To contend with hazards posed by environmental fluoride, microorganisms export this anion through F−-specific ion channels of the Fluc family. Since the recent discovery of Fluc channels, numerous idiosyncratic features of these proteins have been unearthed, including strong selectivity for F− over Cl− and dual-topology dimeric assembly. To understand the chemical basis for F− permeation and how the antiparallel subunits convene to form a F−-selective pore, here we solve the crystal structures of two bacterial Fluc homologues in complex with three different monobody inhibitors, with and without F− present, to a maximum resolution of 2.1 Å. The structures reveal a surprising ‘double-barrelled’ channel architecture in which two F− ion pathways span the membrane, and the dual-topology arrangement includes a centrally coordinated cation, most likely Na+. F− selectivity is proposed to arise from the very narrow pores and an unusual anion coordination that exploits the quadrupolar edges of conserved phenylalanine rings.
Crystal structures of a double-barrelled fluoride ion channel
R. Stockbridge,L. Kolmakova-Partensky,T. Shane,A. Koide,S. Koide,Christopher Miller,S. Newstead
Published 2015 in Nature
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- Publication year
2015
- Venue
Nature
- Publication date
2015-09-07
- Fields of study
Biology, Medicine, Chemistry, Environmental Science
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Semantic Scholar, PubMed
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