Ion pumps articles within Nature

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  • Letter |

    Gram-negative bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, use tripartite efflux complexes in the resistance-nodulation-cell division family to expel toxic compounds from the cell. The CusCBA system is responsible for removing biocidal Cu(I) and Ag(I) ions. Here, the X-ray crystal structure is reported of CusA in the absence and presence of bound Cu(I) or Ag(I). The structures reveal that the metal-binding sites are located within the cleft region of the periplasmic domain. A potential pathway for ion export is proposed.

    • Feng Long
    • , Chih-Chia Su
    •  & Edward W. Yu

  • Letter |

    The Na+/K+-ATPase pumps three sodium ions out of and two potassium ions into the cell while splitting a single molecule of ATP. Here it is found that the carboxy terminus of the ATPase's α-subunit is also a key regulator of a previously unrecognized ion pathway. The data indicate that, in the ATPase's potassium-bound state, a cytoplasmic proton can enter and stabilize site III when empty. When potassium is released, the proton returns to the cytoplasm, thus permitting an overall asymmetric stoichiometry of the transported ions.

    • Hanne Poulsen
    • , Himanshu Khandelia
    •  & Poul Nissen

  • News |

    Longevity of cells could be linked to levels of cellular pumps that get rid of toxic cell products.

    • Cassandra Willyard

  • Letter |

    If the activity of genetically specified neurons is silenced in a temporally precise fashion, the roles of different cell classes in neural processes can be studied. Members of the class of light-driven outward proton pumps are now shown to mediate powerful, safe, multiple-colour silencing of neural activity. The gene archaerhodopsin-3 (Arch) enables near 100% silencing of neurons in the awake brain when virally expressed in the mouse cortex and illuminated with yellow light.

    • Brian Y. Chow
    • , Xue Han
    •  & Edward S. Boyden

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