Identification and Characterization of the Slowly Exchanging pH-dependent Conformational Rearrangement in KcsA

Gating of ion channels is strictly regulated by physiological conditions as well as intra/extracellular ligands. To understand the underlying structures mediating ion channel gating, we investigated the pH-dependent gating of the K+ channel KcsA under near-physiological conditions, using solution-state NMR. In a series of 1H15N-TROSY HSQC (transverse relaxation optimized spectroscopy-heteronuclear single quantum coherence) spectra measured at various pH values, significant chemical shift changes were detected between pH 3.9 and 5.2, reflecting a conformational rearrangement associated with the gating. The pH-dependent chemical shift changes were mainly observed for the resonances from the residues near the intracellular helix bundle, which has been considered to form the primary gate in the K+ channel, as well as the intracellular extension of the inner helix. The substitution of His-25 by Ala abolished this pH-dependent conformational rearrangement, indicating that the residue serves as a “pH-sensor” for the channel. Although the electrophysiological open probability of KcsA is less than 10%, the conformations of the intracellular helix bundle between the acidic and neutral conditions seem to be remarkably different. This supports the recently proposed “dual gating” properties of the K+ channel, in which the activation-coupled inactivation at the selectivity filter determines the channel open probability of the channel. Indeed, a pH-dependent chemical shift change was also observed for the signal from the Trp-67 indole, which is involved in a hydrogen bond network related to the activation-coupled inactivation. The slow kinetic parameter obtained for the intracellular bundle seems to fit better into the time scale for burst duration than very fast fluctuations within a burst period, indicating the existence of another gating element with faster kinetic properties.