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PMID: 11524460 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

KcsA: it's a potassium channel.

The Journal of general physiology ·Vol. 118 ·No. 3 ·2001-09-00 ·Pages 303-14

LeMasurier M, Heginbotham L, Miller C

Abstract

Ion conduction and selectivity properties of KcsA, a bacterial ion channel of known structure, were studied in a planar lipid bilayer system at the single-channel level. Selectivity sequences for permeant ions were determined by symmetrical solution conductance (K(+) > Rb(+), NH(4)(+), Tl(+) >> Cs(+), Na(+), Li(+)) and by reversal potentials under bi-ionic or mixed-ion conditions (Tl(+) > K(+) > Rb(+) > NH(4)(+) >> Na(+), Li(+)). Determination of reversal potentials with submillivolt accuracy shows that K(+) is over 150-fold more permeant than Na(+). Variation of conductance with concentration under symmetrical salt conditions is complex, with at least two ion-binding processes revealing themselves: a high affinity process below 20 mM and a low affinity process over the range 100-1,000 mM. These properties are analogous to those seen in many eukaryotic K(+) channels, and they establish KcsA as a faithful structural model for ion permeation in eukaryotic K(+) channels.

MeSH Terms
Algorithms Bacterial Proteins Cations/metabolism Electrophysiology Escherichia coli/metabolism Kinetics Potassium/metabolism Potassium Channels/isolation & purification,metabolism
Chemicals
Bacterial Proteins Cations Potassium Channels prokaryotic potassium channel Potassium
Authors & Affiliations
3 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
LeMasurier M
Department of Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA.
Heginbotham L
Miller C
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Article Info
Journal
The Journal of general physiology
Abbr.
J Gen Physiol
ISSN
0022-1295
Published
2001-09-00
Pages
303-14
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
2985110R
PMCID
PMC2229506
Subset
IM
Grants
NIGMS NIH HHS · R01 GM031768 · United States
NIGMS NIH HHS · R37 GM031768 · United States
NIGMS NIH HHS · GM31768 · United States
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