CVIC Lab.CardioVascular-Ion Channel Laboratory

TWIK-related two-pore domain K+ channel-2 (TREK-2) has voltageindependent activity and shows additional activation by acidic intracellular pH (pHi) via neutralizing the E³³²in the cytoplasmic C terminal (Ct). We reported opposite regulations of TREK-2 by phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP₂) via the alkaline K³³⁰and triple Arg residues (R^355-357); inhibition and activation, respectively. The G³³⁴between them appeared critical because its mutation (G³³⁴A) endowed hTREK-2 with tonic activity, similar to the mutation of the inhibitory K³³⁰(K³³⁰A). To further elucidate the role of putative bent conformation at G334, we compared the dual mutation forms, K³³⁰A/G³³⁴A and G³³⁴A/R^355-7A, showing higher and lower basal activity, respectively. The results suggested that the tonic activity of G³³⁴A owes to a dominant influence from R^355-7. Since there are additional triple Arg residues (R^377-9) distal to R^355-7, we also examined the triple mutant (G³³⁴A/R^355-7A/R^377-9A) that showed tonic inhibition same with G³³⁴A/R^355-7A. Despite the state of tonic inhibition, the activation by acidic pHi was preserved in both G³³⁴A/R^355-7A and G³³⁴A/R^355-7A/R^377-9A, similar to the R^355-7A. Also, the inhibitory effect of ATP could be commonly demonstrated under the activation by acidic pHi in R^355-7A, G³³⁴A/R^355-7A, and G³³⁴A/R^355-7A/R^377-9A. These results suggest that the putative bent conformation at G³³⁴is important to set the tug-of-war between K³³⁰and R^355-7in the PIP2-dependent regulation of TREK-2.