Experimental and computational studies have painted a picture of the chloride permeation pathway in cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) as a short narrow tunnel flanked by wider inner and outer vestibules. Although these studies also identified a number of transmembrane segments (TMs) as pore-lining, the exact location of CFTR's gate(s) remains unknown. Here, using a channel-permeant probe, [Au(CN)2](-), we provide evidence that CFTR bears a gate that coincides with the predicted narrow section of the pore defined as residues 338-341 in TM6. Specifically, cysteines introduced cytoplasmic to the narrow region (i.e., positions 344 in TM6 and 1148 in TM12) can be modified by intracellular [Au(CN)2](-) in both open and closed states, corroborating the conclusion that the internal vestibule does not harbor a gate. However, cysteines engineered to positions external to the presumed narrow region (e.g., 334, 335, and 337 in TM6) are all nonreactive toward cytoplasmic [Au(CN)2](-) in the absence of ATP, whereas they can be better accessed by extracellular [Au(CN)2](-) when the open probability is markedly reduced by introducing a second mutation, G1349D. As [Au(CN)2](-) and chloride ions share the same permeation pathway, these results imply a gate is situated between amino acid residues 337 and 344 along TM6, encompassing the very segment that may also serve as the selectivity filter for CFTR. The unique position of a gate in the middle of the ion translocation pathway diverges from those seen in ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters and thus distinguishes CFTR from other members of the ABC transporter family.
Keywords: ABC transporters; anion channels; cystic fibrosis; gating.