ATP-gated P2X receptors display ion permeability increases within seconds of receptor activation as the channels enter the I 2 state, which is permeable to organic cations and dye molecules. The mechanisms underlying this important behavior are not completely understood. In one model, the I 2 state is thought to be due to opening of Pannexin-1 (Panx-1) channels, and, in the second, it is thought to be an intrinsic P2X property. We tested both models by measuring ion and dye permeability and used a patch-clamp coordinated spectroscopy approach to measure conformational changes. Our data show that Panx-1 channels make no detectable contribution to the P2X 2 receptor I2 state. However, P2X 2 receptors display permeability dynamics, which are correlated with conformational changes in the cytosolic domain remote from the selectivity filter itself. Finally, the data illustrate the utility of a new approach, using tetracysteine tags and biarsenical fluorophores to measure site-specific conformational changes in membrane proteins. (Fig. 1A), which is permeable to cations, such as Na ϩ and Ca 2ϩ (7,8). In P2X 2 , P2X 4 , and P2X 7 receptors after seconds of activation by ATP, the channel undergoes additional seconds time-scale changes that increase permeability to organic cations, such as N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMDG) ϩ , and dyes, such as YOPRO1 (2,(4)(5)(6)9). This second open state is referred to as I 2 (Fig. 1 A). The first reports of the I 2 state permeable to large molecules go back 30 years, when ATP was shown to permeabilize cells (10). The mechanisms that underlie opening to the I 2 state remain unclear, even though it is a trigger for a variety of pathophysiological processes, including blebbing, microvesicle shedding, release of signaling molecules, permeablization, and cell death (7,11). In addition to the obvious relevance to ATP signaling, a better understanding of the I 2 state would also advance our understanding of the diversity of mechanisms used by ion channels. This is because ion permeability and/or selectivity filter dynamics are not unique to P2X but also occur for other channels (12, 13). In particular, the organic cation and dye permeable I 2 state of TRP channels (14, 15) shares similarity to P2X 2 receptors. A key open question is how the organic cation and dye permeable I 2 state arises.Two models exist to explain the I 2 state for P2X receptors. The first model proposes that P2X 7 -mediated dye uptake (16, 17) occurs via Pannexin-1 (Panx-1) channels, leading to the suggestion that the I 2 state is due to Panx-1 channels rather than P2X (11,18). In this study, we call this the ''Panx-1 model'' (Fig. 1 A). The second model posits that the I 2 state is an intrinsic property of P2X receptors involving slow conformational changes that allow organic cations to flow (2-6, 19). We call this the ''gating model'' (Fig. 1 A). We tested both models under a common set of recording conditions. We also used a patch-clamp coordinated imaging approach to directly measure protein conformational changes.
Results...