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Ion channels

Sensing the pressure

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 6, page 8 (2005)Cite this article

An artificial increase in the cytosolic concentration of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) — a component of membrane phospholipids — stimulates the activity of endogenous TREK-1 in cultured striatal neurons. This elevation in channel activity is also seen when the cytosol is acidified, and the effects of both PIP2 and low intracellular pH can be inhibited by the presence of positively charged intracellular molecules such as polylysine. The inhibitory effect of polylysine molecules is thought to be due to their interaction with the negative charges of membrane phospholipids, which prevents them from interacting electrostatically with specific positively charged segments in the channel protein.

The authors also show that PIP2 and acid can regulate the gating of TREK-1 in a cooperative manner: when TREK-1 is challenged with acid after addition of PIP2, it becomes 'locked' in a highly active form even after the cytosolic pH is returned to pH 7.2. The activity of the locked TREK-1 channel is high even at atmospheric pressure, and pressure stimulation produces only a modest further activating effect. TREK-1 activation becomes more resistant to membrane stretch in the presence of polylysine, which indicates that the cationic molecule interferes with the pressure-sensing process.

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References

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Chemin, J. et al. A phospholipid sensor controls mechanogating of the K+ channel TREK-1. EMBO J. 2 December 2004 (10.1038/sj.emboj.7600494)

FURTHER READING

  1. Hirono. M. et al. Hair cells require phosphatidylinosital 4,5-bisphosphate for mechanical transduction and adaption. Neuron 44, 309–320 (2004)

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Authors
  1. Jane Qiu
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Qiu, J. Sensing the pressure. Nat Rev Neurosci 6, 8 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1597

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1597

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