TY - JOUR
T1 - An in vivo assay identifies changes in residue accessibility on mechanosensitive channel gating
AU - Bartlett, Jessica L.
AU - Levin, Gal
AU - Blount, Paul
PY - 2004/7/6
Y1 - 2004/7/6
N2 - MscL is a mechanosensitive channel of large conductance that functions as an "emergency release valve," allowing bacteria to survive acute hypoosmotic stress. Although Escherichia coli MscL is the best-studied mechanosensitive channel, structural rearrangements occurring during gating remain disputed. Introduction of a charged residue into the pore of MscL was shown to result in a reduced-viability phenotype. Here, we probe for residues in the transmembrane domains that are exposed to the aqueous environment in the presence and absence of hypoosmotic shock by reacting a charged sulfhydryl reagent with substituted cysteines. Subsequent analysis of cell viability allows for an assessment of residues exposed in the closed and opening states in vivo. The results suggest that the crystal structure of MscL derived from the Mycobacterium tuberculosis orthologue may reflect a nearly closed rather than fully closed state and support a clockwise rotation of the pore-forming first transmembrane domain on gating.
AB - MscL is a mechanosensitive channel of large conductance that functions as an "emergency release valve," allowing bacteria to survive acute hypoosmotic stress. Although Escherichia coli MscL is the best-studied mechanosensitive channel, structural rearrangements occurring during gating remain disputed. Introduction of a charged residue into the pore of MscL was shown to result in a reduced-viability phenotype. Here, we probe for residues in the transmembrane domains that are exposed to the aqueous environment in the presence and absence of hypoosmotic shock by reacting a charged sulfhydryl reagent with substituted cysteines. Subsequent analysis of cell viability allows for an assessment of residues exposed in the closed and opening states in vivo. The results suggest that the crystal structure of MscL derived from the Mycobacterium tuberculosis orthologue may reflect a nearly closed rather than fully closed state and support a clockwise rotation of the pore-forming first transmembrane domain on gating.
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U2 - 10.1073/pnas.0402040101
DO - 10.1073/pnas.0402040101
M3 - Article
C2 - 15226501
AN - SCOPUS:3042829627
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 101
SP - 10161
EP - 10165
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
IS - 27
ER -