No abstract

To contend with hazards posed by environmental fluoride, microorganisms export this anion through F--specific ion channels of the Fluc family1–4. Since the recent discovery of Fluc channels, numerous idiosyncratic features of these proteins have been unearthed, including extreme selectivity for F- over Cl- and dual-topology dimeric assembly5–6. To understand the chemical basis for F- permeation and how the antiparallel subunits convene to form a F--selective pore, we solved crystal structures of two bacterial Fluc homologues in complex with three different monobody inhibitors, with and without F- present, to a maximum resolution of 2.1 Å. The structures reveal a surprising “double-barrelled” channel architecture in which two F- ion pathways span the membrane and the dual-topology arrangement includes a centrally coordinated cation, most likely Na+. F- selectivity is proposed to arise from the very narrow pores and an unusual anion coordination that exploits the quadrupolar edges of conserved phenylalanine rings.

A subclass of bacterial CLC anion-transporting proteins, phylogenetically distant from long-studied CLCs, was recently shown to be specifically up-regulated by F-. We establish here that a set of randomly selected representatives from this “CLCF” clade protect Escherichia coli from F- toxicity, and that the purified proteins catalyze transport of F- in liposomes. Sequence alignments and membrane transport experiments using 19F NMR, osmotic response assays, and planar lipid bilayer recordings reveal four mechanistic traits that set CLCF proteins apart from all other known CLCs. First, CLCFs lack conserved residues that form the anion binding site in canonical CLCs. Second, CLCFs exhibit high anion selectivity for F- over Cl-. Third, at a residue thought to distinguish CLC channels and transporters, CLCFs bear a channel-like valine rather than a transporter-like glutamate, and yet are F-/H+ antiporters. Finally, F-/H+ exchange occurs with 1∶1 stoichiometry, in contrast to the usual value of 2∶1.