title: Kv beta subunit oxidoreductase activity and Kv1 potassium channel trafficking.
abstract: Voltage-gated Kv1 potassium channels consist of pore-forming alpha subunits and cytoplasmic Kv beta subunits. The latter play diverse roles in modulating the gating, stability, and trafficking of Kv1 channels. The crystallographic structure of the Kv beta2 subunit revealed surprising structural homology with aldo-keto reductases, including a triosephosphate isomerase barrel structure, conservation of key catalytic residues, and a bound NADP(+) cofactor (Gulbis, J. M., Mann, S., and MacKinnon, R. (1999) Cell 90, 943-952). Each Kv1-associated Kv beta subunit (Kv beta 1.1, Kv beta 1.2, Kv beta 2, and Kv beta 3) shares striking amino acid conservation in key catalytic and cofactor binding residues. Here, by a combination of structural modeling and biochemical and cell biological analyses of structure-based mutations, we investigate the potential role for putative Kv beta subunit enzymatic activity in the trafficking of Kv1 channels. We found that all Kv beta subunits promote cell surface expression of coexpressed Kv1.2 alpha subunits in transfected COS-1 cells. Kv beta1.1 and Kv beta 2 point mutants lacking a key catalytic tyrosine residue found in the active site of all aldo-keto reductases have wild-type trafficking characteristics. However, mutations in residues within the NADP(+) binding pocket eliminated effects on Kv1.2 trafficking. In cultured hippocampal neurons, Kv beta subunit coexpression led to axonal targeting of Kv1.2, recapitulating the Kv1.2 localization observed in many brain neurons. Similar to the trafficking results in COS-1 cells, mutations within the cofactor binding pocket reduced axonal targeting of Kv1.2, whereas those in the catalytic tyrosine did not. Together, these data suggest that NADP(+) binding and/or the integrity of the binding pocket structure, but not catalytic activity, of Kv beta subunits is required for intracellular trafficking of Kv1 channel complexes in mammalian cells and for axonal targeting in neurons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA.
authors.forename: Claire R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Campomanes
authors.forename: Karen I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.forename: Louis N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Manganas
authors.forename: Marcia E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Hershberger
authors.forename: Belvin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Dana E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Antonucci
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Rhodes
authors.forename: James S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Trimmer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D001692:Biological Transport; D019556:COS Cells; D002384:Catalysis; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D002460:Cell Line; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D051662:Kv1.1 Potassium Channel; D051663:Kv1.2 Potassium Channel; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009154:Mutation; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D017354:Point Mutation; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism*; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000378:metabolism*; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011485:Protein Binding; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D051663:Kv1.2 Potassium Channel; D015221:Potassium Channels; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated; D051662:Kv1.1 Potassium Channel; D011188:Potassium