A Kir6.2 Pore Mutation Causes Inactivation of ATP-Sensitive Potassium Channels by Disrupting PIP₂-Dependent Gating

In the absence of intracellular nucleotides, ATP-sensitive potassium (K_ATP) channels exhibit spontaneous activity via a phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP₂)-dependent gating process. Previous studies show that stability of this activity requires subunit-subunit interactions in the cytoplasmic domain of Kir6.2; selective mutagenesis and disease mutations at the subunit interface result in time-dependent channel inactivation. Here, we report that mutation of the central glycine in the pore-lining second transmembrane segment (TM2) to proline in Kir6.2 causes K_ATP channel inactivation. Unlike C-type inactivation, a consequence of selectivity filter closure, in many K⁺ channels, the rate of inactivation in G156P channels was insensitive to changes in extracellular ion concentrations or ion species fluxing through the pore. Instead, the rate of G156P inactivation decreased with exogenous application of PIP₂ and increased when PIP₂-channel interaction was inhibited with neomycin or poly-L-lysine. These findings indicate the G156P mutation reduces the ability of PIP₂ to stabilize the open state of K_ATP channels, similar to mutations in the cytoplasmic domain that produce inactivation. Consistent with this notion, when PIP₂-dependent open state stability was substantially increased by addition of a second gain-of-function mutation, G156P inactivation was abolished. Importantly, bath application and removal of Mg²⁺-free ATP or a nonhydrolyzable analog of ATP, which binds to the cytoplasmic domain of Kir6.2 and causes channel closure, recover G156P channel from inactivation, indicating crosstalk between cytoplasmic and transmembrane domains. The G156P mutation provides mechanistic insight into the structural and functional interactions between the pore and cytoplasmic domains of Kir6.2 during gating.