Ion channels in the nervous system articles within Nature

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    The exploration of voltage-gated potassium channels using cryo-electron microscopy and electrophysiology identifies a mechanism of inactivation involved in regulating neuron firing.

    • Ana I. Fernández-Mariño
    • , Xiao-Feng Tan
    •  & Kenton J. Swartz

  • Article |

    Cryo-electron microscopy analyses reveal adaptations that facilitate the octopus chemotactile receptor’s evolutionary transition from an ancestral role in neurotransmission to detecting greasy environmental agonists for ‘taste by touch’ sensory behaviour.

    • Corey A. H. Allard
    • , Guipeun Kang
    •  & Nicholas W. Bellono

  • Article |

    Octopus and squid use cephalopod-specific chemotactile receptors to sense their respective marine environments, but structural adaptations in these receptors support the sensation of specific molecules suited to distinct physiological roles.

    • Guipeun Kang
    • , Corey A. H. Allard
    •  & Ryan E. Hibbs

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Experiments in mice show that the mechanically activated ion channel PIEZO1 is expressed in itch-specific sensory neurons and has a role in transducing mechanical itch.

    • Rose Z. Hill
    • , Meaghan C. Loud
    •  & Ardem Patapoutian

  • Article |

    Analyses of layer 5 cortical pyramidal neurons in 10 mammalian species show that human neurons are distinct in that they do not follow the expected allometric relationship between neuron size and membrane conductance.

    • Lou Beaulieu-Laroche
    • , Norma J. Brown
    •  & Mark T. Harnett

  • Article |

    Cryo-electron microscopy structures of human Cav2.2 in the presence or absence of ziconotide reveal the molecular basis of the specificity of this painkiller for Cav2.2, and provide insights into electromechanical coupling in Cav channels.

    • Shuai Gao
    • , Xia Yao
    •  & Nieng Yan

  • Article |

    Analyses of hippocampal AMPA receptor–auxiliary subunit complexes provide insights into the predominant assemblies and organization of the AMPA receptor, TARP-γ8 and CNIH2/SynDIG4 and explain the mechanism of inhibition of a clinically relevant, brain-region-specific allosteric inhibitor.

    • Jie Yu
    • , Prashant Rao
    •  & Eric Gouaux

  • Article |

    Cryo-electron microscopy structures of GABAA receptors bound to intravenous anaesthetics and benzodiazepines reveal both common and distinct transmembrane binding sites, and show that the mechanisms of action of anaesthetics partially overlap with those of benzodiazepines.

    • Jeong Joo Kim
    • , Anant Gharpure
    •  & Ryan E. Hibbs

  • Article |

    Structural and functional studies of the sodium leak channel, non-selective (NALCN) in complex with a distinct auxiliary subunit reveal the structural basis of the channel function and pharmacology and the functional impact of mutations that cause NALCN channelopathies.

    • Marc Kschonsak
    • , Han Chow Chua
    •  & Jian Payandeh

  • Article |

    The X-ray crystal structure of the potassium channel TASK-1 reveals the presence of an X-gate, which traps small-molecule inhibitors in the intramembrane vestibule and explains their low washout rates from the channel.

    • Karin E. J. Rödström
    • , Aytuğ K. Kiper
    •  & Elisabeth P. Carpenter

  • Article |

    Cryo-electron microscopy structures are reported in which the full-length human α1β3γ2L GABAA receptor in lipid nanodiscs is bound to the channel-blocker picrotoxin, the competitive antagonist bicuculline, the agonist GABA, and the benzodiazepines alprazolam and diazepam.

    • Simonas Masiulis
    • , Rooma Desai
    •  & A. Radu Aricescu

  • Letter |

    Cryo-electron microscopy of the serotonin 5-HT3 receptor in complex with various ligands yields four distinct structures, capturing serotonin binding in detail and increasing understanding of the gating mechanism of the receptor.

    • Lucie Polovinkin
    • , Ghérici Hassaine
    •  & Hugues Nury

  • Article |

    The cryo-electron microscopy structure of the type A GABA receptor bound to GABA and the benzodiazepine site antagonist flumazenil reveals structural mechanisms that underlie intersubunit interactions and ligand selectivity of the receptor.

    • Shaotong Zhu
    • , Colleen M. Noviello
    •  & Ryan E. Hibbs

  • Letter |

    Shark and skate electrosensory cells use specific potassium channels to support either indiscriminate detection of electrical stimuli or selective frequency tuning, respectively, demonstrating adaptation of sensory systems through discrete molecular modifications.

    • Nicholas W. Bellono
    • , Duncan B. Leitch
    •  & David Julius

  • Letter |

    Cryo-electron microscopy structures of two stoichiometries of heteromeric acetylcholine receptors in complex with nicotine reveal principles of subunit assembly and the structural basis of the distinctive biophysical and pharmacological properties of the different stoichiometries.

    • Richard M. Walsh Jr
    • , Soung-Hun Roh
    •  & Ryan E. Hibbs

  • Letter |

    Three transient receptor potential channels (TRPA1, TRPV1 and TRPM3) mediate sensitivity to acute noxious heat in mice in a redundant system; mice lacking all three show severe deficits in heat sensing, whereas double-knockout mice do not.

    • Ine Vandewauw
    • , Katrien De Clercq
    •  & Thomas Voets

  • Letter |

    X-ray and cryo-electron microscopy structures of the acid-sensing ion channel ASIC1a reveal the molecular mechanisms of channel gating and desensitization.

    • Nate Yoder
    • , Craig Yoshioka
    •  & Eric Gouaux

  • Article |

    The electron cryo-microscopy structure of full-length mouse Piezo1 reveals unique topological features such as the repetitive transmembrane helical units that constitute the highly curved transmembrane region, and identifies regions and single residues that are crucial for the mechanical activation of the channel.

    • Qiancheng Zhao
    • , Heng Zhou
    •  & Bailong Xiao

  • Article |

    The structures of AMPA receptors in complex with auxiliary proteins are resolved by cryo-electron microscopy, and reveal conformational and permeation pathway changes that are associated with activation and desensitization of ionotropic glutamate receptors.

    • Edward C. Twomey
    • , Maria V. Yelshanskaya
    •  & Alexander I. Sobolevsky

  • Letter |

    Single-particle electron cryo-microscopy analysis of the mechanotransduction channel NOMPC reveals that it contains a bundle of four helical spring-shaped ankyrin repeat domains that undergo motion, potentially allowing mechanical movement of the cytoskeleton to be coupled to the opening of the channel.

    • Peng Jin
    • , David Bulkley
    •  & Yifan Cheng

  • Brief Communications Arising |

    • Panos Zanos
    • , Ruin Moaddel
    •  & Todd D. Gould

  • Article |

    The first high-resolution (3.5 Å) structure of a full-length cyclic-nucleotide-gated channel, revealing an unconventional, voltage-insensitive voltage-sensor domain and a unique coupling mechanism between cyclic-nucleotide-binding and pore-opening.

    • Minghui Li
    • , Xiaoyuan Zhou
    •  & Jian Yang

  • Letter |

    Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are ligand-gated ion channels that mediate fast chemical neurotransmission; here, the first X-ray crystal structure of a nicotinic receptor is reported, revealing how nicotine stabilizes the receptor in a non-conducting, desensitized conformation.

    • Claudio L. Morales-Perez
    • , Colleen M. Noviello
    •  & Ryan E. Hibbs

  • Letter |

    The high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy structure of the kainate receptor GluK2 subtype in its desensitized state is reported, which reveals that desensitization is attained by establishing a ring-like structure in the ligand-binding domains.

    • Joel R. Meyerson
    • , Sagar Chittori
    •  & Sriram Subramaniam

  • Letter |

    The neuronal mechanism for the detection of non-painful warm stimuli has remained unclear; mammalian TRPM2 ion channel is shown to be required for warmth detection in the non-noxious range of 33–38 °C, and surprisingly to mediate responses to warmth in the autonomic nervous system.

    • Chun-Hsiang Tan
    •  & Peter A. McNaughton

  • Article |

    Increased activity of dopamine receptor type-2 (D2R)-expressing cells in the nucleus accumbens of rats during a ‘decision’ period reflects a ‘loss’ outcome of the previous decision, and predicts a subsequent safe choice; by artificially increasing the activity of D2R neurons during the decision period, risk-seeking rats could be converted to risk-avoiding rats.

    • Michael F. Wells
    • , Ralf D. Wimmer
    •  & Michael M. Halassa

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