Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1998 Apr 3;280(5360):69-77.
doi: 10.1126/science.280.5360.69.

The structure of the potassium channel: molecular basis of K+ conduction and selectivity

D A Doyle  1 , J Morais Cabral, R A Pfuetzner, A Kuo, J M Gulbis, S L Cohen, B T Chait, R MacKinnon
Affiliations

The structure of the potassium channel: molecular basis of K+ conduction and selectivity

D A Doyle et al. Science. .

Abstract

The potassium channel from Streptomyces lividans is an integral membrane protein with sequence similarity to all known K+ channels, particularly in the pore region. X-ray analysis with data to 3.2 angstroms reveals that four identical subunits create an inverted teepee, or cone, cradling the selectivity filter of the pore in its outer end. The narrow selectivity filter is only 12 angstroms long, whereas the remainder of the pore is wider and lined with hydrophobic amino acids. A large water-filled cavity and helix dipoles are positioned so as to overcome electrostatic destabilization of an ion in the pore at the center of the bilayer. Main chain carbonyl oxygen atoms from the K+ channel signature sequence line the selectivity filter, which is held open by structural constraints to coordinate K+ ions but not smaller Na+ ions. The selectivity filter contains two K+ ions about 7.5 angstroms apart. This configuration promotes ion conduction by exploiting electrostatic repulsive forces to overcome attractive forces between K+ ions and the selectivity filter. The architecture of the pore establishes the physical principles underlying selective K+ conduction.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

  • Science. 1998 Aug 14;281(5379):883
  • The vision of the pore.
    Armstrong C. Armstrong C. Science. 1998 Apr 3;280(5360):56-7. doi: 10.1126/science.280.5360.56. Science. 1998. PMID: 9556453 No abstract available.
  • A vision of the pore.
    Bakker-Grunwald T. Bakker-Grunwald T. Science. 1998 Aug 21;281(5380):1146. doi: 10.1126/science.281.5380.1143h. Science. 1998. PMID: 9735029 No abstract available.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

MeSH terms