A versatile residue numbering scheme for Nav and Cav channels

Abstract

Voltage-gated sodium (Na_v) and calcium (Ca_v) channels are responsible for the initiation of electrical signals. They have long been targeted for the treatment of various diseases. The mounting number of cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures for diverse subtypes of Na_v and Ca_v channels from multiple organisms necessitates a generic residue numbering system to establish the structure-function relationship and to aid rational drug design or optimization. Here we suggest a structure-based residue numbering scheme, centering around the most conserved residues on each of the functional segments. We elaborate the generic numbers through illustrative examples, focusing on representative drug-binding sites of eukaryotic Na_v and Ca_v channels. We also extend the numbering scheme to compare common disease mutations among different Na_v subtypes. Application of the generic residue numbering scheme affords immediate insights into hotspots for pathogenic mutations and critical loci for drug binding and will facilitate drug discovery targeting Na_v and Ca_v channels.