Identification of amino acid residues in fibroblast growth factor 14 (FGF14) required for structure-function interactions with voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.6

Syed R. Ali, Aditya K. Singh, Fernanda Laezza

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

The voltage-gated Na+ (Nav) channel provides the basis for electrical excitability in the brain. This channel is regulated by a number of accessory proteins including fibroblast growth factor 14 (FGF14), a member of the intracellular FGF family. In addition to forming homodimers, FGF14 binds directly to the Nav1.6 channel C-tail, regulating channel gating and expression, properties that are required for intrinsic excitability in neurons. Seeking amino acid residues with unique roles at the protein-protein interaction interface (PPI) of FGF14·Nav1.6, we engineered model-guided mutations of FGF14 and validated their impact on the FGF14·Nav1.6 complex and the FGF14: FGF14 dimer formation using a luciferase assay. Divergence was found in the β-9 sheet of FGF14 where an alanine (Ala) mutation of Val-160 impaired binding to Nav1.6 but had no effect on FGF14:FGF14 dimer formation. Additional analysis revealed also a key role of residues Lys-74/Ile-76 at the N-terminal of FGF14 in the FGF14·Nav1.6 complex and FGF14:FGF14 dimer formation. Using whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology, we demonstrated that either the FGF14V160A or the FGF14K74A/I76A mutation was sufficient to abolish the FGF14-dependent regulation of peak transient Na+ currents and the voltage-dependent activation and steady-state inactivation of Nav1.6; but only V160A with a concomitant alanine mutation at Tyr-158 could impede FGF14-dependent modulation of the channel fast inactivation. Intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy of purified proteins confirmed a stronger binding reduction of FGF14V160A to the Nav1.6 C-tail compared with FGF14K74A/I76A. Altogether these studies indicate that the β-9 sheet and the N terminus of FGF14 are well positioned targets for drug development of PPI-based allosteric modulators of Nav channels.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)11268-11284
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of Biological Chemistry
Volume291
Issue number21
DOIs
StatePublished - May 20 2016

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Identification of amino acid residues in fibroblast growth factor 14 (FGF14) required for structure-function interactions with voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.6'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this