Heterogeneous Populations of Ligand-Gated Ion Channel, GLIC, Revealed by Cryo-Electron Microscopy and Simulations

Abstract

Ligand-gated ion channels are critical mediators of electrochemical signal transduction across evolution. Biophysical and pharmacological development in this family relies on high-quality structural data in multiple, subtly distinct functional states; however, structural data remain limited, particularly for the native closed state. Here, we report cryo-electron microscopy structures of the proton-gated Gloeobacter violaceus ligand-gated ion channel (GLIC) under resting and activating conditions (pH 7, 5, and 3).