Permeation and transport articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Elevated serum urate levels are a risk factor for gout. Here, Tin et al. perform whole-exome sequencing in 19,517 individuals and detect low-frequency genetic variants in urate transporter genes, SLC22A12 and SLC2A9, associated with serum urate levels and confirm their damaging nature in vitro and in silico.

    • Adrienne Tin
    • , Yong Li
    •  & Anna Köttgen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    BK channels are regulated by membrane voltage and intracellular Ca2+ but the structural features that block the ion flow in the closed state remain unknown. Here authors use molecular dynamics simulation and show that a physical gate is not required; instead ion flow is regulated by hydrophobic dewetting due to changes in pore shape and surface hydrophobicity.

    • Zhiguang Jia
    • , Mahdieh Yazdani
    •  & Jianhan Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Some TMEM16 family members are Ca2+-dependent phospholipid scramblases, which also mediate non-selective ion transport; however, the mechanism how lipids permeate through the TMEM16 remains poorly understood. Here, the authors combine biochemical assays and simulations to identify the key steps regulating lipid movement through the membrane-exposed groove.

    • Byoung-Cheol Lee
    • , George Khelashvili
    •  & Alessio Accardi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Members of the transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels conduct cations into cells upon activation by a variety of signals. Here authors present the cryo-EM structure of TRPC4 in its unliganded (apo) state, which provides molecular insights into TRPC4's ion selectivity and TPR channel evolution.

    • Jingjing Duan
    • , Jian Li
    •  & Jin Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ferroportin (Fpn) is essential for mammalian iron homeostasis as it exports iron from cells into blood circulation, but the molecular mechanisms of Fpn-mediated iron transport remain obscure. Here the authors use biophysical approaches to reveal that Ca2+ is a required cofactor for Fpn transport activity.

    • Chandrika N. Deshpande
    • , T. Alex Ruwe
    •  & Mika Jormakka

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The capsaicin receptor TRPV1 has been structurally characterized, but the capsaicin activation dynamics remain elusive. Here authors use fluorescent unnatural amino acid incorporation, computational modeling and Φ-analysis to derive the capsaicin-bound open state model and reveal the capsaicin induced conformational changes.

    • Fan Yang
    • , Xian Xiao
    •  & Jie Zheng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The transient receptor potential channel TRPV6 mediates calcium uptake in epithelia and its expression is increased in several cancer types. Here, authors present structures of TRPV6 bound to 2-APB, a TRPV6 inhibitor, and show that 2-APB induces TRPV6 channel closure by modulating protein–lipid interactions.

    • Appu K. Singh
    • , Kei Saotome
    •  & Alexander I. Sobolevsky

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Auxin regulates multiple aspects of plant growth and development. Here Dindas et al. show that in root-hair cells, the AUX1 auxin influx carrier mediates proton-driven auxin import that is perceived by auxin receptors and coupled to Ca2+ waves that may modulate adaptive responses in the root.

    • Julian Dindas
    • , Sönke Scherzer
    •  & Rainer Hedrich

  • Article
    | Open Access

    PIEZO proteins form mechanosensitive ion channels. Here the authors present electrophysiological measurements that show that PIEZO channels are also modulated by voltage and can switch to a purely voltage gated mode, which is an evolutionary conserved property of this channel family.

    • Mirko Moroni
    • , M. Rocio Servin-Vences
    •  & Gary R. Lewin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Neurotransmitter:sodium symporters (NSS) modulate the duration and magnitude of signaling via the sodium-coupled reuptake of neurotransmitters. Here the authors describe quantitative single molecule imaging of ligand-induced, functional dynamics of both intracellular and extracellular surfaces of LeuT, further defining the mechanism for NSS transport.

    • Daniel S. Terry
    • , Rachel A. Kolster
    •  & Scott C. Blanchard

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chitin degrading bacteria are important for marine ecosystems. Here the authors structurally and functionally characterize the Vibrio harveyi outer membrane diffusion channel chitoporin and give mechanistic insights into chito-oligosaccharide uptake.

    • Anuwat Aunkham
    • , Michael Zahn
    •  & Bert van den Berg

  • Article
    | Open Access

    For anammox bacteria, the sensing and uptake of ammonium is essential and specialized proteins, like Ks-Amt5, mediate such processes. Here, authors perform biophysical, biochemical, and structural analysis on Ks-Amt5 and establish a role for this protein as an ammonium-sensing signal transducer.

    • Tobias Pflüger
    • , Camila F. Hernández
    •  & Susana L. A. Andrade

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mechanosensitive Piezo channels are important for a wide range of mechanotransduction processes. Here the authors show that Piezos interact with sarcoplasmic /endoplasmic-reticulum Ca2+ ATPases (SERCA) and give mechanistic insights into mechanogating and SERCA2-mediated regulation of Piezo1.

    • Tingxin Zhang
    • , Shaopeng Chi
    •  & Bailong Xiao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The vitamin B12 importer BtuCD-F is a type II ATP-binding cassette transporter. Here the authors use single-molecule fluorescence techniques to analyse ATP hydrolysis and substrate transport in individual BtuCD-F complexes embedded in liposomes, and propose a transport model.

    • Joris M. H. Goudsmits
    • , Dirk Jan Slotboom
    •  & Antoine M. van Oijen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The bacterial zinc transporter ZntB is important for maintaining zinc homeostasis and is mechanistically not well understood. Here, the authors present the cryo-EM structure of ZntB at 4.2 Å resolution, perform transport assays and propose a model for its Zn2+ transport mechanism.

    • Cornelius Gati
    • , Artem Stetsenko
    •  & Albert Guskov

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A rise in cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration is a well-described response of plant cells to mechanical stimulation. Here the authors show that the DEK1 protein, which is essential for epidermis specification and development in plants, is required for triggering a mechanically-activated Ca2+ channel.

    • Daniel Tran
    • , Roberta Galletti
    •  & Gwyneth C. Ingram

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Sulfonates are a major source of sulphur for soil microbes but their cellular uptake is still not fully understood. Here the authors show thatSaccharomyces cerevisiae YIL166C(SOA1)encodes for an inorganic sulphur transporter that can also function as a sulfonate and choline sulphate transporter.

    • Sylvester Holt
    • , Harish Kankipati
    •  & Johan M. Thevelein

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In some parasites, membrane-bound pyrophosphatases, which couple proton and sodium ion transport across the membrane, are important for infectivity. Here, the authors report crystal structures of these proteins alongside biophysical analyses that allow them to propose a model for how the coupling is achieved.

    • Kun-Mou Li
    • , Craig Wilkinson
    •  & Adrian Goldman

  • Article
    | Open Access

    SWEET proteins are known to function as sugar transporters. Here, Kannoet al. show that Arabidopsis SWEET13 and SWEET14 are also able to transport the plant hormone gibberellin (GA) in heterologous systems and that sweetmutants display phenotypes consistent with altered GA response.

    • Yuri Kanno
    • , Takaya Oikawa
    •  & Mitsunori Seo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Retinitis pigmentosa is often caused by mutations that affect the activity or transport of rhodopsin, but some mutations cause disease even though an apparently functional protein is produced. Here the authors show that three such enigmatic mutants retain scramblase activity but are unable to dimerize.

    • Birgit Ploier
    • , Lydia N. Caro
    •  & Anant K. Menon

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Measuring the size distribution of nanomaterials in biological fluids is crucial to understand their properties in vivo. Here, the authors apply fluorescence recovery after photobleaching to measure protein aggregation in serum and to study permeability of biological membranes in mouse models.

    • Ranhua Xiong
    • , Roosmarijn E. Vandenbroucke
    •  & Kevin Braeckmans

  • Article
    | Open Access

    ABC exporters mediate the translocation of cytotoxic compounds to the cell exterior via ATP hydrolysis. Here, the authors show that the bacterial transporter MsbA requires additional energy from the transmembrane electrochemical proton gradient to facilitate drug transport.

    • Himansha Singh
    • , Saroj Velamakanni
    •  & Hendrik W. van Veen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Diatoms sheath themselves in a self-made casing of silica, which requires the function of silicic acid transporters. Here, the authors identify versions of these transporters that are experimentally tractable, and develop a fluorescence method to study silicic acid transport in vitro.

    • Michael J. Knight
    • , Laura Senior
    •  & Paul Curnow

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are large macromolecular assemblies that mediate the exchange of molecules between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Here the authors present a ∼20 Å cryo-EM structure of the X. laevisNPC in different states of transport to propose a model for the architecture of the NPC’s molecular gate within its central channel.

    • Matthias Eibauer
    • , Mauro Pellanda
    •  & Ohad Medalia

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nitrate/nitrite porters (NNP) play a central role in nitrate uptake in archaea, bacteria, fungi and plants. Here, Fukuda et al. use a liposome-based transport assay, X-ray crystallography and molecular dynamics simulation to reveal the dynamic nitrate/nitrite antiport mechanism of a bacterial NNP, NarK.

    • Masahiro Fukuda
    • , Hironori Takeda
    •  & Osamu Nureki

  • Article
    | Open Access

    SWEET family proteins mediate cellular sugar efflux and exchange through a facilitative diffusion mechanism. Here, Lee et al. shed light on the overall sugar transport cycle of the SemiSWEET uniporter-based structures trapped in both the inward-facing and outward-facing conformations.

    • Yongchan Lee
    • , Tomohiro Nishizawa
    •  & Osamu Nureki

  • Article |

    Dynein is a microtubule-based motor protein, but the mechanism of how it generates force is not clear. Here, Belyy et al. use an optical trapping approach to measure force and conclude that the two dynein heads function through a unique load sharing mechanism allowing them to work against forces greater than an individual head.

    • Vladislav Belyy
    • , Nathan L Hendel
    •  & Ahmet Yildiz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The bacterial symporter MelB transports galactosides with Na+, Li+ or H+ ions. Ethayathulla et al. present crystal structures of MelB in two distinct conformations, providing the first structural insights into the transport mechanism of a sodium-coupled permease of the major facilitator superfamily.

    • Abdul S. Ethayathulla
    • , Mohammad S. Yousef
    •  & Lan Guan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Transport of DNA molecules across lipid membranes requires protein conduits such as the nuclear pore complex. Franceschiniet al.engineer an artificial sequence-selective DNA transporter by attaching gating oligonucleotides to a bacterial nanopore.

    • Lorenzo Franceschini
    • , Misha Soskine
    •  & Giovanni Maglia

  • Article |

    Cyclic nucleotide-gated channels are apparently voltage insensitive despite having the S4-type voltage sensor. Marchesiet al.show that the gating of wild-type CNGA1 and native CNG channels is voltage-independent in the presence of Li+, Na+ and K+, but that it is voltage-dependent in the presence of Rb+, Cs+ and organic cations.

    • Arin Marchesi
    • , Monica Mazzolini
    •  & Vincent Torre

  • Article
    | Open Access

    RNA editing is important in regulating neuronal excitability, and a specific editing event has been shown to alter the permeation pathway of voltage-gate potassium channels. Gonzalezet al.find that the tip of the channel's inactivation gate makes a direct hydrophobic interaction with the edited position.

    • Carlos Gonzalez
    • , Angelica Lopez-Rodriguez
    •  & Miguel Holmgren

  • Article |

    Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian nervous system. Here, a glutamate receptor is reported that has properties intermediate to those of bacterial and eukaryotic glutamate-gated ion channels, suggesting a link in the evolution of ionotropic glutamate receptors.

    • H. Janovjak
    • , G. Sandoz
    •  & E. Y. Isacoff

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