1
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Vaughan RA, Henry LK, Foster JD, Brown CR. Post-translational mechanisms in psychostimulant-induced neurotransmitter efflux. ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGY (SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) 2024; 99:1-33. [PMID: 38467478 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apha.2023.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
The availability of monoamine neurotransmitters in the brain is under the control of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin transporters expressed on the plasma membrane of monoaminergic neurons. By regulating transmitter levels these proteins mediate crucial functions including cognition, attention, and reward, and dysregulation of their activity is linked to mood and psychiatric disorders of these systems. Amphetamine-based transporter substrates stimulate non-exocytotic transmitter efflux that induces psychomotor stimulation, addiction, altered mood, hallucinations, and psychosis, thus constituting a major component of drug neurochemical and behavioral outcomes. Efflux is under the control of transporter post-translational modifications that synergize with other regulatory events, and this review will summarize our knowledge of these processes and their role in drug mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roxanne A Vaughan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, United States.
| | - L Keith Henry
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, United States
| | - James D Foster
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, United States
| | - Christopher R Brown
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, United States
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2
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Dutta CN, Christov-Moore L, Ombao H, Douglas PK. Neuroprotection in late life attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A review of pharmacotherapy and phenotype across the lifespan. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:938501. [PMID: 36226261 PMCID: PMC9548548 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.938501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
For decades, psychostimulants have been the gold standard pharmaceutical treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In the United States, an astounding 9% of all boys and 4% of girls will be prescribed stimulant drugs at some point during their childhood. Recent meta-analyses have revealed that individuals with ADHD have reduced brain volume loss later in life (>60 y.o.) compared to the normal aging brain, which suggests that either ADHD or its treatment may be neuroprotective. Crucially, these neuroprotective effects were significant in brain regions (e.g., hippocampus, amygdala) where severe volume loss is linked to cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Historically, the ADHD diagnosis and its pharmacotherapy came about nearly simultaneously, making it difficult to evaluate their effects in isolation. Certain evidence suggests that psychostimulants may normalize structural brain changes typically observed in the ADHD brain. If ADHD itself is neuroprotective, perhaps exercising the brain, then psychostimulants may not be recommended across the lifespan. Alternatively, if stimulant drugs are neuroprotective, then this class of medications may warrant further investigation for their therapeutic effects. Here, we take a bottom-up holistic approach to review the psychopharmacology of ADHD in the context of recent models of attention. We suggest that future studies are greatly needed to better appreciate the interactions amongst an ADHD diagnosis, stimulant treatment across the lifespan, and structure-function alterations in the aging brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cintya Nirvana Dutta
- Biostatistics Group, Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- School of Modeling, Simulation, and Training, and Computer Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, United States
| | - Leonardo Christov-Moore
- Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Hernando Ombao
- Biostatistics Group, Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Pamela K. Douglas
- School of Modeling, Simulation, and Training, and Computer Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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3
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Xu L, Chen LY. Effects of the N-terminal dynamics on the conformational states of human dopamine transporter. Biophys Chem 2022; 283:106765. [PMID: 35101818 PMCID: PMC8898274 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2022.106765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Dopamine transporter mediates the neurotransmitter dopamine homeostasis in a sodium-dependent manner. The transport process involves an alternating access of a substrate to the extracellular and intracellular spaces, which is associated with different conformational states of the transporter. However, the underlying mechanism of modulation of the state transition remains elusive. Here we present a computational simulation study of human dopamine transporter to explore its two end states (outward-facing open and inward-facing open) that have not been determined experimentally. We show that the full-length transporter may tend to adopt the inward-facing open state in its free state. The binding of an amphetamine may not trap the transporter in the outward-facing open state with increasing length of the N-terminal. Furthermore, we identify distinct patterns in the interaction networks between the N-terminal and the intracellular region that could stabilize the state of the transporter, independent of substrate binding and phosphorylation. Our results reveal the essential role of the N-terminal dynamics in modulating the functional states of the dopamine transporter, providing molecular insights into the coupling of conformational transition and substrate passage in neurotransmitter transporters.
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4
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Sahai M, Opacka-Juffry J. Molecular mechanisms of action of stimulant novel psychoactive substances that target the high-affinity transporter for dopamine. Neuronal Signal 2021; 5:NS20210006. [PMID: 34888062 PMCID: PMC8630395 DOI: 10.1042/ns20210006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug misuse is a significant social and public health problem worldwide. Misused substances exert their neurobehavioural effects through changing neural signalling within the brain, many of them leading to substance dependence and addiction in the longer term. Among drugs with addictive liability, there are illicit classical stimulants such as cocaine and amphetamine, and their more recently available counterparts known as novel psychoactive substances (NPS). Stimulants normally increase dopamine availability in the brain, including the pathway implicated in reward-related behaviour. This pattern is observed in both animal and human brain. The main biological target of stimulants, both classical and NPS, is the dopamine transporter (DAT) implicated in the dopamine-enhancing effects of these drugs. This article aims at reviewing research on the molecular mechanisms underpinning the interactions between stimulant NPS, such as benzofurans, cathinones or piperidine derivatives and DAT, to achieve a greater understanding of the core phenomena that decide about the addictive potential of stimulant NPS. As the methodology is essential in the process of experimental research in this area, we review the applications of in vitro, in vivo and in silico approaches. The latter, including molecular dynamics, attracts the focus of the present review as the method of choice in molecular and atomistic investigations of the mechanisms of addiction of stimulant NPS. Research of this kind is of interest to not only scientists but also health professionals as updated knowledge of NPS, their modes of action and health risks, is needed to tackle the challenges posed by NPS misuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle A. Sahai
- School of Life and Health Sciences, University of Roehampton, London SW15 4JD, U.K
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5
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Aguilar JI, Cheng MH, Font J, Schwartz AC, Ledwitch K, Duran A, Mabry SJ, Belovich AN, Zhu Y, Carter AM, Shi L, Kurian MA, Fenollar-Ferrer C, Meiler J, Ryan RM, Mchaourab HS, Bahar I, Matthies HJ, Galli A. Psychomotor impairments and therapeutic implications revealed by a mutation associated with infantile Parkinsonism-Dystonia. eLife 2021; 10:68039. [PMID: 34002696 PMCID: PMC8131106 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder affecting over 6.1 million people worldwide. Although the cause of PD remains unclear, studies of highly penetrant mutations identified in early-onset familial parkinsonism have contributed to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying disease pathology. Dopamine (DA) transporter (DAT) deficiency syndrome (DTDS) is a distinct type of infantile parkinsonism-dystonia that shares key clinical features with PD, including motor deficits (progressive bradykinesia, tremor, hypomimia) and altered DA neurotransmission. Here, we define structural, functional, and behavioral consequences of a Cys substitution at R445 in human DAT (hDAT R445C), identified in a patient with DTDS. We found that this R445 substitution disrupts a phylogenetically conserved intracellular (IC) network of interactions that compromise the hDAT IC gate. This is demonstrated by both Rosetta molecular modeling and fine-grained simulations using hDAT R445C, as well as EPR analysis and X-ray crystallography of the bacterial homolog leucine transporter. Notably, the disruption of this IC network of interactions supported a channel-like intermediate of hDAT and compromised hDAT function. We demonstrate that Drosophila melanogaster expressing hDAT R445C show impaired hDAT activity, which is associated with DA dysfunction in isolated brains and with abnormal behaviors monitored at high-speed time resolution. We show that hDAT R445C Drosophila exhibit motor deficits, lack of motor coordination (i.e. flight coordination) and phenotypic heterogeneity in these behaviors that is typically associated with DTDS and PD. These behaviors are linked with altered dopaminergic signaling stemming from loss of DA neurons and decreased DA availability. We rescued flight coordination with chloroquine, a lysosomal inhibitor that enhanced DAT expression in a heterologous expression system. Together, these studies shed some light on how a DTDS-linked DAT mutation underlies DA dysfunction and, possibly, clinical phenotypes shared by DTDS and PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny I Aguilar
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, United States
| | - Mary Hongying Cheng
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States
| | - Josep Font
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Alexandra C Schwartz
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
| | - Kaitlyn Ledwitch
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
| | - Amanda Duran
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
| | - Samuel J Mabry
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, United States
| | - Andrea N Belovich
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, Meridian, United States
| | - Yanqi Zhu
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, United States
| | - Angela M Carter
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, United States
| | - Lei Shi
- Computational Chemistry and Molecular Biophysics Section, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, United States
| | - Manju A Kurian
- Molecular Neurosciences, Developmental Neurosciences, University College London (UCL), London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jens Meiler
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Institute for Drug Discovery, Leipzig University Medical School, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Renae Monique Ryan
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Hassane S Mchaourab
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
| | - Ivet Bahar
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States
| | - Heinrich Jg Matthies
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, United States
| | - Aurelio Galli
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, United States.,Center for Inter-systemic Networks and Enteric Medical Advances, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, United States
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6
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Fairweather SJ, Shah N, Brӧer S. Heteromeric Solute Carriers: Function, Structure, Pathology and Pharmacology. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 21:13-127. [PMID: 33052588 DOI: 10.1007/5584_2020_584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Solute carriers form one of three major superfamilies of membrane transporters in humans, and include uniporters, exchangers and symporters. Following several decades of molecular characterisation, multiple solute carriers that form obligatory heteromers with unrelated subunits are emerging as a distinctive principle of membrane transporter assembly. Here we comprehensively review experimentally established heteromeric solute carriers: SLC3-SLC7 amino acid exchangers, SLC16 monocarboxylate/H+ symporters and basigin/embigin, SLC4A1 (AE1) and glycophorin A exchanger, SLC51 heteromer Ost α-Ost β uniporter, and SLC6 heteromeric symporters. The review covers the history of the heteromer discovery, transporter physiology, structure, disease associations and pharmacology - all with a focus on the heteromeric assembly. The cellular locations, requirements for complex formation, and the functional role of dimerization are extensively detailed, including analysis of the first complete heteromer structures, the SLC7-SLC3 family transporters LAT1-4F2hc, b0,+AT-rBAT and the SLC6 family heteromer B0AT1-ACE2. We present a systematic analysis of the structural and functional aspects of heteromeric solute carriers and conclude with common principles of their functional roles and structural architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen J Fairweather
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia. .,Resarch School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
| | - Nishank Shah
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Stefan Brӧer
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
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7
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Jayaraman K, Das AK, Luethi D, Szöllősi D, Schütz GJ, Reith MEA, Sitte HH, Stockner T. SLC6 transporter oligomerization. J Neurochem 2020; 157:919-929. [PMID: 32767560 PMCID: PMC8247324 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Transporters of the solute carrier 6 (SLC6) family mediate the reuptake of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, GABA, and glycine. SLC6 family members are 12 transmembrane helix‐spanning proteins that operate using the transmembrane sodium gradient for transport. These transporters assume various quaternary arrangements ranging from monomers to complex stoichiometries with multiple subunits. Dopamine and serotonin transporter oligomerization has been implicated in trafficking of newly formed proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane with a pre‐fixed assembly. Once at the plasma membrane, oligomers are kept fixed in their quaternary assembly by interaction with phosphoinositides. While it remains unclear how oligomer formation precisely affects physiological transporter function, it has been shown that oligomerization supports the activity of release‐type psychostimulants. Most recently, single molecule microscopy experiments unveiled that the stoichiometry differs between individual members of the SLC6 family. The present overview summarizes our understanding of the influence of plasma membrane constituents on transporter oligomerization, describes the known interfaces between protomers and discusses open questions. ![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Kumaresan Jayaraman
- Institute of Pharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anand K Das
- Institute of Applied Physics, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dino Luethi
- Institute of Pharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Institute of Applied Physics, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dániel Szöllősi
- Institute of Pharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerhard J Schütz
- Institute of Applied Physics, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Maarten E A Reith
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Harald H Sitte
- Institute of Pharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Stockner
- Institute of Pharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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8
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Rojas G, Orellana I, Rosales-Rojas R, García-Olivares J, Comer J, Vergara-Jaque A. Structural Determinants of the Dopamine Transporter Regulation Mediated by G Proteins. J Chem Inf Model 2020; 60:3577-3586. [PMID: 32525311 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.0c00236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Dopamine clearance in the brain is controlled by the dopamine transporter (DAT), a protein residing in the plasma membrane, which drives reuptake of extracellular dopamine into presynaptic neurons. Studies have revealed that the βγ subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins modulate DAT function through a physical association with the C-terminal region of the transporter. Regulation of neurotransmitter transporters by Gβγ subunits is unprecedented in the literature; therefore, it is interesting to investigate the structural details of this particular protein-protein interaction. Here, we refined the crystal structure of the Drosophila melanogaster DAT (dDAT), modeling de novo the N- and C-terminal domains; subsequently, we used the full-length dDAT structure to generate a comparative model of human DAT (hDAT). Both proteins were assembled with Gβ1γ2 subunits employing protein-protein docking, and subsequent molecular dynamics simulations were run to identify the specific interactions governing the formation of the hDAT:Gβγ and dDAT:Gβγ complexes. A [L/F]R[Q/E]R sequence motif containing the residues R588 in hDAT and R587 in dDAT was found as key to bind the Gβγ subunits through electrostatic interactions with a cluster of negatively charged residues located at the top face of the Gβ subunit. Alterations of DAT function have been associated with multiple devastating neuropathological conditions; therefore, this work represents a step toward better understanding DAT regulation by signaling proteins, allowing us to predict therapeutic target regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genoveva Rojas
- Center for Bioinformatics and Molecular Simulation, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad de Talca, 2 Norte 685, Talca, Chile
| | - Ivana Orellana
- Center for Bioinformatics and Molecular Simulation, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad de Talca, 2 Norte 685, Talca, Chile
| | - Roberto Rosales-Rojas
- Center for Bioinformatics and Molecular Simulation, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad de Talca, 2 Norte 685, Talca, Chile
| | - Jennie García-Olivares
- Supernus Pharmaceuticals, 9715 Key West Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Jeffrey Comer
- Institute of Computational Comparative Medicine, Nanotechnology Innovation Center of Kansas State, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, United States
| | - Ariela Vergara-Jaque
- Center for Bioinformatics and Molecular Simulation, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad de Talca, 2 Norte 685, Talca, Chile.,Millennium Nucleus of Ion Channels-associated Diseases (MiNICAD), Santiago, Chile
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9
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Loi B, Sahai MA, De Luca MA, Shiref H, Opacka-Juffry J. The Role of Dopamine in the Stimulant Characteristics of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS)-Neurobiological and Computational Assessment Using the Case of Desoxypipradrol (2-DPMP). Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:806. [PMID: 32670057 PMCID: PMC7289955 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.00806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Stimulant drugs, including novel psychoactive substances (NPS, formerly “legal highs”) have addictive potential which their users may not realize. Stimulants increase extracellular dopamine levels in the brain, including the reward and addiction pathways, through interacting with dopamine transporter (DAT). This work aimed to assess the molecular and atomistic mechanisms of stimulant NPS actions at DAT, which translate into biological outcomes such as dopamine release in the brain’s reward pathway. We applied combined in vitro, in vivo, and in silico methods and selected 2-diphenylmethylpiperidine (2-DPMP) as an example of stimulant NPS for this study. We measured in vitro binding of 2-DPMP to rat striatum and accumbens DAT by means of quantitative autoradiography with a selective DAT-radioligand [125I]RTI-121. We evaluated the effects of intravenously administered 2-DPMP on extracellular dopamine in the accumbens-shell and striatum using in vivo microdialysis in freely moving rats. We used dynamic modeling to investigate the interactions of 2-DPMP within DAT, in comparison with cocaine and amphetamine. 2-DPMP potently displaced the radioligand in the accumbens and striatum showing dose-dependence from 0.3 to 30 μM. IC50 values were: 5.65 × 10-7M for accumbens shell and 6.21 × 10-7M for dorsal striatum. Dose-dependent responses were also observed in accumbens-shell and striatum in vivo, with significant increases in extracellular dopamine levels. Molecular dynamics simulations identified contrasting conformational changes of DAT for inhibitors (cocaine) and releasers (amphetamine). 2-DPMP led to molecular rearrangements toward an outward-facing DAT conformation that suggested a cocaine-type effect. The present combination of molecular modeling with experimental neurobiological procedures allows for extensive characterization of the mechanisms of drug actions at DAT as the main molecular target of stimulants, and provides an insight into the role of dopamine in the molecular and neurobiological mechanisms of brain responses to stimulant NPS that have addictive potential. Such knowledge reveals the risk of addiction related to NPS use. The research presented here can be adapted for other psychostimulants that act at their membrane protein targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Loi
- Psychopharmacology, Drug Misuse and Novel Psychoactive Substances Research Unit, Department of Pharmacy, Postgraduate Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, United Kingdom.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Michelle A Sahai
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Hana Shiref
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London, United Kingdom
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10
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Khan JA, Sohail A, Jayaraman K, Szöllősi D, Sandtner W, Sitte HH, Stockner T. The Amino Terminus of LeuT Changes Conformation in an Environment Sensitive Manner. Neurochem Res 2020; 45:1387-1398. [PMID: 31858375 PMCID: PMC7260283 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-019-02928-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Neurotransmitter:sodium symporters are highly expressed in the human brain and catalyze the uptake of substrate through the plasma membrane by using the electrochemical gradient of sodium as the energy source. The bacterial homolog LeuT, a small amino acid transporter isolated from the bacteria Aquifex aeolicus, is the founding member of the family and has been crystallized in three conformations. The N-terminus is structurally well defined and strongly interacts with the transporter core in the outward-facing conformations. However, it could not be resolved in the inward-facing conformation, which indicates enhanced mobility. Here we investigate conformations and dynamics of the N-terminus, by combining molecular dynamics simulations with experimental verification using distance measurements and accessibility studies. We found strongly increased dynamics of the N-terminus, but also that helix TM1A is subject to enhanced mobility. TM1A moves towards the transporter core in the membrane environment, reaching a conformation that is closer to the structure of LeuT with wild type sequence, indicating that the mutation introduced to create the inward-facing structure might have altered the position of helix TM1A. The mobile N-terminus avoids entering the open vestibule of the inward-facing state, as accessibility studies do not show any reduction of quenching by iodide of a fluorophore attached to the N-terminus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jawad A Khan
- Institute of Pharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringerstr. 13a, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Azmat Sohail
- Institute of Pharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringerstr. 13a, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kumaresan Jayaraman
- Institute of Pharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringerstr. 13a, 1090, Vienna, Austria
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Dániel Szöllősi
- Institute of Pharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringerstr. 13a, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Walter Sandtner
- Institute of Pharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringerstr. 13a, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Harald H Sitte
- Institute of Pharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringerstr. 13a, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Stockner
- Institute of Pharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringerstr. 13a, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
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11
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Shiref H, Bergman S, Clivio S, Sahai MA. The fine art of preparing membrane transport proteins for biomolecular simulations: Concepts and practical considerations. Methods 2020; 185:3-14. [PMID: 32081744 PMCID: PMC10062712 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2020.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have developed into an invaluable tool in bimolecular research, due to the capability of the method in capturing molecular events and structural transitions that describe the function as well as the physiochemical properties of biomolecular systems. Due to the progressive development of more efficient algorithms, expansion of the available computational resources, as well as the emergence of more advanced methodologies, the scope of computational studies has increased vastly over time. We now have access to a multitude of online databases, software packages, larger molecular systems and novel ligands due to the phenomenon of emerging novel psychoactive substances (NPS). With so many advances in the field, it is understandable that novices will no doubt find it challenging setting up a protein-ligand system even before they run their first MD simulation. These initial steps, such as homology modelling, ligand docking, parameterization, protein preparation and membrane setup have become a fundamental part of the drug discovery pipeline, and many areas of biomolecular sciences benefit from the applications provided by these technologies. However, there still remains no standard on their usage. Therefore, our aim within this review is to provide a clear overview of a variety of concepts and methodologies to consider, providing a workflow for a case study of a membrane transport protein, the full-length human dopamine transporter (hDAT) in complex with different stimulants, where MD simulations have recently been applied successfully.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hana Shiref
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London SW15 4JD, UK
| | - Shana Bergman
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University (WCMC), New York, NY 10065, USA
| | | | - Michelle A Sahai
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London SW15 4JD, UK.
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12
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Joseph D, Pidathala S, Mallela AK, Penmatsa A. Structure and Gating Dynamics of Na +/Cl - Coupled Neurotransmitter Transporters. Front Mol Biosci 2019; 6:80. [PMID: 31555663 PMCID: PMC6742698 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2019.00080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurotransmitters released at the neural synapse through vesicle exocytosis are spatiotemporally controlled by the action of neurotransmitter transporters. Integral membrane proteins of the solute carrier 6 (SLC6) family are involved in the sodium and chloride coupled uptake of biogenic amine neurotransmitters including dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline and inhibitory neurotransmitters including glycine and γ-amino butyric acid. This ion-coupled symport works through a well-orchestrated gating of substrate through alternating-access, which is mediated through movements of helices that resemble a rocking-bundle. A large array of commercially prescribed drugs and psychostimulants selectively target neurotransmitter transporters thereby modulating their levels in the synaptic space. Drug-induced changes in the synaptic neurotransmitter levels can be used to treat depression or neuropathic pain whereas in some instances prolonged usage can lead to habituation. Earlier structural studies of bacterial neurotransmitter transporter homolog LeuT and recent structure elucidation of the Drosophila dopamine transporter (dDAT) and human serotonin transporter (hSERT) have yielded a wealth of information in understanding the transport and inhibition mechanism of neurotransmitter transporters. Computational studies based on the structures of dDAT and hSERT have shed light on the dynamics of varied components of these molecular gates in affecting the uphill transport of neurotransmitters. This review seeks to address structural dynamics of neurotransmitter transporters at the extracellular and intracellular gates and the effect of inhibitors on the ligand-binding pocket. We also delve into the effect of additional factors including lipids and cytosolic domains that influence the translocation of neurotransmitters across the membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepthi Joseph
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | | | | | - Aravind Penmatsa
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
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13
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Cytosolic N- and C-Termini of the Aspergillus nidulans FurE Transporter Contain Distinct Elements that Regulate by Long-Range Effects Function and Specificity. J Mol Biol 2019; 431:3827-3844. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2019.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Revised: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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14
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Abstract
Cell nutrition, detoxification, signalling, homeostasis and response to drugs, processes related to cell growth, differentiation and survival are all mediated by plasma membrane (PM) proteins called transporters. Despite their distinct fine structures, mechanism of function, energetic requirements, kinetics and substrate specificities, all transporters are characterized by a main hydrophobic body embedded in the PM as a series of tightly packed, often intertwined, α-helices that traverse the lipid bilayer in a zigzag mode, connected with intracellular or extracellular loops and hydrophilic N- and C-termini. Whereas longstanding genetic, biochemical and biophysical evidence suggests that specific transmembrane segments, and also their connecting loops, are responsible for substrate recognition and transport dynamics, emerging evidence also reveals the functional importance of transporter N- and C-termini, in respect to transport catalysis, substrate specificity, subcellular expression, stability and signalling. This review highlights selected prototypic examples of transporters in which their termini play important roles in their functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Mikros
- Faculty of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - George Diallinas
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, 15781 Athens, Greece
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15
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Schott-Verdugo S, Müller L, Classen E, Gohlke H, Groth G. Structural Model of the ETR1 Ethylene Receptor Transmembrane Sensor Domain. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8869. [PMID: 31222090 PMCID: PMC6586836 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45189-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The structure, mechanism of action and copper stoichiometry of the transmembrane sensor domain of the plant ethylene receptor ETR1 and homologs have remained elusive, hampering the understanding on how the perception of the plant hormone ethylene is transformed into a downstream signal. We generated the first structural model of the transmembrane sensor domain of ETR1 by integrating ab initio structure prediction and coevolutionary information. To refine and independently validate the model, we determined protein-related copper stoichiometries on purified receptor preparations and explored the helix arrangement by tryptophan scanning mutagenesis. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations of the dimeric model reveal how ethylene can bind proximal to the copper ions in the receptor, illustrating the initial stages of the ethylene perception process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Schott-Verdugo
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Centro de Bioinformática y Simulación Molecular (CBSM), Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
| | - Lena Müller
- Institute of Biochemical Plant Physiology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Elisa Classen
- Institute of Biochemical Plant Physiology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Holger Gohlke
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
- John von Neumann Institute for Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) & Institute for Complex Systems - Structural Biochemistry (ICS 6), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany.
- Bioeconomy Science Center, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany.
| | - Georg Groth
- Institute of Biochemical Plant Physiology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
- Bioeconomy Science Center, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany.
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16
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Corradi V, Sejdiu BI, Mesa-Galloso H, Abdizadeh H, Noskov SY, Marrink SJ, Tieleman DP. Emerging Diversity in Lipid-Protein Interactions. Chem Rev 2019; 119:5775-5848. [PMID: 30758191 PMCID: PMC6509647 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 245] [Impact Index Per Article: 49.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Membrane lipids interact with proteins in a variety of ways, ranging from providing a stable membrane environment for proteins to being embedded in to detailed roles in complicated and well-regulated protein functions. Experimental and computational advances are converging in a rapidly expanding research area of lipid-protein interactions. Experimentally, the database of high-resolution membrane protein structures is growing, as are capabilities to identify the complex lipid composition of different membranes, to probe the challenging time and length scales of lipid-protein interactions, and to link lipid-protein interactions to protein function in a variety of proteins. Computationally, more accurate membrane models and more powerful computers now enable a detailed look at lipid-protein interactions and increasing overlap with experimental observations for validation and joint interpretation of simulation and experiment. Here we review papers that use computational approaches to study detailed lipid-protein interactions, together with brief experimental and physiological contexts, aiming at comprehensive coverage of simulation papers in the last five years. Overall, a complex picture of lipid-protein interactions emerges, through a range of mechanisms including modulation of the physical properties of the lipid environment, detailed chemical interactions between lipids and proteins, and key functional roles of very specific lipids binding to well-defined binding sites on proteins. Computationally, despite important limitations, molecular dynamics simulations with current computer power and theoretical models are now in an excellent position to answer detailed questions about lipid-protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Corradi
- Centre
for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Besian I. Sejdiu
- Centre
for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Haydee Mesa-Galloso
- Centre
for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Haleh Abdizadeh
- Groningen
Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute and Zernike Institute
for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sergei Yu. Noskov
- Centre
for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Siewert J. Marrink
- Groningen
Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute and Zernike Institute
for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - D. Peter Tieleman
- Centre
for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
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17
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Enkavi G, Javanainen M, Kulig W, Róg T, Vattulainen I. Multiscale Simulations of Biological Membranes: The Challenge To Understand Biological Phenomena in a Living Substance. Chem Rev 2019; 119:5607-5774. [PMID: 30859819 PMCID: PMC6727218 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Biological membranes are tricky to investigate. They are complex in terms of molecular composition and structure, functional over a wide range of time scales, and characterized by nonequilibrium conditions. Because of all of these features, simulations are a great technique to study biomembrane behavior. A significant part of the functional processes in biological membranes takes place at the molecular level; thus computer simulations are the method of choice to explore how their properties emerge from specific molecular features and how the interplay among the numerous molecules gives rise to function over spatial and time scales larger than the molecular ones. In this review, we focus on this broad theme. We discuss the current state-of-the-art of biomembrane simulations that, until now, have largely focused on a rather narrow picture of the complexity of the membranes. Given this, we also discuss the challenges that we should unravel in the foreseeable future. Numerous features such as the actin-cytoskeleton network, the glycocalyx network, and nonequilibrium transport under ATP-driven conditions have so far received very little attention; however, the potential of simulations to solve them would be exceptionally high. A major milestone for this research would be that one day we could say that computer simulations genuinely research biological membranes, not just lipid bilayers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giray Enkavi
- Department
of Physics, University of
Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matti Javanainen
- Department
of Physics, University of
Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Institute
of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy
of Sciences, Flemingovo naḿesti 542/2, 16610 Prague, Czech Republic
- Computational
Physics Laboratory, Tampere University, P.O. Box 692, FI-33014 Tampere, Finland
| | - Waldemar Kulig
- Department
of Physics, University of
Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tomasz Róg
- Department
of Physics, University of
Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Computational
Physics Laboratory, Tampere University, P.O. Box 692, FI-33014 Tampere, Finland
| | - Ilpo Vattulainen
- Department
of Physics, University of
Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Computational
Physics Laboratory, Tampere University, P.O. Box 692, FI-33014 Tampere, Finland
- MEMPHYS-Center
for Biomembrane Physics
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18
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Ladefoged LK, Zeppelin T, Schiøtt B. Molecular modeling of neurological membrane proteins − from binding sites to synapses. Neurosci Lett 2019; 700:38-49. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.05.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Revised: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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19
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Schumann-Gillett A, Blyth MT, O’Mara ML. Is protein structure enough? A review of the role of lipids in SLC6 transporter function. Neurosci Lett 2019; 700:64-69. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Revised: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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20
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Substrate and inhibitor binding to the serotonin transporter: Insights from computational, crystallographic, and functional studies. Neuropharmacology 2019; 161:107548. [PMID: 30807752 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.02.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Revised: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The serotonin transporter (SERT) belongs to the monoamine transporter family, which also includes the dopamine and norepinephrine transporters. SERT is essential for regulating serotonergic signaling by the reuptake of serotonin from the synaptic cleft back into the presynaptic neuron. Dysregulation of SERT has been implicated in several major psychiatric disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD). MDD was among the top five leading causes of years lived with disease in 2016 and is characterized as a major global burden. Several drugs have been developed to target SERT for use in the treatment of MDD, and their respective binding modes and locations within SERT have been studied. The elucidation of the first structure of a bacterial SERT homologue in 2005 has accelerated crystallographic, computational, and functional studies to further elucidate drug binding and method of action in SERT. Herein, we aim to highlight and compare these studies with an emphasis on what the different experimental methods conclude on substrate and inhibitor binding modes, and the potential caveats of using the different types of studies are discussed. We focus this review on the binding of cognate substrate and drugs belonging to the different families of antidepressants, including tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, and multimodal drugs, as well as illicit drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines, and ibogaine. This article is part of the issue entitled 'Special Issue on Neurotransmitter Transporters'.
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The LeuT-fold neurotransmitter:sodium symporter MhsT has two substrate sites. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E7924-E7931. [PMID: 30082383 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1717444115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Crystal structures of the neurotransmitter:sodium symporter MhsT revealed occluded inward-facing states with one substrate (Trp) bound in the primary substrate (S1) site and a collapsed extracellular vestibule, which in LeuT contains the second substrate (S2) site. In n-dodecyl-β-d-maltoside, the detergent used to prepare MhsT for crystallization, the substrate-to-protein binding stoichiometry was determined by using scintillation proximity to be 1 Trp:MhsT. Here, using the same experimental approach, as well as equilibrium dialysis, we report that in n-decyl-β-d-maltoside, or after reconstitution in lipid, MhsT, like LeuT, can simultaneously bind two Trp substrate molecules. Trp binding to the S2 site sterically blocks access to a substituted Cys at position 33 in the S2 site, as well as access to the deeper S1 site. Mutation of either the S1 or S2 site disrupts transport, consistent with previous studies in LeuT showing that substrate binding to the S2 site is an essential component of the transport mechanism.
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22
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Navratna V, Tosh DK, Jacobson KA, Gouaux E. Thermostabilization and purification of the human dopamine transporter (hDAT) in an inhibitor and allosteric ligand bound conformation. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0200085. [PMID: 29965988 PMCID: PMC6028122 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The human dopamine transporter (hDAT) plays a major role in dopamine homeostasis and regulation of neurotransmission by clearing dopamine from the extracellular space using secondary active transport. Dopamine is an essential monoamine chemical messenger that regulates reward seeking behavior, motor control, hormonal release, and emotional response in humans. Psychostimulants such as cocaine primarily target the central binding site of hDAT and lock the transporter in an outward-facing conformation, thereby inhibiting dopamine reuptake. The inhibition of dopamine reuptake leads to accumulation of dopamine in the synapse causing heightened signaling. In addition, hDAT is implicated in various neurological disorders and disease-associated neurodegeneration. Despite its significance, the structural studies of hDAT have proven difficult. Instability of hDAT in detergent micelles has been a limiting factor in its successful biochemical, biophysical, and structural characterization. To overcome this hurdle, we identified ligands that stabilize hDAT in detergent micelles. We then screened ~200 single residue mutants of hDAT using a high-throughput scintillation proximity assay and identified a thermostable variant (I248Y). Here we report a robust strategy to overexpress and successfully purify a thermostable variant of hDAT in an inhibitor and allosteric ligand bound conformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikas Navratna
- Vollum Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Dilip K. Tosh
- Molecular Recognition Section, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kenneth A. Jacobson
- Molecular Recognition Section, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Eric Gouaux
- Vollum Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
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23
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Sahai MA, Davidson C, Dutta N, Opacka-Juffry J. Mechanistic Insights into the Stimulant Properties of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) and Their Discrimination by the Dopamine Transporter-In Silico and In Vitro Exploration of Dissociative Diarylethylamines. Brain Sci 2018; 8:brainsci8040063. [PMID: 29642450 PMCID: PMC5924399 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci8040063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Revised: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) may have unsuspected addiction potential through possessing stimulant properties. Stimulants normally act at the dopamine transporter (DAT) and thus increase dopamine (DA) availability in the brain, including nucleus accumbens, within the reward and addiction pathway. This paper aims to assess DAT responses to dissociative diarylethylamine NPS by means of in vitro and in silico approaches. We compared diphenidine (DPH) and 2-methoxydiphenidine (methoxphenidine, 2-MXP/MXP) for their binding to rat DAT, using autoradiography assessment of [125I]RTI-121 displacement in rat striatal sections. The drugs' effects on electrically-evoked DA efflux were measured by means of fast cyclic voltammetry in rat accumbens slices. Computational modeling, molecular dynamics and alchemical free energy simulations were used to analyse the atomistic changes within DAT in response to each of the five dissociatives: DPH, 2-MXP, 3-MXP, 4-MXP and 2-Cl-DPH, and to calculate their relative binding free energy. DPH increased DA efflux as a result of its binding to DAT, whereas MXP had no significant effect on either DAT binding or evoked DA efflux. Our computational findings corroborate the above and explain the conformational responses and atomistic processes within DAT during its interactions with the dissociative NPS. We suggest DPH can have addictive liability, unlike MXP, despite the chemical similarities of these two NPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle A Sahai
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London SW15 4JD, UK.
| | - Colin Davidson
- St George's, University of London, London SW17 0RE, UK.
- Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK.
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Abstract
Background Much of the structure-based mechanistic understandings of the function of SLC6A neurotransmitter transporters emerged from the study of their bacterial LeuT-fold homologs. It has become evident, however, that structural differences such as the long N- and C-termini of the eukaryotic neurotransmitter transporters are involved in an expanded set of functional properties to the eukaryotic transporters. These functional properties are not shared by the bacterial homologs, which lack the structural elements that appeared later in evolution. However, mechanistic insights into some of the measured functional properties of the eukaryotic transporters that have been suggested to involve these structural elements are sparse or merely descriptive. Results To learn how the structural elements added in evolution enable mechanisms of the eukaryotic transporters in ways not shared with their bacterial LeuT-like homologs, we focused on the human dopamine transporter (hDAT) as a prototype. We present the results of a study employing large-scale molecular dynamics simulations and comparative Markov state model analysis of experimentally determined properties of the wild-type and mutant hDAT constructs. These offer a quantitative outline of mechanisms in which a rich spectrum of interactions of the hDAT N-terminus and C-terminus contribute to the regulation of transporter function (e.g., by phosphorylation) and/or to entirely new phenotypes (e.g., reverse uptake (efflux)) that were added in evolution. Conclusions The findings are consistent with the proposal that the size of eukaryotic neurotransmitter transporter termini increased during evolution to enable more functions (e.g., efflux) not shared with the bacterial homologs. The mechanistic explanations for the experimental findings about the modulation of function in DAT, the serotonin transporter, and other eukaryotic transporters reveal separate roles for the distal and proximal segments of the much larger N-terminus in eukaryotic transporters compared to the bacterial ones. The involvement of the proximal and distal segments — such as the role of the proximal segment in sustaining transport in phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate-depleted membranes and of the distal segment in modulating efflux — may represent an evolutionary adaptation required for the function of eukaryotic transporters expressed in various cell types of the same organism that differ in the lipid composition and protein complement of their membrane environment. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12915-018-0495-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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25
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Zeppelin T, Ladefoged LK, Sinning S, Periole X, Schiøtt B. A direct interaction of cholesterol with the dopamine transporter prevents its out-to-inward transition. PLoS Comput Biol 2018; 14:e1005907. [PMID: 29329285 PMCID: PMC5811071 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2017] [Revised: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Monoamine transporters (MATs) carry out neurotransmitter reuptake from the synaptic cleft, a key step in neurotransmission, which is targeted in the treatment of neurological disorders. Cholesterol (CHOL), a major component of the synaptic plasma membrane, has been shown to exhibit a modulatory effect on MATs. Recent crystal structures of the dopamine transporter (DAT) revealed the presence of two conserved CHOL-like molecules, suggesting a functional protein-CHOL direct interaction. Here, we present extensive atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of DAT in an outward-facing conformation. In the absence of bound CHOL, DAT undergoes structural changes reflecting early events of dopamine transport: transition to an inward-facing conformation. In contrast, in the presence of bound CHOL, these conformational changes are inhibited, seemingly by an immobilization of the intracellular interface of transmembrane helix 1a and 5 by CHOL. We also provide evidence, from coarse grain MD simulations that the CHOL sites observed in the DAT crystal structures are preserved in all human monoamine transporters (dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine), suggesting that our findings might extend to the entire family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talia Zeppelin
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Lucy Kate Ladefoged
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Steffen Sinning
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Xavier Periole
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Birgit Schiøtt
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
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26
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Karam CS, Javitch JA. Phosphorylation of the Amino Terminus of the Dopamine Transporter: Regulatory Mechanisms and Implications for Amphetamine Action. ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGY (SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) 2017; 82:205-234. [PMID: 29413521 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apha.2017.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Amphetamines (AMPHs) are potent psychostimulants that are widely used and abused, with profound medical and societal impact. Their actions at dopaminergic neurons are thought to mediate their therapeutic efficacy as well as their liability for abuse and dependence. AMPHs target the dopamine transporter (DAT), the plasmalemmal membrane protein that mediates the inactivation of released dopamine (DA) through its reuptake. AMPHs act as substrates for DAT and are known to cause mobilization of dopamine (DA) to the cell exterior via DAT-mediated reverse transport (efflux). It has become increasingly evident that the mechanisms that regulate AMPH-induced DA efflux are distinct from those that regulate DA uptake. Central to these mechanisms is the phosphorylation of the DAT amino (N)-terminus, which has been repeatedly demonstrated to facilitate DAT-mediated DA efflux, without impacting other aspects of DAT physiology. This review aims to summarize the current status of knowledge regarding DAT N-terminal phosphorylation and its regulation by protein modulators and the membrane microenvironment. A better understanding of these mechanisms may lead to the identification of novel therapeutic approaches that interfere selectively with the pharmacological effects of AMPHs without altering the physiological function of DAT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caline S Karam
- College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States; Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States
| | - Jonathan A Javitch
- College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States; Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States.
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27
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Foster JD, Vaughan RA. Phosphorylation mechanisms in dopamine transporter regulation. J Chem Neuroanat 2017; 83-84:10-18. [PMID: 27836487 PMCID: PMC6705611 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2016.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Revised: 10/26/2016] [Accepted: 10/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The dopamine transporter (DAT) is a plasma membrane phosphoprotein that actively translocates extracellular dopamine (DA) into presynaptic neurons. The transporter is the primary mechanism for control of DA levels and subsequent neurotransmission, and is the target for abused and therapeutic drugs that exert their effects by suppressing reuptake. The transport capacity of DAT is acutely regulated by signaling systems and drug exposure, providing neurons the ability to fine-tune DA clearance in response to specific conditions. Kinase pathways play major roles in these mechanisms, and this review summarizes the current status of DAT phosphorylation characteristics and the evidence linking transporter phosphorylation to control of reuptake and other functions. Greater understanding of these processes may aid in elucidation of their possible contributions to DA disease states and suggest specific phosphorylation sites as targets for therapeutic manipulation of reuptake.
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Affiliation(s)
- James D Foster
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks ND 58202 United States
| | - Roxanne A Vaughan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks ND 58202 United States.
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Sahai MA, Davidson C, Khelashvili G, Barrese V, Dutta N, Weinstein H, Opacka-Juffry J. Combined in vitro and in silico approaches to the assessment of stimulant properties of novel psychoactive substances - The case of the benzofuran 5-MAPB. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2017; 75:1-9. [PMID: 27890676 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2016.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2016] [Revised: 11/19/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are increasingly prevalent world-wide although their pharmacological characteristics are largely unknown; those with stimulant properties, due to interactions with the dopamine transporter (DAT), have addictive potential which their users may not realise. We evaluated the binding of 1-(1-benzofuran-5-yl)-N-methylpropan-2-amine (5-MAPB) to rat striatal DAT by means of quantitative autoradiography with [125I]RTI-121, and the effects of 5-MAPB on electrically-evoked dopamine efflux by fast-cyclic voltammetry in rat brain slices. 5-MAPB displaced [125I]RTI-121 in a concentration-dependent manner, with significant effects at 10 and 30μM. The voltammetry data suggest that 5-MAPB reduces the rate of dopamine reuptake; while the peak dopamine efflux was not increased, the area under the curve was augmented. 5-MAPB can also cause reverse dopamine transport consistent with stimulant properties, more similar to amphetamine than cocaine. Molecular modelling and docking studies compared the binding site of DAT in complex with 5-MAPB to dopamine, amphetamine, 5-APB, MDMA, cocaine and RTI-121. This structural comparison reveals a binding mode for 5-MAPB found in the primary binding (S1) site, central to transmembrane domains 1, 3, 6 and 8, which overlaps with the binding modes of dopamine, cocaine and its analogues. Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations further show that, when in complex with 5-MAPB, DAT can exhibit conformational transitions that spontaneously isomerize the transporter into inward-facing state, similarly to that observed in dopamine-bound DAT. These novel insights, offered by the combination of computational methods of biophysics with neurobiological procedures, provide structural context for NPS at DAT and relate them with their functional properties at DAT as the molecular target of stimulants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Colin Davidson
- St George's University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 0RE, UK; Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK
| | - George Khelashvili
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University (WCMC), New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Vincenzo Barrese
- St George's University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 0RE, UK
| | - Neelakshi Dutta
- St George's University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 0RE, UK
| | - Harel Weinstein
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University (WCMC), New York, NY, 10065, USA; HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute of Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
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Razavi AM, Khelashvili G, Weinstein H. A Markov State-based Quantitative Kinetic Model of Sodium Release from the Dopamine Transporter. Sci Rep 2017; 7:40076. [PMID: 28059145 PMCID: PMC5216462 DOI: 10.1038/srep40076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2016] [Accepted: 11/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The dopamine transporter (DAT) belongs to the neurotransmitter:sodium symporter (NSS) family of membrane proteins that are responsible for reuptake of neurotransmitters from the synaptic cleft to terminate a neuronal signal and enable subsequent neurotransmitter release from the presynaptic neuron. The release of one sodium ion from the crystallographically determined sodium binding site Na2 had been identified as an initial step in the transport cycle which prepares the transporter for substrate translocation by stabilizing an inward-open conformation. We have constructed Markov State Models (MSMs) from extensive molecular dynamics simulations of human DAT (hDAT) to explore the mechanism of this sodium release. Our results quantify the release process triggered by hydration of the Na2 site that occurs concomitantly with a conformational transition from an outward-facing to an inward-facing state of the transporter. The kinetics of the release process are computed from the MSM, and transition path theory is used to identify the most probable sodium release pathways. An intermediate state is discovered on the sodium release pathway, and the results reveal the importance of various modes of interaction of the N-terminus of hDAT in controlling the pathways of release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asghar M Razavi
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - George Khelashvili
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Harel Weinstein
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10065, USA.,Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10065, USA
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30
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Sweeney CG, Tremblay BP, Stockner T, Sitte HH, Melikian HE. Dopamine Transporter Amino and Carboxyl Termini Synergistically Contribute to Substrate and Inhibitor Affinities. J Biol Chem 2016; 292:1302-1309. [PMID: 27986813 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.762872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2016] [Revised: 12/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Extracellular dopamine and serotonin concentrations are determined by the presynaptic dopamine (DAT) and serotonin (SERT) transporters, respectively. Numerous studies have investigated the DAT and SERT structural elements contributing to inhibitor and substrate binding. To date, crystallographic studies have focused on conserved transmembrane domains, where multiple substrate binding and translocation features are conserved. However, it is unknown what, if any, role the highly divergent intracellular N and C termini contribute to these processes. Here, we used chimeric proteins to test whether DAT and SERT N and C termini contribute to transporter substrate and inhibitor affinities. Replacing the DAT N terminus with that of SERT had no effect on DA transport Vmax but significantly decreased DAT substrate affinities for DA and amphetamine. Similar losses in uptake inhibition were observed for small DAT inhibitors, whereas substituting the DAT C terminus with that of SERT affected neither substrate nor inhibitor affinities. In contrast, the N-terminal substitution was completely tolerated by the larger DAT inhibitors, which exhibited no loss in apparent affinity. Remarkably, all affinity losses were rescued in DAT chimeras encoding both SERT N and C termini. The sensitivity to amino-terminal substitution was specific for DAT, because replacing the SERT N and/or C termini affected neither substrate nor inhibitor affinities. Taken together, these findings provide compelling experimental evidence that DAT N and C termini synergistically contribute to substrate and inhibitor affinities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn G Sweeney
- From the Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01604 and
| | - Bradford P Tremblay
- From the Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01604 and
| | - Thomas Stockner
- the Institute for Pharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Harald H Sitte
- the Institute for Pharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Haley E Melikian
- From the Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01604 and
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31
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Prasanna X, Jafurulla M, Sengupta D, Chattopadhyay A. The ganglioside GM1 interacts with the serotonin 1A receptor via the sphingolipid binding domain. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1858:2818-2826. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2016] [Revised: 07/18/2016] [Accepted: 08/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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32
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Bermingham DP, Blakely RD. Kinase-dependent Regulation of Monoamine Neurotransmitter Transporters. Pharmacol Rev 2016; 68:888-953. [PMID: 27591044 PMCID: PMC5050440 DOI: 10.1124/pr.115.012260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Modulation of neurotransmission by the monoamines dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), and serotonin (5-HT) is critical for normal nervous system function. Precise temporal and spatial control of this signaling in mediated in large part by the actions of monoamine transporters (DAT, NET, and SERT, respectively). These transporters act to recapture their respective neurotransmitters after release, and disruption of clearance and reuptake has significant effects on physiology and behavior and has been linked to a number of neuropsychiatric disorders. To ensure adequate and dynamic control of these transporters, multiple modes of control have evolved to regulate their activity and trafficking. Central to many of these modes of control are the actions of protein kinases, whose actions can be direct or indirectly mediated by kinase-modulated protein interactions. Here, we summarize the current state of our understanding of how protein kinases regulate monoamine transporters through changes in activity, trafficking, phosphorylation state, and interacting partners. We highlight genetic, biochemical, and pharmacological evidence for kinase-linked control of DAT, NET, and SERT and, where applicable, provide evidence for endogenous activators of these pathways. We hope our discussion can lead to a more nuanced and integrated understanding of how neurotransmitter transporters are controlled and may contribute to disorders that feature perturbed monoamine signaling, with an ultimate goal of developing better therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P Bermingham
- Department of Pharmacology (D.P.B., R.D.B.) and Psychiatry (R.D.B.), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee; and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine and Brain Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida (R.D.B.)
| | - Randy D Blakely
- Department of Pharmacology (D.P.B., R.D.B.) and Psychiatry (R.D.B.), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee; and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine and Brain Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida (R.D.B.)
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Khelashvili G, Schmidt SG, Shi L, Javitch JA, Gether U, Loland CJ, Weinstein H. Conformational Dynamics on the Extracellular Side of LeuT Controlled by Na+ and K+ Ions and the Protonation State of Glu290. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:19786-99. [PMID: 27474737 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.731455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Ions play key mechanistic roles in the gating dynamics of neurotransmitter:sodium symporters (NSSs). In recent microsecond scale molecular dynamics simulations of a complete model of the dopamine transporter, a NSS protein, we observed a partitioning of K(+) ions from the intracellular side toward the unoccupied Na2 site of dopamine transporter following the release of the Na2-bound Na(+) Here we evaluate with computational simulations and experimental measurements of ion affinities under corresponding conditions, the consequences of K(+) binding in the Na2 site of LeuT, a bacterial homolog of NSS, when both Na(+) ions and substrate have left, and the transporter prepares for a new cycle. We compare the results with the consequences of binding Na(+) in the same apo system. Analysis of >50-μs atomistic molecular dynamics and enhanced sampling trajectories of constructs with Glu(290), either charged or neutral, point to the Glu(290) protonation state as a main determinant in the structural reconfiguration of the extracellular vestibule of LeuT in which a "water gate" opens through coordinated motions of residues Leu(25), Tyr(108), and Phe(253) The resulting water channel enables the binding/dissociation of the Na(+) and K(+) ions that are prevalent, respectively, in the extracellular and intracellular environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Khelashvili
- From the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York 10065,
| | - Solveig Gaarde Schmidt
- the Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Lei Shi
- From the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York 10065, the Computational Chemistry and Molecular Biophysics Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse-Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Jonathan A Javitch
- the Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York 10032, and
| | - Ulrik Gether
- the Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Claus J Loland
- the Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Harel Weinstein
- From the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York 10065, the Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York 10065
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Pöyry S, Vattulainen I. Role of charged lipids in membrane structures - Insight given by simulations. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1858:2322-2333. [PMID: 27003126 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2015] [Revised: 03/09/2016] [Accepted: 03/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Lipids and proteins are the main components of cell membranes. It is becoming increasingly clear that lipids, in addition to providing an environment for proteins to work in, are in many cases also able to modulate the structure and function of those proteins. Particularly charged lipids such as phosphatidylinositols and phosphatidylserines are involved in several examples of such effects. Molecular dynamics simulations have proved an invaluable tool in exploring these aspects. This so-called computational microscope can provide both complementing explanations for the experimental results and guide experiments to fruitful directions. In this paper, we review studies that have utilized molecular dynamics simulations to unravel the roles of charged lipids in membrane structures. We focus on lipids as active constituents of the membranes, affecting both general membrane properties as well as non-lipid membrane components, mainly proteins. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Biosimulations edited by Ilpo Vattulainen and Tomasz Róg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanja Pöyry
- Department of Physics, Tampere University of Technology, POB 692, FI-33101 Tampere, Finland
| | - Ilpo Vattulainen
- Department of Physics, Tampere University of Technology, POB 692, FI-33101 Tampere, Finland; MEMPHYS - Center for Biomembrane Physics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark; Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, POB 64, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland.
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35
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LeVine MV, Cuendet MA, Khelashvili G, Weinstein H. Allosteric Mechanisms of Molecular Machines at the Membrane: Transport by Sodium-Coupled Symporters. Chem Rev 2016; 116:6552-87. [PMID: 26892914 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Solute transport across cell membranes is ubiquitous in biology as an essential physiological process. Secondary active transporters couple the unfavorable process of solute transport against its concentration gradient to the energetically favorable transport of one or several ions. The study of such transporters over several decades indicates that their function involves complex allosteric mechanisms that are progressively being revealed in atomistic detail. We focus on two well-characterized sodium-coupled symporters: the bacterial amino acid transporter LeuT, which is the prototype for the "gated pore" mechanism in the mammalian synaptic monoamine transporters, and the archaeal GltPh, which is the prototype for the "elevator" mechanism in the mammalian excitatory amino acid transporters. We present the evidence for the role of allostery in the context of a quantitative formalism that can reconcile biochemical and biophysical data and thereby connects directly to recent insights into the molecular structure and dynamics of these proteins. We demonstrate that, while the structures and mechanisms of these transporters are very different, the available data suggest a common role of specific models of allostery in their functions. We argue that such allosteric mechanisms appear essential not only for sodium-coupled symport in general but also for the function of other types of molecular machines in the membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael V LeVine
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, ‡HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University , New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Michel A Cuendet
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, ‡HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University , New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - George Khelashvili
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, ‡HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University , New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Harel Weinstein
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, ‡HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University , New York, New York 10065, United States
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36
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Khelashvili G, Stanley N, Sahai MA, Medina J, LeVine MV, Shi L, De Fabritiis G, Weinstein H. Spontaneous inward opening of the dopamine transporter is triggered by PIP2-regulated dynamics of the N-terminus. ACS Chem Neurosci 2015; 6:1825-37. [PMID: 26255829 PMCID: PMC4653762 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.5b00179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
![]()
We
present the dynamic mechanism of concerted motions in a full-length
molecular model of the human dopamine transporter (hDAT), a member
of the neurotransmitter/sodium symporter (NSS) family, involved in
state-to-state transitions underlying function. The findings result
from an analysis of unbiased atomistic molecular dynamics simulation
trajectories (totaling >14 μs) of the hDAT molecule immersed
in lipid membrane environments with or without phosphatidylinositol
4,5-biphosphate (PIP2) lipids. The N-terminal region of
hDAT (N-term) is shown to have an essential mechanistic role in correlated
rearrangements of specific structural motifs relevant to state-to-state
transitions in the hDAT. The mechanism involves PIP2-mediated
electrostatic interactions between the N-term and the intracellular
loops of the transporter molecule. Quantitative analyses of collective
motions in the trajectories reveal that these interactions correlate
with the inward-opening dynamics of hDAT and are allosterically coupled
to the known functional sites of the transporter. The observed large-scale
motions are enabled by specific reconfiguration of the network of
ionic interactions at the intracellular end of the protein. The isomerization
to the inward-facing state in hDAT is accompanied by concomitant movements
in the extracellular vestibule and results in the release of an Na+ ion from the Na2 site and destabilization of the substrate
dopamine in the primary substrate binding S1 site. The dynamic mechanism
emerging from the findings highlights the involvement of the PIP2-regulated interactions between the N-term and the intracellular
loop 4 in the functionally relevant conformational transitions that
are also similar to those found to underlie state-to-state transitions
in the leucine transporter (LeuT), a prototypical bacterial homologue
of the NSS.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Khelashvili
- Department
of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University (WCMC), New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Nathaniel Stanley
- Computational
Biophysics Laboratory (GRIB-IMIM), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona
Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), C/Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Michelle A. Sahai
- Department
of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University (WCMC), New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Jaime Medina
- Department
of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University (WCMC), New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Michael V. LeVine
- Department
of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University (WCMC), New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Lei Shi
- Department
of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University (WCMC), New York, New York 10065, United States
- HRH
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute of Computational
Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Gianni De Fabritiis
- Computational
Biophysics Laboratory (GRIB-IMIM), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona
Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), C/Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Passeig Lluis Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Harel Weinstein
- Department
of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University (WCMC), New York, New York 10065, United States
- HRH
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute of Computational
Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York 10065, United States
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Grouleff J, Ladefoged LK, Koldsø H, Schiøtt B. Monoamine transporters: insights from molecular dynamics simulations. Front Pharmacol 2015; 6:235. [PMID: 26528185 PMCID: PMC4607855 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2015.00235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2015] [Accepted: 10/01/2015] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The human monoamine transporters (MATs) facilitate the reuptake of the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine from the synaptic cleft. Imbalance in monoaminergic neurotransmission is linked to various diseases including major depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, and Parkinson's disease. Inhibition of the MATs is thus an important strategy for treatment of such diseases. The MATs are sodium-coupled transport proteins belonging to the neurotransmitter/Na(+) symporter (NSS) family, and the publication of the first high-resolution structure of a NSS family member, the bacterial leucine transporter LeuT, in 2005, proved to be a major stepping stone for understanding this family of transporters. Structural data allows for the use of computational methods to study the MATs, which in turn has led to a number of important discoveries. The process of substrate translocation across the membrane is an intrinsically dynamic process. Molecular dynamics simulations, which can provide atomistic details of molecular motion on ns to ms timescales, are therefore well-suited for studying transport processes. In this review, we outline how molecular dynamics simulations have provided insight into the large scale motions associated with transport of the neurotransmitters, as well as the presence of external and internal gates, the coupling between ion and substrate transport, and differences in the conformational changes induced by substrates and inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Grouleff
- Center for Insoluble Protein Structures and Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Lucy Kate Ladefoged
- Center for Insoluble Protein Structures and Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Heidi Koldsø
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford Oxford, UK
| | - Birgit Schiøtt
- Center for Insoluble Protein Structures and Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University Aarhus, Denmark
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Stolzenberg S, Quick M, Zhao C, Gotfryd K, Khelashvili G, Gether U, Loland CJ, Javitch JA, Noskov S, Weinstein H, Shi L. Mechanism of the Association between Na+ Binding and Conformations at the Intracellular Gate in Neurotransmitter:Sodium Symporters. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:13992-4003. [PMID: 25869126 PMCID: PMC4447972 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.625343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurotransmitter:sodium symporters (NSSs) terminate neurotransmission by Na+-dependent reuptake of released neurotransmitters. Previous studies suggested that Na+-binding reconfigures dynamically coupled structural elements in an allosteric interaction network (AIN) responsible for function-related conformational changes, but the intramolecular pathway of this mechanism has remained uncharted. We describe a new approach for the modeling and analysis of intramolecular dynamics in the bacterial NSS homolog LeuT. From microsecond-scale molecular dynamics simulations and cognate experimental verifications in both LeuT and human dopamine transporter (hDAT), we apply the novel method to identify the composition and the dynamic properties of their conserved AIN. In LeuT, two different perturbations disrupting Na+ binding and transport (i.e. replacing Na+ with Li+ or the Y268A mutation at the intracellular gate) affect the AIN in strikingly similar ways. In contrast, other mutations that affect the intracellular gate (i.e. R5A and D369A) do not significantly impair Na+ cooperativity and transport. Our analysis shows these perturbations to have much lesser effects on the AIN, underscoring the sensitivity of this novel method to the mechanistic nature of the perturbation. Notably, this set of observations holds as well for hDAT, where the aligned Y335A, R60A, and D436A mutations also produce different impacts on Na+ dependence. Thus, the detailed AIN generated from our method is shown to connect Na+ binding with global conformational changes that are critical for the transport mechanism. That the AIN between the Na+ binding sites and the intracellular gate in bacterial LeuT resembles that in eukaryotic hDAT highlights the conservation of allosteric pathways underlying NSS function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Stolzenberg
- From the Department of Physiology and Biophysics and the Department of Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14850
| | - Matthias Quick
- the Departments of Psychiatry and the Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York 10032
| | - Chunfeng Zhao
- the Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Kamil Gotfryd
- the Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, and
| | | | - Ulrik Gether
- the Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, and
| | - Claus J Loland
- the Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, and
| | - Jonathan A Javitch
- the Departments of Psychiatry and the Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York 10032, Pharmacology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York 10032
| | - Sergei Noskov
- the Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Harel Weinstein
- From the Department of Physiology and Biophysics and Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, 10065,
| | - Lei Shi
- From the Department of Physiology and Biophysics and Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, 10065, the Computational Chemistry and Molecular Biophysics Unit, NIDA, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
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39
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Functional mechanisms of neurotransmitter transporters regulated by lipid-protein interactions of their terminal loops. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2015; 1848:1765-74. [PMID: 25847498 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2015.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2015] [Revised: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 03/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The physiological functions of neurotransmitter:sodium symporters (NSS) in reuptake of neurotransmitters from the synapse into the presynaptic nerve have been shown to be complemented by their involvement, together with non-plasma membrane neurotransmitter transporters, in the reverse transport of substrate (efflux) in response to psychostimulants. Recent experimental evidence implicates highly anionic phosphatidylinositol 4,5-biphosphate (PIP(2)) lipids in such functions of the serotonin (SERT) and dopamine (DAT) transporters. Thus, for both SERT and DAT, neurotransmitter efflux has been shown to be strongly regulated by the presence of PIP(2) lipids in the plasma membrane, and the electrostatic interaction of the N-terminal region of DAT with the negatively charged PIP(2) lipids. We examine the experimentally established phenotypes in a structural context obtained from computational modeling based on recent crystallographic data. The results are shown to set the stage for a mechanistic understanding of physiological actions of neurotransmitter transporters in the NSS family of membrane proteins. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Lipid-protein interactions.
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