Not so optimal: The evolution of mutual information in potassium voltage-gated channels

• Published in: PloS one 2023-02, Vol.18 (2), p.e0264424-e0264424
• Main Authors: Duran-Urriago, Alejandra, Marzen, Sarah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biology and Life Sciences; Channel gating; Channels; Computer and Information Sciences; Earth Sciences; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Evolution; Information theory; Medicine and Health Sciences; Mutation; Nervous system; Physical Sciences; Potassium; Potassium - metabolism; Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated; Potassium in the body; Probability distribution; Properties; Random variables; Sensors; Statistical mechanics
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264424

Potassium voltage-gated (Kv) channels need to detect and respond to rapidly changing ionic concentrations in their environment. With an essential role in regulating electric signaling, they would be expected to be optimal sensors that evolved to predict the ionic concentrations. To explore these assumptions, we use statistical mechanics in conjunction with information theory to model how animal Kv channels respond to changes in potassium concentrations in their environment. By measuring mutual information in representative Kv channel types across a variety of environments, we find two things. First, under weak conditions, there is a gating charge that maximizes mutual information with the environment. Second, as Kv channels evolved, they have moved towards decreasing mutual information with the environment. This either suggests that Kv channels do not need to act as sensors of their environment or that Kv channels have other functionalities that interfere with their role as sensors of their environment.