Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels control action potential repolarization, interspike membrane potential, and action potential frequency in excitable cells. It is thought that the combinatorial association between distinct alpha and beta subunits determines whether Kv channels function as non-inactivating delayed rectifiers or as rapidly inactivating A-type channels. We show that membrane lipids can convert A-type channels into delayed rectifiers and vice versa. Phosphoinositides remove N-type inactivation from A-type channels by immobilizing the inactivation domains. Conversely, arachidonic acid and its amide anandamide endow delayed rectifiers with rapid voltage-dependent inactivation. The bidirectional control of Kv channel gating by lipids may provide a mechanism for the dynamic regulation of electrical signaling in the nervous system.

The formation of extracellular amyloid plaques is a common patho-biochemical event underlying several debilitating human conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Considerable evidence implies that AD damage arises primarily from small oligomeric amyloid forms of Aβ peptide, but the precise mechanism of pathogenicity remains to be established. Using a cell culture system that reproducibly leads to the formation of Alzheimer’s Aβ amyloid plaques, we show here that the formation of a single amyloid plaque represents a template-dependent process that critically involves the presence of endocytosis- or phagocytosis-competent cells. Internalized Aβ peptide becomes sorted to multivesicular bodies where fibrils grow out, thus penetrating the vesicular membrane. Upon plaque formation, cells undergo cell death and intracellular amyloid structures become released into the extracellular space. These data imply a mechanism where the pathogenic activity of Aβ is attributed, at least in part, to intracellular aggregates.

Inwardly rectifying potassium channels require binding of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP 2 ) for channel activity. Three independent sites (aa 175^206, aa 207^246, aa 324^365) were located in the C-terminal domain of Kir2.1 channels by assaying the binding of overlapping fragments to PIP 2 containing liposomes. Mutations in the first site, which abolished channel activity, reduced PIP 2 binding of this fragment but not of the complete C-terminus. Point mutations in the third site also reduced both, channel activity and PIP 2 binding of this segment. The relevance of the third PIP 2 binding site provides a basis for the understanding of constitutively active Kir2 channels. ß

Phosphatidylinositol polyphosphates (PIPs) are potent modulators of Kir channels. Previous studies have implicated basic residues in the C terminus of Kir6.2 channels as interaction sites for the PIPs. Here we examined the role of the N terminus and identified an arginine (Arg-54) as a major determinant for PIP 2 modulation of ATP sensitivity in K ATP channels. Mutation of Arg-54 to the neutral glutamine (R54Q) and, in particular, to the negatively charged glutamate (R54E) impaired PIP 2 modulation of ATP inhibition, while mutation to lysine (R54K) had no effect. These data suggest that electrostatic interactions between PIP 2 and Arg-54 are an essential step for the modulation of ATP sensitivity. This N-terminal PIP 2 site is highly conserved in Kir channels with the exception of the pH-gated channels Kir1.1, Kir4.1, and Kir5.1 that contain a neutral residue at the corresponding positions. Introduction of an arginine at this position in Kir1.1 channels rendered the N-terminal PIP 2 site functional largely increasing the PIP 2 affinity. Moreover, Kir1.1 channels lose the ability to respond to physiological changes of the intracellular pH. These results explain the need of a silent N-terminal PIP 2 site in pH-gated channels and highlight the N terminus as an important region for PIP 2 modulation of Kir channel gating.Kir channels are a superfamily of eukaryotic channel proteins that are expressed in many tissues and responsible for important physiological processes such as cell excitability, insulin secretion, K ϩ homeostasis, vascular tone, and regulation of the heart rate. Four subunits assemble to a channel. Each subunit contains two transmembrane segments with cytoplasmic N-and C-terminal domains and a connecting loop forming the pore (1). Some members of the Kir channel family are endowed with gating mechanisms such as ATP gating (K ATP channels) (2) and pH gating (Kir1.1 and Kir4.1 channels) (3). These gating mechanisms are central for the diverse functions of Kir channels in physiology and the understanding of the related pathophysiology. Kir1, Kir4, and Kir5 channels, that are predominantly expressed in epithelia, are exquisitely sensitive to changes in intracellular pH in the physiological range (3-5). This pH sensitivity is mediated by the protonation of a lysine in the N terminus (Lys-80 in Kir1.1) that induces closure of the channel's pore by an allosteric mechanism (pH gating) (3, 6). Even small changes in the pH sensitivity can cause severe kidney defects such as the Bartter syndrome (3), highlighting the physiological importance of proper pH gating in Kir1.1 channels. Kir6 channels display a very ubiquitous expression pattern and, in coassembly with the sulfonylurea receptor (SUR), 1 represent the ATP-sensitive K ϩ channels (K ATP channels) (7). Intracellular ATP closes K ATP channels by binding to the Kir6.2 subunits (ATP gating), whereas the SURs act as regulatory subunits endowing the channel with sensitivity to MgADP and pharmacological compounds. The ATP/ADP dependence of K ATP channels couple...