1.A.51.1.2
The voltage-gated proton channel, H_v1, Hv1, HV1 or HVCN1 (273 aas) (Ramsey et al., 2006). Thr29 is a phosphorylation site that activates the HVCN1 channel in leukocytes (Musset et al., 2010). The condctivity pore has been delineated and depends of a carboxyl group (Asp or Glu) in the channel (Morgan et al. 2013). The four transmembrane helices sense voltage and the pH gradient, and conduct protons exclusively. Selectivity is achieved by the unique ability of H₃O⁺ to protonate an Asp-Arg salt bridge. Pathognomonic sensitivity of gating to the pH gradient ensures HV1 channel opening only when acid extrusion will result, which is crucial to its biological functions (DeCoursey 2015). An exception occurs in dinoflagellates (see 1.A.51.1.4) in which H⁺ influx through HV1 triggers a bioluminescent flash. The gating mechanism of Hv1, cooperativity within dimers and the sensitivity to metal ions have been reviewed (Okamura et al. 2015). How this channel is activated by cytoplasmic [H⁺] and depolarization of the membrane potential has been proposed by Castillo et al. 2015. The extracellular ends of the first transmembrane segments form the intersubunit interface that mediates coupling between binding sites, while the coiled-coil domain does not directly participate in the process (Hong et al. 2015). Deep water penetration through hHv1 has been observed, suggesting a highly focused electric field, comprising two helical turns along the fourth TMS. This region likely contains the H⁺ selectivity filter and the conduction pore. A 3D model offers an explicit mechanism for voltage activation based on a one-click sliding helix conformational rearrangement (Li et al. 2015).  Trp-207 enables four characteristic properties: slow channel opening, highly temperature-dependent gating kinetics, proton selectivity, and ΔpH-dependent gating (Cherny et al. 2015).  The native H_v structure is a homodimer, with the two channel subunits functioning cooperatively (Okuda et al. 2016).  Segment S3 plays a role in activating gating (Sakata et al. 2016).  Two sites have been identified: one is the binding pocket of 2GBI (accessible to ligands from the intracellular side); the other is located at the exit site of the proton permeation pathway (Gianti et al. 2016).   Crystal structures of Hv1 dimeric channels revealed that the primary contacts between the two monomers are in the C-terminal domain (CTD), which forms a coiled-coil structure. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of full-length and truncated CTD models revealed a strong contribution of the CTD to the packing of the TMSs (Boonamnaj and Sompornpisut 2018).  Histidine-168 is essential for the ΔpH-dependent gating (Cherny et al. 2018). Proton transfer in Hv1 utilizes a water wire, and does not require transient protonation of a conserved aspartate in the S1 transmembrane helix (Bennett and Ramsey 2017).  Hv1 channels are present in bull spermatozoa, and these regulate sperm functions like hypermotility, capacitation and acrosome reaction through a complex interplay between different pathways involving cAMP, PKC, and Catsper (Mishra et al. 2019). A zinc binding site influences gating configurations of HV1 (Cherny et al. 2020). The discovery and validation of Hv1 proton channel inhibitors with onco-therapeutic potential have been described (El Chemaly et al. 2023). Nitrates can stimulate the biosynthesis of hydrophilic yellow pigments (HYPs) in Monascus ruber (Huang et al. 2023). ATP influences Hv1 activity via direct molecular interactions, and its functional characteristics are required for the physiological activity of Hv1 (Kawanabe et al. 2023). Trp207 regulates voltage-dependent activation of the human H_v1 proton channel. (Zhang et al. 2024).