01694nas a2200217   4500008004100000245006500041210006500106260001300171300001600184490000700200520103900207100001901246700002001265700001901285700002401304700001901328700001301347700002301360700002101383856007201404       2018                        eng d00aElectrostatic tuning of a potassium channel in electric fish0 aElectrostatic tuning of a potassium channel in electric fish  bElsevier  a2094–21020 v283 a<p>Molecular variation contributes to the evolution of adaptive phenotypes, though it is often difficult to understand precisely how. The adaptively significant electric organ discharge behavior of weakly electric fish is the direct result of biophysical membrane properties set by ion channels. Here, we describe a voltage-gated potassium-channel gene in African electric fishes that is under positive selection and highly expressed in the electric organ. The channel produced by this gene shortens electric organ action potentials by activating quickly and at hyperpolarized membrane potentials. The source of these properties is a derived patch of negatively charged amino acids in an extracellular loop near the voltage sensor. We demonstrate that this negative patch acts by contributing to the global surface charge rather than by local interactions with specific amino acids in the channel&#39;s extracellular face. We suggest a more widespread role for this loop in the evolutionary tuning of voltage-dependent channels.</p>
1 aSwapna, Immani1 aGhezzi, Alfredo1 aYork, Julia, M1 aMarkham, Michael, R1 aHalling, Brent1 aLu, Ying1 aGallant, Jason, R.1 aZakon, Harold, H  uhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982218306146