Skip to content
naulon

No retraction, correction or concern found when last checked on Oct 27, 2026.

Single molecule FRET reveals pore size and opening mechanism of a mechano-sensitive ion channel

Yong Wang, Yanxin Liu, Hannah A DeBerg and 6 more

eLife · 2014 · CC BY

doi:10.7554/elife.01834

Abstract

The mechanosensitive channel of large conductance, which serves as a model system for mechanosensitive channels, has previously been crystallized in the closed form, but not in the open form. Ensemble measurements and electrophysiological sieving experiments show that the open-diameter of the channel pore is >25 Å, but the exact size and whether the conformational change follows a helix-tilt or barrel-stave model are unclear. Here we report measurements of the distance changes on liposome-reconstituted MscL transmembrane α-helices, using a ‘virtual sorting’ single-molecule fluorescence energy transfer. We observed directly that the channel opens via the helix-tilt model and the open pore reaches 2.8 nm in diameter. In addition, based on the measurements, we developed a molecular dynamics model of the channel structure in the open state which confirms our direct observations.

Full text

Its licence does not allow us to show the full text. Read it at PubMed Central:

Read at PubMed Central

References 65

  1. 1.

    Akaike H 1974 A new look at the statistical model identification. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control19:716–723.

    Not in our library10.1109/tac.1974.1100705

  2. 2.

    Akyuz N Altman RB Blanchard SC Boudker O 2013 Transport dynamics in a glutamate transporter homologue. Nature502:114–118.

    Not in our library10.1038/nature12265

  3. 3.

    Andrews DL Demidov AA 1999 Resonance energy transfer. 1st edition Guildford and King’s Lynn: Wiley

    Not in our library

  4. 4.

    Anishkin A Gendel V Sharifi NA Chiang C-S Shirinian L Guy HR Sukharev S 2003 On the conformation of the COOH-terminal domain of the large mechanosensitive channel MscL. The Journal of General Physiology121:227–244.

    Not in our library10.1085/jgp.20028768

  5. 5.

    Árnadóttir J Chalfie M 2010 Eukaryotic mechanosensitive channels. Annual Review of Biophysics39:111–137.

    Not in our library10.1146/annurev.biophys.37.032807.125836

  6. 6.

    Best RB Zhu X Shim J Lopes PEM Mittal J Feig M MacKerell AD 2012 Optimization of the additive CHARMM all-atom protein force field targeting improved sampling of the backbone ϕ, ψ and side-chain χ1 and χ2 dihedral angles. Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation8:3257–3273.

    Not in our library10.1021/ct300400x

  7. 7.

    Betanzos M Chiang C-S Guy HR Sukharev S 2002 A large iris-like expansion of a mechanosensitive channel protein induced by membrane tension. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology9:704–710.

    Not in our library10.1038/nsb828

  8. 8.

    Booth IR Blount P 2012 The MscS and MscL families of mechanosensitive channels act as microbial emergency release valves. Journal of Bacteriology194:4802–4809.

    Not in our library10.1128/jb.00576-12

  9. 9.

    Brünger AT Clore GM Gronenborn AM Karplus M 1986 Three-dimensional structure of proteins determined by molecular dynamics with interproton distance restraints: application to crambin. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America83:3801–3805.

    Not in our library10.1073/pnas.83.11.3801

  10. 10.

    Cha A Snyder GE Selvin PR Bezanilla F 1999 Atomic scale movement of the voltage-sensing region in a potassium channel measured via spectroscopy. Nature402:809–813.

    Not in our library10.1038/45552

  11. 11.

    Chalfie M 2009 Neurosensory mechanotransduction. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology10:44–52.

    Not in our library10.1038/nrm2595

  12. 12.

    Chan K-Y Gumbart J McGreevy R Watermeyer JM Sewell BT Schulten K 2011 Symmetry-restrained flexible fitting for symmetric EM Maps. Structure19:1211–1218.

    Not in our library10.1016/j.str.2011.07.017

  13. 13.

    Chang G Spencer RH Lee AT Barclay MT Rees DC 1998 Structure of the MscL Homolog from Mycobacterium tuberculosis: a gated mechanosensitive ion channel. Science282:2220–2226.

    Not in our library10.1126/science.282.5397.2220

  14. 14.

    Choi UB Strop P Vrljic M Chu S Brunger AT Weninger KR 2010 Single-molecule FRET-derived model of the synaptotagmin 1-SNARE fusion complex. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology17:318–324.

    Not in our library10.1038/nsmb.1763

  15. 15.

    Chung M Lowe RD Chan Y-HM Ganesan PV Boxer SG 2009 DNA-tethered membranes formed by giant vesicle rupture. Journal of Structural Biology168:190–199.

    Not in our library10.1016/j.jsb.2009.06.015

  16. 16.

    Clegg RM 1992 Fluorescence resonance energy transfer and nucleic acids. In: David MJ Lilley JED, editors. Methods in Enzymology. Academic Press p. 353–388.

    Not in our library10.1016/0076-6879(92)11020-j

  17. 17.

    Corry B Hurst AC Pal P Nomura T Rigby P Martinac B 2010 An improved open-channel structure of MscL determined from FRET confocal microscopy and simulation. The Journal of General Physiology136:483–494.

    Not in our library10.1085/jgp.200910376

  18. 18.

    Corry B Jayatilaka D Rigby P 2005a A flexible approach to the calculation of resonance energy transfer efficiency between multiple donors and acceptors in complexgeometries. Biophysical Journal89:3822–3836.

    Not in our library10.1529/biophysj.105.069351

  19. 19.

    Corry B Rigby P Liu Z-W Martinac B 2005b Conformational changes involved in MscL channel gating measured using FRET spectroscopy. Biophysical Journal89:L49–L51.

    Not in our library10.1529/biophysj.105.072009

  20. 20.

    Cruickshank CC Minchin RF Le Dain AC Martinac B 1997 Estimation of the pore size of the large-conductance mechanosensitive ion channel of Escherichia coli. Biophysical Journal73:1925–1931.

    Not in our library10.1016/s0006-3495(97)78223-7

  21. 21.

    Dale RE Eisinger J Blumberg WE 1979 The orientational freedom of molecular probes. The orientation factor in intramolecular energy transfer. Biophysical Journal26:161–193.

    Not in our library10.1016/s0006-3495(79)85243-1

  22. 22.

    Deplazes E Louhivuori M Jayatilaka D Marrink SJ Corry B 2012 Structural investigation of MscL gating using experimental data and coarse grained MD simulations. PLOS Computational Biology8:e1002683.

    Not in our library10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002683

  23. 23.

    Fery-Forgues S Lavabre D 1999 Are fluorescence quantum yields so tricky to measure? A demonstration using familiar stationery products. Journal of Chemical Education76:1260.

    Not in our library10.1021/ed076p1260

  24. 24.

    Förster T 1948 Zwischenmolekulare energiewanderung und fluoreszenz. Annalen der Physik437:55–75.

    Not in our library10.1002/andp.19484370105

  25. 25.

    Gandhi CS Walton TA Rees DC 2011 OCAM: a new tool for studying the oligomeric diversity of MscL channels. Protein Science20:313–326.

    Not in our library10.1002/pro.562

  26. 26.

    Granier S Kim S Shafer AM Ratnala VRP Fung JJ Zare RN Kobilka B 2007 Structure and conformational changes in the C-terminal domain of the β2-adrenoceptor. Journal of Biological Chemistry282:13895–13905.

    Not in our library10.1074/jbc.m611904200

  27. 27.

    Hamill OP Martinac B 2001 Molecular basis of mechanotransduction in living cells. Physiological Reviews81:685–740

    Not in our library10.1152/physrev.2001.81.2.685

  28. 28.
  29. 29.

    Haswell ES Phillips R Rees DC 2011 Mechanosensitive channels: what can they do and how do they do it?Structure19:1356–1369.

    Not in our library10.1016/j.str.2011.09.005

  30. 30.

    Humphrey W Dalke A Schulten K 1996 VMD: visual molecular dynamics. Journal of Molecular Graphics14:33–38, 27–28.

    Not in our library10.1016/0263-7855(96)00018-5

  31. 31.

    Jae M 2003 Tutorial on maximum likelihood estimation. Journal of Mathematical Psychology47:90–100.

    Not in our library10.1016/s0022-2496(02)00028-7

  32. 32.

    Iqbal A Arslan S Okumus B Wilson TJ Giraud G Norman DG Ha T Lilley DMJ 2008 Orientation dependence in fluorescent energy transfer between Cy3 and Cy5 terminally attached to double-stranded nucleic acids. Proceedings of the Montana Academy of Sciences105:11176–11181.

    Not in our library10.1073/pnas.0801707105

  33. 33.

    Jäger M Nir E Weiss S 2006 Site-specific labeling of proteins for single-molecule FRET by combining chemical and enzymatic modification. Protein Science15:640–646.

    Not in our library10.1110/ps.051851506

  34. 34.

    Jorgensen WL Chandrasekhar J Madura JD Impey RW Klein ML 1983 Comparison of simple potential functions for simulating liquid water. The Journal of Chemical Physics79:926–935.

    Not in our library10.1063/1.445869

  35. 35.

    Kim Y Ho SO Gassman NR Korlann Y Landorf EV Collart FR Weiss S 2008 Efficient site-specific labeling of proteins via cysteines. Bioconjugate Chemistry19:786–791.

    Not in our library10.1021/bc7002499

  36. 36.

    Lakowicz JR 1999 Principles of fluorescence spectroscopy. 2nd edition Springer

    Not in our library

  37. 37.

    Liu Z Gandhi CS Rees DC 2009 Structure of a tetrameric MscL in an expanded intermediate state. Nature461:120–124.

    Not in our library10.1038/nature08277

  38. 38.

    Louhivuori M Risselada HJ van der Giessen E Marrink SJ 2010 Release of content through mechano-sensitive gates in pressurized liposomes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America107:19856–19860.

    Not in our library10.1073/pnas.1001316107

  39. 39.

    Majumdar DS Smirnova I Kasho V Nir E Kong X Weiss S Kaback HR 2007 Single-molecule FRET reveals sugar-induced conformational dynamics in LacY. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America104:12640–12645.

    Not in our library10.1073/pnas.0700969104

  40. 40.

    Marras SAE Kramer FR Tyagi S 2002 Efficiencies of fluorescence resonance energy transfer and contact–mediated quenching in oligonucleotide probes. Nucleic Acids Research30:e122.

    Not in our library10.1093/nar/gnf121

  41. 41.

    Miyamoto S Kollman PA 1993 Absolute and relative binding free energy calculations of the interaction of biotin and its analogs with streptavidin using molecular dynamics/free energy perturbation approaches. Proteins: Structure, Function, and Bioinformatics16:226–245.

    Not in our library10.1002/prot.340160303

  42. 42.

    Nomura T Cranfield CG Deplazes E Owen DM Macmillan A Battle AR Constantine M Sokabe M Martinac B 2012 Differential effects of lipids and lyso-lipids on the mechanosensitivity of the mechanosensitive channels MscL and MscS. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America109:8770–8775.

    Not in our library10.1073/pnas.1200051109

  43. 43.

    Perozo E 2006 Gating prokaryotic mechanosensitive channels. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology7:109–119.

    Not in our library10.1038/nrm1833

  44. 44.

    Perozo E Cortes DM Sompornpisut P Kloda A Martinac B 2002a Open channel structure of MscL and the gating mechanism of mechanosensitive channels. Nature418:942–948.

    Not in our library10.1038/nature00992

  45. 45.

    Perozo E Kloda A Cortes DM Martinac B 2001 Site-directed spin-labeling analysis of reconstituted Mscl in the closed state. The Journal of General Physiology118:193–206.

    Not in our library10.1085/jgp.118.2.193

  46. 46.

    Perozo E Kloda A Cortes DM Martinac B 2002b Physical principles underlying the transduction of bilayer deformation forces during mechanosensitive channel gating. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology9:696–703.

    Not in our library10.1038/nsb827

  47. 47.

    Perrin F 1926 Polarisation de la lumière de fluorescence. Vie moyenne des molécules dans l’etat excité. Journal de Physique et le Radium7:390–401.

    Not in our library10.1051/jphysrad:01926007012039000

  48. 48.

    Phillips JC Braun R Wang W Gumbart J Tajkhorshid E Villa E Chipot C Skeel RD Kalé L Schulten K 2005 Scalable molecular dynamics with NAMD. Journal of Computational Chemistry26:1781–1802.

    Not in our library10.1002/jcc.20289

  49. 49.

    Rappe AK Casewit CJ Colwell KS Goddard WA Skiff WM 1992 UFF, a full periodic table force field for molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics simulations. Journal of the American Chemical Society114:10024–10035.

    Not in our library10.1021/ja00051a040

  50. 50.

    Rico F Moy VT 2007 Energy landscape roughness of the streptavidin–biotin interaction. Journal of Molecular Recognition20:495–501.

    Not in our library10.1002/jmr.841

  51. 51.

    Roy R Hohng S Ha T 2008 A practical guide to single-molecule FRET. Nature Methods5:507–516.

    Not in our library10.1038/nmeth.1208

  52. 52.

    Schwarz G 1978 Estimating the dimension of a model. The Annals of Statistics6:461–464.

    Not in our library10.1214/aos/1176344136

  53. 53.

    Selvin PR Taekjip H, editors. 2007 Single-molecule techniques: a laboratory manual. 1st edition Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press

    Not in our library

  54. 54.

    Serro AP Carapeto A Paiva G Farinha JPS Colaço R Saramago B 2012 Formation of an intact liposome layer adsorbed on oxidized gold confirmed by three complementary techniques: QCM-D, AFM and confocal fluorescence microscopy. Surface and Interface Analysis44:426–433.

    Not in our library10.1002/sia.3820

  55. 55.

    Shimazaki H Shinomoto S 2007 A method for selecting the bin size of a time histogram. Neural Computation19:1503–1527.

    Not in our library10.1162/neco.2007.19.6.1503

  56. 56.

    Steinbacher S Bass R Strop P Rees DC 2007 Structures of the prokaryotic mechanosensitive channels MscL and MscS. In: Mechanosensitive ion channels. Academic Press p 1–24.

    Not in our library10.1016/s1063-5823(06)58001-9

  57. 57.

    Sugiura N 1978 Further analysts of the data by akaike’ s information criterion and the finite corrections. Communications in Statistics–Theory and Methods7:13–26.

    Not in our library10.1080/03610927808827599

  58. 58.

    Sukharev S Betanzos M Chiang C-S Guy HR 2001a The gating mechanism of the large mechanosensitive channel MscL. Nature409:720–724.

    Not in our library10.1038/35055559

  59. 59.

    Sukharev S Durell SR Guy HR 2001b Structural models of the MscL gating mechanism. Biophysical Journal81:917–936.

    Not in our library10.1016/s0006-3495(01)75751-7

  60. 60.

    Trabuco LG Villa E Schreiner E Harrison CB Schulten K 2009 Molecular dynamics flexible fitting: a practical guide to combine cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography. Methods49:174–180.

    Not in our library10.1016/j.ymeth.2009.04.005

  61. 61.

    Weber G Shinitzky M 1970 Failure of energy transfer between identical aromatic molecules on excitation at the long wave edge of the absorption spectrum. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America65:823–830.

    Not in our library10.1073/pnas.65.4.823

  62. 62.

    Yin J Lin AJ Buckett PD Wessling-Resnick M Golan DE Walsh CT 2005 Single-cell FRET imaging of transferrin receptor trafficking dynamics by Sfp-catalyzed, site-specific protein labeling. Chemistry & Biology12:999–1006.

    Not in our library10.1016/j.chembiol.2005.07.006

  63. 63.

    Zhao Y Terry D Shi L Weinstein H Blanchard SC Javitch JA 2010 Single-molecule dynamics of gating in a neurotransmitter transporter homologue. Nature465:188–193.

    Not in our library10.1038/nature09057

  64. 64.

    Zhao Y Terry DS Shi L Quick M Weinstein H Blanchard SC Javitch JA 2011 Substrate-modulated gating dynamics in a Na+-coupled neurotransmitter transporter homologue. Nature474:109–113.

    Not in our library10.1038/nature09971

  65. 65.

    Zhdanov VP Dimitrievski K Kasemo B 2006 Adsorption and spontaneous rupture of vesicles composed of two types of lipids. Langmuir22:3477–3480.

    Not in our library10.1021/la053163f

Cited by papers we hold 3

Reads

Read by people on this page

None yet.

Checked or read by AI through naulon

None yet.

A person counts once a day per paper. We keep no cookie and no address: a reader is a hash that changes every day. Any month under five reads shows no number.

Are you an author?

Is this your paper?

Claim it to add your note and be paid when agents cite it. Free.