This entry includes small conductance mechanosensitive channels (MscS), which assembles to a homoheptameric complex [1-6]. Each monomer consists of a N-terminal transmembrane region and a large cytoplasmic segment composed of a five-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet (middle/second) domain and a C-terminal alpha/beta-domain [4-7]. The N-terminal region consists of three membrane spanning helices (TM1, TM2 and TM3), TM2 and TM3 are represented in this entry. In the heptamer, the permeation pathway is formed by the packing of TM3s, flanked by TM1-TM2 helical hairpins [4].

1: Structural and functional differences between two homologous mechanosensitive channels of Methanococcus jannaschii. Kloda A, Martinac B; EMBO J 2001;20:1888-1896. PMID:11296222

2: Molecular identification of a mechanosensitive channel in archaea. Kloda A, Martinac B; Biophys J 2001;80:229-240. PMID:11159397

3: Mechanosensitive channels in prokaryotes. Martinac B; Cell Physiol Biochem 2001;11:61-76. PMID:11275684

4: Open and shut: crystal structures of the dodecylmaltoside solubilized mechanosensitive channel of small conductance from Escherichia coli and Helicobacter pylori at 4.4 A and 4.1 A resolutions. Lai JY, Poon YS, Kaiser JT, Rees DC; Protein Sci. 2013;22:502-509. PMID:23339071

5: Structure and molecular mechanism of an anion-selective mechanosensitive channel of small conductance. Zhang X, Wang J, Feng Y, Ge J, Li W, Sun W, Iscla I, Yu J, Blount P, Li Y, Yang M; Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012;109:18180-18185. PMID:23074248

6: Conformational state of the MscS mechanosensitive channel in solution revealed by pulsed electron-electron double resonance (PELDOR) spectroscopy. Pliotas C, Ward R, Branigan E, Rasmussen A, Hagelueken G, Huang H, Black SS, Booth IR, Schiemann O, Naismith JH; Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012;109:E2675-E2682. PMID:23012406