Effect of Charge Substitutions at Residue His-142 on Voltage Gating of Connexin43 Channels

AbstractPrevious studies indicate that the carboxyl terminal of connexin43 (Cx43CT) is involved in fast transjunctional voltage gating. Separate studies support the notion of an intramolecular association between Cx43CT and a region of the cytoplasmic loop (amino acids 119–144; referred to as “L2”). Structural analysis of L2 shows two α-helical domains, each with a histidine residue in its sequence (H126 and H142). Here, we determined the effect of H142 replacement by lysine, alanine, and glutamate on the voltage gating of Cx43 channels. Mutation H142E led to a significant reduction in the frequency of occurrence of the residual state and a prolongation of dwell open time. Macroscopically, there was a large reduction in the fast component of voltage gating. These results resembled those observed for a mutant lacking the carboxyl terminal (CT) domain. NMR experiments showed that mutation H142E significantly decreased the Cx43CT-L2 interaction and disrupted the secondary structure of L2. Overall, our data support the hypothesis that fast voltage gating involves an intramolecular particle-receptor interaction between CT and L2. Some of the structural constrains of fast voltage gating may be shared with those involved in the chemical gating of Cx43

RXP-E: a connexin43-binding peptide that prevents action potential propagation block

Gap junctions (GJs) provide a low-resistance pathway for cardiac electrical propagation. The role of GJ regulation in arrhythmia is unclear, partly due to limited availability of pharmacological tools. Recently, we showed that a peptide called “RXP-E” binds to the carboxyl terminal of connexin43 (Cx43) and prevents chemically-induced uncoupling in Cx43-expressing N2a cells. Here, pull-down experiments show RXP-E binding to adult cardiac Cx43. Patch-clamp studies revealed that RXP-E prevented heptanol-induced and acidification-induced uncoupling in pairs of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVM’s). Separately, RXP-E was concatenated to a cytoplasmic transduction peptide for cytoplasmic translocation (CTP-RXP-E). The effect of RXP-E on action potential (AP) propagation was assessed by high resolution optical mapping in monolayers of NRVM’s, containing ~20% of randomly distributed myofibroblasts. In contrast to control experiments, when heptanol (2 mmol/L) was added to the superfusate of monolayers loaded with CTP-RXP-E, AP propagation was maintained, albeit at a slower velocity. Similarly, intracellular acidification (pHi=6.2) caused a loss of AP propagation in control monolayers; however, propagation was maintained in CTP-RXP-E treated cells, though at a slower rate. Patch clamp experiments revealed that RXP-E did not prevent heptanol-induced block of sodium currents, nor did it alter voltage dependence or amplitude of Kir2.1/Kir2.3 currents. RXP-E is the first synthetic molecule known to: (1) bind cardiac Cx43; (2) prevent heptanol and acidification-induced uncoupling of cardiac GJ’s and 3) preserve AP propagation among cardiac myocytes. RXP-E can be used to characterize the role of GJs in the function of multicellular systems, including the heart

Role of the carboxyl terminal of connexin43 in transjunctional fast voltage gating

Previous studies show that chemical regulation of connexin43 (Cx43) gap junction channels depends on the integrity of the carboxyl terminal (CT) domain. Experiments using Xenopus oocytes show that truncation of the CT domain alters the time course for current inactivation; however, correlation with the behavior of single Cx43 channels has been lacking. Furthermore, whereas chemical gating is associated with a "ball-and-chain" mechanism, there is no evidence whether transjunctional voltage regulation for Cx43 follows a similar model. We provide data on the properties of transjunctional currents from voltage-clamped pairs of mammalian tumor cells expressing either wild-type Cx43 or a mutant of Cx43 lacking the carboxyl terminal domain (Cx43M257). Cx43 transjunctional currents showed bi-exponential decay and a residual steady-state conductance of approximately 35% maximum. Transjunctional currents recorded from Cx43M257 channels displayed a single, slower exponential decay. Long transjunctional voltage pulses caused virtual disappearance of the residual current at steady state. Single channel data revealed disappearance of the residual state, increase in the mean open time, and slowing of the transition times between open and closed states. Coexpression of CxM257 with Cx43CT in a separate fragment restored the lower conductance state. We propose that Cx43CT is an effector of fast voltage gating. Truncation of Cx43CT limits channel transitions to those occurring across the higher energy barrier that separates open and closed states. We further propose that a ball-and-chain interaction provides the fast component of voltage-dependent gating between CT domain and a receptor affiliated with the pore

Phosphorylation of connexin43 on serine 306 regulates electrical coupling

BACKGROUND: Phosphorylation is a key regulatory event in controlling the function of the cardiac gap junction protein connexin43 (Cx43). Recently, three new phosphorylation sites (S296, S297 and S306) were identified on Cx43; two of which (S297 and S306) are dephosphorylated during ischemia. The functional significance of these new sites is currently unknown. OBJECTIVE: To examine the role of S296, S297 and S306 in the regulation of electrical intercellular communication. METHODS: To mimic constitutive dephosphorylation serine was mutated to alanine at the three sites and expressed in HeLa cells. Electrical coupling and single-channel measurements were performed by double patch clamp; protein expression levels were assayed by western blotting, localization of Cx43 and phosphorylation of S306 by immunolabeling. Free hemichannels were assessed by biotinylation. RESULTS: Macroscopic conductance in cells expressing S306A was reduced to 57 % compared to WT while coupling was not significantly changed in either S296A or S297A expressing cells. S306A expressing cells displayed similar protein and free hemichannel abundance compared to WT-Cx43, whereas the fractional area of plaques in cell to cell interfaces was increased. However, single-channel measurements showed a WT-Cx43 main state conductance of 119 pS, whereas the main state conductance of S306A channels was reduced to 95 pS. Furthermore, channel gating was affected in S306A channels. CONCLUSIONS: Lack of phosphorylation at serine 306 results in reduced coupling, which can be explained by reduced single channel conductance. We suggest that dephosphorylation of S306 partly explains the electrical uncoupling seen in myocardial ischemia