title: The mitochondrial channel VDAC has a cation-selective open state.
abstract: The mitochondrial channel VDAC is known to have two major classes of functional states, a large conductance "open" state that is anion selective, and lower conductance substates that are cation selective. The channel can reversibly switch between open and half-open states, with the latter predominant at increasing membrane voltages of either polarity. We report the presence of a new functional state of VDAC, a cation-selective state with conductance approximately equal to that of the canonical open state. This newly described state of VDAC can be reached from either the half-open cation-selective state or from the open anion-selective state. The latter transition implies that a mechanism exists for selectivity gating in VDAC that is separate from partial closure, which may be relevant to the physiological regulation of this channel and mitochondrial outer membrane permeability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Sciences, New York University, College of Dentistry, 345 East 24th Street, New York, NY 10010, USA.
authors.forename: Evgeny
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pavlov
authors.forename: Sergey M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Grigoriev
authors.forename: Laurent M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Dejean
authors.forename: Chaninah L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Zweihorn
authors.forename: Carmen A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mannella
authors.forename: Kathleen W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Kinnally
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002412:Cations / Q000378:metabolism; D015640:Ion Channel Gating; D051379:Mice; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000502:physiology*; D051336:Mitochondrial Membranes / Q000502:physiology*; D010539:Permeability; D051381:Rats; D050994:Voltage-Dependent Anion Channels / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002412:Cations; D050994:Voltage-Dependent Anion Channels