Structural basis for allosteric transitions of a

multidomain pentameric ligand-gated ion channel

Haidai Hua,b,1, Rebecca J. Howardc, Ugo Bastollad, Erik Lindahlc, and Marc Delaruea,2
a
Unité Dynamique Structurale des Macromolécules, Institut Pasteur, UMR 3528, CNRS, 75015 Paris, France; bEcole Doctorale Complexité du Vivant (ED515),
Paris Sorbonne Université, 75006 Paris, France; cScience for Life Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, 17121 Solna,
Sweden; and dCentre for Molecular Biology “Severo Ochoa,” CSIC and Universidad Autonóma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain

Edited by Richard W. Aldrich, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, and approved April 30, 2020 (received for review December 25, 2019)

Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) are allosteric recep- receptors determined by crystallography or cryoelectron mi-
tors that mediate rapid electrochemical signal transduction in the croscopy have validated many of these conformational predictions
animal nervous system through the opening of an ion pore upon (10–15).
binding of neurotransmitters. Orthologs have been found and Alongside their value as model systems, distinctive features of
characterized in prokaryotes and they display highly similar prokaryotic pLGICs offer insight into evolutionary and mecha-
structure–function relationships to eukaryotic pLGICs; however, nistic diversity. Whereas they generally lack the extended in-
they often encode greater architectural diversity involving addi- tracellular domain between transmembrane helices M3 and M4
tional amino-terminal domains (NTDs). Here we report structural, found in eukaryotes (10, 16–19), prokaryotic pLGICs often
functional, and normal-mode analysis of two conformational possess additional N-terminal domains (NTDs) (5, 6) on their
states of a multidomain pLGIC, called DeCLIC, from a Desulfofustis extracellular sides. On the basis of sequence homology, pLGIC
deltaproteobacterium, including a periplasmic NTD fused to the
NTDs include members of the periplasmic binding protein
conventional ligand-binding domain (LBD). X-ray structure deter-
(PBP), calcium channel and chemotaxis receptor (Cache), and
mination revealed an NTD consisting of two jelly-roll domains

BIOCHEMISTRY
methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein N-terminal (MCP-N) fam-
interacting across each subunit interface. Binding of Ca2+ at the
ilies, as well as others that remain to be characterized (5). Based
LBD subunit interface was associated with a closed transmem-
brane pore, with resolved monovalent cations intracellular to
on this, it has been predicted that pLGICs in prokaryotes me-
the hydrophobic gate. Accordingly, DeCLIC-injected oocytes con- diate cell–cell interactions, possibly as chemotaxis or quorum-
ducted currents only upon depletion of extracellular Ca2+; these sensing receptors (5). Indeed, the MCP-N domain is part of
were insensitive to quaternary ammonium block. Furthermore, the two-component histidine kinase signaling system widespread
DeCLIC crystallized in the absence of Ca2+ with a wide-open pore in bacteria and archaea, and may allow the prokaryotic cell to
and remodeled periplasmic domains, including increased contacts convert detection of external molecules, such as nutrients or
between the NTD and classic LBD agonist-binding sites. Functional, repellents, into flagellar motion. Other families of animal neu-
structural, and dynamical properties of DeCLIC paralleled those of ronal ion channels, such as the tetrameric AMPA and NMDA
sTeLIC, a pLGIC from another symbiotic prokaryote. Based on receptors (20), also contain large NTDs structurally related to
these DeCLIC structures, we would reclassify the previous struc-
ture of bacterial ELIC (the first high-resolution structure of a pLGIC) Significance
as a “locally closed” conformation. Taken together, structures of
DeCLIC in multiple conformations illustrate dramatic conforma- Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) are critical for
tional state transitions and diverse regulatory mechanisms avail- transduction of electrical signals between nerve cells, and highly
able to ion channels in pLGICs, particularly involving Ca2+ important for neuropharmacology. Members of this receptor
modulation and periplasmic NTDs. family are also found in prokaryotes, often incorporating addi-
tional domains whose roles are largely uncharacterized. Here,
ligand-gated ion channels | structural biology | crystallography | we present two structures of a prokaryotic pLGIC with such an
electrophysiology extra N-terminal domain. The channel has a gating transition
inhibited by Ca2+ binding. Comparison of structures with/with-

P entameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) play crucial

roles in electrochemical signaling in a wide range of organ-
isms (1, 2). In the animal nervous system, binding of neuro-
out Ca2+ explains its role in the transition and also reveals
changes in a cavity known to bind allosteric modulators in other
pLGICs, in the interactions between the channel and lipids or
transmitters to a receptor favors the open conformation of the between the ligand-binding and N-terminal domains. This illus-
internal transmembrane channel, allowing selected ions to per- trates the different ways allosteric modulation can occur in the
meate the phospholipid bilayer down their electrochemical gra- gating transition of pLGICs.
dient. Dysfunction of these receptors is linked to major
Author contributions: M.D. designed research; H.H., R.J.H., and U.B. performed research;
neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, such as Alzheimer’s
H.H., R.J.H., U.B., E.L., and M.D. analyzed data; and H.H., R.J.H., U.B., E.L., and M.D. wrote
disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, hyperekplexia, myasthenia the paper.
gravis, and alcohol dependence (1). Because of their pivotal The authors declare no competing interest.
physiological roles and sensitivity to allosteric modulators, This article is a PNAS Direct Submission.
pLGICs are key targets for a variety of common therapeutic Published under the PNAS license.
agents, such as benzodiazepines, general anesthetics, and bar-
Data deposition: The atomic coordinates and structure factors have been deposited in the
biturates (3). Since the identification and isolation of the first Protein Data Bank, www.pdb.org (PDB ID codes 6V4S, 6V4A, and 6V4B).
Downloaded at Indonesia: PNAS Sponsored on October 4, 2020

nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) (4), members of this 1

Present address: Department of Neuroscience and Biophysics, University of Texas South-
channel family have been subjects of intensive functional and western Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390.
structural studies. Orthologs of the pLGICs have since been 2
To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: [email protected].
found in prokaryotes (5, 6), and provided the first model systems This article contains supporting information online at https://www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/
in this family accessible to X-ray structure determination in doi:10.1073/pnas.1922701117/-/DCSupplemental.
multiple functional states (7–9). Recent structures of eukaryotic

www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1922701117 PNAS Latest Articles | 1 of 10

 bacterial periplasmic binding proteins fused to their ligand- structure predictions, the domain contained a majority of
binding domain (LBDs). In at least some cases, these domains β-strands, arranged in two jelly-roll domains, or lobes, connected
bind allosteric ligands and may play key functional roles (21). by a short loop (Fig. 1D). The β-sheets (strands β′1 to β′8) of the
However, there is presently no structural information regarding first lobe (NTD1, residues 34 to 200) were divided by two
the organization of a full-length pLGIC with a periplasmic NTD, α-helices (α′1 and α′2) between β′4 and β′5. This lobe was po-
nor how it might modulate the transmembrane domain (TMD) sitioned directly above the LBD of the same subunit, interacting
or LBD. mostly with the LBD β2–β3 and β5–β6 (E) loops (Fig. 1E), and
Here we determined X-ray structures of DeCLIC, a pLGIC with the second NTD lobe (NTD2, residues 204 to 320) from the
derived from a symbiotic sulfate-reducing deltaproteobacterium principal neighboring subunit (Fig. 1A). The jelly roll of NTD2
closely related to Desulfofustis glycolicus, including an NTD ac- (strands β′′1 to β′′8) lacked the α-helices of NTD1, but contained
counting for about 50% of the total receptor mass. DeCLIC was a disulfide bridge between strands β′′6 and β′′7 (SI Appendix, Fig.
crystallized in the presence and absence of Ca2+, an apparent S3C). This lobe was positioned around the periphery of the
effector whose depletion enabled ion conduction in Xenopus oo- upper LBD, interacting primarily with NTD1 and the β2–β3 loop
cytes. The resulting structures, determined to 3.55 Å and 3.83 Å from the complementary LBD (Fig. 1E).
resolution, evidenced state-dependent conformational changes in The sequence identity between NTD1 and NTD2 was only
all three domains, including a transition from a nonconducting to around 16%, but these lobes exhibited similar topologies and
wide-open pore. Together with functional and computational patterns of hydrophobicity (Fig. 1E and SI Appendix, Fig. S6 A
data, these structures offer insight into the molecular architecture and B), with an RMSD of 2.57 Å over 67 Cα atoms. A search for
and accessible states of a full-length prokaryotic pLGIC in- similar structures using the DALI server (24) indicated similar
corporating a previously uncharacterized NTD. folds in TNF homology domains and several viral capsid VP1
Results
Structure of a Periplasmic Amino-Terminal Domain in a Full-Length 34 200 320 515 642
pLGIC. In pursuit of structural targets to illuminate the diversity of
A N-ter C-ter
SP NTD1 NTD2 LBD TMD
prokaryotic pLGICs fused to periplasmic domains, we performed
a BLAST search on sTeLIC, a recently characterized channel B
expressed in symbiotic bacteria (22). We identified 18 bacterial or
archaeal orthologs with over 45% sequence identity to sTeLIC,
but with large NTDs fused directly to their LBDs (SI Appendix,
NTD1 C
Figs. S1 and S2). These NTDs typically encompassed ∼300 resi-
dues and accounted for up to 50% of total receptor mass. We
NTD2
focused on one such homolog, DeCLIC. Although the precise
M2
physiological role of this protein is unknown, it echoes symbiotic
associations of sTeLIC: Desulfofustis grows in close association LBD
900
with sulfide-oxidizing purple sulfur bacteria, with which it forms
144 Å

Ca2+
macroscopic microbial photosynthetic colored aggregates (pink
berries) found in some salt marshes (23).
Crystallographic quantities of DeCLIC were produced as fu-
TMD
sions with maltose binding protein in C43 Escherichia coli, solu-
bilized, cleaved, and purified in n-dodecyl-β-D-maltoside (DDM)
following previously established protocols for other prokaryotic 128 Å
pLGICs (22). Initial hits of crystallogenesis were obtained in the
presence of 250-mM Ca2+. The growth of crystals with good dif- D N-ter
E
fracting quality required extensive seeding and systematic
. α'1 α'2
screening, eventually resulting in an anisotropic dataset with a ... β'5
β"6 N-ter
maximum resolution of 3.55 Å (SI Appendix, Table S1). The initial β"5 β"3 β"1 β'4 β'6
β"4 β'7
phases were obtained from molecular replacement; noncrystallo- β"7
β"8 β'3 β'1
β'2 β'8
graphic symmetry averaging aided the subsequent building and α1
β"2 Loop B
refinement of nearly all residues (SI Appendix, Fig. S3 A–F). The α1
C β4 β8
resulting structure showed DeCLIC to be a pentameric molecule, o p Loop Ω
Loop C Loop Ω Lo β7 β1
∼144 Å long and 128 Å wide viewed perpendicular to the cell Loop F β10 β2 β5
membrane (Fig. 1). Its dimensions and multilayer architecture β9 β6 β3
Cys-loop β1-β2 loop
Loop F β1-β2 loop (+)Loop F
were reminiscent of NMDA receptors, although the latter are C-ter
M2-M3 loop
(-)M2-M3 loop Cys-loop M2-M3 loop
tetrameric oligomers with different topologies. As in other M1 C-ter
M1
pLGICs, the subunits assembled around a fivefold axis corre- M4 M2 M3
M2
sponding to the ion pathway, described in detail below; the NTD M4
stood “on top of” the LBD (opposite to the membrane region), M3
forming a fivefold symmetric crown. Adjacent pentamers in the
crystal lattice formed parallel linear arrays mediated primarily by
contacts between the NTDs (SI Appendix, Fig. S4 A and B). Al- Fig. 1. Architecture of DeCLIC in high concentration of Ca2+. (A) Domain
though the NTD was refined with substantially higher B-factors organization of the full-length DeCLIC receptor. (B) Ribbon representation
than the LBD or TMD (SI Appendix, Fig. S5), indicating relatively of the Ca2+-bound structure, viewed from the plane of the membrane, with
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domains colored as in A. Ca2+ ions are shown as orange spheres; gray lines
high flexibility, most residues could be built through iterative re-
represent approximate membrane boundaries. (C) View as in B from the
finement. The topology of this domain was further validated by periplasmic side. (D) Structure of a single DeCLIC subunit, shown as in B,
independent crystallization of a soluble NTD fragment (residues indicating key structural elements in the LBD and TMD. (E) Topology of a
33 to 202), and its structure determined to 1.75 Å using single single DeCLIC subunit indicating all secondary structure elements, colored as
anomalous diffraction phasing on a SeMet-labeled construct (SI in A. Proximal loops from neighboring subunits are represented as red
Appendix, Fig. S3G and Table S1). In accordance with secondary dashed lines, and individual lipid tails as olive lines.

2 of 10 | www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1922701117 Hu et al.
 proteins (SI Appendix, Fig. S6C). Proteins that display jelly-roll
topology often contain two copies of this domain, especially in
viruses (25). However, their relative orientations in DeCLIC
appeared to be distinctive, as a DALI search using NTD1+NTD2
from the same subunit or neighboring subunit (domain swapped
version) did not detect any hits.

Ca2+-Bound Closed-Pore Structure of the Full-Length Ion Channel.

Beyond the NTD, the DeCLIC LBD and TMD adopted a
classic architecture observed in other “Pro-loop” (prokaryotic)
or “Cys-loop” (eukaryotic) receptors (6). On the basis of evo-
lutionary relatedness using the ConSurf Server (26), the most
conserved regions included the NTD–LBD and LBD–TMD in-
terfaces, as well as the interior of the transmembrane pore (SI
Appendix, Fig. S7). In the LBD, each subunit contained 10 β-
strands (β1 to β10) in an Ig-like β-sandwich; a single amphipathic
helix α1 inserted between β3 and β4 (Figs. 1E and 2A), with its
hydrophilic side exposed to the LBD vestibule. Among 18
pLGICs with ≥45% sequence identity to DeCLIC, the most
conserved region was the LBD, particularly the β6–β7 (Pro) loop
(SI Appendix, Fig. S7). In this region, Q446 formed hydrogen
bonds with the backbone of D437 on the opposite side of the
Pro-loop hairpin, much like the eponymous Cys-loop linkage in
eukaryotic receptors (6) (SI Appendix, Fig. S7C). The Pro-loop

BIOCHEMISTRY
conformation was further reinforced by interactions of the
strictly conserved N401 (N80 in GLIC) with backbone atoms of
I450 (I128). Also in the Pro-loop, D444 contributed to an Fig. 2. Constrictions in the channel pore in the presence Ca2+. (A) View from
“electrostatic triad,” previously observed in GLIC and other the membrane as in Fig. 1B of the solvent-accessible volume in the channel
pLGICs (22), with Q344 in the β1–β2 loop and R513 in the pre- (cyan) in the Ca2+-bound conformation. For clarity, only two opposing sub-
units (blue) are shown; ions and resolved water molecules in the pore are
M1 region (SI Appendix, Fig. S8B); this network also involved
omitted. Side chains for residues forming vestibular and transmembrane
cation-π stacking between R513 and Loop-F residue W482 constrictions are shown as spheres. (B) View from the periplasm of the LBD
(W160 in GLIC). Conserved residues in the upper LBD included vestibular constriction in the Ca2+-bound state, showing distances between
an interaction between W359 and P395, which formed the bot- Cα atoms of neighboring loop-Ω W407 residues (yellow spheres). (C) View
tom of a vestibular cavity previously identified in ELIC and from the periplasm of the TMD surface (gray) in the presence of Ca2+,
sTeLIC (22, 27). The β9–β10 (C) loop was one of the least- showing solvent exclusion in the channel pore. (D) View from the membrane
conserved regions, consistent with idiosyncrasies among ago- of two TMD subunits (blue) in the presence of Ca2+, showing resolved ions
nists specific to different receptor types (SI Appendix, Figs. S2 (cyan) and waters (red) in the channel pore, and neighboring residues as
gray sticks. Dotted bracket indicates cross-sectional slice depicted below. (E)
and S7A).
A 20 Å cross section of the Ca2+-bound structure as indicated in D, viewed
Based on examination of the mFo-DFc Fourier difference map, from the periplasmic side and colored by electrostatic potential according to
we identified a single strong spherical density at each LBD subunit the scale bar shown below.
interface that could be modeled as a Ca2+ ion (Fig. 1 A and B and
SI Appendix, Fig. S9 A and B). This site was validated by a 5-Å
resolution anomalous dataset from crystals soaked in 200 mM
radius narrowed to 1.15 Å (Fig. 2A); this density was also
Ba2+ (SI Appendix, Table S1), from which we could un-
modeled as an Na+ ion, coordinated directly by five acidic E547
ambiguously assign five symmetry-related densities equivalent to
(E2′) side chains. The cytoplasmic mouth was lined by a second
the proposed Ca2+ ions (SI Appendix, Fig. S9 C and D). Each ion
acidic ring of D541 (D-4′) residues (Fig. 2D).
was coordinated by E347 in the β1–β2 loop, D437 and two
backbone carbonyls (P434, P436) in the Pro-loop, and E479 in
complementary loop F (SI Appendix, Fig. S9B). The resulting Electrophysiology and Crystallization in the Absence of Ca2+. To
electrostatic interface was further extended by two arginines in the identify conditions that allow opening of the pore, we injected
β1–β2 (R345) and M2–M3 (R569) loops, which formed a salt- mRNA encoding DeCLIC into Xenopus laevis oocytes and
bridge network with E481 in complementary loop F (SI Appen- recorded currents by two-electrode voltage-clamp electrophysi-
dix, Fig. S8). The only other Ba2+ density evident in DeCLIC was ology. We screened a small library of molecules, including sug-
in two of five subunits, at the interface between NTD1 and NTD2 ars, salts, representative amino acids and their derivatives, as
from adjacent chains (SI Appendix, Fig. S9 C and D); we observed well as other pLGIC agonists and modulators, but observed no
no anomalous signal in the ion channel pore. replicable effects relative to controls (SI Appendix, Table S2). In
Below the LBD, the transmembrane pore contained two ap- contrast, depletion of Ca2+ from the oocyte media (reduction
parent hydrophobic gates. Side chains of M2 residues F561 from 2 mM to 2 μM) produced currents in DeCLIC-injected cells
(F16′) and L554 (L9′) constricted the pore radius to 0.9 Å and (Fig. 3A). Under conditions of weak polarization (−30 mV) and
1.0 Å, respectively (Fig. 2A), too small for the passage of a elevated pH (8.5) to reduce endogenous leak currents, these
dehydrated Na+ or K+ ion. Below these gates, both mFo-DFc currents persisted with no evident desensitization; they were also
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and 2mFo-DFc maps showed a strong central density at the level insensitive to tetraethylammonium (TEA) up to 20 mM (Fig. 3 A
of G551 (G6′); we modeled this density as Na+, the pre- and B), consistent with a pore conformation distinct from
ponderant monovalent ion in the crystallization buffer, sur- blocker-sensitive channels in the same family (28). Under most
rounded by five waters in a planar arrangement (Fig. 2D). conditions tested, slowly evolving activation (Fig. 3B) and in-
Further down the DeCLIC pore, an additional, spherical density tolerance to prolonged Ca2+ depletion (Fig. 3C) precluded
was evident within a hydrophilic constriction, where the pore conclusive quantification of steady-state currents, possibly due to

Hu et al. PNAS Latest Articles | 3 of 10

 channel sTeLIC (22), and the model again built using fivefold
noncrystallographic symmetry. The refined structure was dif-
ferent from that of the Ca2+-bound conformation both at the
tertiary and quaternary levels, as described below (Fig. 4 C
and D).

Periplasmic Contraction and Transmembrane Expansion in the

Absence of Ca2+. Comparison of DeCLIC structures in the pres-
ence and absence of Ca2+ revealed opposing structural transi-
tions in the periplasmic and transmembrane domains. Beginning
at the N terminus, the NTD retained its two-lobed jelly-roll fold
in the absence of Ca2+, but exhibited an overall radial contrac-
tion, decreasing the center-of-mass distances (dCOM) between
adjacent NTD2 lobes by over 5 Å (56.8 Å to 51.6 Å) (Fig. 4C and
SI Appendix, Fig. S10). Whereas in high Ca2+ the NTD2 lobe

A B
80
NTD1
60
Fig. 3. Functional evidence for Ca2+-inhibited DeCLIC currents. (A) Sample
traces from two-electrode voltage-clamp electrophysiology in control and

Distance along channel pore (Å)

DeCLIC-injected Xenopus oocytes, showing equilibration in depleted Ca2+ 40
(2 μM), voltage jumps to identify sustainable currents, then a voltage step
Φ = 2.6 LBD
(−30 mV) producing inward DeCLIC currents showing no desensitization nor 20
inhibition by TEA (5 mM). Dotted lines represent 0-μA current. Although W407
currents apparently reached a steady state, most oocytes did not tolerate
0
activation by Ca2+ depletion beyond ∼10 min. (B) Sample traces under
nonequilibrium conditions (−50 mV, 0 Ca2+), showing slowly developing Φ = 5.10 Å F16'
currents not saturating after 12 min, and not inhibited even by high TEA -20 L9' TMD
Φ = 6.05 Å
(20 mM). (C) Sample traces to estimate Ca2+ sensitivity, showing brief (2-min)
steps to decreasing Ca2+ concentrations at −70 mV. Maximum DeCLIC cur- Φ = 8.74 Å E2' Open pore
-40
rents by this protocol saturated at 2 to 20 μM Ca2+, substantially larger than Closed pore
control or yellow fluorescent protein-expressing cells. (D) Inhibition curves
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
for paired DeCLIC-injected (black squares) and control oocytes (gray circles) Pore radius (Å)
according to the protocol in C, normalized to the maximum response in
parallel recordings. Solid black line represents nonlinear regression fit to
DeCLIC responses, IC50 = 90 μM (n = 4 to 8, R2 = 0.8). (E) Sample traces C D
documenting slowed kinetics of the truncated construct DeCLIC-ΔNTD,
showing brief step to 0 mM Ca2+ followed by recovery to baseline in 2 mM
Ca2+. Whereas DeCLIC currents decreased to half-maximum within ∼1.5 min,
DeCLIC-ΔNTD half-recovery was roughly doubled. (F) Quantification of half-
recovery time according to the protocol in E, showing significant slowing in
DeCLIC-ΔNTD (n = 7, **P < 0.01).

slow rates of Ca2+ dissociation or of structural transition to the 117.9 Å

128.3 Å
maximally conducting state. However, based on maximal inward
currents evolved at pH 8.5 after 2 min of Ca2+ depletion at −70 E F
mV, concentration-dependent responses were reproducible (n =
4 to 8) with an estimated half-inhibitory concentration (IC50) of
90 μM (Fig. 3 C and D). A DeCLIC construct containing only the 38.8 Å 35.3 Å
LBD and TMD (ΔNTD) produced relatively slow apparent
gating, particularly for recovery from Ca2+ depletion (i.e., transition
to a nonconducting state) (Fig. 3E). Although this slowed profile DeCLIC Ca2+ bound DeCLIC Ca2+ free
excluded direct comparison to the apparent wild-type affinities, we
Fig. 4. Solvent-accessible DeCLIC channel in the absence of Ca2+ and con-
found the time to half-maximal recovery from 0-mM Ca2+ consis- traction of periplasmic domains. (A) View from the membrane of the
tently increased nearly twofold in the ΔNTD variant relative to channel in the Ca2+-free conformation (magenta). Side chains of residues
wild-type (Fig. 3F), consistent with a role for the evidently dynamic forming vestibular and transmembrane constrictions are shown as spheres.
NTD in gating kinetics. (B) Pore radius profiles along the channel axis in Ca2+-bound (blue) and Ca2+-
To elucidate the structural basis for Ca2+-dependent gating in free (magenta) states. (C) DeCLIC NTD in the presence of Ca2+, viewed from
DeCLIC, we screened for new crystallization conditions ex- the periplasmic side. Complete domains from two adjacent subunits are
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cluding this ion. The best resulting crystals produced an aniso- colored by lobe (NTD1, magenta; NTD2, dark blue), with the solvent-
accessible surface shown for one subunit. (D) View as in C of the NTD in
tropic dataset with a maximum resolution of 3.83 Å (SI Appendix,
Ca2+-free DeCLIC. (E) View as in C of the Ca2+-bound DeCLIC NTD, viewed
Table S1). Similar to the high-Ca2+ condition, individual pen- from the membrane plane. Black line indicates center-of-mass distances
tamers in each asymmetric unit aligned in parallel linear arrays, between two lobes of the same subunit; gray bar indicates the contact in-
with contact interfaces primarily between the NTDs (SI Appen- terface between principal NTD2 and complementary NTD1 lobes of adjacent
dix, Fig. S4). Molecular replacement was based on the prokaryotic subunits. (F) View as in E in Ca2+-free DeCLIC.

4 of 10 | www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1922701117 Hu et al.
 interacted primarily with the complementary neighboring subunit, in β1–β2 of the same subunit (SI Appendix, Fig. S8). In turn, the
domain contraction in the absence of Ca2+ translated NTD2 in- liberated arginine (R345) oriented toward an expanded cleft at
ward toward NTD1 of the same subunit, decreasing their dCOM the transmembrane subunit interface (SI Appendix, Fig. S8).
over 3 Å (38.8 Å to 35.3 Å) (Fig. 4 C and D). This motion brought In contrast to the largely contracting motions of the peri-
the NTD2 β′′1–β′′2 loop in proximity to LBD loop C (Fig. 5 E and plasmic NTD and LBD, the TMD exhibited dramatic twisting
F), near the orthosteric agonist-binding site. and outward blooming in Ca2+-free conditions. Based on cu-
Radial contraction was also evident in the LBD, decreasing the mulative rotation between the two states in slices along the
dCOM between adjacent domain-subunits from 28.5 Å to 25.8 Å channel axis, the TMD twisted clockwise up to −27° upon
and increasing buried area at subunit interfaces by 183 Å2 in the Ca2+ depletion (Fig. 5D). The M2–M3 loop shifted away from
Ca2+-free state (SI Appendix, Fig. S10). Below the encroaching the pore axis by more than 7 Å (Fig. 5 A and C), and distances
NTD2 lobes, the tip of each loop C translated toward the subunit between adjacent subunits increased by over 5 Å (dCOM 22.0 Å
interface by 5.4 Å, making contact with the top of complementary to 27.1 Å) (SI Appendix, Fig. S10). Accordingly, the buried
loop F (Fig. 5 B and C). The β7–β8 loop (B) also translated toward surface area at TMD subunit interfaces decreased by 832 Å2
the interface, contacting β′7–β′8 of the complementary NTD1 (SI Appendix, Fig. S10E). Within the pore, we also observed
(Fig. 5F). A solvent-accessible cavity beneath loops B and C, an outward twist and translocation of the M2 helices, which
shown in other pLGICs to bind orthosteric ligands, was smaller relieved all three constriction gates (Fig. 6 A and B). Com-
and shallower than in the Ca2+-bound structure (SI Appendix, Fig. pared to the closed state, F16′ and L9′ rotated away from the
S11 A and B). fivefold axis, expanding to more than 5 Å radius in the upper
In the LBD interior, domain contraction was particularly ev- pore; at the level of E2′, the pore expanded even further to a
ident in the amphipathic α1 helix, which translated and rotated radius of 9 Å (Fig. 6B). Thus, the Ca2+-free structure is
∼40° counter-clockwise toward the channel axis (Fig. 5C and SI consistent with DeCLIC being in a conducting state in the
Appendix, Fig. S12). This motion detached α1 from the β3–β4 absence of Ca2+.
(A) loop, established new contacts with the β3 strand and β5–β6
(E) loop, and expanded a vestibular cavity previously implicated Allosteric Transitions and Potential Coupling in TMD and LBD Sites.

BIOCHEMISTRY
in binding of allosteric modulators (SI Appendix, Figs. S11 C and Structure determination in Ca2+-bound and -unbound states
D and S12) (22, 27). Below the α1 helices, an even more con- further revealed remodeling of TMD and LBD sites previously
stricted ring was formed by the inward-facing β4–β5 loop (Ω22), implicated in pLGIC modulation. In the TMD, underneath each
with the side chains of five W407 residues restricting the ves- M2–M3 loop in the Ca2+-free structure, we observed a strong
tibular radius to 2.6 Å (Figs. 2B and 4 A and B and SI Appendix, residual electron density (8 σ in the mFo-DFc difference map),
Fig. S13). which we modeled as the polar head of a lipid molecule (Fig. 6 C
In the vicinity of the vacated Ca2+ site, loop F swung inward and D and SI Appendix, Fig. S15 A–C). The expanded solvent-
toward the channel axis by up to 8 Å, away from its ion-mediated accessible surfaces at each subunit interface could accommodate
intersubunit contacts (Fig. 5 B and C and SI Appendix, Fig. S6). disordered tails of the modeled lipids (Fig. 6F). Each putative
This motion also disrupted the electrostatic network linking lipid site was bounded by the upper M2 and M3 helices of the
E481 in loop F with the β1–β2 (R345) loop of the complemen- principal subunit, and by the pre-M1 region and upper M2 helix
tary subunit; instead, E481 accepted a hydrogen bond from Q344 of the complementary subunit (Fig. 6D and SI Appendix, Fig.

A B C D
NTD
60

Loop B
40
Distance along channel (Å)

Loop C
β''1-β''2 Loop
Loop F (+) 20
α1
LBD
Ca2+
Loop F (+)
0
Cys Loop
Loop Ω

M2-M3Loop -40
M1 (+)
M3
M2 -40
TMD
M2
M3
M2-M3 Loop -60
M4
M3
M1

Y572 -80
M4 -30 -20 -10 0
twist (°)

Fig. 5. Conformational state transitions at the tertiary and quaternary levels. (A) Superposition of DeCLIC structures in the presence (blue) and absence
Downloaded at Indonesia: PNAS Sponsored on October 4, 2020

(magenta) of Ca2+, viewed from the periplasmic side, illustrating relative conformational changes in the NTD (Top), LBD (Middle), and TMD (Bottom). Loop
regions except the M2–M3 loop are hidden for clarity. Arrows indicate predominant quaternary rearrangements involving radial contraction/expansion or
tangential twist. (B) Conformational changes in a single subunit between Ca2+-bound (blue) and -free (magenta) states, aligned by superimposition of the
entire pentamer, viewed from the membrane plane. Arrows indicate predominant motions involving contraction of the NTD and LBD, and expansion of the
TMD. (C) Details as in B showing remodeling at the NTD2–LBD interface (Top), LBD–TMD interface (Middle), or of a single TMD subunit viewed from the
periplasmic side (Bottom). (D) Twist angle (magenta) between Ca2+-bound and -free states in successive z slabs along the linear channel axis. Negative values
in the lower channel correspond to a relative clockwise twist of the TMD.

Hu et al. PNAS Latest Articles | 5 of 10

 Given the evident relevance of both TMD and LBD sites to
A B allosteric gating transitions in this family, we qualitatively
S19' S564
assessed the coupling between DeCLIC domain motions using
F16' F561 normal mode analysis. A new method by Bastolla and colleagues
A13' A558 (30) has been developed specifically to characterize coupling of
L9' L554 ligand-binding sites based on similarities in the direction of
G6' G551 motions (codirectionality), fluctuations in interatomic distances
(coordination), and how much perturbations in one site modify
E2' E547 the structure of another (deformation). Torsional normal mode
G-2' G543 analysis predicted atomic fluctuations that correlated well with
D-4' D541 B-factors in both DeCLIC structures (correlation factors of 0.94
and 0.88 for the apparent closed and open states, respectively)
C D (SI Appendix, Fig. S16A), and a limited set of normal modes were
Lipid head M2-M3 loop sufficient to describe 80% of the torsional component of both
apparent gating transitions (18 and 59 normal modes for closed
M2 (+) and open pore states, respectively) (SI Appendix, Fig. S16B).
M2 Here we examine couplings between the orthosteric site, the
M1
M3 vestibular site, and the pore (Fig. 7A).
In the modeled closed-to-open transition associated with Ca2+
M4 M1 (+) depletion, the DeCLIC pore experienced a decrease in their
directionality coupling and coordination coupling, and an in-
crease in their deformation coupling (Fig. 7 B–E), which indi-
cates that their dynamical interactions were destabilized in the
Lipid inlets open form (Fig. 7). Consistently, coordination with the pore was
E F reduced for both orthosteric and vestibular sites. However, the
codirectionality and, to a smaller extent, the covariance became
less negative. The vestibular site exhibited the largest couplings
with other functional sites in both closed and open conforma-
tions, and displayed the largest coordination and the most neg-
E2' ative codirectionality with the pore in the closed conformation.
E2' In the closed-pore conformation, the motions of the functional
f sites are prevalently directed along the membrane, with smallest
D-4' component along the pore direction Z (Fig. 7F). In contrast, in
-10 kT/e 10 kT/e the open conformation the motions of the pore and the loop C
are prevalently directed along the pore (Fig. 7G) A possible
Fig. 6. Pore conformation and lipid interactions in the TMD. (A) View from interpretation is that the dynamics of the open-pore atoms ac-
the membrane of the TMD channel (cyan) in the presence of Ca2+, showing company ions through the channel, at the price of destabilizing
M2 helices of two opposing subunits (blue). Side chains exposed to the pore the open-state pore relative to the closed-state one.
lumen are shown as sticks, with constrictions of the channel below 1.4 Å in
red. (B) View as in A of two opposing M2 helices (magenta) in the Ca2+-free
structure. (C) View from the periplasmic side of the TMD surface in the Vestibular Constriction and Helix Reorientation in Ca2+-Free DeCLIC.
absence of Ca2+, with resolved lipid head-groups as colored spheres. (D) View The lumen of the open-pore LBD was virtually closed by a
of two adjacent TMD subunits in the absence of Ca2+ (magenta), with polar constriction ring formed by the five side chains of Trp407, pro-
heads of L-α-phosphatidylglycerol molecules modeled as sticks. The Fo-Fc jecting toward the C5 axis from loop Ω (SI Appendix, Fig. S13).
omit map (green) is overlaid and contoured at 2.5 σ. (E) View from the This kind of constriction ring is also present in sTeLIC (22) and
membrane of two TMD subunits (blue) in the absence of Ca2+, showing
observed recently in the structure of the heteromeric GABAA
negatively charged residues along channel as sticks. Dotted bracket indicates
cross-sectional slice depicted in F. (F) A 20-Å cross section of the Ca2+-bound
receptor, where the role of the Trp407 side chain is played by the
structure as indicated in E, viewed from the periplasmic side and colored by glycosylation of one of the subunits (15, 31). This constriction is
electrostatic potential according to the scale bar shown below; dotted line also present in GluCl (4NTV), where five tyrosine residues
indicates an expanded crevice accessible to lipid tails. (Y99) coordinate a central citrate anion, as well as in 5-HT3A-R
(4PIR), where five lysine residues (K108) coordinate a central
sulfate ion. Strikingly, in the closed-pore conformation of
S15B). This subunit interface constitutes an apparent general site DeCLIC, this constriction ring was absent due to an outward
for lipophilic modulators, penetrating even deeper toward the movement of loop Ω (Figs. 4B and 5C).
channel axis than ivermectin cavities in GluCl, GlyRα3, and The position of the amphipathic helix α1 at the top of the LBD
GlyRα1 (11, 12, 29) (SI Appendix, Fig. S15 D–F). also differed between open and closed states. In the open state,
Remodeling was similarly evident in a cavity facing the LBD α1 rotated and translated inward toward the C5 axis. As a con-
vestibule, between helix α1 and loops A and E. An equivalent sequence, its hydrophobic side detached from the pre-β4 loop
vestibular cavity in ELIC and sTeLIC was previously shown to and established new contacts with the β3 strand. This reoriented
bind the allosteric modulators flurazepam and 4-bromocinnamic α1 helix position in the Ca2+-free, apparent open state was
acid, respectively (22, 27). Indeed, vestibular-site binding was similar to that observed in both sTeLIC and ELIC (SI Appendix,
associated with a dramatic redistribution of residue B-factors in Fig. S14 A and B). Indeed, the LBD of open-pore DeCLIC
Downloaded at Indonesia: PNAS Sponsored on October 4, 2020

sTeLIC, suggesting a dynamical basis for allosteric modulation aligned closely with those of both sTeLIC (with a similarly wide-
via this site (22). In DeCLIC, the vestibular cavity was relatively open pore) and ELIC, even though the ELIC pore is closed (SI
compressed in the Ca2+-bound closed state, but expanded in the Appendix, Fig. S14 B, D, and F). Comparison to DeCLIC
Ca2+-free open state, sufficient to accommodate a molecule of structures in multiple states therefore indicated that current
similar volume as ELIC/sTeLIC modulators (SI Appendix, Fig. X-ray structures of ELIC may represent a “locally closed” or
S11 C and D). preactive conformation, with a closed pore but an activated

6 of 10 | www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1922701117 Hu et al.
 Closed Configuration Open configuration
A F G
X
0.4 0.4
Y

Center of mass
Z

0.2 0.2

0 0
t t
Pore Agonis Vestib LoopB LoopC Pore Agonis Vestib LoopB LoopC
H II2
2
B C D E 0
Coordination
Directionality Pro Directionality Coup Coordination Coup Deformation Coup 0 with pore
3 15 4 3

Z score
-2 -2 Directionality
with pore
2 2 -4 -4

t t
10 2 Agonis Vestib LoopB LoopC Agonis Vestib LoopB LoopC
Z score of pore

1 1 J K
4 44
Coordination
0 0
Z score
5 Directionality
0 2 22

-1 -1

BIOCHEMISTRY
0 00

-Ag

-LB

-LB
-LC

-LC
-LC
Ag t

B
C
Ve st
0
-Ag

-LB

-LB
-LC

-LC
Ag t

B
C
Ve st

s
s

-LC

st-L
st-L
st-L

-Ve

e
st-L
-Ve

st-V
st-V
-2 -2 -2

Ag

LB
Ag

LB
LC
Ag

LB
Ag

LB
LC
Closed Open Closed Open Closed Open

Ag
Closed Open
Ag

Ve
Ve

Ve
Ve

Fig. 7. Dynamic coupling between allosteric sites using normal mode analysis averaged over the five chains. (A) Representation of the main functional sites:
Pore (magenta), agonist (blue-gray), and vestibular sites (green). Two different definitions of the pore site are represented that give very similar results. (B)
The z-score of the directionality profile between atoms of the pore and all other atoms in the protein. (C–E) The z-score of the coupling among atoms of the
pore; directionality (C), coordination (D), and deformation (E). Directionality and coordination are larger than expected in the closed conformation and
smaller in the open one, while the contrary happens for deformation. (F and G) Squared projections of the movement of the center-of-mass of the functional
sites along the three principal axes x (black), y (yellow), and z (green), where the z axis denotes the direction of the pore. The z axis component is the smallest
one in the closed conformation (F) but, it is the largest one in the open conformation for the pore (G). (H and I) The z-score of the directionality (yellow) and
coordination (black) coupling between the pore and four functional sites: the coordination is positive (higher than expected) in the closed conformation, in
particular for the vestibular site, however the directionality is negative (i.e., smaller than expected) (H). In the open conformation the coordination becomes
smaller than expected but the directionality is less negative (I). (J and K) The z-score of the directionality and coordination coupling among functional sites.
The vestibular site shows the largest couplings among all sites with the agonist site and with itself in both conformations, open and closed.

LBD. Consistent with this hypothesis, previous structures of crystallized under activating conditions with a wide-open pore,
ELIC have shown that its orthosteric site can accommodate similar to that of DeCLIC in the absence of Ca2+ (SI Appendix,
agonists, including cysteamine or GABA, without opening the Fig. S14). Although we cannot rule out artifactual influence of
pore in the crystal (27, 32), an observation that has never been detergents, crystallographic packing, or other sample conditions,
clearly explained. these comparisons were consistent with the nondesensitizing,
blocker-insensitive ion conduction of DeCLIC upon Ca2+ de-
Discussion pletion in oocytes (Fig. 5). Accordingly, we interpreted our high-
Structures of DeCLIC, described here in the presence and ab- Ca2+ DeCLIC structure to represent a closed state, and the Ca2+-
sence of Ca2+, provide atomistic details of the molecular archi- free structure a possible open state.
tecture and accessible states of a prokaryotic pLGIC incorporating A capacity for ions to enter the DeCLIC pore was evident in
a periplasmic NTD. Despite the presence of this additional do- the Ca2+-bound structure, which contained two ion sites below
main, the DeCLIC LBD and TMD can readily be compared with the constriction rings, consistent with cation-selective pLGICs.
other bacterial pLGICs. The first full-length pLGIC characterized In particular, a planar hydrated ion around the 6′ position was
by X-ray diffraction, ELIC from the plant pathogen Dickeya observed in both DeCLIC (Fig. 2D) and the human α4β2 nico-
dadantii, has been crystallized under numerous conditions but tinic receptor (14). The open state of GLIC contains two water
always in a nonconducting state (8). Its pore aligns closely with pentagons in the same region, albeit with alternative geometry
that of Ca2+-bound DeCLIC, including hydrophobic constrictions (38). At the cytoplasmic mouth of the pore, ELIC, GLIC, and
at the 16′ and 9′ positions of the pore-lining M2 helix (SI Ap- eukaryotic cationic pLGICs feature a single ring of acidic resi-
pendix, Fig. S14F). GLIC from the cyanobacterium Gloeobacter dues that contribute to selectivity (39); like sTeLIC, DeCLIC
violaceus has been crystallized in apparent open (7, 9), in- exhibited two such rings at the –4′ and 2′ positions, with a hy-
termediate (33, 34), modulated (35, 36), and resting states (37). drophilic constriction at 2′ in the closed state. A dehydrated
Downloaded at Indonesia: PNAS Sponsored on October 4, 2020

The GLIC closed pore is qualitatively similar to nonconducting cation resolved at this cytoplasmic gate in DeCLIC (Fig. 4E) was
DeCLIC and ELIC, although somewhat less constricted (SI Ap- also observed in recent nAChR structures (40). Ions were not
pendix, Fig. S14); the open pore of GLIC aligns well with some well resolved in the wide-open pore of Ca2+-free DeCLIC,
eukaryotic homologs (11, 12, 16), although both are narrower than possibly reflecting disruption of coordinated and codirectional
the Ca2+-free pore of DeCLIC. Most recently, sTeLIC from a motion in this region indicated by normal mode analysis (SI
prokaryotic symbiont of the giant tube worm Tevnia jerichonana Appendix, Fig. S16C). Insensitivity to quaternary ammonium

Hu et al. PNAS Latest Articles | 7 of 10

 block has been observed in ELIC and sTeLIC (22, 28, 41) as Above the loop Ω occlusion, the linear DeCLIC channel was
well as DeCLIC (Fig. 3 A and B), supporting a conservation partially constricted in the Ca2+-free state by inward displace-
of conducting states in this subset of prokaryotic channels. ment of the α1 helix, a motif absent or shorter in GLIC and
Along with DeCLIC, both ELIC and sTeLIC are also inhibi- eukaryotic pLGICs, but preserved in ELIC and sTeLIC. In-
ted by external Ca2+ ions (22, 42), indicating some mechanisms terestingly, a cavity between α1 and the A and E loops forms a
of divalent cation modulation could be conserved in this channel vestibular binding site for the allosteric modulator flurazepam in
family. Structural and functional properties in the presence of ELIC, or for 4-Bromo cinnamic acid in sTeLIC (22, 27). In the
Ca2+ indicate DeCLIC should be closed under standard physi- equivalent site of DeCLIC, a molecule of this volume would only
ological conditions: The periplasmic space is expected to accu- be accommodated in the Ca2+-free state (SI Appendix, Fig.
mulate Ca2+ in excess of 10 mM (43), well above the recorded S11 C and D). Although several known agonists and modulators
micromolar IC50 (Fig. 3D). However, local Ca2+ concentrations failed to produce apparent DeCLIC activation or modulation in
can be sensitive to precipitation or chelation by anions or other oocytes, the α1 (vestibular) cavity could accommodate physio-
environmental agents, such as sulfate compounds produced by logical modulators yet to be identified, or otherwise mediate a
the purple sulfur-bacteria symbiont of Desulfofustis (23), and conserved mechanism of regulation. Altogether, the remodeling
could transiently drop below the threshold for DeCLIC activa- of this cavity between the two forms of DeCLIC rationalizes a
tion. Notably, several Ca2+-mediated contacts in DeCLIC have posteriori the observation that this vestibular binding site ac-
previously been implicated in pLGIC gating: An equivalent commodates, in an open-state specific manner, molecules that
electrostatic network between the F, β1–β2, and Pro-loops is are modulators in both ELIC and sTeLIC (Table 1 and SI Ap-
evident in both ELIC and open GLIC (42, 44). The closest Ca2+ pendix, Fig. S17).
contact in DeCLIC was with E347 in the β1–β2 loop; in GLIC, The periplasmic DeCLIC NTD, a novel feature among
protonation of the equivalent residue (E35) is thought to bypass reported pLGIC structures, also interacted with functionally
classical agonist binding to open the pore (44). ELIC also con- relevant regions of the consensus channel in a state-dependent
tains a Ba2+ binding site, involving the F and Pro-loops, adjacent manner. In particular, Ca2+ depletion displaced the NTD2 lobe
to DeCLIC’s Ca2+ binding site (42). in each subunit toward loop C, which was itself remodeled to-
Remodeling of an extended electrostatic network near the ward the complementary subunit interface including NTD1
DeCLIC Ca2+ site suggested a pathway for channel gating. Once (Fig. 5 B and C). If activation at the level of the LBD Ca2+ site
released from its Ca2+-mediated interactions, loop F in DeCLIC initiates a conformational wave leading to both pore expansion
shifted away from the interface toward the subunit interior, and NTD remodeling, changes in the NTD could in turn regulate
replacing intersubunit salt bridges with an intrasubunit hydrogen channel kinetics or periplasmic interactions. Alternatively, the
bond (Q344/E481) and liberating arginines in the β1–β2 and NTD could act as a macroscopic agonist, in which reorganization
M2–M3 loops to orient toward the expanded TMD subunit in- of the outer lobe itself influences the orthosteric site or other
terface (R345, R569) (SI Appendix, Fig. S8). This network is at elements of the pLGIC gating pathway. Elevated average
least partially conserved in sTeLIC, where the wide-open struc- B-factors of NTD residues in both states (SI Appendix, Fig. S5)
ture contains a homologous intrasubunit hydrogen bond (Q25/ suggested this domain was heterogeneous under crystallographic
E161) and orients basic residues in the β1–β2 and M2–M3 loops conditions, and could require a binding partner for stabilization.
toward the transmembrane interface (K26, R249). In DeCLIC, Neither NTD lobe contained any obvious cavity suitable for li-
this reorganization of basic residues may facilitate the in- gands; however, the overall channel dimensions could enable this
tercalation of lipid head groups, which were resolved in the ex- domain to interface with the periplasmic peptidoglycan layer,
panded crevices between subunits in the Ca2+-free state (SI whose effects on channel function have yet to be characterized.
Appendix, Fig. S15C). Intersubunit TMD cavities in pLGICs Interestingly, two different sugar-binding proteins with jelly-roll
have been shown to bind various lipophilic potentiators, in- topology were retrieved by the Dali search using NTD2 as query
cluding alcohol and anesthetics in GLIC (36, 45), and ivermectin (SI Appendix, Fig. S18). It is also suggestive that DeCLIC mol-
in eukaryotic anion channels (11, 12, 46). Lipids themselves act ecules crystallized in parallel linear arrays, mediated by contacts
as allosteric effectors of many pLGICs (47), and could contribute between their NTDs, and distinct from the packing patterns of
to stabilizing DeCLIC in a wide-open state. most other crystallized pLGICs (SI Appendix, Fig. S4). This
Parallel to the inward displacement of loop F, both the LBD phenomenon is reminiscent of 2D lattices formed by GLIC in
and NTD exhibited overall inward contraction upon Ca2+ de- recent atomic force microscopy experiments (50); in biology,
pletion, manifesting in a hydrophobic occlusion of the peri- such lattices have been associated with chemotaxis receptors
plasmic vestibule by a ring of tryptophans (W407) at the level of (51). Whether this linear organization of DeCLIC might be
loop Ω (Fig. 4 A and B and SI Appendix, Fig. S13). A ring of reproduced in the cell membrane, or extended to a 2D lattice,
arginines (R86) similarly occludes the LBD pathway in sTeLIC remains to be determined.
(22); known structures of ELIC do not feature this constriction, Combined with previous structures of ELIC and sTeLIC,
although a ring of Ba2+ ions associate with backbone carbonyls characterization of DeCLIC in two conformations supports a
of loop Ω at an equivalent position (42). Among eukaryotic coherent gating landscape for prokaryotic pLGICs (SI Appendix,
pLGICs, both cation- and anion-selective channels have been Fig. S5). In particular, DeCLIC comparisons offer insight into
crystallized with coordinated anions in this position on the the annotation of ELIC structures, whose functional states have
fivefold symmetry axis, also closing the vestibule (10, 48), and been controversial. Whereas the nonconducting pore of ELIC is
recent structures of heteromeric GABAARs show the extracel- largely superimposable with that of Ca2+-bound DeCLIC, its
lular domain to be blocked also in this region by large glycans LBD—including the distinctive α1 helix—is superimposable with
(15, 31, 49). Although its biological relevance is unknown, the that of pore-open DeCLIC or sTeLIC (SI Appendix, Fig. S14 B
occluded LBD vestibule could serve as a reservoir for permeant and D). This correspondence supports the hypothesis that ELIC
ions, shielded from the periplasmic or extracellular environ- structures represent a locally closed or preopen state, in which
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ments. Ion entry and exit may be regulated by transient opening the LBD is activated but the pore is locked in a resting confor-
of the upper occlusion or via routes peripheral to the linear mation, similar to what has been seen in GLIC (33, 44). Con-
channel pathway. Vestibular constriction could also contribute to sistent with this hypothesis, X-ray structures of ELIC have shown
an alternating two-gate system analogous to a peristaltic pump, that both the cysteamine and GABA agonists could bind the
consistent with normal mode analysis of wide-open structures of agonist binding site of this crystal form without opening the pore
both sTeLIC (22) and now DeCLIC (SI Appendix, Fig. S16C). (27, 32), as well as positive allosteric modulators in the vestibular

8 of 10 | www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1922701117 Hu et al.
 Table 1. Summary of the known allosteric binding sites in the LBD of bacterial pLGICs (GLIC, ELIC, sTeLIC, and DeCLIC) with their
ligands and PDB ID
Allosteric site Loop F

pLGIC, State Pore, PDB Suborthosteric Vestibular Interfacial site Deep site
+
GLIC Open Br-Acetate: 4QH1 Br-Acetate: 4QH1 Water network: 6HZW; H (E35, T158) Xenon: 4ZZC
Open 4HFI Succinate: 6HJZ Succinate: 6HJZ
GLIC Closed Empty Empty Empty Bromoform:
Closed 4NPQ MD simulations
sTeLIC Open Empty 4-Br-cinnamate: 6FLI Empty Closed
Open 6FL9
ELIC Closed Zopiclone: 4A97 Flurazepam: 2YOE Ba2+: 2YN6 Bromoform: 3ZKR
Semiclosed 2VL0 Br-Flurazepam: 4A98 Chlorpromazine: 5LG3
Acetylcholine: 3RQW
Bromoethanol: 5SXV
DeCLIC Open Empty Empty Empty Empty
Open 6V4A
DeCLIC Closed Remodeled/larger Remodeled/smaller Ca2+ Closed
Closed 6V4S

cavity (Table 1 and SI Appendix, Fig. S17). Identification in Structure Determination and Model Refinement. Initial phases for the trun-
Ca2+-free DeCLIC of a wide-open pore and other features cated NTD1 were obtained using Phenix (54) from a single anomalous dif-

BIOCHEMISTRY
fraction dataset collected at 0.9791 Å. An initial model was generated using
originally observed in sTeLIC also supports the relevance of this
AutoBuild in Phenix, and multiple rounds of model building in Coot (55) and
structure as a representative open state. Structure-function refinement with BUSTER (56) were performed to obtain the final refined
characterization of DeCLIC thus further illuminates the mech- model containing residues 33 to 195. For Ca2+-bound DeCLIC, phases were
anistic repertoire of prokaryotic pLGICs, enabling annotation of obtained by molecular replacement using a chimeric model containing the
both known and novel structures, and unveiling the role and extracellular domain of GLIC (PDB ID code 4HFI) (38) and the TMD of ELIC
diversity of accessory domain interactions. (PDB ID code 2VL0) (57) as a Phaser search model in Phenix (58). The
resulting model was refined using Refmac (53) and BUSTER-Refine (56) with
Materials and Methods alternating cycles of refinement and manual building in Coot (55), with auto-
Sample Preparation. Full-length DeCLIC was expressed and purified according matic noncrystallographic symmetry restraints applied. Electron density in the
to protocols previously optimized for prokaryotic pLGICs (22). Briefly, a gene NTD became visible after building most of the consensus channel, and was
encoding the predicted processed protein (residues 33 to 642) was codon- modeled manually with reference to the truncated structure (for NTD1) and
backbone trace of PDB ID code 3JQW (for NTD2). For Ca2+-free DeCLIC, a similar
optimized and synthesized as a thrombin-cleavable fusion construct with
approach was taken with sTeLIC (PDB ID code 6FL9) as the search model. As-
maltose binding protein, and subcloned into vector pET20b. After overnight
signments in the vicinity of M3 were further verified by collection of a mercury-
expression in C43 E. coli, the protein was harvested with the membrane
edge anomalous dataset from crystals grown with ethylmercury chloride, which
fraction by ultracentrifugation, solubilized in 4% DDM, purified by amylose
was found to label only C596 of six cysteines in each DeCLIC monomer.
affinity and size-exclusion chromatography, isolated from its fusion partner
by thrombin cleavage and size exclusion, and concentrated to 10 mg/mL, all
at 4 °C. The truncated NTD1 sequence (encoding residues 33 to 202) was Electrophysiology. Two-electrode voltage-clamp electrophysiology was per-
amplified from the full-length construct and subcloned into vector pRSFDuet formed as previously described (59). Briefly, cDNA encoding DeCLIC wild-type
as a tobacco etch virus (TEV) protease-cleavable fusion construct with a or ΔNTD variants was commercially synthesized (Thermo Fisher) and subcloned
14-histidine tag. After overnight expression in BL21 (DE3) Rosetta2 E. coli, into the pUNIV oocyte vector (60). DeCLIC and yellow fluorescent protein (YFP)
the protein was purified by Ni-NTA affinity, isolated from its fusion partner constructs were translated in vitro using T7 RNA polymerase (Thermo Fisher).
by TEV cleavage and size exclusion, and concentrated to 15 mg/mL, all at Commercially isolated X. laevis oocytes were injected with 10 to 30 ng DeCLIC
4 °C. SeMet-incorporated NTD1 was expressed in selective media and puri- RNA and incubated at 12 °C for 1 to 3 wk, or with 0.5 ng YFP RNA as an in-
jection control. For each recording, control, YFP-, or DeCLIC-injected oocytes
fied using a similar protocol, with 1 mM DTT added during purification. All
were clamped on either side of a parallel recording rig and perfused in 0.5 to
proteins were frozen using liquid nitrogen and stored at −80 °C.
1.0 mL/min running buffer (10 mM Tris pH 8.5, 123 mM NaCl, 10 mM Na+-
citrate, 2 mM KCl, 2 mM MgSO4) with varying concentrations of CaCl2. Cur-
Crystallization and Data Collection. Crystals of DeCLIC were initially grown at rents were recorded with an Axon CNS 1440A Digidata system in pCLAMP 10.
18 °C by 1:1 hanging-drop vapor diffusion and microseeding in a reservoir For Ca2+ sensitivity measurements, peak currents at each concentration were
containing 100 mM Tris pH 7.5, 250 mM CaCl2, 14.5% (wt/vol) PEG-MME normalized to the maximal response of paired oocytes, and fit to a sigmoidal
2000 (final pH ∼6.7), and frozen after 1 wk with 25% (vol/vol) ethylene concentration-response curve using Prism8 (GraphPad).
glycol. For the Ba2+-bound dataset, these crystals were soaked in reservoir
solution supplemented with 200 mM BaCl2 for 5 to 10 min prior to cry-
Normal Mode Analysis. Dynamical couplings between atoms in four functional
oprotection. For the Ca2+-free dataset, DeCLIC crystals were grown by the sites were computed as previously described (30), adopting the normal
same method with 0.3 M NH4-Formate, 0.1 M Tris 7.5, 30% (vol/vol) PEG- modes of the torsional network model (61). Briefly, 1) directionality coupling
MME 500 (final pH ∼7.6), and directly frozen after 3 wk. Crystals of the was defined as the Boltzmann average of the scalar product between the
truncated NTD1, with or without SeMet incorporation, were crystallized directions of motion of two atoms; 2) coordination coupling was a constant
similarly with 0.1 M Hepes pH 6.5, 0.7 M NaH2PO4, 0.7 M KH2PO4, and frozen
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minus the root mean square of the fluctuation of the distance between the
with 30% (vol/vol) glycerol. Diffraction data were collected at Soleil PROX- two atoms; 3) deformation coupling was defined as the deformation in one
IMA-1 and processed using XDS (52) and CCP4 (53) (SI Appendix, Table S1). atom produced by a perturbation applied to the other with constant am-
Crystals of full-length DeCLIC in the presence or absence of Ca2+ grew in plitude and direction, such that the perturbation is maximized. A z-score was
space group P21212 or P21, respectively, with one pentamer in the asym- calculated from 1,000 randomly generated pairs of residues having the same
metric unit. The truncated NTD1 crystallized in space group P61 with two distance along the sequence as the considered pair. Full methods are pro-
monomers in the asymmetric unit. vided in SI Appendix, SI Materials and Methods.

Hu et al. PNAS Latest Articles | 9 of 10

 Data Availability. All crystallographic data have been deposited to the ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. We thank Pr. J. P. Changeux for initially suggesting
PDB (diffraction data and refined coordinates of the models), under that we investigate the architecture of bacterial pLGIC with additional domains,
the following ID codes: 6V4S for closed pore conformation of DeCLIC, and for discussion and support during the course of this work; the staff of the
Synchrotron Soleil (St Aubin, France), especially Dr. P. Legrand, and of the
6V4A for open pore conformation of DeCLIC, and 6V4B for NTD1 of
European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (Grenoble, France) for help in data
DeCLIC (residues 34 to 202). All other data, associated protocols, code, collection; and Sirine Hlioui for help in protein preparation and crystallogenesis
and materials in the paper will be available from the authors upon in the final stages of this study. R.J.H. and E.L. thank the Swedish Research
request. Council and The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation for support.

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