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Olander ER, Janzen D, Villmann C, Jensen AA. Comparison of biophysical properties of α1β2 and α3β2 GABAA receptors in whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiological recordings. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0234080. [PMID: 32479525 PMCID: PMC7263626 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In the present study we have characterized the biophysical properties of wild-type (WT) α1β2 and α3β2 GABAA receptors and probed the molecular basis for the observed differences. The activation and desensitization behavior and the residual currents of the receptors expressed in HEK293 cells were determined in whole-cell patch clamp recordings. Kinetic parameters of α1β2 and α3β2 activation differed significantly, with α1β2 and α3β2 exhibiting rise times (10–90%) of 24 ± 2 ms and 51 ± 7 ms, respectively. In contrast, the two receptors exhibited largely comparable desensitization behavior with decay currents that could be fitted to exponential functions with two or three components. Most notably, the two receptor compositions displayed different degrees of desentization, with the residual currents of α1β2 and α3β2 constituting 34 ± 2% and 21 ± 2% of the peak current, respectively. The respective contributions of the extracellular domains and the transmembrane/intracellular domains of the α-subunit to these physiological profiles were next assessed in recordings from cells expressing αβ2 receptors comprising chimeric α-subunits. The rise times displayed by α1ECD/α3TMDβ2 and α3ECD/α1TMDβ2 receptors were intermediate to those of WT α1β2 and WT α3β2, and the distribution of the different components of the current decays exhibited by the two chimeric receptors followed the same pattern as the two WT receptors. The residual current exhibited by α1ECD/α3TMDβ2 (23 ± 3%) was similar to that of α3β2 but significantly different from that of α1β2, whereas the residual current displayed by α3ECD/α1TMDβ2 (27 ± 2%) was intermediate to and did not differ significantly from either of the WT receptors. This points to molecular differences in the transmembrane/intracellular domains of the α-subunit as the main determinants of the observed differences in receptor physiology between α1β2 and α3β2 receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Rie Olander
- Institute for Clinical Neurobiology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Dieter Janzen
- Institute for Clinical Neurobiology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Carmen Villmann
- Institute for Clinical Neurobiology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- * E-mail: (CV); (AAJ)
| | - Anders A. Jensen
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- * E-mail: (CV); (AAJ)
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Signalling assemblies: the odds of symmetry. Biochem Soc Trans 2017; 45:599-611. [PMID: 28620024 DOI: 10.1042/bst20170009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Revised: 02/27/2017] [Accepted: 02/28/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The assembly of proteins into complexes is fundamental to nearly all biological signalling processes. Symmetry is a dominant feature of the structures of experimentally determined protein complexes, observed in the vast majority of homomers and many heteromers. However, some asymmetric structures exist, and asymmetry also often forms transiently, intractable to traditional structure determination methods. Here, we explore the role of protein complex symmetry and asymmetry in cellular signalling, focusing on receptors, transcription factors and transmembrane channels, among other signalling assemblies. We highlight a recurrent tendency for asymmetry to be crucial for signalling function, often being associated with activated states. We conclude with a discussion of how consideration of protein complex symmetry and asymmetry has significant potential implications and applications for pharmacology and human disease.
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Langlhofer G, Villmann C. The role of charged residues in independent glycine receptor folding domains for intermolecular interactions and ion channel function. J Neurochem 2017; 142:41-55. [PMID: 28429370 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.14049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2016] [Revised: 03/18/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Glycine receptor (GlyR) truncations in the intracellular TM3-4 loop, documented in patients suffering from hyperekplexia and in the mouse mutant oscillator, lead to non-functionality of GlyRs. The missing part that contains the TM3-4 loop, TM4 and C-terminal sequences is essential for pentameric receptor arrangements. In vitro co-expressions of GlyRα1-truncated N-domains and C-domains were able to restore ion channel function. An ionic interaction between both domains was hypothesized as the underlying mechanism. Here, we analysed the proposed ionic interaction between GlyR N- and C-domains using C-terminal constructs with either positively or negatively charged N-termini. Charged residues at the N-terminus of the C-domain did interfere with receptor surface expression and ion channel function. In particular, presence of negatively charged residues at the N-terminus led to significantly decreased ion channel function. Presence of positive charges resulted in reduced maximal currents possibly as a result of repulsion of both domains. If the C-domain was tagged by a myc-epitope, low maximal current amplitudes were detected. Intrinsic charges of the myc-epitope and charged N-terminal ends of the C-domain most probably induce intramolecular interactions. These interactions might hinder the close proximity of C-domains and N-domains, which is a prerequisite for functional ion channel configurations. The remaining basic subdomains close to TM3 and 4 were sufficient for domain complementation and functional ion channel formation. Thus, these basic subdomains forming α-helical elements or an intracellular portal represent attractants for incoming negatively charged chloride ions and interact with the phospholipids thereby stabilizing the GlyR in a conformation that allows ion channel opening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Langlhofer
- Institute for Clinical Neurobiology, Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Carmen Villmann
- Institute for Clinical Neurobiology, Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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Raltschev C, Hetsch F, Winkelmann A, Meier JC, Semtner M. Electrophysiological Signature of Homomeric and Heteromeric Glycine Receptor Channels. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:18030-40. [PMID: 27382060 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.735084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycine receptors are chloride-permeable, ligand-gated ion channels and contribute to the inhibition of neuronal firing in the central nervous system or to facilitation of neurotransmitter release if expressed at presynaptic sites. Recent structure-function studies have provided detailed insights into the mechanisms of channel gating, desensitization, and ion permeation. However, most of the work has focused only on comparing a few isoforms, and among studies, different cellular expression systems were used. Here, we performed a series of experiments using recombinantly expressed homomeric and heteromeric glycine receptor channels, including their splice variants, in the same cellular expression system to investigate and compare their electrophysiological properties. Our data show that the current-voltage relationships of homomeric channels formed by the α2 or α3 subunits change upon receptor desensitization from a linear to an inwardly rectifying shape, in contrast to their heteromeric counterparts. The results demonstrate that inward rectification depends on a single amino acid (Ala(254)) at the inner pore mouth of the channels and is closely linked to chloride permeation. We also show that the current-voltage relationships of glycine-evoked currents in primary hippocampal neurons are inwardly rectifying upon desensitization. Thus, the alanine residue Ala(254) determines voltage-dependent rectification upon receptor desensitization and reveals a physio-molecular signature of homomeric glycine receptor channels, which provides unprecedented opportunities for the identification of these channels at the single cell level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constanze Raltschev
- From the Department of Biomedicine, Cellular Neurophysiology, University of Basel, Pestalozzistrasse 20, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Florian Hetsch
- the Division of Cell Physiology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstrasse 7, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany, and
| | - Aline Winkelmann
- the Division of Cell Physiology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstrasse 7, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany, and
| | - Jochen C Meier
- the Division of Cell Physiology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstrasse 7, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany, and
| | - Marcus Semtner
- Cellular Neurosciences, Max-Delbrück-Centrum für Molekulare Medizin (MDC), Robert-Rössle-Strasse 10, 13092 Berlin, Germany
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Langlhofer G, Villmann C. The Intracellular Loop of the Glycine Receptor: It's not all about the Size. Front Mol Neurosci 2016; 9:41. [PMID: 27330534 PMCID: PMC4891346 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2016.00041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2016] [Accepted: 05/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The family of Cys-loop receptors (CLRs) shares a high degree of homology and sequence identity. The overall structural elements are highly conserved with a large extracellular domain (ECD) harboring an α-helix and 10 β-sheets. Following the ECD, four transmembrane domains (TMD) are connected by intracellular and extracellular loop structures. Except the TM3–4 loop, their length comprises 7–14 residues. The TM3–4 loop forms the largest part of the intracellular domain (ICD) and exhibits the most variable region between all CLRs. The ICD is defined by the TM3–4 loop together with the TM1–2 loop preceding the ion channel pore. During the last decade, crystallization approaches were successful for some members of the CLR family. To allow crystallization, the intracellular loop was in most structures replaced by a short linker present in prokaryotic CLRs. Therefore, no structural information about the large TM3–4 loop of CLRs including the glycine receptors (GlyRs) is available except for some basic stretches close to TM3 and TM4. The intracellular loop has been intensively studied with regard to functional aspects including desensitization, modulation of channel physiology by pharmacological substances, posttranslational modifications, and motifs important for trafficking. Furthermore, the ICD interacts with scaffold proteins enabling inhibitory synapse formation. This review focuses on attempts to define structural and functional elements within the ICD of GlyRs discussed with the background of protein-protein interactions and functional channel formation in the absence of the TM3–4 loop.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Langlhofer
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, University of Würzburg Würzburg, Germany
| | - Carmen Villmann
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, University of Würzburg Würzburg, Germany
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Krauson AJ, Carattino MD. The Thumb Domain Mediates Acid-sensing Ion Channel Desensitization. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:11407-19. [PMID: 27015804 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.702316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are cation-selective proton-gated channels expressed in neurons that participate in diverse physiological processes, including nociception, synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory. ASIC subunits contain intracellular N and C termini, two transmembrane domains that constitute the pore, and a large extracellular loop with defined domains termed the finger, β-ball, thumb, palm, and knuckle. Here we examined the contribution of the finger, β-ball, and thumb domains to activation and desensitization through the analysis of chimeras and the assessment of the effect of covalent modification of introduced Cys at the domain-domain interfaces. Our studies with ASIC1a-ASIC2a chimeras showed that swapping the thumb domain between subunits results in faster channel desensitization. Likewise, the covalent modification of Cys residues at selected positions in the β-ball-thumb interface accelerates the desensitization of the mutant channels. Studies of accessibility with thiol-reactive reagents revealed that the β-ball and thumb domains reside apart in the resting state but that they become closer to each other in response to extracellular acidification. We propose that the thumb domain moves upon continuous exposure to an acidic extracellular milieu, assisting with the closing of the pore during channel desensitization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aram J Krauson
- From the Renal-Electrolyte Division, Department of Medicine, and
| | - Marcelo D Carattino
- From the Renal-Electrolyte Division, Department of Medicine, and Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261
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Maleeva G, Buldakova S, Bregestovski P. Selective potentiation of alpha 1 glycine receptors by ginkgolic acid. Front Mol Neurosci 2015; 8:64. [PMID: 26578878 PMCID: PMC4624854 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2015.00064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2015] [Accepted: 10/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycine receptors (GlyRs) belong to the superfamily of pentameric cys-loop receptor-operated channels and are involved in numerous physiological functions, including movement, vision, and pain. In search for compounds performing subunit-specific modulation of GlyRs we studied action of ginkgolic acid, an abundant Ginkgo biloba product. Using patch-clamp recordings, we analyzed the effects of ginkgolic acid in concentrations from 30 nM to 25 μM on α1–α3 and α1/β, α2/β configurations of GlyR and on GABAARs expressed in cultured CHO-K1 cells and mouse neuroblastoma (N2a) cells. Ginkgolic acid caused an increase in the amplitude of currents mediated by homomeric α1 and heteromeric α1/β GlyRs and provoked a left-shift of the concentration-dependent curves for glycine. Even at high concentrations (10–25 μM) ginkgolic acid was not able to augment ionic currents mediated by α2, α2/β, and α3 GlyRs, or by GABAAR consisting of α1/β2/γ2 subunits. Mutation of three residues (T59A/A261G/A303S) in the α2 GlyR subunit to the corresponding ones from the α1 converted the action of ginkgolic acid to potentiation with a distinct decrease in EC50 for glycine, suggesting an important role for these residues in modulation by ginkgolic acid. Our results suggest that ginkgolic acid is a novel selective enhancer of α1 GlyRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galyna Maleeva
- Aix Marseille Université, INS UMR_S 1106 Marseille, France ; INSERM, UMR_S 1106 Marseille, France ; Department of Cytology, Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Svetlana Buldakova
- Aix Marseille Université, INS UMR_S 1106 Marseille, France ; INSERM, UMR_S 1106 Marseille, France
| | - Piotr Bregestovski
- Aix Marseille Université, INS UMR_S 1106 Marseille, France ; INSERM, UMR_S 1106 Marseille, France
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Langlhofer G, Janzen D, Meiselbach H, Villmann C. Length of the TM3-4 loop of the glycine receptor modulates receptor desensitization. Neurosci Lett 2015; 600:176-81. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2015.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2015] [Revised: 05/11/2015] [Accepted: 06/07/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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