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Publication Abstract from PubMed

Inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (InsP3Rs) are ubiquitous ion channels responsible for cytosolic Ca2+ signalling and essential for a broad array of cellular processes ranging from contraction to secretion, and from proliferation to cell death. Despite decades of research on InsP3Rs, a mechanistic understanding of their structure-function relationship is lacking. Here we present the first, to our knowledge, near-atomic (4.7 A) resolution electron cryomicroscopy structure of the tetrameric mammalian type 1 InsP3R channel in its apo-state. At this resolution, we are able to trace unambiguously approximately 85% of the protein backbone, allowing us to identify the structural elements involved in gating and modulation of this 1.3-megadalton channel. Although the central Ca2+-conduction pathway is similar to other ion channels, including the closely related ryanodine receptor, the cytosolic carboxy termini are uniquely arranged in a left-handed alpha-helical bundle, directly interacting with the amino-terminal domains of adjacent subunits. This configuration suggests a molecular mechanism for allosteric regulation of channel gating by intracellular signals.

Gating machinery of InsPR channels revealed by electron cryomicroscopy.,Fan G, Baker ML, Wang Z, Baker MR, Sinyagovskiy PA, Chiu W, Ludtke SJ, Serysheva II Nature. 2015 Oct 12. doi: 10.1038/nature15249. PMID:26458101^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.