Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Selective ion conduction across ion channel pores is central to cellular physiology. To understand the underlying principles of ion selectivity in tetrameric cation channels, we engineered a set of cation channel pores based on the nonselective NaK channel and determined their structures to high resolution. These structures showcase an ensemble of selectivity filters with a various number of contiguous ion binding sites ranging from 2 to 4, with each individual site maintaining a geometry and ligand environment virtually identical to that of equivalent sites in K+ channel selectivity filters. Combined with single channel electrophysiology, we show that only the channel with four ion binding sites is K+ selective, whereas those with two or three are nonselective and permeate Na+ and K+ equally well. These observations strongly suggest that the number of contiguous ion binding sites in a single file is the key determinant of the channel’s selectivity properties and the presence of four sites in K+ channels is essential for highly selective and efficient permeation of K+ ions.

Original publication

DOI

10.1073/pnas.1013636108

Type

Journal article

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Publication Date

2011

Volume

108

Pages

598 - 602