACs) are heteromers of LRRC8 proteins, all containing the obligatory subunit LRRC8A. Here, the authors develop and characterize nanobodies that bind LRRC8A and allosterically modulate the function of homomeric LRRC8A and endogenous heteromeric channels, hinting at functional mechanisms present in VRACs.

    • Dawid Deneka
    • , Sonja Rutz
    •  & Raimund Dutzler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    KdpFABC is a high-affinity bacterial K+ pump which combines the ion channel-like KdpA and the P-type ATPase KdpB. Here, the authors elucidate the mechanisms underlying transport and the coupling to ATP hydrolysis, and provide evidence that ions are transported via an intersubunit tunnel through KdpA and KdpB.

    • Jakob M. Silberberg
    • , Robin A. Corey
    •  & Inga Hänelt

  • Article
    | Open Access

    High-speed atomic force microscopy height spectroscopy and single channel electrophysiology recordings are used to correlate conformational and functional dynamics of the model membrane protein, outer membrane protein G (OmpG). These techniques show that both states coexist and rapidly interchange in all conditions supported by molecular dynamics simulations.

    • Raghavendar Reddy Sanganna Gari
    • , Joel José Montalvo‐Acosta
    •  & Simon Scheuring

Browse broader subjects

Browse Ion transport across other nature.com journals