Key result
Cryo-EM resolves the nanodisc-embedded NaChBac-Nav1.7 chimera and HuwenToxin IV complex to 3.2 Å resolution.
Why the study?
Although NaChBac has served as the prokaryotic prototype for studying voltage-gated Na+ channels since its discovery nearly two decades ago, its structure had not been determined.
NaChBac can serve as a surrogate for structural studies of interactions between gating modifier toxins and Nav channels in a membrane environment.
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NaChBac-Nav1.7 chimera structures provide a membrane surrogate for toxin studies; leaves open validation in native human channels.
Gao et al. (2020) studied this question. NaChBac and NaChBac-Nav1.7 chimera was evaluated on Cryo-EM structure determination. Cryo-EM structures of a nanodisc-embedded NaChBac-Nav1.7 chimera alone and in complex with HuwenToxin IV were determined to 3.5 and 3.2 Å resolutions, improving toxin local resolution to ~4 Å.
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