In our recent article published in the journal Structure (Cell Press) entitled: “The mechanosensitive channel YbiO has a conductance equivalent to the largest gated-pore“ we used single molecule electrophysiology under membrane tension to show that the mechanosensitive ion channel YbiO can achieve a conductance of ∼3 nS, and an equivalent pore opening of > 30 Å in diameter, equaling the largest known gated-pore in nature, MscL. We also determined a high resolution structure of YbiO by cryoelectron microscopy (cryoEM) (PDB: 9GO3) in a sub-open conformation, demonstrating the existence of multiple substates. One substate is consistent with the pore opening extent of our structure and the other matches states previously thought to resemble full openings. Our findings demonstrate surprising capabilities, hinting at new physiological roles for YbiO and potentially other MscS-like channels. More details about our article could be found here.
