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Original Article |
tycchen{at}ucdavis.edu
The fast gate of the muscle-type ClC channels (ClC-0 and ClC-1) opens in response to the change of membrane potential (V). This gating process is intimately associated with the binding of external Cl– to the channel pore in a way that the occupancy of Cl– on the binding site increases the channel's open probability (Po). External H+ also enhances the fast-gate opening in these channels, prompting a hypothesis that protonation of the binding site may increase the Cl– binding affinity, and this is possibly the underlying mechanism for the H+ modulation. However, Cl– and H+, modulate the fast-gate Po-V curve in different ways. Varying the external Cl– concentrations ([Cl–]o) shifts the Po-V curve in parallel along the voltage axis, whereas reducing external pH mainly increases the minimal Po of the curve. Furthermore, H+ modulations at saturating and nonsaturating [Cl–]o are similar. Thus, the H+ effect on the fast gating appears not to be a consequence of an increase in the Cl– binding affinity. We previously found that a hyperpolarization-favored opening process is important to determine the fast-gate Po of ClC-0 at very negative voltages. This [Cl–]o-independent mechanism attracted little attention, but it appears to be the opening process that is modulated by external H+.
Key Words: channel gating ClC-0 ClC-1 pH regulation Cl– dependence
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