Structure and electromechanical coupling of a voltage-gated Na+/H+ exchanger

Abstract

Abstract Voltage-sensing domains control the activation of voltage-gated ion channels, with a few exceptions 1 . One such exception is the sperm-specific Na + /H + exchanger SLC9C1, which is the only known transporter to be regulated by voltage-sensing domains 2–5 . After hyperpolarization of sperm flagella, SLC9C1 becomes active, causing pH alkalinization and CatSper Ca 2+ channel activation, which drives chemotaxis 2,6 . SLC9C1 activation is further regulated by cAMP 2,7 , which is produced by soluble adenyl cyclase (sAC). SLC9C1 is therefore an essential component of the pH–sAC–cAMP signalling pathway in metazoa 8,9 , required for sperm motility and fertilization 4 . Despite its importance, the molecular basis of SLC9C1 voltage activation is unclear. Here we report cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of sea urchin SLC9C1 in detergent and nanodiscs. We show that the voltage-sensing domains are positioned in an unusual configuration, sandwiching each side of the SLC9C1 homodimer. The S4 segment is very long, 90 Å in length, and connects the voltage-sensing domains to the cytoplasmic cyclic-nucleotide-binding domains. The S4 segment is in the up configuration—the inactive state of SLC9C1. Consistently, although a negatively charged cavity is accessible for Na + to bind to the ion-transporting domains of SLC9C1, an intracellular helix connected to S4 restricts their movement. On the basis of the differences in the cryo-EM structure of SLC9C1 in the presence of cAMP, we propose that, upon hyperpolarization, the S4 segment moves down, removing this constriction and enabling Na + /H + exchange.