Molecular basis for pore blockade of human Na channel Na1.2 by the μ-conotoxin KIIIA. Author Xiaojing Pan, Zhangqiang Li, Xiaoshuang Huang, Gaoxingyu Huang, Shuai Gao, Huaizong Shen, Lei Liu, Jianlin Lei, Nieng Yan Publication Year 2019 Type Journal Article Abstract The voltage-gated sodium channel Na1.2 is responsible for the initiation and propagation of action potentials in the central nervous system. We report the cryo-electron microscopy structure of human Na1.2 bound to a peptidic pore blocker, the μ-conotoxin KIIIA, in the presence of an auxiliary subunit, β2, to an overall resolution of 3.0 angstroms. The immunoglobulin domain of β2 interacts with the shoulder of the pore domain through a disulfide bond. The 16-residue KIIIA interacts with the extracellular segments in repeats I to III, placing Lys at the entrance to the selectivity filter. Many interacting residues are specific to Na1.2, revealing a molecular basis for KIIIA specificity. The structure establishes a framework for the rational design of subtype-specific blockers for Na channels. Keywords Humans, Protein Conformation, Amino Acid Sequence, HEK293 Cells, Cryoelectron Microscopy, Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blockers, Conotoxins, NAV1.2 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel, Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel beta-2 Subunit Journal Science Volume 363 Issue 6433 Pages 1309-1313 Date Published 2019 Mar 22 ISSN Number 1095-9203 DOI 10.1126/science.aaw2999 Alternate Journal Science PMID 30765605 PubMedGoogle ScholarBibTeXEndNote X3 XML