Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Proton and cation transport activity of the M2 proton channel from influenza A virus.

Leiding, Thom LU ; Wang, Junyang ; Martinsson, Jonas LU ; Degrado, William F and Peterson Årsköld, Sindra LU (2010) In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107(35). p.15409-15414
Abstract
The M2 protein is a small, single-span transmembrane (TM) protein from the influenza A virus. This virus enters cells via endosomes; as the endosomes mature and become more acidic M2 facilitates proton transport into the viral interior, thereby disrupting matrix protein/RNA interactions required for infectivity. A mystery has been how protons can accumulate in the viral interior without developing a large electrical potential that impedes further inward proton translocation. Progress in addressing this question has been limited by the availability of robust methods of unidirectional insertion of the protein into virus-like vesicles. Using an optimized procedure for reconstitution, we show that M2 has antiporter-like activity, facilitating... (More)
The M2 protein is a small, single-span transmembrane (TM) protein from the influenza A virus. This virus enters cells via endosomes; as the endosomes mature and become more acidic M2 facilitates proton transport into the viral interior, thereby disrupting matrix protein/RNA interactions required for infectivity. A mystery has been how protons can accumulate in the viral interior without developing a large electrical potential that impedes further inward proton translocation. Progress in addressing this question has been limited by the availability of robust methods of unidirectional insertion of the protein into virus-like vesicles. Using an optimized procedure for reconstitution, we show that M2 has antiporter-like activity, facilitating K(+) or Na(+) efflux when protons flow down a concentration gradient into the vesicles. Cation efflux is very small except under conditions mimicking those encountered by the endosomally entrapped virus, in which protons are flowing through the channel. This proton/cation exchange function is consistent with the known high proton selectivity of the channel. Thus, M2 acts as a proton uniporter that occasionally allows K(+) to flow to maintain electrical neutrality. Remarkably, as the pH inside M2-containing vesicles (pH(in)) decreases, the proton channel activity of M2 is inhibited, but its cation transport activity is activated. This reciprocal inhibition of proton flux and activation of cation flux with decreasing pH(in) first allows accumulation of protons in the early stages of acidification, then trapping of protons within the virus when low pH(in) is achieved. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
volume
107
issue
35
pages
15409 - 15414
publisher
National Academy of Sciences
external identifiers
  • wos:000281468500023
  • pmid:20713739
  • scopus:77957269747
ISSN
1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.1009997107
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
5ae85020-6a18-48f0-8652-878e98ff917f (old id 1665246)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:48:22
date last changed
2022-02-17 21:28:23
@article{5ae85020-6a18-48f0-8652-878e98ff917f,
  abstract     = {{The M2 protein is a small, single-span transmembrane (TM) protein from the influenza A virus. This virus enters cells via endosomes; as the endosomes mature and become more acidic M2 facilitates proton transport into the viral interior, thereby disrupting matrix protein/RNA interactions required for infectivity. A mystery has been how protons can accumulate in the viral interior without developing a large electrical potential that impedes further inward proton translocation. Progress in addressing this question has been limited by the availability of robust methods of unidirectional insertion of the protein into virus-like vesicles. Using an optimized procedure for reconstitution, we show that M2 has antiporter-like activity, facilitating K(+) or Na(+) efflux when protons flow down a concentration gradient into the vesicles. Cation efflux is very small except under conditions mimicking those encountered by the endosomally entrapped virus, in which protons are flowing through the channel. This proton/cation exchange function is consistent with the known high proton selectivity of the channel. Thus, M2 acts as a proton uniporter that occasionally allows K(+) to flow to maintain electrical neutrality. Remarkably, as the pH inside M2-containing vesicles (pH(in)) decreases, the proton channel activity of M2 is inhibited, but its cation transport activity is activated. This reciprocal inhibition of proton flux and activation of cation flux with decreasing pH(in) first allows accumulation of protons in the early stages of acidification, then trapping of protons within the virus when low pH(in) is achieved.}},
  author       = {{Leiding, Thom and Wang, Junyang and Martinsson, Jonas and Degrado, William F and Peterson Årsköld, Sindra}},
  issn         = {{1091-6490}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{35}},
  pages        = {{15409--15414}},
  publisher    = {{National Academy of Sciences}},
  series       = {{Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}},
  title        = {{Proton and cation transport activity of the M2 proton channel from influenza A virus.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1009997107}},
  doi          = {{10.1073/pnas.1009997107}},
  volume       = {{107}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}