Concatenated hERG1 Tetramers Reveal Stoichiometry of Altered Channel Gating by RPR-260243

Activation of human ether-a-go-go-related gene 1 (hERG1) K(+) channels mediates repolarization of action potentials in cardiomyocytes. RPR-260243 [(3R,4R)-4-[3-(6-methoxy-quinolin-4-yl)-3-oxo-propyl]-1-[3-(2,3,5-trifluorophenyl)-prop-2-ynyl]-piperidine-3-carboxylic acid] (RPR) slows deactivation and attenuates inactivation of hERG1 channels. A detailed understanding of the molecular mechanism of hERG1 agonists such as RPR may facilitate the design of more selective and potent compounds for prevention of arrhythmia associated with abnormally prolonged ventricular repolarization. RPR binds to a hydrophobic pocket located between two adjacent hERG1 subunits, and, hence, a homotetrameric channel has four identical RPR binding sites. To investigate the stoichiometry of altered channel gating induced by RPR, we constructed and characterized tetrameric hERG1 concatemers containing a variable number of wild-type subunits and subunits containing a point mutation (L553A) that rendered the channel insensitive to RPR, ostensibly by preventing ligand binding. The slowing of deactivation by RPR was proportional to the number of wild-type subunits incorporated into a concatenated tetrameric channel, and four wild-type subunits were required to achieve maximal slowing of deactivation. In contrast, a single wild-type subunit within a concatenated tetramer was sufficient to achieve half of the maximal RPR-induced shift in the voltage dependence of hERG1 inactivation, and maximal effect was achieved in channels containing three or four wild-type subunits. Together our findings suggest that the allosteric modulation of channel gating involves distinct mechanisms of coupling between drug binding and altered deactivation and inactivation.