title: Toward linking structure with function in ATP-sensitive K+ channels.
abstract: Advances in understanding the overall structural features of inward rectifiers and ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are providing novel insight into the architecture of ATP-sensitive K+ channels (KATP channels) (KIR6.0/SUR)4. The structure of the K(IR) pore has been modeled on bacterial K+ channels, while the lipid-A exporter, MsbA, provides a template for the MDR-like core of sulfonylurea receptor (SUR)-1. TMD0, an NH2-terminal bundle of five alpha-helices found in SURs, binds to and activates KIR6.0. The adjacent cytoplasmic L0 linker serves a dual function, acting as a tether to link the MDR-like core to the KIR6.2/TMD0 complex and exerting bidirectional control over channel gating via interactions with the NH2-terminus of the KIR. Homology modeling of the SUR1 core offers the possibility of defining the glibenclamide/sulfonylurea binding pocket. Consistent with 30-year-old studies on the pharmacology of hypoglycemic agents, the pocket is bipartite. Elements of the COOH-terminal half of the core recognize a hydrophobic group in glibenclamide, adjacent to the sulfonylurea moiety, to provide selectivity for SUR1, while the benzamido group appears to be in proximity to L0 and the KIR NH2-terminus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA. jbryan@bcm.tmc.edu
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bryan
authors.forename: Wanda H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Vila-Carriles
authors.forename: Guiling
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Audrey P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Babenko
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aguilar-Bryan
mesh_terms: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000378:metabolism; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D024661:Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D011487:Protein Conformation; D000099161:Kcnj11 Channel
chemical_list: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D015221:Potassium Channels; D024661:Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying; D000099161:Kcnj11 Channel