Domain swapping is common in diverse soluble proteins and most often occurs in hinge-loop regions that bridge larger domains (Bennett and Eisenberg, 2004, Liu and Eisenberg, 2002 and Rousseau et al., 2012), which is exactly the situation present in how the S4-S5 linker bridges the VSD and PD. Both the origins and the consequences for function of this swapped topology remain BMN 673 cost unclear. Further, how this domain swapping is played out by VGIC superfamily members such as CaVs, NaVs, and
TPCs in which the subunits have covalent constraints between the six transmembrane blocks (Figure 1B) is not known. Domain swapping is not unique to voltage-gated channels. K2P (Brohawn et al., 2013) and glutamate receptor (Sobolevsky et al., 2009) structures reveal domain swapping in the membrane and extramembranous domains, respectively. Clearly, such a quirky topology, particularly within the KV, BacNaV, and K2P membrane domains, poses new challenges
for how we think about biogenesis of these proteins. Not only is there a question about Selleckchem CB-839 what the disparate pore domains do while waiting for the other three during protein synthesis, but how do they then assemble into these interlocked structures? Are there chaperones that act within the plane of the membrane to guide such processes and prevent misfolding events? The last surprise highlighted here is the way in which lipids from the bilayer seem to play a role in walling off part
of the internal pore. Both BacNaVs (McCusker et al., 2012, Payandeh et al., 2011, Payandeh et al., 2012, Shaya et al., 2013 and Zhang et al., 2012) and K2Ps (Brohawn et al., 2012, Brohawn et al., 2013 and Miller and Long, 2012) have interior cavities in which the pore-forming segments are arranged in Cediranib (AZD2171) a way that opens lateral portals into the bilayer (Brohawn et al., 2012). Studies from the Figure 1A era had proposed that hydrophobic channel blockers, such as anesthetics, might enter the channel pore from the bilayer (Hille, 1977b and Hille, 2001). These side portals now suggest a physical means for such a process. And while it should be of no surprise that a channel domain bathed in lipids might have important interactions with particular parts of the surrounding bilayer, such features do open new questions including: how might modulators move through such portals, and do the size and shape of these lateral access pathways change as the channel passes through its conformational cycle? Addressing the issue of lipid structure around a channel and its influence on channel structure remains challenging and an important area for further inquiry.