Stoichiometry of altered hERG1 channel gating by small molecule activators

Voltage-gated K(+) channels are tetramers formed by coassembly of four identical or highly related subunits. All four subunits contribute to formation of the selectivity filter, the narrowest region of the channel pore which determines K(+) selective conductance. In some K(+) channels, the selectivity filter can undergo a conformational change to reduce K(+) flux by a mechanism called C-type inactivation. In human ether-a-go-go-related gene 1 (hERG1) K(+) channels, C-type inactivation is allosterically inhibited by ICA-105574, a substituted benzamide. PD-118057, a 2-(phenylamino) benzoic acid, alters selectivity filter gating to enhance open probability of channels. Both compounds bind to a hydrophobic pocket located between adjacent hERG1 subunits. Accordingly, a homotetrameric channel contains four identical activator binding sites. Here we determine the number of binding sites required for maximal drug effect and determine the role of subunit interactions in the modulation of hERG1 gating by these compounds. Concatenated tetramers were constructed to contain a variable number (zero to four) of wild-type and mutant hERG1 subunits, either L646E to inhibit PD-118057 binding or F557L to inhibit ICA-105574 binding. Enhancement of hERG1 channel current magnitude by PD-118057 and attenuated inactivation by ICA-105574 were mediated by cooperative subunit interactions. Maximal effects of the both compounds required the presence of all four binding sites. Understanding how hERG1 agonists allosterically modify channel gating may facilitate mechanism-based drug design of novel agents for treatment of long QT syndrome.