Allosteric voltage gating of potassium channels I -: mSlo ionic currents in the absence of Ca2+

Activation of large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels is controlled by both cytoplasmic Ca2+ and membrane potential. To study the mechanism of voltage-dependent gating, we examined mSlo Ca2+-activated K+ currents in excised macropatches from Xenopus oocytes in the virtual absence of Ca2+ (<1 nM). In response to a voltage step, I-K activates with an exponential time course, following a brief delay. The delay suggests that rapid transitions precede channel opening. The later exponential time course suggests that activation also involves a slower rate-limiting step. However, the time constant of I-K relaxation [tau(I-K)] exhibits a complex voltage dependence that is inconsistent viith models that contain a single rate limiting step. tau(I-K) increases weakly with voltage from -500 to -20 mV, with an equivalent charge (z) of only 0.14 e, and displays a stronger voltage dependence from +30 to +140 mV (z = 0.49 e), which then decreases from +180 to +240 mV (z = -0.29 e). Similarly, the steady state G(K)-V relationship exhibits a maximum voltage dependence (z = 2 e) from 0 to +100 mV, and is weakly voltage dependent (z congruent to 0.4 e) at more negative voltages, where P-o = 10(-5)-10(-6). These results can be understood in terms of a gating scheme where a central transition between a closed and an open conformation is allosterically regulated by the state of four independent and identical voltage sensors. In the absence of Ca2+, this allosteric mechanism results in a gating scheme with five closed (C) and five open (0) states, where the majority of the channel's voltage dependence results from rapid C-C and O-O transitions, whereas the C-O transitions are rate limiting and weakly voltage dependent. These conclusions not only provide a framework for interpreting studies of large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel voltage gating, but also have important implications for understanding the mechanism of Ca2+ sensitivity.