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Fluorescent labeling in size‐controlled liposomes reveals membrane curvature‐induced structural changes in the KcsA potassium channel
Author(s) -
Ueki Misuzu,
Iwamoto Masayuki
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1002/1873-3468.14141
Subject(s) - kcsa potassium channel , membrane curvature , biophysics , membrane , liposome , vesicle , chemistry , curvature , membrane protein , potassium channel , ion channel , biochemistry , biology , geometry , receptor , mathematics
Biological structures with highly curved membranes, such as caveolae and transport vesicles, are essential for signal transduction and membrane trafficking. Although membrane proteins in these structures are subjected to physical stress due to the curvature of the lipid bilayers, the effect of this membrane curvature on protein structure and function remains unclear. In this study, we established an experimental procedure to evaluate membrane curvature‐induced structural changes in the prototypical potassium channel KcsA. The effect of a large membrane curvature was estimated using fluorescently labeled KcsA by incorporating it into liposomes with a small diameter (< 30 nm). We found that a large membrane curvature significantly affects the activation gate conformation of the KcsA channel.