Mechanosensitive behavior of bacterial cyclic nucleotide gated (bCNG) ion channels: Insights into the mechanism of channel gating in the mechanosensitive channel of small conductance superfamily

Malcolm, Hannah R.; Elmore, Donald E.; Maurer, Joshua A.

doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2011.12.049

Cited by 13 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…The direct flexoelectric effect manifests as curvature‐induced polarization, as confirmed by the fact that many ion channels in cellular membranes are stress activated 128, 129. Following their discovery in chicken skeletal muscles, stress‐activated ion channels have been found in many types of cells ranging from bacteria,130 to human cells131 and plant cells 132. Under deformation, ion channels in the cellular membrane undergo a conformational deformation which allows ions to pass through, thereby leading to changes in cell membrane polarization.…”

Section: Flexoelectricity In Soft Materialsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Nanoscale Flexoelectricity

et al. 2013

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Electromechanical effects are ubiquitous in biological and materials systems. Understanding the fundamentals of these coupling phenomena is critical to devising next-generation electromechanical transducers. Piezoelectricity has been studied in detail, in both the bulk and at mesoscopic scales. Recently, an increasing amount of attention has been paid to flexoelectricity: electrical polarization induced by a strain gradient. While piezoelectricity requires crystalline structures with no inversion symmetry, flexoelectricity does not carry this requirement, since the effect is caused by inhomogeneous strains. Flexoelectricity explains many interesting electromechanical behaviors in hard crystalline materials and underpins core mechanoelectric transduction phenomena in soft biomaterials. Most excitingly, flexoelectricity is a size-dependent effect which becomes more significant in nanoscale systems. With increasing interest in nanoscale and nano-bio hybrid materials, flexoelectricity will continue to gain prominence. This Review summarizes work in this area. First, methods to amplify or manipulate the flexoelectric effect to enhance material properties will be investigated, particularly at nanometer scales. Next, the nature and history of these effects in soft biomaterials will be explored. Finally, some theoretical interpretations for the effect will be presented. Overall, flexoelectricity represents an exciting phenomenon which is expected to become more considerable as materials continue to shrink.

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Section: Flexoelectricity In Soft Materialsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Nanoscale Flexoelectricity

et al. 2013

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“…Their major characteristics are listed in Table 2 and discussed in further detail below. Not included here are MscS-related channels from B. subtlilis 147 , Streptococcus faecalis 148 , and the bCNG family 119 .…”

Section: Mscs and Mscs-like Channels: Conservation And Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

MscS-like Mechanosensitive Channels in Plants and Microbes

2013

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The challenge of osmotic stress is something all living organisms must face as a result of environmental dynamics. Over the past three decades, innovative research and cooperation across disciplines has irrefutably established that cells utilize mechanically gated ion channels to release osmolytes and prevent cell lysis during hypoosmotic stress. Early electrophysiological analysis of the inner membrane of Escherichia coli identified the presence of three distinct mechanosensitive activities. The subsequent discoveries of the genes responsible for two of these activities, the mechanosensitive channels of large (MscL) and small (MscS) conductance, led to the identification of two diverse families of mechanosensitive channels. The latter of these two families, the MscS family, is made up of members from bacteria, archaea, fungi, and plants. Genetic and electrophysiological analysis of these family members has provided insight into how organisms use mechanosensitive channels for osmotic regulation in response to changing environmental and developmental circumstances. Furthermore, solving the crystal structure of E. coli MscS and several homologs in several conformational states has contributed to the understanding of the gating mechanisms of these channels. Here we summarize our current knowledge of MscS homologs from all three domains of life, and address their structure, proposed physiological functions, electrophysiological behaviors, and topological diversity.

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“…Many provide MS channel activity and/or function in osmotic stress protection [18], [33], [34], [35], [36], [37], though others do not [38], [39], [40], [41]. MscS homologs have also been identified in the genomes of a subset of eukaryotic lineages, including several fungal and all plant genomes examined to date [42], [43], [44], [45].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional Analysis of Conserved Motifs in the Mechanosensitive Channel Homolog MscS-Like2 from Arabidopsis thaliana

Jensen

Haswell

2012

PLoS ONE

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The Mechanosensitive channel of Small conductance (MscS) of Escherichia coli has become an excellent model system for the structural, biophysical, and functional study of mechanosensitive ion channels. MscS, a complex channel with multiple states, contributes to protection against lysis upon osmotic downshock. MscS homologs are widely and abundantly dispersed among the bacterial and plant lineages, but are not found in animals. Investigation into the eukaryotic branch of the MscS family is in the beginning stages, and it remains unclear how much MscS homologs from eukaryotes resemble E. coli MscS with respect to structure, function, and regulation. Here we test the effect of mutating three conserved motifs on the function of MscS-Like (MSL)2, a MscS homolog localized to the plastids of Arabidopsis thaliana. We show that 1) a motif at the top of the cytoplasmic domain, referred to here as the PN(X)9N motif, is essential for MSL2 function and for its proper intraplastidic localization; 2) substituting polar residues for two large hydrophobic residues located in the predicted pore-lining transmembrane helix of MSL2 produces a likely gain-of-function allele, as previously shown for MscS; and 3) mis-expression of this allele causes severe defects in leaf growth, loss of chloroplast integrity, and abnormal starch accumulation. Thus, two of the three conserved motifs we analyzed are critical for MSL2 function, consistent with the conservation of structure and function between MscS family members in bacteria and plants. These results underscore the importance of plastidic mechanosensitive channels in the maintenance of normal plastid and leaf morphology.

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Mechanosensitive behavior of bacterial cyclic nucleotide gated (bCNG) ion channels: Insights into the mechanism of channel gating in the mechanosensitive channel of small conductance superfamily

Cited by 13 publications

References 24 publications

Nanoscale Flexoelectricity

Nanoscale Flexoelectricity

MscS-like Mechanosensitive Channels in Plants and Microbes

Functional Analysis of Conserved Motifs in the Mechanosensitive Channel Homolog MscS-Like2 from Arabidopsis thaliana

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