title: Coupling between the voltage-sensing and phosphatase domains of Ci-VSP.
abstract: The Ciona intestinalis voltage sensor-containing phosphatase (Ci-VSP) shares high homology with the phosphatidylinositol phosphatase enzyme known as PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10). We have taken advantage of the similarity between these proteins to inquire about the coupling between the voltage sensing and the phosphatase domains in Ci-VSP. Recently, it was shown that four basic residues (R11, K13, R14, and R15) in PTEN are critical for its binding onto the membrane, required for its catalytic activity. Ci-VSP has three of the basic residues of PTEN. Here, we show that when R253 and R254 (which are the homologues of R14 and R15 in PTEN) are mutated to alanines in Ci-VSP, phosphatase activity is disrupted, as revealed by a lack of effect on the ionic currents of KCNQ2/3, where current decrease is a measure of phosphatase activity. The enzymatic activity was not rescued by the introduction of lysines, indicating that the binding is an arginine-specific interaction between the phosphatase binding domain and the membrane, presumably through the phosphate groups of the phospholipids. We also found that the kinetics and steady-state voltage dependence of the S4 segment movement are affected when the arginines are not present, indicating that the interaction of R253 and R254 with the membrane, required for the catalytic action of the phosphatase, restricts the movement of the voltage sensor.
authors: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
authors: Carlos A
authors: CA
authors: Villalba-Galea
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Miceli
authors: Maurizio
authors: M
authors: Taglialatela
authors: Francisco
authors: F
authors: Bezanilla
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000502:physiology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014982:Xenopus laevis
chemical_list: C509671:voltage-sensor-containing phosphatase, Ciona intestinalis; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase