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Zhou W, Trinco G, Slotboom DJ, Forrest LR, Faraldo-Gómez JD. On the Role of a Conserved Methionine in the Na +-Coupling Mechanism of a Neurotransmitter Transporter Homolog. Neurochem Res 2021; 47:163-175. [PMID: 33565025 PMCID: PMC8431971 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-021-03253-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Excitatory amino acid transporters (EAAT) play a key role in glutamatergic synaptic communication. Driven by transmembrane cation gradients, these transporters catalyze the reuptake of glutamate from the synaptic cleft once this neurotransmitter has been utilized for signaling. Two decades ago, pioneering studies in the Kanner lab identified a conserved methionine within the transmembrane domain as key for substrate turnover rate and specificity; later structural work, particularly for the prokaryotic homologs GltPh and GltTk, revealed that this methionine is involved in the coordination of one of the three Na+ ions that are co-transported with the substrate. Albeit extremely atypical, the existence of this interaction is consistent with biophysical analyses of GltPh showing that mutations of this methionine diminish the binding cooperativity between substrates and Na+. It has been unclear, however, whether this intriguing methionine influences the thermodynamics of the transport reaction, i.e., its substrate:ion stoichiometry, or whether it simply fosters a specific kinetics in the binding reaction, which, while influential for the turnover rate, do not fundamentally explain the ion-coupling mechanism of this class of transporters. Here, studies of GltTk using experimental and computational methods independently arrive at the conclusion that the latter hypothesis is the most plausible, and lay the groundwork for future efforts to uncover the underlying mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenchang Zhou
- Theoretical Molecular Biophysics Laboratory, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Gianluca Trinco
- Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Dirk J Slotboom
- Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Lucy R Forrest
- Computational Structural Biology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - José D Faraldo-Gómez
- Theoretical Molecular Biophysics Laboratory, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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2
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Arkhipova V, Guskov A, Slotboom DJ. Analysis of the quality of crystallographic data and the limitations of structural models. J Gen Physiol 2017; 149:1091-1103. [PMID: 29089418 PMCID: PMC5715909 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201711852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Arkhipova et al. caution that the limitations of structural models be taken into account when interpreting crystallographic data. Crystal structures provide visual models of biological macromolecules, which are widely used to interpret data from functional studies and generate new mechanistic hypotheses. Because the quality of the collected x-ray diffraction data directly affects the reliability of the structural model, it is essential that the limitations of the models are carefully taken into account when making interpretations. Here we use the available crystal structures of members of the glutamate transporter family to illustrate the importance of inspecting the data that underlie the structural models. Crystal structures of glutamate transporters in multiple different conformations have been solved, but most structures were determined at relatively low resolution, with deposited models based on crystallographic data of moderate quality. We use these examples to demonstrate the extent to which mechanistic interpretations can be made safely.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Arkhipova
- Department of Biochemistry, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Albert Guskov
- Department of Biochemistry, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Dirk-Jan Slotboom
- Department of Biochemistry, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
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3
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Drugs to Alter Extracellular Concentration of Glutamate: Modulators of Glutamate Uptake Systems. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7228-9_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Abstract
Glutamate transporters are responsible for uptake of the neurotransmitter glutamate in mammalian central nervous systems. Their archaeal homologue GltPh, an aspartate transporter isolated from Pyrococcus horikoshii, has been the focus of extensive studies through crystallography, MD simulations and single-molecule FRET (smFRET). Here, we summarize the recent research progress on GltPh, in the hope of gaining some insights into the transport mechanism of this aspartate transporter.
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5
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Coupled binding mechanism of three sodium ions and aspartate in the glutamate transporter homologue Glt Tk. Nat Commun 2016; 7:13420. [PMID: 27830699 PMCID: PMC5110648 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2016] [Accepted: 10/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Glutamate transporters catalyse the thermodynamically unfavourable transport of anionic amino acids across the cell membrane by coupling it to the downhill transport of cations. This coupling mechanism is still poorly understood, in part because the available crystal structures of these transporters are of relatively low resolution. Here we solve crystal structures of the archaeal transporter GltTk in the presence and absence of aspartate and use molecular dynamics simulations and binding assays to show how strict coupling between the binding of three sodium ions and aspartate takes place. In neurons and glia, glutamate transporters catalyse the reuptake of this neurotransmitter by coupling it with cation transport. Here the authors combine X-ray crystallography and molecular dynamics simulations of the archeal glutamate transporter GltTk to get insight into the coupled transport mechanism.
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6
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Scopelliti AJ, Heinzelmann G, Kuyucak S, Ryan RM, Vandenberg RJ. Na+ interactions with the neutral amino acid transporter ASCT1. J Biol Chem 2014; 289:17468-79. [PMID: 24808181 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.565242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The alanine, serine, cysteine transporters (ASCTs) belong to the solute carrier family 1A (SLC1A), which also includes the excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) and the prokaryotic aspartate transporter GltPh. Acidic amino acid transport by the EAATs is coupled to the co-transport of three Na(+) ions and one proton, and the counter-transport of one K(+) ion. In contrast, neutral amino acid exchange by the ASCTs does not require protons or the counter-transport of K(+) ions and the number of Na(+) ions required is not well established. One property common to SLC1A family members is a substrate-activated anion conductance. We have investigated the number and location of Na(+) ions required by ASCT1 by mutating residues in ASCT1 that correspond to residues in the EAATs and GltPh that are involved in Na(+) binding. Mutations to all three proposed Na(+) sites influence the binding of substrate and/or Na(+), or the rate of substrate exchange. A G422S mutation near the Na2 site reduced Na(+) affinity, without affecting the rate of exchange. D467T and D467A mutations in the Na1 site reduce Na(+) and substrate affinity and also the rate of substrate exchange. T124A and D380A mutations in the Na3 site selectively reduce the affinity for Na(+) and the rate of substrate exchange without affecting substrate affinity. In many of the mutants that reduce the rate of substrate transport the amplitudes of the substrate-activated anion conductances are not substantially affected indicating altered ion dependence for channel activation compared with substrate exchange.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda J Scopelliti
- From the Discipline of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences, Bosch Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006 and
| | - Germano Heinzelmann
- the School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Serdar Kuyucak
- the School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Renae M Ryan
- From the Discipline of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences, Bosch Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006 and
| | - Robert J Vandenberg
- From the Discipline of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences, Bosch Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006 and
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7
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Divito CB, Underhill SM. Excitatory amino acid transporters: roles in glutamatergic neurotransmission. Neurochem Int 2014; 73:172-80. [PMID: 24418112 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2013.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2013] [Revised: 12/20/2013] [Accepted: 12/23/2013] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Excitatory amino acid transporters or EAATs are the major transport mechanism for extracellular glutamate in the nervous system. This family of five carriers not only displays an impressive ability to regulate ambient extracellular glu concentrations but also regulate the temporal and spatial profile of glu after vesicular release. This dynamic form of regulation mediates several characteristic of synaptic, perisynaptic, and spillover activation of ionotropic and metabotropic receptors. EAATs function through a secondary active, electrogenic process but also possess a thermodynamically uncoupled ligand gated anion channel activity, both of which have been demonstrated to play a role in regulation of cellular activity. This review will highlight the inception of EAATs as a focus of research, the transport and channel functionality of the carriers, and then describe how these properties are used to regulate glutamatergic neurotransmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher B Divito
- Center for Neuroscience, Department of Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, United States
| | - Suzanne M Underhill
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States.
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8
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Kanai Y, Clémençon B, Simonin A, Leuenberger M, Lochner M, Weisstanner M, Hediger MA. The SLC1 high-affinity glutamate and neutral amino acid transporter family. Mol Aspects Med 2013; 34:108-20. [PMID: 23506861 DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2013.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 229] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2012] [Accepted: 12/14/2012] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Glutamate transporters play important roles in the termination of excitatory neurotransmission and in providing cells throughout the body with glutamate for metabolic purposes. The high-affinity glutamate transporters EAAC1 (SLC1A1), GLT1 (SLC1A2), GLAST (SLC1A3), EAAT4 (SLC1A6), and EAAT5 (SLC1A7) mediate the cellular uptake of glutamate by the co-transport of three sodium ions (Na(+)) and one proton (H(+)), with the counter-transport of one potassium ion (K(+)). Thereby, they protect the CNS from glutamate-induced neurotoxicity. Loss of function of glutamate transporters has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. In addition, glutamate transporters play a role in glutamate excitotoxicity following an ischemic stroke, due to reversed glutamate transport. Besides glutamate transporters, the SLC1 family encompasses two transporters of neutral amino acids, ASCT1 (SLC1A4) and ASCT2 (SLC1A5). Both transporters facilitate electroneutral exchange of amino acids in neurons and/or cells of the peripheral tissues. Some years ago, a high resolution structure of an archaeal homologue of the SLC1 family was determined, followed by the elucidation of its structure in the presence of the substrate aspartate and the inhibitor d,l-threo-benzyloxy aspartate (d,l-TBOA). Historically, the first few known inhibitors of SLC1 transporters were based on constrained glutamate analogs which were active in the high micromolar range but often also showed off-target activity at glutamate receptors. Further development led to the discovery of l-threo-β-hydroxyaspartate derivatives, some of which effectively inhibited SLC1 transporters at nanomolar concentrations. More recently, small molecule inhibitors have been identified whose structures are not based on amino acids. Activators of SLC1 family members have also been discovered but there are only a few examples known.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshikatsu Kanai
- Division of Biosystem Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565 0871, Japan
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9
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Bastug T, Heinzelmann G, Kuyucak S, Salim M, Vandenberg RJ, Ryan RM. Position of the third Na+ site in the aspartate transporter GltPh and the human glutamate transporter, EAAT1. PLoS One 2012; 7:e33058. [PMID: 22427946 PMCID: PMC3302783 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0033058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2011] [Accepted: 02/06/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Glutamate transport via the human excitatory amino acid transporters is coupled to the co-transport of three Na(+) ions, one H(+) and the counter-transport of one K(+) ion. Transport by an archaeal homologue of the human glutamate transporters, Glt(Ph), whose three dimensional structure is known is also coupled to three Na(+) ions but only two Na(+) ion binding sites have been observed in the crystal structure of Glt(Ph). In order to fully utilize the Glt(Ph) structure in functional studies of the human glutamate transporters, it is essential to understand the transport mechanism of Glt(Ph) and accurately determine the number and location of Na(+) ions coupled to transport. Several sites have been proposed for the binding of a third Na(+) ion from electrostatic calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. In this study, we have performed detailed free energy simulations for Glt(Ph) and reveal a new site for the third Na(+) ion involving the side chains of Threonine 92, Serine 93, Asparagine 310, Aspartate 312, and the backbone of Tyrosine 89. We have also studied the transport properties of alanine mutants of the coordinating residues Threonine 92 and Serine 93 in Glt(Ph), and the corresponding residues in a human glutamate transporter, EAAT1. The mutant transporters have reduced affinity for Na(+) compared to their wild type counterparts. These results confirm that Threonine 92 and Serine 93 are involved in the coordination of the third Na(+) ion in Glt(Ph) and EAAT1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Turgut Bastug
- School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, TOBB University of Economy and Technology, Ankara, Turkey
| | | | - Serdar Kuyucak
- School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Marietta Salim
- Transporter Biology Group, Discipline of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences and Bosch Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Robert J. Vandenberg
- Transporter Biology Group, Discipline of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences and Bosch Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Renae M. Ryan
- Transporter Biology Group, Discipline of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences and Bosch Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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10
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Zhang X, Qu S. The accessibility in the external part of the TM5 of the glutamate transporter EAAT1 is conformationally sensitive during the transport cycle. PLoS One 2012; 7:e30961. [PMID: 22292083 PMCID: PMC3264643 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2011] [Accepted: 12/30/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Excitatory amino acid transporter 1 (EAAT1) is a glutamate transporter which is a key element in the termination of the synaptic actions of glutamate. It serves to keep the extracellular glutamate concentration below neurotoxic level. However the functional significance and the change of accessibility of residues in transmembrane domain (TM) 5 of the EAAT1 are not clear yet. Methodology/Principal Findings We used cysteine mutagenesis with treatments with membrane-impermeable sulfhydryl reagent MTSET [(2-trimethylammonium) methanethiosulfonate] to investigate the change of accessibility of TM5. Cysteine mutants were introduced from position 291 to 300 of the cysteine-less version of EAAT1. We checked the activity and kinetic parameters of the mutants before and after treatments with MTSET, furthermore we analyzed the effect of the substrate and blocker on the inhibition of the cysteine mutants by MTSET. Inhibition of transport by MTSET was observed in the mutants L296C, I297C and G299C, while the activity of K300C got higher after exposure to MTSET. Vmax of L296C and G299C got lower while that of K300C got higher after treated by MTSET. The L296C, G299C, K300C single cysteine mutants showed a conformationally sensitive reactivity pattern. The sensitivity of L296C to MTSET was potentiated by glutamate and TBOA,but the sensitivity of G299C to MTSET was potentiated only by TBOA. Conclusions/Significance All these facts suggest that the accessibility of some positions of the external part of the TM5 is conformationally sensitive during the transport cycle. Our results indicate that some residues of TM5 take part in the transport pathway during the transport cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuping Zhang
- China-America Cancer Research Institute, Guangdong Medical College, Dongguan, Guangdong, China
| | - Shaogang Qu
- Department of Immunology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- * E-mail:
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11
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McKeown KA, Moreno R, Hall VL, Ribera AB, Downes GB. Disruption of Eaat2b, a glutamate transporter, results in abnormal motor behaviors in developing zebrafish. Dev Biol 2011; 362:162-71. [PMID: 22094018 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2011.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2011] [Revised: 10/28/2011] [Accepted: 11/01/2011] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Analysis of zebrafish mutants that have defects in motor behavior can allow entrée into the hindbrain and spinal cord networks that control locomotion. Here, we report that zebrafish techno trousers (tnt) locomotor mutants harbor a mutation in slc1a2b, which encodes Eaat2b, a plasma membrane glutamate transporter. We used tnt mutants to explore the effects of impaired glutamate transporter activity on locomotor network function. Wild-type larvae perform robust swimming behavior in response to touch stimuli at two and four days after fertilization. In contrast, tnt mutant larvae demonstrate aberrant, exaggerated body bends beginning two days after fertilization and they are almost paralyzed four days after fertilization. We show that slc1a2b is expressed in glial cells in a dynamic fashion across development, which may explain the abnormal sequence of motor behaviors demonstrated by tnt mutants. We also show that tnt larvae demonstrate enhanced excitation of neurons, consistent with the predicted effects of excessive glutamate. These findings illustrate the dynamic regulation and importance of glutamate transporters during development. Since glutamate toxicity caused by EAAT2 dysfunction is thought to promote several different neurological disorders in humans, including epilepsy and neurodegenerative diseases, tnt mutants hold promise as a new tool to better understand these pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Anne McKeown
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
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12
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Huang Z, Tajkhorshid E. Identification of the third Na+ site and the sequence of extracellular binding events in the glutamate transporter. Biophys J 2010; 99:1416-25. [PMID: 20816053 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2010.06.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2009] [Revised: 06/11/2010] [Accepted: 06/14/2010] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The transport cycle in the glutamate transporter (GlT) is catalyzed by the cotransport of three Na(+) ions. However, the positions of only two of these ions (Na1 and Na2 sites) along with the substrate have been captured in the crystal structures reported for both the outward-facing and the inward-facing states of Glt(ph). Characterizing the third ion binding site (Na3) is necessary for structure-function studies attempting to investigate the mechanism of transport in GlTs at an atomic level, particularly for the determination of the sequence of the binding events during the transport cycle. In this study, we report a series of molecular dynamics simulations performed on various bound states of Glt(ph) (the apo state, as well as in the presence of Na(+), the substrate, or both), which have been used to identify a putative Na3 site. The calculated trajectories have been used to determine the water accessibility of potential ion-binding residues in the protein, as a prerequisite for their ion binding. Combined with conformational analysis of the key regions in the protein in different bound states and several additional independent simulations in which a Na(+) ion was randomly introduced to the interior of the transporter, we have been able to characterize a putative Na3 site and propose a plausible binding sequence for the substrate and the three Na(+) ions to the transporter during the extracellular half of the transport cycle. The proposed Na3 site is formed by a set of highly conserved residues, namely, Asp(312), Thr(92), and Asn(310), along with a water molecule. Simulation of a fully bound state, including the substrate and the three Na(+) ions, reveals a stable structure--showing closer agreement to the crystal structure when compared to previous models lacking an ion in the putative Na3 site. The proposed sequence of binding events is in agreement with recent experimental models suggesting that two Na(+) ions bind before the substrate, and one after that. Our results, however, provide additional information about the sites involved in these binding events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhijian Huang
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Beckman Institute, and Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
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13
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Shaikh S, Wen PC, Enkavi G, Huang Z, Tajkhorshid E. Capturing Functional Motions of Membrane Channels and Transporters with Molecular Dynamics Simulation. JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL AND THEORETICAL NANOSCIENCE 2010; 7:2481-2500. [PMID: 23710155 PMCID: PMC3661405 DOI: 10.1166/jctn.2010.1636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Conformational changes of proteins are involved in all aspects of protein function in biology. Almost all classes of proteins respond to changes in their environment, ligand binding, and interaction with other proteins and regulatory agents through undergoing conformational changes of various degrees and magnitudes. Membrane channels and transporters are the major classes of proteins that are responsible for mediating efficient and selective transport of materials across the cellular membrane. Similar to other proteins, they take advantage of conformational changes to make transitions between various functional states. In channels, large-scale conformational changes are mostly involved in the process of "gating", i.e., opening and closing of the pore of the channel protein in response to various signals. In transporters, conformational changes constitute various steps of the conduction process, and, thus, are more closely integrated in the transport process. Owing to significant progress in developing highly efficient parallel algorithms in molecular dynamics simulations and increased computational resources, and combined with the availability of high-resolution, atomic structures of membrane proteins, we are in an unprecedented position to use computer simulation and modeling methodologies to investigate the mechanism of function of membrane channels and transporters. While the entire transport cycle is still out of reach of current methodologies, many steps involved in the function of transport proteins have been characterized with molecular dynamics simulations. Here, we present several examples of such studies from our laboratory, in which functionally relevant conformational changes of membrane channels and transporters have been characterized using extended simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saher Shaikh
- Department of Biochemistry, Beckman Institute, and Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, U.S.A
| | - Po-Chao Wen
- Department of Biochemistry, Beckman Institute, and Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, U.S.A
| | - Giray Enkavi
- Department of Biochemistry, Beckman Institute, and Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, U.S.A
| | - Zhijian Huang
- Department of Biochemistry, Beckman Institute, and Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, U.S.A
| | - Emad Tajkhorshid
- Department of Biochemistry, Beckman Institute, and Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, U.S.A
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14
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Torres-Altoro MI, Kuntz CP, Nichols DE, Barker EL. Structural analysis of the extracellular entrance to the serotonin transporter permeation pathway. J Biol Chem 2010; 285:15369-15379. [PMID: 20304925 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m109.088138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurotransmitter transporters are responsible for removal of biogenic amine neurotransmitters after release into the synapse. These transporters are the targets for many clinically relevant drugs, such as antidepressants and psychostimulants. A high resolution crystal structure for the monoamine transporters has yet to be solved. We have developed a homology model for the serotonin transporter (SERT) based on the crystal structure of the leucine transporter (LeuT(Aa)) from Aquifex aeolicus. The objective of the present studies is to identify the structural determinants forming the entrance to the substrate permeation pathway based on predictions from the SERT homology model. Using the substituted cysteine accessibility method, we identified residues predicted to reside at the entrance to the substrate permeation pathway that were reactive with methanethiosulfonate (MTS) reagents. Of these residues, Gln(332) in transmembrane helix (TMH) VI was protected against MTS inactivation in the presence of serotonin. Surprisingly, the reactivity of Gln(332) to MTS reagents was enhanced in the presence of cocaine. Bifunctional MTS cross-linkers also were used to examine the distances between helices predicted to form the entrance into the substrate and ion permeation pathway. Our studies suggest that substrate and ligand binding may induce conformational shifts in TMH I and/or VI, providing new opportunities to refine existing homology models of SERT and related monoamine transporters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa I Torres-Altoro
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2091
| | - Charles P Kuntz
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2091
| | - David E Nichols
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2091
| | - Eric L Barker
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2091.
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15
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The equivalent of a thallium binding residue from an archeal homolog controls cation interactions in brain glutamate transporters. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2009; 106:14297-302. [PMID: 19706515 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0904625106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Glutamate transporters maintain low synaptic concentrations of neurotransmitter by coupling uptake to flux of other ions. Their transport cycle consists of two separate translocation steps, namely cotransport of glutamic acid with three Na(+) followed by countertransport of K(+). Two Tl(+) binding sites, presumed to serve as sodium sites, were observed in the crystal structure of a related archeal homolog and the side chain of a conserved aspartate residue contributed to one of these sites. We have mutated the corresponding residue of the eukaryotic glutamate transporters GLT-1 and EAAC1 to asparagine, serine, and cysteine. Remarkably, these mutants exhibited significant sodium-dependent radioactive acidic amino acid uptake when expressed in HeLa cells. Reconstitution experiments revealed that net uptake by the mutants in K(+)-loaded liposomes was impaired. However, with Na(+) and unlabeled L-aspartate inside the liposomes, exchange levels were around 50-90% of those by wild-type. In further contrast to wild-type, where either substrate or K(+) stimulated the anion conductance by the transporter, substrate but not K(+) modulated the anion conductance of the mutants expressed in oocytes. Both with wild-type EAAC1 and EAAC1-D455N, not only sodium but also lithium could support radioactive acidic amino acid uptake. In contrast, with D455S and D455C, radioactive uptake was only observed in the presence of sodium. Thus the conserved aspartate is required for transporter-cation interactions in each of the two separate translocation steps and likely participates in an overlapping sodium and potassium binding site.
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16
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Zhu J, Reith MEA. Role of the dopamine transporter in the action of psychostimulants, nicotine, and other drugs of abuse. CNS & NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS-DRUG TARGETS 2009; 7:393-409. [PMID: 19128199 DOI: 10.2174/187152708786927877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
A number of studies over the last two decades have demonstrated the critical importance of dopamine (DA) in the behavioral pharmacology and addictive properties of abused drugs. The DA transporter (DAT) is a major target for drugs of abuse in the category of psychostimulants, and for methylphenidate (MPH), a drug used for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which can also be a psychostimulant drug of abuse. Other drugs of abuse such as nicotine, ethanol, heroin and morphine interact with the DAT in more indirect ways. Despite the different ways in which drugs of abuse can affect DAT function, one evolving theme in all cases is regulation of the DAT at the level of surface expression. DAT function is dynamically regulated by multiple intracellular and extracellular signaling pathways and several protein-protein interactions. In addition, DAT expression is regulated through the removal (internalization) and recycling of the protein from the cell surface. Furthermore, recent studies have demonstrated that individual differences in response to novel environments and psychostimulants can be predicted based on individual basal functional DAT expression. Although current knowledge of multiple factors regulating DAT activity has greatly expanded, many aspects of this regulation remain to be elucidated; these data will enable efforts to identify drugs that might be used therapeutically for drug dependence therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Zhu
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
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17
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Grewer C, Gameiro A, Zhang Z, Tao Z, Braams S, Rauen T. Glutamate forward and reverse transport: from molecular mechanism to transporter-mediated release after ischemia. IUBMB Life 2008; 60:609-19. [PMID: 18543277 DOI: 10.1002/iub.98] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Glutamate transporters remove the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate from the extracellular space after neurotransmission is complete, by taking glutamate up into neurons and glia cells. As thermodynamic machines, these transporters can also run in reverse, releasing glutamate into the extracellular space. Because glutamate is excitotoxic, this transporter-mediated release is detrimental to the health of neurons and axons, and it, thus, contributes to the brain damage that typically follows a stroke. This review highlights current ideas about the molecular mechanisms underlying glutamate uptake and glutamate reverse transport. It also discusses the implications of transporter-mediated glutamate release for cellular function under physiological and patho-physiological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christof Grewer
- Binghamton University, Department of Chemistry, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA.
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18
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Dynamics of the extracellular gate and ion-substrate coupling in the glutamate transporter. Biophys J 2008; 95:2292-300. [PMID: 18515371 DOI: 10.1529/biophysj.108.133421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Glutamate transporters (GluTs) are the primary regulators of extracellular concentration of the neurotransmitter glutamate in the central nervous system. In this study, we have investigated the dynamics and coupling of the substrate and Na(+) binding sites, and the mechanism of cotransport of Na(+) ions, using molecular dynamics simulations of a membrane-embedded model of GluT in its apo (empty form) and various Na(+)- and/or substrate-bound states. The results shed light on the mechanism of the extracellular gate and on the sequence of binding of the substrate and Na(+) ions to GluT during the transport cycle. The results suggest that the helical hairpin HP2 plays the key role of the extracellular gate for the substrate binding site, and that the opening and closure of the gate is controlled by substrate binding. GluT adopts an open conformation in the absence of the substrate exposing the binding sites of the substrate and Na(+) ions to the extracellular solution. Based on the calculated trajectories, we propose that Na1 is the first element to bind GluT, as it is found to be important for the completion of the substrate binding site. The subsequent binding of the substrate, in turn, is shown to result in an almost complete closure of the extracellular gate and the formation of the Na2 binding site. Finally, binding of Na2 locks the extracellular gate and completes the formation of the occluded state of GluT.
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19
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Affiliation(s)
- Baruch I. Kanner
- Department of Biochemistry, Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School, Post Office Box 12272, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Elia Zomot
- Department of Biochemistry, Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School, Post Office Box 12272, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
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20
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Kanner BI. Structure and function of sodium-coupled GABA and glutamate transporters. J Membr Biol 2007; 213:89-100. [PMID: 17417704 DOI: 10.1007/s00232-006-0877-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2006] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Neurotransmitter transporters are key elements in the termination of the synaptic actions of the neurotransmitters. They use the energy stored in the electrochemical ion gradients across the plasma membrane of neurons and glial cells for uphill transport of the transmitters into the cells surrounding the synapse. Therefore specific transporter inhibitors can potentially be used as novel drugs for neurological disease. Sodium-coupled neurotransmitter transporters belong to either of two distinct families. The glutamate transporters belong to the SLC1 family, whereas the transporters of the other neurotransmitters belong to the SLC6 family. An exciting and recent development is the emergence of the first high-resolution structures of archeal and bacterial members belonging to these two families. In this review the functional results on prototypes of the two families, the GABA transporter GAT-1 and the glutamate transporters GLT-1 and EAAC1, are described and discussed within the perspective provided by the novel structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baruch I Kanner
- Dept. of Biochemistry, Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School, P.O. Box 12272, Jerusalem 91120, Israel.
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21
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Boudker O, Ryan RM, Yernool D, Shimamoto K, Gouaux E. Coupling substrate and ion binding to extracellular gate of a sodium-dependent aspartate transporter. Nature 2007; 445:387-93. [PMID: 17230192 DOI: 10.1038/nature05455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 392] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2006] [Accepted: 11/15/2006] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Secondary transporters are integral membrane proteins that catalyse the movement of substrate molecules across the lipid bilayer by coupling substrate transport to one or more ion gradients, thereby providing a mechanism for the concentrative uptake of substrates. Here we describe crystallographic and thermodynamic studies of Glt(Ph), a sodium (Na+)-coupled aspartate transporter, defining sites for aspartate, two sodium ions and d,l-threo-beta-benzyloxyaspartate, an inhibitor. We further show that helical hairpin 2 is the extracellular gate that controls access of substrate and ions to the internal binding sites. At least two sodium ions bind in close proximity to the substrate and these sodium-binding sites, together with the sodium-binding sites in another sodium-coupled transporter, LeuT, define an unwound alpha-helix as the central element of the ion-binding motif, a motif well suited to the binding of sodium and to participation in conformational changes that accompany ion binding and unbinding during the transport cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Boudker
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, 650 West 168th Street, New York, New York 10032, USA
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22
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Huang Y, Feng X, Sando JJ, Zuo Z. Critical role of serine 465 in isoflurane-induced increase of cell-surface redistribution and activity of glutamate transporter type 3. J Biol Chem 2006; 281:38133-8. [PMID: 17062570 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m603885200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Glutamate transporters (also called excitatory amino acid transporters, EAATs) bind extracellular glutamate and transport it to intracellular space to regulate glutamate neurotransmission and to maintain extracellular glutamate concentrations below neurotoxic levels. We previously showed that isoflurane, a commonly used anesthetic, enhanced the activity of EAAT3, a major neuronal EAAT. This effect required a protein kinase C (PKC) alpha-dependent EAAT3 redistribution to the plasma membrane. In this study, we prepared COS7 cells stably expressing EAAT3 with or without mutations of potential PKC phosphorylation sites in the putative intracellular domains. Here we report that mutation of threonine 5 or threonine 498 to alanine did not affect the isoflurane effects on EAAT3. However, the mutation of serine 465 to alanine abolished isoflurane-induced increase of EAAT3 activity and redistribution to the plasma membrane. The mutation of serine 465 to aspartic acid increased the expression of EAAT3 in the plasma membrane and also abolished the isoflurane effects on EAAT3. These results suggest an essential role of serine 465 in the isoflurane-increased EAAT3 activity and redistribution and a direct effect of PKC on EAAT3. Consistent with these results, isoflurane induced an increase in phosphorylation of wild type, T5A, and T498A EAAT3, and this increase was absent in S465A and S465D. Our current results, together with our previous data that showed the involvement of PKCalpha in the isoflurane effects on EAAT3, suggest that the phosphorylation of serine 465 in EAAT3 by PKCalpha mediates the increased EAAT3 activity and redistribution to plasma membrane after isoflurane exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueming Huang
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Virginia Health System, One Hospital Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
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23
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Leighton BH, Seal RP, Watts SD, Skyba MO, Amara SG. Structural Rearrangements at the Translocation Pore of the Human Glutamate Transporter, EAAT1. J Biol Chem 2006; 281:29788-96. [PMID: 16877378 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m604991200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Structure-function studies of mammalian and bacterial excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs), as well as the crystal structure of a related archaeal glutamate transporter, support a model in which TM7, TM8, and the re-entrant loops HP1 and HP2 participate in forming a substrate translocation pathway within each subunit of a trimer. However, the transport mechanism, including precise binding sites for substrates and co-transported ions and changes in the tertiary structure underlying transport, is still not known. In this study, we used chemical cross-linking of introduced cysteine pairs in a cysteine-less version of EAAT1 to examine the dynamics of key domains associated with the translocation pore. Here we show that cysteine substitution at Ala-395, Ala-367, and Ala-440 results in functional single and double cysteine transporters and that in the absence of glutamate or dl-threo-beta-benzyloxyaspartate (dl-TBOA), A395C in the highly conserved TM7 can be cross-linked to A367C in HP1 and to A440C in HP2. The formation of these disulfide bonds is reversible and occurs intra-molecularly. Interestingly, cross-linking A395C to A367C appears to abolish transport, whereas cross-linking A395C to A440C lowers the affinities for glutamate and dl-TBOA but does not change the maximal transport rate. Additionally, glutamate and dl-TBOA binding prevent cross-linking in both double cysteine transporters, whereas sodium binding facilitates cross-linking in the A395C/A367C transporter. These data provide evidence that within each subunit of EAAT1, Ala-395 in TM7 resides close to a residue at the tip of each re-entrant loop (HP1 and HP2) and that these residues are repositioned relative to one another at different steps in the transport cycle. Such behavior likely reflects rearrangements in the tertiary structure of the translocation pore during transport and thus provides constraints for modeling the structural dynamics associated with transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara H Leighton
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97201, USA
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24
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Rosental N, Bendahan A, Kanner BI. Multiple Consequences of Mutating Two Conserved β-Bridge Forming Residues in the Translocation Cycle of a Neuronal Glutamate Transporter. J Biol Chem 2006; 281:27905-15. [PMID: 16870620 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m600331200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Glutamate transporters remove this neurotransmitter from the synapse in an electrogenic process. After sodium-coupled glutamate translocation, the cycle is completed by obligatory outward translocation of potassium. In the crystal structure of an archaeal homologue, two conserved residues form a beta-bridge, which points away from the binding pocket. In the neuronal glutamate transporter EAAC1, the equivalent residues are asparagine 366 and aspartate 368. Substitution mutants N366Q and D368E, but not N366D and D368N, show glutamate-induced inwardly rectifying steady-state currents, but their apparent substrate affinity is dramatically decreased. Such currents, which reflect electrogenic net uptake of substrate are not observed with the reciprocal double mutant N366D/D368N. Remarkably, the double mutant exhibits slow substrate-induced voltage-dependent capacitative transient currents. These currents apparently reflect the reversible sodium-coupled glutamate translocation step, because the interaction of the double mutant with potassium is largely impaired. Moreover, when the analogous double mutant in the glutamate transporter GLT-1 is reconstituted into liposomes, a slow exchange of radioactive and unlabeled acidic amino acids is observed. Our results suggest that it is the interaction of asparagine 366 and aspartate 368 that is important during the glutamate translocation step. On the other hand, the side chains of these residues themselves are required for the subsequent potassium relocation step.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noa Rosental
- Department of Biochemistry, Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, P. O. Box 12272, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
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25
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Abstract
Glutamate transporters are a family of transporters that regulate extracellular glutamate concentrations so as to maintain a dynamic and high-fidelity cell signalling process in the brain. Site-directed mutagenesis has been used to investigate various aspects of the structural and functional properties of these transporters to gain insights into how they work. This field of research has recently undergone a major development with the determination of the crystal structure of a bacterial glutamate transporter, and this chapter relates the results from mutagenesis experiments with what we now know about glutamate transporter structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- R J Vandenberg
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute for Biomedical Research, University of Sydney, 2006 New South Wales, Australia.
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26
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Koch HP, Larsson HP. Small-scale molecular motions accomplish glutamate uptake in human glutamate transporters. J Neurosci 2005; 25:1730-6. [PMID: 15716409 PMCID: PMC6725926 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4138-04.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Glutamate transporters remove glutamate from the synaptic cleft to maintain efficient synaptic communication between neurons and to prevent glutamate concentrations from reaching neurotoxic levels. Glutamate transporters play an important role in ischemic neuronal death during stroke and have been implicated in epilepsy and amytropic lateral sclerosis. However, the molecular structure and the glutamate-uptake mechanism of these transporters are not well understood. The most recent models of glutamate transporters have three or five subunits, each with eight transmembrane domains, and one or two membrane-inserted loops. Here, using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) analysis, we have determined the relative position of the extracellular regions of these domains. Our results are consistent with a trimeric glutamate transporter with a large (>45 A) extracellular vestibule. In contrast to other transport proteins, our FRET measurements indicate that there are no large-scale motions in glutamate transporters and that glutamate uptake is accompanied by relatively small motions around the glutamate-binding sites. The large extracellular vestibule and the small-scale conformational changes could contribute to the fast kinetics predicted for glutamate transporters. Furthermore, we show that, despite the multimeric nature of glutamate transporters, the subunits function independently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans P Koch
- Neurological Sciences Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, Oregon 97006, USA
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27
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Yurgel SN, Kahn ML. Sinorhizobium meliloti dctA mutants with partial ability to transport dicarboxylic acids. J Bacteriol 2005; 187:1161-72. [PMID: 15659691 PMCID: PMC545702 DOI: 10.1128/jb.187.3.1161-1172.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Sinorhizobium meliloti dctA encodes a transport protein needed for a successful nitrogen-fixing symbiosis between the bacteria and alfalfa. Using the toxicity of the DctA substrate fluoroorotic acid as a selective agent in an iterated selection procedure, four independent S. meliloti dctA mutants were isolated that retained some ability to transport dicarboxylates. Two mutations were located in a region called motif B located in a predicted transmembrane helix of the protein that has been shown in other members of the glutamate transporter family to be involved in cation binding. A G114D mutation was located in the third transmembrane helix, which had not previously been directly implicated in transport. Multiple sequence alignment of more than 60 members of the glutamate transporter family revealed a glycine at this position in nearly all members of the family. The fourth mutant was able to transport succinate at almost wild-type levels but was impaired in malate and fumarate transport. It contains two mutations: one in a periplasmic domain and the other predicted to be in the cytoplasm. Separation of the mutations showed that each contributed to the altered substrate preference. dctA deletion mutants that contain the mutant dctA alleles on a plasmid can proceed further in symbiotic development than null mutants of dctA, but none of the plasmids could support symbiotic nitrogen fixation, although they can transport dicarboxylates, some at relatively high levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana N Yurgel
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University Pullman, WA 99164-6340, USA
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28
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Yurgel SN, Kahn ML. Dicarboxylate transport by rhizobia. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2004; 28:489-501. [PMID: 15374663 DOI: 10.1016/j.femsre.2004.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2003] [Revised: 01/03/2004] [Accepted: 04/04/2004] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Soil bacteria collectively known as rhizobia are able to convert atmospheric dinitrogen to ammonia while participating in a symbiotic association with legume plants. This capability has made the bacteria an attractive research subject at many levels of investigation, especially since physiological and metabolic specialization are central to this ecological niche. Dicarboxylate transport plays an important role in the operation of an effective, nitrogen-fixing symbiosis and considerable evidence suggests that dicarboxylates are a major energy and carbon source for the nitrogen-fixing rhizobia. The dicarboxylate transport (Dct) system responsible for importing these compounds generally consists of a dicarboxylate carrier protein, DctA, and a two component kinase regulatory system, DctB/DctD. DctA and DctB/D differ in the substrates that they recognize and a model for substrate recognition by DctA and DctB is discussed. In some rhizobia, DctA expression can be induced during symbiosis in the absence of DctB/DctD by an alternative, uncharacterized, mechanism. The DctA protein belongs to a subgroup of the glutamate transporter family now thought to have an unusual structure that combines aspects of permeases and ion channels. While the structure of C(4)-dicarboxylate transporters has not been analyzed in detail, mutagenesis of S. meliloti DctA has produced results consistent with the alignment of the rhizobial protein with the more characterized bacterial and eukaryotic glutamate transporters in this family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana N Yurgel
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6340, USA.
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29
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Larsson HP, Tzingounis AV, Koch HP, Kavanaugh MP. Fluorometric measurements of conformational changes in glutamate transporters. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2004; 101:3951-6. [PMID: 15001707 PMCID: PMC374350 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0306737101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Glutamate transporters remove glutamate from the synaptic cleft to maintain efficient synaptic communication between neurons and to prevent extracellular glutamate concentrations from reaching neurotoxic levels (1). It is thought that glutamate transporters mediate glutamate transport through a reaction cycle with conformational changes between the two major access states that alternatively expose glutamate-binding sites to the extracellular or to the intracellular solution. However, there is no direct real-time evidence for the conformational changes predicted to occur during the transport cycle. In the present study, we used voltage-clamp fluorometry to measure conformational changes in the neuronal excitatory amino acid transporter (EAAT) 3 glutamate transporter covalently labeled with a fluorescent reporter group. Alterations in glutamate and cotransported ion concentrations or in the membrane voltage induced changes in the fluorescence that allowed detection of conformational rearrangements occurring during forward and reverse transport. In addition to the transition between the two major access states, our results show that there are significant Na(+)-dependent conformational changes preceding glutamate binding. We furthermore show that Na(+) and H(+) are cotransported with glutamate in the forward part of the transport cycle. The data further suggest that an increase in proton concentrations slows the reverse transport of glutamate, which may play a neuro-protective role during ischemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Peter Larsson
- Neurological Sciences Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, 505 Northwest 185th Avenue, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA.
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30
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Ryan RM, Mitrovic AD, Vandenberg RJ. The chloride permeation pathway of a glutamate transporter and its proximity to the glutamate translocation pathway. J Biol Chem 2004; 279:20742-51. [PMID: 14982939 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m304433200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) regulate glutamate concentrations in the brain to maintain normal excitatory synaptic transmission. A widely accepted view of transporters is that they consist of a pore with alternating access to the intracellular and extracellular solutions, which serves to couple ion movement to the movement of substrate. However, recent observations that EAATs, and also a number of other neurotransmitter transporters, can also function as ligand-gated chloride channels have blurred the distinctions between transporters and ion channels. Here we show that mutations in the second transmembrane domain (TM2) of EAAT1 alter anion permeation properties without affecting glutamate transport and that a number of TM2 residues are accessible to the external aqueous solution. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the extracellular edge of TM2 is in close proximity to a membrane-associated domain that influences glutamate transport. This study will provide the foundation for beginning to understand how transporters can function as both transporters and ion channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renae M Ryan
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute for Biomedical Research, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
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31
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Grewer C, Watzke N, Rauen T, Bicho A. Is the glutamate residue Glu-373 the proton acceptor of the excitatory amino acid carrier 1? J Biol Chem 2003; 278:2585-92. [PMID: 12419818 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m207956200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Glutamate transport by the neuronal excitatory amino acid carrier (EAAC1) is accompanied by the coupled movement of one proton across the membrane. We have demonstrated previously that the cotransported proton binds to the carrier in the absence of glutamate and, thus, modulates the EAAC1 affinity for glutamate. Here, we used site-directed mutagenesis together with a rapid kinetic technique that allows one to generate sub-millisecond glutamate concentration jumps to locate possible binding sites of the glutamate transporter for the cotransported proton. One candidate for this binding site, the highly conserved glutamic acid residue Glu-373 of EAAC1, was mutated to glutamine. Our results demonstrate that the mutant transporter does not catalyze net transport of glutamate, whereas Na(+)/glutamate homoexchange is unimpaired. Furthermore, the voltage dependence of the rates of Na(+) binding and glutamate translocation are unchanged compared with the wild-type. In contrast to the wild-type, however, homoexchange of the E373Q transporter is completely pH-independent. In line with these findings the transport kinetics of the mutant EAAC1 show no deuterium isotope effect. Thus, we suggest a new transport mechanism, in which Glu-373 forms part of the binding site of EAAC1 for the cotransported proton. In this model, protonation of Glu-373 is required for Na(+)/glutamate translocation, whereas the relocation of the carrier is only possible when Glu-373 is negatively charged. Interestingly, the Glu-373-homologous amino acid residue is glutamine in the related neutral amino acid transporter alanine-serine-cysteine transporter. The function of alanine-serine-cysteine transporter is neither potassium- nor proton-dependent. Consequently, our results emphasize the general importance of glutamate and aspartate residues for proton transport across membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christof Grewer
- Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysik, Kennedyallee 70, Frankfurt D-60596, Germany.
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32
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Fang H, Huang Y, Zuo Z. The different responses of rat glutamate transporter type 2 and its mutant (tyrosine 403 to histidine) activity to volatile anesthetics and activation of protein kinase C. Brain Res 2002; 953:255-64. [PMID: 12384259 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(02)03299-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Glutamate transporters play an important role in homeostasis of extracellular glutamate, a major excitatory neurotransmitter and a potential neurotoxin. In mammalian brain, glutamate transporter type 2 (EAAT2) is the most abundant form. Studies of molecular structures demonstrated that tyrosine 403 is critical in regulating the ion selectivity and transport mode of EAAT2. We hypothesized that wild type EAAT2 and its mutant at tyrosine 403 have different responses to volatile anesthetics, commonly used anesthetics that have been shown to affect glutamate transporter activity and decrease extracellular glutamate concentrations. We used site-directed mutagenesis and oocyte expression systems to test the hypothesis. Volatile anesthetics did not affect the activity of wild type EAAT2, isolated from rat hippocampus. When tyrosine 403 was replaced by histidine (Y403H), volatile anesthetics (isoflurane or halothane) at clinically relevant concentrations significantly decreased the transporter activity. Okadaic acid, a phosphatase inhibitor, significantly prolonged the isoflurane-induced inhibition. This inhibition was reversed by staurosporine and calphostin C, two protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors, but not by the third PKC inhibitor, chelerythrine. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, a PKC activator, inhibited the activity of both wild type and Y403H EAAT2. This inhibition was also reversed by the same two PKC inhibitors but not by the third one. These results suggest that the switch of tyrosine 403 to histidine rendered EAAT2 sensitive to volatile anesthetics, a phenomenon that may require protein phosphorylation. PKC may be involved in the regulation of the activity of both wild type and Y403H EAAT2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyu Fang
- Department of Anesthesiology, P.O. Box 800710, University of Virginia Health System, One Hospital Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0710, USA
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33
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Kanner BI, Borre L. The dual-function glutamate transporters: structure and molecular characterisation of the substrate-binding sites. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA 2002; 1555:92-5. [PMID: 12206897 DOI: 10.1016/s0005-2728(02)00260-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Glutamate transporters are essential for terminating synaptic excitation and for maintaining extracellular glutamate concentrations below neurotoxic levels. These transporters also mediate a thermodynamically uncoupled chloride flux, activated by two of the molecules they transport, sodium and glutamate. Five eukaryotic glutamate transporters have been cloned and identified. They exhibit approximately 50% identity and this homology is even greater at the carboxyl terminal half, which is predicted to have an unusual topology. Determination of the topology shows that the carboxyl terminal part contains several transmembrane domains separated by two reentrant loops that are in close proximity to each other. We have identified several conserved amino acid residues in the carboxyl terminal half that play crucial roles in the interaction of the transporter with its substrates: sodium, potassium and glutamate. The conformation of the transporter gating the anion conductance is different from that during substrate translocation. However, there exists a dynamic equilibrium between these conformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- B I Kanner
- Department of Biochemistry, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
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34
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Leighton BH, Seal RP, Shimamoto K, Amara SG. A hydrophobic domain in glutamate transporters forms an extracellular helix associated with the permeation pathway for substrates. J Biol Chem 2002; 277:29847-55. [PMID: 12015317 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m202508200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent work has shown that cysteine residues introduced into domain 10, a highly hydrophobic segment in the excitatory amino acid transporter 1, react readily when hydrophilic sulfhydryl-modifying reagents are applied extracellularly. To investigate the functional contributions of this region, we mutated each residue in domain 10 (Ala(446)-Gly(459)) to cysteine and assessed the transport kinetics and inhibitor sensitivities of the mutant carriers. Modification of the introduced sulfhydryl group with membrane-impermeant methanethiosulfonate derivatives inhibited substrate transport by all but one functional cysteine mutant. Substrates and/or non-transported inhibitors block thiol modification of most mutants within this region, implying that access to the domain becomes restricted as a consequence of the binding of substrates and substrate analogs. An examination of the temperature dependence of substrate protection for one mutant (I453C) indicates that substrates prevent modification at a step prior to the large conformational changes associated with translocation. When superimposed on a helical model, mutants with similar attributes are positioned in close proximity. Our data are consistent with a model in which domain 10 exists as an alpha-helix at an aqueous interface of the translocation pathway, which can be directly occluded by substrates and inhibitors at an early step in the transport cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara H Leighton
- Vollum Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Oregon Health & Sciences University, Portland, Oregon 97201, USA
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35
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MacAulay N, Gether U, Klaeke DA, Zeuthen T. Passive water and urea permeability of a human Na(+)-glutamate cotransporter expressed in Xenopus oocytes. J Physiol 2002; 542:817-28. [PMID: 12154181 PMCID: PMC2290454 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2002.020586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The human Na(+)-glutamate transporter (EAAT1) was expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. The passive water permeability, L(p), was derived from volume changes of the oocyte induced by changes in the external osmolarity. Oocytes were subjected to two-electrode voltage clamp. In the presence of Na(+), the EAAT1-specific (defined in Discussion) L(p) increased linearly with positive clamp potentials, the L(p) being around 23 % larger at +50 mV than at -50 mV. L-Glutamate increased the EAAT1-specific L(p) by up to 40 %. The K(0.5) for the glutamate-dependent increase was 20 +/- 6 microM, which is similar to the K(0.5) value for glutamate activation of transport. The specific inhibitor DL-threo-beta-benzyloxyaspartate (TBOA) reduced the EAAT1-specific L(p) to 72 %. EAAT1 supported passive fluxes of [(14)C]urea and [(14)C]glycerol. The [(14)C]urea flux was increased in the presence of glutamate. The data suggest that the permeability depends on the conformational equilibrium of the EAAT1. At positive potentials and in the presence of Na(+) and glutamate, the pore is enlarged and water and urea penetrate more readily. The L(p) was larger when measured with urea or glycerol as osmolytes as compared with mannitol. Apparently, the properties of the pore are not uniform along its length. The outer section may accommodate urea and glycerol in an osmotically active form, giving rise to larger water fluxes. The physiological role of EAAT1 for water homeostasis in the central nervous system is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanna MacAulay
- The Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3C, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.
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36
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Grunewald M, Menaker D, Kanner BI. Cysteine-scanning mutagenesis reveals a conformationally sensitive reentrant pore-loop in the glutamate transporter GLT-1. J Biol Chem 2002; 277:26074-80. [PMID: 11994293 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m202248200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Removal of glutamate from the synaptic cleft by (Na(+) + K(+))-coupled transporters prevents neurotoxicity due to elevated concentrations of the transmitter. These transporters exhibit an unusual topology, including two reentrant loops. Reentrant loop II plays a pivotal role in coupling ion and glutamate fluxes. Here we used cysteine-scanning mutagenesis of the GLT-1 transporter to test the idea that this loop undergoes conformational changes following sodium and substrate binding. 15 of 22 consecutive single cysteine mutants in the stretch between Gly-422 and Ser-443 exhibited 30-100% of the transport activity of the cysteine-less transporter when expressed in HeLa cells. The transport activity of 11 of the 15 active mutants including five consecutive residues in the ascending limb was inhibited by small hydrophilic methanethiosulfonate reagents. The sensitivity of seven cysteine mutants, including A438C and S440C, to the reagents was significantly reduced by sodium ions, but the opposite was true for A439C. The non-transportable analogue dihydrokainate protected at almost all positions throughout the loop, and at two of the positions, the analogue protected even in the absence of sodium. Our results indicate that reentrant loop II forms part of an aqueous pore, the access of which is blocked by the glutamate analogue dihydrokainate, and that sodium influences the conformation of this pore-loop.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam Grunewald
- Department of Biochemistry, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
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37
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Parker SL, Parker MS, Kane JK, Berglund MM. A pool of Y2 neuropeptide Y receptors activated by modifiers of membrane sulfhydryl or cholesterol balance. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY 2002; 269:2315-22. [PMID: 11985613 DOI: 10.1046/j.1432-1033.2002.02903.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The cloned guinea-pig Y2 neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptors expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, as well as the Y2 receptors natively expressed in rat forebrain, are distributed in two populations. A smaller population that is readily accessed by agonist peptides on the surface of intact cells constitutes less than 30% of Y2 receptors detected in particulates after cell homogenization. A much larger fraction of cell surface Y2 sites can be activated by sulfhydryl modifiers. A fast and large activation of these masked or cryptic sites could be obtained with membrane-permeating, vicinal cysteine-bridging arsenical phenylarsine oxide. A lower activation is effected by N-ethylmaleimide, an alkylator that slowly penetrates lipid bilayers. The restricted-access alkylator, 2-[(trimethylammonium)ethyl]methanethiosulfonate, was not effective in unmasking these sites. Some of the hidden cell surface Y2 sites could be activated by polyene filipin III through complexing of membrane cholesterol. The results are consistent with the presence of a large Y2 reserve in a compartment that can be accessed by alteration of sulfhydryl balance or fluidity of the cell membrane, and by treatments that affect the anchoring and aggregation of membrane proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven L Parker
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Memphis 38163, USA.
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38
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Ryan RM, Vandenberg RJ. Distinct conformational states mediate the transport and anion channel properties of the glutamate transporter EAAT-1. J Biol Chem 2002; 277:13494-500. [PMID: 11815608 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m109970200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Glutamate transport by the excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) is coupled to the co-transport of 3 Na(+), 1 H(+), and the counter-transport of 1 K(+) ion. In addition to coupled ion fluxes, glutamate and Na(+) binding to the transporter activates a thermodynamically uncoupled anion conductance through the transporter. In this study, we have distinguished between these two conductance states of the EAAT-1 transporter using a [2-(trimethylammonium)ethyl]methanethiosulfonate-modified V452C mutant transporter. Glutamate binds to the modified mutant transporter and activates the uncoupled anion conductance but is not transported. The selective alteration of the transport function without altering the anion channel function of the V452C mutant transporter suggests that the two functions are generated by distinct conformational states of the transporter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renae M Ryan
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
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39
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Balcar VJ. Molecular pharmacology of the Na+-dependent transport of acidic amino acids in the mammalian central nervous system. Biol Pharm Bull 2002; 25:291-301. [PMID: 11913521 DOI: 10.1248/bpb.25.291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The Na+-dependent transport of L-glutamate (GluT) has been identified in brain tissue more than thirty years ago. Neurochemical studies, performed in various experimental models during 1970's, defined the basic rules for the selection or synthesis of GluT-specific substrates and inhibitors. The protein molecules (transporters) that mediate the translocation of the substrates across the plasma membrane have been cloned and studied during the last ten years. The sites on the transporters that bind the substrates favour glutamate-like or aspartate-like molecules with one positively charged and two negatively charged ionised groups. Substituents at C3 and C4 are often tolerated but substitutions at C2 or alterations of the ionisable groups usually impede the binding. The substrate binding sites display an "anomalous" selectivity towards stereoisomers. These structural requirements are shared by all Na+-dependent glutamate transporters thus making the design of transporter-selective ligands a challenging task. Moreover, the molecular mechanisms of the transport have not yet been adequately elucidated. Data from a wide variety of experimental studies strongly indicate that Na+-dependent GluT regulates the functioning of the glutamatergic excitatory synapses-the most important rapid inter-neuronal signalling system in the mammalian brain. Altered structural and/or functional properties of the Na+-dependent glutamate transporters have been implicated in the damage to the brain tissue following cerebral ischaemia and in the progressive loss of neurons in conditions such as Alzheimer dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Furthermore, it seems that fine-tuning of glutamatergic neurotransmission by regulating the Na+-dependent GluT could be useful in the therapy of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Josef Balcar
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa, Japan.
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40
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Brocke L, Bendahan A, Grunewald M, Kanner BI. Proximity of two oppositely oriented reentrant loops in the glutamate transporter GLT-1 identified by paired cysteine mutagenesis. J Biol Chem 2002; 277:3985-92. [PMID: 11724778 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m107735200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Sodium- and potassium-coupled transporters clear the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate from the synaptic cleft. Their function is essential for effective glutamatergic neurotransmission. Glutamate transporters have an unusual topology, containing eight membrane-spanning domains and two reentrant loops of opposite orientation. We have introduced pairwise cysteine substitutions in several structural elements of the GLT-1 transporter. A complete inhibition of transport by Cu(II)(1,10-phenanthroline)(3) is observed in the double mutants A412C/V427C and A364C/S440C, but not in the corresponding single mutants. No inhibition is observed in more then 20 other double cysteine mutants. The Cu(II)(1,10-phenanthroline)(3) inhibition can be partly prevented by the nontransportable glutamate analogue dihydrokainate. Treatment with dithiothreitol restores much of the transport activity. Moreover, micromolar concentrations of cadmium ions reversibly inhibit transport catalyzed by A412C/V427C and A364C/S440C double mutants, but not by the corresponding single mutants. Inhibition by Cu(II)(1,10-phenanthroline)(3) and by cadmium is only observed when the cysteine pairs are introduced in the same polypeptide. Therefore, in both cases the proximity appears to be intra- rather than intermolecular. Positions 364 and 440 are located on reentrant loop I and II, respectively. Our results suggest that these two loops, previously shown to be essential for glutamate transport, come in close proximity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihi Brocke
- Department of Biochemistry, Hadassah Medical School, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
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41
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Slotboom DJ, Konings WN, Lolkema JS. Glutamate transporters combine transporter- and channel-like features. Trends Biochem Sci 2001; 26:534-9. [PMID: 11551789 DOI: 10.1016/s0968-0004(01)01925-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Glutamate transporters in the mammalian central nervous system have a unique position among secondary transport proteins as they exhibit glutamate-gated chloride-channel activity in addition to glutamate-transport activity. In this article, the available data on the structure of the glutamate transporters are compared with high-resolution crystal structures of channel proteins. In addition, binding-site properties of glutamate transporters, and the ligand-binding site of an ionotropic glutamate receptor of which the crystal structure is known, are compared. Possible structural solutions for the combination of channel and transporter activity in one membrane protein are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Slotboom
- Dept of Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, 9751 NN Haren, The Netherlands
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42
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Abstract
Brain tissue has a remarkable ability to accumulate glutamate. This ability is due to glutamate transporter proteins present in the plasma membranes of both glial cells and neurons. The transporter proteins represent the only (significant) mechanism for removal of glutamate from the extracellular fluid and their importance for the long-term maintenance of low and non-toxic concentrations of glutamate is now well documented. In addition to this simple, but essential glutamate removal role, the glutamate transporters appear to have more sophisticated functions in the modulation of neurotransmission. They may modify the time course of synaptic events, the extent and pattern of activation and desensitization of receptors outside the synaptic cleft and at neighboring synapses (intersynaptic cross-talk). Further, the glutamate transporters provide glutamate for synthesis of e.g. GABA, glutathione and protein, and for energy production. They also play roles in peripheral organs and tissues (e.g. bone, heart, intestine, kidneys, pancreas and placenta). Glutamate uptake appears to be modulated on virtually all possible levels, i.e. DNA transcription, mRNA splicing and degradation, protein synthesis and targeting, and actual amino acid transport activity and associated ion channel activities. A variety of soluble compounds (e.g. glutamate, cytokines and growth factors) influence glutamate transporter expression and activities. Neither the normal functioning of glutamatergic synapses nor the pathogenesis of major neurological diseases (e.g. cerebral ischemia, hypoglycemia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy and schizophrenia) as well as non-neurological diseases (e.g. osteoporosis) can be properly understood unless more is learned about these transporter proteins. Like glutamate itself, glutamate transporters are somehow involved in almost all aspects of normal and abnormal brain activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- N C Danbolt
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1105, Blindern, N-0317, Oslo, Norway
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43
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Slotboom DJ, Konings WN, Lolkema JS. Cysteine-scanning mutagenesis reveals a highly amphipathic, pore-lining membrane-spanning helix in the glutamate transporter GltT. J Biol Chem 2001; 276:10775-81. [PMID: 11148213 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m011064200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The carboxyl-terminal membrane-spanning segment 8 of the glutamate transporter GltT of Bacillus stearothermophilus was studied by cysteine-scanning mutagenesis. 21 single cysteine mutants were constructed in a stretch ranging from Gly-374 to Gln-404. Two mutants were not expressed, four were inactive, and two showed severely reduced glutamate transport activity. Cysteine mutations at the other positions were well tolerated. Only the two most amino- and carboxyl-terminal mutants (G374C, I375C, S399C, and Q404C) could be labeled with the large thiol reagent fluorescein maleimide, indicating unrestricted access and a location in a loop structure outside the membrane. The labeling pattern of these mutants using membrane- permeable and -impermeable thiol reagents showed that the N and C termini of the mutated stretch are located extra- and intracellularly, respectively. Thus, the location of the membrane-spanning segment was confined to a stretch of 23 residues between Gly-374 and Ser-399. Cysteine residues in three mutants in the central part of the segment (M381C, V388C, and N391C) could be labeled with the small and flexible reagent 2-aminoethyl methanethiosulfonate hydrobromide only, suggesting accessibility via a narrow aqueous pore. When the region was modeled as an alpha-helix, all positions at which cysteine mutations lead to inactive or severely impaired transporters cluster on one face of this helix. The inactive mutants showed neither proton motive force-driven uptake activity nor exchange activity nor glutamate binding. The results indicate that transmembrane segment 8 forms an amphipathic alpha-helix. The hydrophilic face of the helix lines an aqueous pore and contains many residues that are important for activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Slotboom
- Department of Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, 9751 NN Haren, The Netherlands
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44
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Slotboom DJ, Konings WN, Lolkema JS. The structure of glutamate transporters shows channel-like features. FEBS Lett 2001; 492:183-6. [PMID: 11257491 DOI: 10.1016/s0014-5793(01)02223-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Neuronal and glial glutamate transporters remove the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate from the synaptic cleft and thus prevent neurotoxicity. The proteins belong to a large family of secondary transporters, which includes transporters from a variety of bacterial, archaeal and eukaryotic organisms. The transporters consist of eight membrane-spanning alpha-helices and two pore-loop structures, which are unique among secondary transporters but may resemble pore-loops found in ion channels. Another distinctive structural feature is the presence of a highly amphipathic membrane-spanning alpha-helix that provides a hydrophilic path through the membrane. The unusual structural features of the transporters are discussed in relation to their function.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Slotboom
- Department of Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Kerklaan 30, 9751 NN, Haren, The Netherlands
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45
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Djali S, Dawson LA. Characterization of endogenous amino acid efflux from hippocampal slices during chemically-induced ischemia. Neurochem Res 2001; 26:135-43. [PMID: 11478740 DOI: 10.1023/a:1011094728469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Using sodium (NaN3)-induced anoxia plus aglycaemia as a model of chemically-induced ischemia, we have characterized the endogenous release of excitatory and inhibitory amino acids from superfused hippocampal slices. Chemical ischemia produced an azide (1-30 mM) dose-dependent increase in the efflux of glutamate, aspartate and GABA. These increases were attenuated to varying degrees by removal of Ca2+, or the addition of the voltage dependent Na+-channel blocker tetrodotoxin (TTX), the selective Ca2+ channel blockers conotoxin MVIIA, MVIIC, and nifedipine, the NMDA antagonist MK801, the AMPA antagonist GYKI-52466. Similarly, addition of the GLT-1 glutamate transport inhibitor dihydrokainate (DHK) and the anti-estrogen/anion channel blocker tamoxifen also attenuated the efflux of glutamate and GABA. It would therefore appear that the increases in amino acid efflux induced by chemical ischemia originates from both the neuronal pool, via conventional exocytotic release, and glial sources via reversal of the GLT-1 transporter and anion channel regulated cell swelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Djali
- Neuroscience Research, Wyeth Ayerst, Princeton, NJ 08543-8000, USA
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46
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Parker SL, Kane JK, Parker MS, Berglund MM, Lundell IA, Li MD. Cloned neuropeptide Y (NPY) Y1 and pancreatic polypeptide Y4 receptors expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells show considerable agonist-driven internalization, in contrast to the NPY Y2 receptor. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY 2001; 268:877-86. [PMID: 11179953 DOI: 10.1046/j.1432-1327.2001.01966.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Guinea-pig neuropeptide Y1 and rat pancreatic polypeptide Y4 receptors expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells were internalized rapidly upon attachment of selective peptide agonists. The Y1 and Y2, but not the Y4, receptor also internalized the nonselective neuropeptide Y receptor agonist, human/rat neuropeptide Y. The internalization of guinea-pig neuropeptide Y2 receptor expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells was small at 37 degrees C, and essentially absent at or below 15 degrees C, possibly in connection to the large molecular size of the receptor-ligand complexes (up to 400 kDa for the internalized fraction). The rate of intake was strongly temperature dependent, with essentially no internalization at 6 degrees C for any receptor. Internalized receptors were largely associated with light, endosome-like particulates. Sucrose dose-dependently decreased the internalization rate for all receptors, while affecting ligand attachment to cell membrane sites much less. Internalization of the Y1 and the Y4 receptors could be blocked, and that of the Y2 receptor significantly inhibited, by phenylarsine oxide, which also unmasked spare cell-surface receptors especially abundant for the Y2 subtype. The restoration of Y1 and Y4 receptors after agonist peptide pretreatment was decreased significantly by cycloheximide and monensin. Thus, in Chinese hamster ovary cells the Y1 and Y4 receptors have much larger subcellular dynamics than the Y2 receptor. This differential could also hold in organismic systems, and is comparable with the known differences in internalization of angiotensin, bradykinin, somatostatin and opioid receptor subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- S L Parker
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
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47
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Bendahan A, Armon A, Madani N, Kavanaugh MP, Kanner BI. Arginine 447 plays a pivotal role in substrate interactions in a neuronal glutamate transporter. J Biol Chem 2000; 275:37436-42. [PMID: 10978338 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m006536200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Glutamate transporters from the central nervous system play a crucial role in the clearance of the transmitter from the synaptic cleft. Glutamate is cotransported with sodium ions, and the electrogenic translocation cycle is completed by countertransport of potassium. Mutants that cannot interact with potassium are only capable of catalyzing electroneutral exchange. Here we identify a residue involved in controlling substrate recognition in the neuronal transporter EAAC-1 that transports acidic amino acids as well as cysteine. When arginine 447, a residue conserved in all glutamate transporters, is replaced by cysteine, transport of glutamate or aspartate is abolished, but sodium-dependent cysteine transport is left intact. Analysis of other substitution mutants shows that the replacement of arginine rather than the introduced cysteine is responsible for the observed phenotype. In further contrast to wild type, acidic amino acids are unable to inhibit cysteine transport in R447C-EAAC-1, indicating that the selectivity change is manifested at the binding step. Electrophysiological analysis shows that in the mutant cysteine, transport has become electroneutral, and its interaction with the countertransported potassium is impaired. Thus arginine 447 plays a pivotal role in the sequential interaction of acidic amino acids and potassium with the transporter and, thereby, constitutes one of the molecular determinants of coupling their fluxes.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Bendahan
- Department of Biochemistry, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
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48
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Dawson LA, Djali S, Gonzales C, Vinegra MA, Zaleska MM. Characterization of transient focal ischemia-induced increases in extracellular glutamate and aspartate in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Brain Res Bull 2000; 53:767-76. [PMID: 11179841 DOI: 10.1016/s0361-9230(00)00363-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Using middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and in vivo microdialysis, we have evaluated the changes in extracellular concentrations of the excitatory amino acids (EAA) glutamate and aspartate during varying periods of MCAO (0, 30, 60 min) in the striatum of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). A positive correlation between occlusion time-dependent elevations in EAAs and the resulting ischemic injury was observed. This is the first demonstration of the temporal profile of EAA efflux during transient focal ischemia in SHRs. Possible sources and mechanisms of ischemia-induced EAA efflux were examined during 60 min of MCAO. Removal of Ca(2+) from the microdialysis infusion media significantly attenuated ischemia-induced increases in both glutamate (from ischemic peak of 4892 +/- 1298 to 1144 +/- 666% of preischemic values) and aspartate (from 2703 +/- 682 to 2090 +/- 599% of preischemic values). Similarly, infusion of the voltage dependent Na(+) channel blocker tetrodotoxin (TTX; 10 microM) significantly attenuated MCAO-induced increases in glutamate (to 1313 +/- 648%) and aspartate (to 359 +/- 114%). Infusion of the GLT-1 selective nontransportable inhibitor, dihydrokainate (DHK; 1 mM) also significantly attenuated the ischemia-induced increases in both EAAs (1285 +/- 508 and 1366 +/- 741% of the preischemic levels, respectively). These results indicate that during transient focal ischemia the increase in extracellular EAAs originates from both the neuronal pool, via conventional exocytotic release, and glial sources via the reversal of the GLT-1 transporter.
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Affiliation(s)
- L A Dawson
- Neuroscience Research, Wyeth Ayerst, Princeton, NJ 08543-8000, USA.
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49
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Li J, Fei J, Huang F, Guo LH, Schwarz W. Functional significance of N- and C-terminus of the amino acid transporters EAAC1 and ASCT1: characterization of chimeric transporters. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA 2000; 1467:338-46. [PMID: 11030592 DOI: 10.1016/s0005-2736(00)00232-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
To localize functionally significant domains in the amino acid transporters of mouse brain mEAAC1 and mASCT1, cRNA encoding for wild-type and chimeric transporters was injected into Xenopus oocytes. Activity of expressed transporters was investigated by measurements of uptake of 3H-labeled glutamate and serine and of glutamate- and serine-induced currents under voltage clamp. Though all transporters accept glutamate and serine as substrate, the central part of the protein (Ala94-Met418 of mEAAC1 and Ala119-Ile393 of mASCT1) determines substrate selectivity. The C-terminus rectifies the interaction with the respective substrate. A channel mode of the glutamate transporter can be activated by glutamate and serine, and the N- and C-termini of the mEAAC1 seem to be essential for the channel formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Li
- Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysics, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
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50
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Saier MH. Families of transmembrane transporters selective for amino acids and their derivatives. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2000; 146 ( Pt 8):1775-1795. [PMID: 10931885 DOI: 10.1099/00221287-146-8-1775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Milton H Saier
- Department of Biology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0116, USA1
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