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Platholi J, Hemmings HC. Effects of general anesthetics on synaptic transmission and plasticity. Curr Neuropharmacol 2021; 20:27-54. [PMID: 34344292 PMCID: PMC9199550 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x19666210803105232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
General anesthetics depress excitatory and/or enhance inhibitory synaptic transmission principally by modulating the function of glutamatergic or GABAergic synapses, respectively, with relative anesthetic agent-specific mechanisms. Synaptic signaling proteins, including ligand- and voltage-gated ion channels, are targeted by general anesthetics to modulate various synaptic mechanisms, including presynaptic neurotransmitter release, postsynaptic receptor signaling, and dendritic spine dynamics to produce their characteristic acute neurophysiological effects. As synaptic structure and plasticity mediate higher-order functions such as learning and memory, long-term synaptic dysfunction following anesthesia may lead to undesirable neurocognitive consequences depending on the specific anesthetic agent and the vulnerability of the population. Here we review the cellular and molecular mechanisms of transient and persistent general anesthetic alterations of synaptic transmission and plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimcy Platholi
- Cornell University Joan and Sanford I Weill Medical College Ringgold standard institution - Anesthesiology New York, New York. United States
| | - Hugh C Hemmings
- Cornell University Joan and Sanford I Weill Medical College Ringgold standard institution - Anesthesiology New York, New York. United States
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2
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Bregestovski PD, Ponomareva DN. Photochromic Modulation of Cys-loop
Ligand-gated Ion Channels. J EVOL BIOCHEM PHYS+ 2021. [DOI: 10.1134/s0022093021020162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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3
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Tortosa V, Pietropaolo V, Brandi V, Macari G, Pasquadibisceglie A, Polticelli F. Computational Methods for the Identification of Molecular Targets of Toxic Food Additives. Butylated Hydroxytoluene as a Case Study. Molecules 2020; 25:E2229. [PMID: 32397407 PMCID: PMC7248939 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25092229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) is one of the most commonly used synthetic antioxidants in food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and petrochemical products. BHT is considered safe for human health; however, its widespread use together with the potential toxicological effects have increased consumers concern about the use of this synthetic food additive. In addition, the estimated daily intake of BHT has been demonstrated to exceed the recommended acceptable threshold. In the present work, using BHT as a case study, the usefulness of computational techniques, such as reverse screening and molecular docking, in identifying protein-ligand interactions of food additives at the bases of their toxicological effects has been probed. The computational methods here employed have been useful for the identification of several potential unknown targets of BHT, suggesting a possible explanation for its toxic effects. In silico analyses can be employed to identify new macromolecular targets of synthetic food additives and to explore their functional mechanisms or side effects. Noteworthy, this could be important for the cases in which there is an evident lack of experimental studies, as is the case for BHT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Tortosa
- Department of Sciences, Roma Tre University, 00146 Rome, Italy; (V.T.); (V.P.); (V.B.); (G.M.); (A.P.)
| | - Valentina Pietropaolo
- Department of Sciences, Roma Tre University, 00146 Rome, Italy; (V.T.); (V.P.); (V.B.); (G.M.); (A.P.)
| | - Valentina Brandi
- Department of Sciences, Roma Tre University, 00146 Rome, Italy; (V.T.); (V.P.); (V.B.); (G.M.); (A.P.)
| | - Gabriele Macari
- Department of Sciences, Roma Tre University, 00146 Rome, Italy; (V.T.); (V.P.); (V.B.); (G.M.); (A.P.)
| | - Andrea Pasquadibisceglie
- Department of Sciences, Roma Tre University, 00146 Rome, Italy; (V.T.); (V.P.); (V.B.); (G.M.); (A.P.)
| | - Fabio Polticelli
- Department of Sciences, Roma Tre University, 00146 Rome, Italy; (V.T.); (V.P.); (V.B.); (G.M.); (A.P.)
- National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Roma Tre University, 00146 Rome, Italy
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4
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Iqbal F, Thompson AJ, Riaz S, Pehar M, Rice T, Syed NI. Anesthetics: from modes of action to unconsciousness and neurotoxicity. J Neurophysiol 2019; 122:760-787. [PMID: 31242059 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00210.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Modern anesthetic compounds and advanced monitoring tools have revolutionized the field of medicine, allowing for complex surgical procedures to occur safely and effectively. Faster induction times and quicker recovery periods of current anesthetic agents have also helped reduce health care costs significantly. Moreover, extensive research has allowed for a better understanding of anesthetic modes of action, thus facilitating the development of more effective and safer compounds. Notwithstanding the realization that anesthetics are a prerequisite to all surgical procedures, evidence is emerging to support the notion that exposure of the developing brain to certain anesthetics may impact future brain development and function. Whereas the data in support of this postulate from human studies is equivocal, the vast majority of animal research strongly suggests that anesthetics are indeed cytotoxic at multiple brain structure and function levels. In this review, we first highlight various modes of anesthetic action and then debate the evidence of harm from both basic science and clinical studies perspectives. We present evidence from animal and human studies vis-à-vis the possible detrimental effects of anesthetic agents on both the young developing and the elderly aging brain while discussing potential ways to mitigate these effects. We hope that this review will, on the one hand, invoke debate vis-à-vis the evidence of anesthetic harm in young children and the elderly, and on the other hand, incentivize the search for better and less toxic anesthetic compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fahad Iqbal
- Vi Riddell Pain Program, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Andrew J Thompson
- Vi Riddell Pain Program, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Saba Riaz
- Vi Riddell Pain Program, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Marcus Pehar
- Vi Riddell Pain Program, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Tiffany Rice
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Alberta Children's Hospital, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Naweed I Syed
- Vi Riddell Pain Program, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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5
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Chen ZW, Bracamontes JR, Budelier MM, Germann AL, Shin DJ, Kathiresan K, Qian MX, Manion B, Cheng WWL, Reichert DE, Akk G, Covey DF, Evers AS. Multiple functional neurosteroid binding sites on GABAA receptors. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000157. [PMID: 30845142 PMCID: PMC6424464 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Revised: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurosteroids are endogenous modulators of neuronal excitability and nervous system development and are being developed as anesthetic agents and treatments for psychiatric diseases. While gamma amino-butyric acid Type A (GABAA) receptors are the primary molecular targets of neurosteroid action, the structural details of neurosteroid binding to these proteins remain ill defined. We synthesized neurosteroid analogue photolabeling reagents in which the photolabeling groups were placed at three positions around the neurosteroid ring structure, enabling identification of binding sites and mapping of neurosteroid orientation within these sites. Using middle-down mass spectrometry (MS), we identified three clusters of photolabeled residues representing three distinct neurosteroid binding sites in the human α1β3 GABAA receptor. Novel intrasubunit binding sites were identified within the transmembrane helical bundles of both the α1 (labeled residues α1-N408, Y415) and β3 (labeled residue β3-Y442) subunits, adjacent to the extracellular domains (ECDs). An intersubunit site (labeled residues β3-L294 and G308) in the interface between the β3(+) and α1(−) subunits of the GABAA receptor pentamer was also identified. Computational docking studies of neurosteroid to the three sites predicted critical residues contributing to neurosteroid interaction with the GABAA receptors. Electrophysiological studies of receptors with mutations based on these predictions (α1-V227W, N408A/Y411F, and Q242L) indicate that both the α1 intrasubunit and β3-α1 intersubunit sites are critical for neurosteroid action. Novel neurosteroid analogue photolabeling reagents identify three specific neurosteroid binding sites on α1β3 GABAA receptors, showing that a site between the α and β subunits, as well as a site within the α-subunit, contribute to neurosteroid-mediated enhancement of GABAA currents. Neurosteroids are cholesterol metabolites produced by neurons and glial cells that participate in central nervous system (CNS) development, regulate neuronal excitability, and modulate complex behaviors such as mood. Exogenously administered neurosteroid analogues are effective sedative hypnotics and are being developed as antidepressants and anticonvulsants. Gamma amino-butyric acid Type A (GABAA) receptors, the principal ionotropic inhibitory neurotransmitter receptors in the brain, are the primary functional target of neurosteroids. Understanding the molecular details of neurosteroid interactions with GABAA receptors is critical to understanding their mechanism of action and developing specific and effective therapeutic agents. In the current study, we developed a suite of neurosteroid analogue affinity labeling reagents, which we used to identify three distinct binding sites on GABAA receptors and to determine the orientation of neurosteroid binding in each site. Electrophysiological studies performed on receptors with mutations designed to disrupt the identified binding sites showed that two of the three sites contribute to neurosteroid modulation of GABAA currents. The distinct patterns of neurosteroid affinity, binding orientation, and effect provide the potential for the development of isoform-specific agonists, partial agonists, and antagonists with targeted therapeutic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Wei Chen
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America.,Taylor Family Institute for Innovative Psychiatric Research, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - John R Bracamontes
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Melissa M Budelier
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Allison L Germann
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Daniel J Shin
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Krishnan Kathiresan
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Ming-Xing Qian
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Brad Manion
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Wayland W L Cheng
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - David E Reichert
- Taylor Family Institute for Innovative Psychiatric Research, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America.,Department of Radiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Gustav Akk
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Douglas F Covey
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America.,Taylor Family Institute for Innovative Psychiatric Research, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America.,Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Alex S Evers
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America.,Taylor Family Institute for Innovative Psychiatric Research, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America.,Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, United States of America
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6
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Abstract
Neurosteroids (NS) are the main modulators of γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABAARs), which are the ligand-gated channels target of the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in vertebrates. As a consequence of their ability to modify inhibitory functions in the brain, NS have high physiological and clinical relevance. Accumulated evidence has strongly suggested that NS binding sites were located in the GABAAR transmembrane domain; however the specific localization of these sites has remained an enigma for decades. Fortunately, recent resolution of GABAARs crystal structures, together with computational strategies applied to investigate the NS binding, has paved the way to rationalizing the molecular basis of NS modulation. This work reviews from a historical perspective the road followed for establishing the GABAAR/NS binding mode, from their initial molecular modeling to the latest findings. Furthermore, a comparative analysis describing the NS binding is provided, plus a preliminary analysis of putative NS sites in other assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lautaro D Alvarez
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales , Universidad de Buenos Aires , Ciudad Universitaria , Buenos Aires C1428EGA , Argentina.,UMYMFOR , CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires , Ciudad Universitaria , Buenos Aires C1428EGA , Argentina
| | - Adali Pecci
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales , Universidad de Buenos Aires , Ciudad Universitaria , Buenos Aires C1428EGA , Argentina.,IFIBYNE , CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires , Ciudad Universitaria , Buenos Aires C1428EGA , Argentina
| | - Dario A Estrin
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica Analítica y Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales , Universidad de Buenos Aires , Ciudad Universitaria , Buenos Aires C1428EGA , Argentina.,INQUIMAE , CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires , Ciudad Universitaria , Buenos Aires C1428EGA , Argentina
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7
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Olsen RW. GABA A receptor: Positive and negative allosteric modulators. Neuropharmacology 2018; 136:10-22. [PMID: 29407219 PMCID: PMC6027637 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.01.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 194] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Revised: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA)-mediated inhibitory neurotransmission and the gene products involved were discovered during the mid-twentieth century. Historically, myriad existing nervous system drugs act as positive and negative allosteric modulators of these proteins, making GABA a major component of modern neuropharmacology, and suggesting that many potential drugs will be found that share these targets. Although some of these drugs act on proteins involved in synthesis, degradation, and membrane transport of GABA, the GABA receptors Type A (GABAAR) and Type B (GABABR) are the targets of the great majority of GABAergic drugs. This discovery is due in no small part to Professor Norman Bowery. Whereas the topic of GABABR is appropriately emphasized in this special issue, Norman Bowery also made many insights into GABAAR pharmacology, the topic of this article. GABAAR are members of the ligand-gated ion channel receptor superfamily, a chloride channel family of a dozen or more heteropentameric subtypes containing 19 possible different subunits. These subtypes show different brain regional and subcellular localization, age-dependent expression, and potential for plastic changes with experience including drug exposure. Not only are GABAAR the targets of agonist depressants and antagonist convulsants, but most GABAAR drugs act at other (allosteric) binding sites on the GABAAR proteins. Some anxiolytic and sedative drugs, like benzodiazepine and related drugs, act on GABAAR subtype-dependent extracellular domain sites. General anesthetics including alcohols and neurosteroids act at GABAAR subunit-interface trans-membrane sites. Ethanol at high anesthetic doses acts on GABAAR subtype-dependent trans-membrane domain sites. Ethanol at low intoxicating doses acts at GABAAR subtype-dependent extracellular domain sites. Thus GABAAR subtypes possess pharmacologically specific receptor binding sites for a large group of different chemical classes of clinically important neuropharmacological agents. This article is part of the "Special Issue Dedicated to Norman G. Bowery".
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard W Olsen
- Department of Molecular & Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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8
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Tryptophan and Cysteine Mutations in M1 Helices of α1β3γ2L γ-Aminobutyric Acid Type A Receptors Indicate Distinct Intersubunit Sites for Four Intravenous Anesthetics and One Orphan Site. Anesthesiology 2017; 125:1144-1158. [PMID: 27753644 DOI: 10.1097/aln.0000000000001390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND γ-Aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors mediate important effects of intravenous general anesthetics. Photolabel derivatives of etomidate, propofol, barbiturates, and a neurosteroid get incorporated in GABAA receptor transmembrane helices M1 and M3 adjacent to intersubunit pockets. However, photolabels have not been consistently targeted at heteromeric αβγ receptors and do not form adducts with all contact residues. Complementary approaches may further define anesthetic sites in typical GABAA receptors. METHODS Two mutation-based strategies, substituted tryptophan sensitivity and substituted cysteine modification-protection, combined with voltage-clamp electrophysiology in Xenopus oocytes, were used to evaluate interactions between four intravenous anesthetics and six amino acids in M1 helices of α1, β3, and γ2L GABAA receptor subunits: two photolabeled residues, α1M236 and β3M227, and their homologs. RESULTS Tryptophan substitutions at α1M236 and positional homologs β3L231 and γ2L246 all caused spontaneous channel gating and reduced γ-aminobutyric acid EC50. Substituted cysteine modification experiments indicated etomidate protection at α1L232C and α1M236C, R-5-allyl-1-methyl-5-(m-trifluoromethyl-diazirinylphenyl) barbituric acid protection at β3M227C and β3L231C, and propofol protection at α1M236C and β3M227C. No alphaxalone protection was evident at the residues the authors explored, and none of the tested anesthetics protected γ2I242C or γ2L246C. CONCLUSIONS All five intersubunit transmembrane pockets of GABAA receptors display similar allosteric linkage to ion channel gating. Substituted cysteine modification and protection results were fully concordant with anesthetic photolabeling at α1M236 and β3M227 and revealed overlapping noncongruent sites for etomidate and propofol in β-α interfaces and R-5-allyl-1-methyl-5-(m-trifluoromethyl-diazirinylphenyl) barbituric acid and propofol in α-β and γ-β interfaces. The authors' results identify the α-γ transmembrane interface as a potentially unique orphan modulator site.
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Degani-Katzav N, Gortler R, Weissman M, Paas Y. Mutational Analysis at Intersubunit Interfaces of an Anionic Glutamate Receptor Reveals a Key Interaction Important for Channel Gating by Ivermectin. Front Mol Neurosci 2017; 10:92. [PMID: 28428744 PMCID: PMC5382172 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2017.00092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The broad-spectrum anthelmintic drug ivermectin (IVM) activates and stabilizes an open-channel conformation of invertebrate chloride-selective glutamate receptors (GluClRs), thereby causing a continuous inflow of chloride ions and sustained membrane hyperpolarization. These effects suppress nervous impulses and vital physiological processes in parasitic nematodes. The GluClRs are pentamers. Homopentameric receptors assembled from the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) GluClα (GLC-1) subunit can inherently respond to IVM but not to glutamate (the neurotransmitter). In contrast, heteromeric GluClα/β (GLC-1/GLC-2) assemblies respond to both ligands, independently of each other. Glutamate and IVM bind at the interface between adjacent subunits, far away from each other; glutamate in the extracellular ligand-binding domain, and IVM in the ion-channel pore periphery. To understand the importance of putative intersubunit contacts located outside the glutamate and IVM binding sites, we introduced mutations at intersubunit interfaces, between these two binding-site types. Then, we determined the effect of these mutations on the activation of the heteromeric mutant receptors by glutamate and IVM. Amongst these mutations, we characterized an α-subunit point mutation located close to the putative IVM-binding pocket, in the extracellular end of the first transmembrane helix (M1). This mutation (αF276A) moderately reduced the sensitivity of the heteromeric GluClαF276A/βWT receptor to glutamate, and slightly decreased the receptor subunits’ cooperativity in response to glutamate. In contrast, the αF276A mutation drastically reduced the sensitivity of the receptor to IVM and significantly increased the receptor subunits’ cooperativity in response to IVM. We suggest that this mutation reduces the efficacy of channel gating, and impairs the integrity of the IVM-binding pocket, likely by disrupting important interactions between the tip of M1 and the M2-M3 loop of an adjacent subunit. We hypothesize that this physical contact between M1 and the M2-M3 loop tunes the relative orientation of the ion-channel transmembrane helices M1, M2 and M3 to optimize pore opening. Interestingly, pre-exposure of the GluClαF276A/βWT mutant receptor to subthreshold IVM concentration recovered the receptor sensitivity to glutamate. We infer that IVM likely retained its positive modulation activity by constraining the transmembrane helices in a preopen orientation sensitive to glutamate, with no need for the aforementioned disrupted interactions between M1 and the M2-M3 loop.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nurit Degani-Katzav
- Laboratory of Ion Channels, The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan UniversityRamat Gan, Israel
| | - Revital Gortler
- Laboratory of Ion Channels, The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan UniversityRamat Gan, Israel
| | - Marina Weissman
- Laboratory of Ion Channels, The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan UniversityRamat Gan, Israel
| | - Yoav Paas
- Laboratory of Ion Channels, The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan UniversityRamat Gan, Israel
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10
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Degani-Katzav N, Klein M, Har-Even M, Gortler R, Tobi R, Paas Y. Trapping of ivermectin by a pentameric ligand-gated ion channel upon open-to-closed isomerization. Sci Rep 2017; 7:42481. [PMID: 28218274 PMCID: PMC5317004 DOI: 10.1038/srep42481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2016] [Accepted: 01/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Ivermectin (IVM) is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic drug used to treat human parasitic diseases like river blindness and lymphatic filariasis. By activating invertebrate pentameric glutamate-gated chloride channels (GluCl receptors; GluClRs), IVM induces sustained chloride influx and long-lasting membrane hyperpolarization that inhibit neural excitation in nematodes. Although IVM activates the C. elegans heteromeric GluClα/β receptor, it cannot activate a homomeric receptor composed of the C. elegans GluClβ subunits. To understand this incapability, we generated a homopentameric α7-GluClβ chimeric receptor that consists of an extracellular ligand-binding domain of an α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor known to be potentiated by IVM, and a chloride-selective channel domain assembled from GluClβ subunits. Application of IVM prior to acetylcholine inhibited the responses of the chimeric α7-GluClβR. Adding IVM to activated α7-GluClβRs, considerably accelerated the decline of ACh-elicited currents and stabilized the receptors in a non-conducting state. Determination of IVM association and dissociation rate constants and recovery experiments suggest that, following initial IVM binding to open α7-GluClβRs, the drug induces a conformational change and locks the ion channel in a closed state for a long duration. We further found that IVM also inhibits the activation by glutamate of a homomeric receptor assembled from the C. elegans full-length GluClβ subunits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nurit Degani-Katzav
- Laboratory of Ion Channels, The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and The Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Moshe Klein
- Laboratory of Ion Channels, The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and The Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Moran Har-Even
- Laboratory of Ion Channels, The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and The Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Revital Gortler
- Laboratory of Ion Channels, The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and The Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Ruthi Tobi
- Laboratory of Ion Channels, The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and The Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Yoav Paas
- Laboratory of Ion Channels, The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and The Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
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11
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Woll KA, Murlidaran S, Pinch BJ, Hénin J, Wang X, Salari R, Covarrubias M, Dailey WP, Brannigan G, Garcia BA, Eckenhoff RG. A Novel Bifunctional Alkylphenol Anesthetic Allows Characterization of γ-Aminobutyric Acid, Type A (GABAA), Receptor Subunit Binding Selectivity in Synaptosomes. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:20473-86. [PMID: 27462076 PMCID: PMC5034043 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.736975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2016] [Revised: 07/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Propofol, an intravenous anesthetic, is a positive modulator of the GABAA receptor, but the mechanistic details, including the relevant binding sites and alternative targets, remain disputed. Here we undertook an in-depth study of alkylphenol-based anesthetic binding to synaptic membranes. We designed, synthesized, and characterized a chemically active alkylphenol anesthetic (2-((prop-2-yn-1-yloxy)methyl)-5-(3-(trifluoromethyl)-3H-diazirin-3-yl)phenol, AziPm-click (1)), for affinity-based protein profiling (ABPP) of propofol-binding proteins in their native state within mouse synaptosomes. The ABPP strategy captured ∼4% of the synaptosomal proteome, including the unbiased capture of five α or β GABAA receptor subunits. Lack of γ2 subunit capture was not due to low abundance. Consistent with this, independent molecular dynamics simulations with alchemical free energy perturbation calculations predicted selective propofol binding to interfacial sites, with higher affinities for α/β than γ-containing interfaces. The simulations indicated hydrogen bonding is a key component leading to propofol-selective binding within GABAA receptor subunit interfaces, with stable hydrogen bonds observed between propofol and α/β cavity residues but not γ cavity residues. We confirmed this by introducing a hydrogen bond-null propofol analogue as a protecting ligand for targeted-ABPP and observed a lack of GABAA receptor subunit protection. This investigation demonstrates striking interfacial GABAA receptor subunit selectivity in the native milieu, suggesting that asymmetric occupancy of heteropentameric ion channels by alkylphenol-based anesthetics is sufficient to induce modulation of activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kellie A Woll
- From the Departments of Anesthesiology and Critical Care and Pharmacology and
| | | | - Benika J Pinch
- the Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - Jérôme Hénin
- the Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, CNRS UMR 8251 and Université Paris Diderot, 5013 Paris, France, and
| | - Xiaoshi Wang
- the Epigenetics Program, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - Reza Salari
- the Center for Computational and Integrative Biology and Department of Physics, Rutgers University, Camden, New Jersey 08102
| | - Manuel Covarrubias
- the Department of Neuroscience and Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107
| | - William P Dailey
- the Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - Grace Brannigan
- the Center for Computational and Integrative Biology and Department of Physics, Rutgers University, Camden, New Jersey 08102
| | - Benjamin A Garcia
- the Epigenetics Program, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
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Maldifassi MC, Baur R, Pierce D, Nourmahnad A, Forman SA, Sigel E. Novel positive allosteric modulators of GABAA receptors with anesthetic activity. Sci Rep 2016; 6:25943. [PMID: 27198062 PMCID: PMC4873749 DOI: 10.1038/srep25943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2016] [Accepted: 04/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
GABAA receptors are the main inhibitory neurotransmitter receptors in the brain and are targets for numerous clinically important drugs such as benzodiazepines, anxiolytics and anesthetics. We previously identified novel ligands of the classical benzodiazepine binding pocket in α1β2γ2 GABAA receptors using an experiment-guided virtual screening (EGVS) method. This screen also identified novel ligands for intramembrane low affinity diazepam site(s). In the current study we have further characterized compounds 31 and 132 identified with EGVS as well as 4-O-methylhonokiol. We investigated the site of action of these compounds in α1β2γ2 GABAA receptors expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes using voltage-clamp electrophysiology combined with a benzodiazepine site antagonist and transmembrane domain mutations. All three compounds act mainly through the two β+/α− subunit transmembrane interfaces of the GABAA receptors. We then used concatenated receptors to dissect the involvement of individual β+/α− interfaces. We further demonstrated that these compounds have anesthetic activity in a small aquatic animal model, Xenopus laevis tadpoles. The newly identified compounds may serve as scaffolds for the development of novel anesthetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria C Maldifassi
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Roland Baur
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - David Pierce
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, 02114 Massachusetts
| | - Anahita Nourmahnad
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, 02114 Massachusetts
| | - Stuart A Forman
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, 02114 Massachusetts
| | - Erwin Sigel
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
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13
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Chowdhury L, Croft CJ, Goel S, Zaman N, Tai ACS, Walch EM, Smith K, Page A, Shea KM, Hall CD, Jishkariani D, Pillai GG, Hall AC. Differential Potency of 2,6-Dimethylcyclohexanol Isomers for Positive Modulation of GABAA Receptor Currents. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2016; 357:570-9. [PMID: 27029583 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.115.228890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2015] [Accepted: 03/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
GABAA receptors meet all of the pharmacological requirements necessary to be considered important targets for the action of general anesthetic agents in the mammalian brain. In the following patch-clamp study, the relative modulatory effects of 2,6-dimethylcyclohexanol diastereomers were investigated on human GABAA (α1β3γ2s) receptor currents stably expressed in human embryonic kidney cells. Cis,cis-, trans,trans-, and cis,trans-isomers were isolated from commercially available 2,6-dimethylcyclohexanol and were tested for positive modulation of submaximal GABA responses. For example, the addition of 30 μM cis,cis-isomer resulted in an approximately 2- to 3-fold enhancement of the EC20 GABA current. Coapplications of 30 μM 2,6-dimethylcyclohexanol isomers produced a range of positive enhancements of control GABA responses with a rank order for positive modulation: cis,cis > trans,trans ≥ mixture of isomers > > cis,trans-isomer. In molecular modeling studies, the three cyclohexanol isomers bound with the highest binding energies to a pocket within transmembrane helices M1 and M2 of the β3 subunit through hydrogen-bonding interactions with a glutamine at the 224 position and a tyrosine at the 220 position. The energies for binding to and hydrogen-bond lengths within this pocket corresponded with the relative potencies of the agents for positive modulation of GABAA receptor currents (cis,cis > trans,trans > cis,trans-2,6-dimethylcyclohexanol). In conclusion, the stereochemical configuration within the dimethylcyclohexanols is an important molecular feature in conferring positive modulation of GABAA receptor activity and for binding to the receptor, a consideration that needs to be taken into account when designing novel anesthetics with enhanced therapeutic indices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luvana Chowdhury
- Neuroscience Program, Departments of Biological Sciences (L.C., C.J.C., S.G., N.Z., A.C.-S.T., E.M.W., A.C.H.) and Chemistry (K.S., A.P., K.M.S.), Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts; Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (C.D.H., D.J., G.G.P.); and Department of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila, Estonia (G.G.P.)
| | - Celine J Croft
- Neuroscience Program, Departments of Biological Sciences (L.C., C.J.C., S.G., N.Z., A.C.-S.T., E.M.W., A.C.H.) and Chemistry (K.S., A.P., K.M.S.), Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts; Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (C.D.H., D.J., G.G.P.); and Department of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila, Estonia (G.G.P.)
| | - Shikha Goel
- Neuroscience Program, Departments of Biological Sciences (L.C., C.J.C., S.G., N.Z., A.C.-S.T., E.M.W., A.C.H.) and Chemistry (K.S., A.P., K.M.S.), Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts; Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (C.D.H., D.J., G.G.P.); and Department of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila, Estonia (G.G.P.)
| | - Naina Zaman
- Neuroscience Program, Departments of Biological Sciences (L.C., C.J.C., S.G., N.Z., A.C.-S.T., E.M.W., A.C.H.) and Chemistry (K.S., A.P., K.M.S.), Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts; Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (C.D.H., D.J., G.G.P.); and Department of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila, Estonia (G.G.P.)
| | - Angela C-S Tai
- Neuroscience Program, Departments of Biological Sciences (L.C., C.J.C., S.G., N.Z., A.C.-S.T., E.M.W., A.C.H.) and Chemistry (K.S., A.P., K.M.S.), Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts; Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (C.D.H., D.J., G.G.P.); and Department of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila, Estonia (G.G.P.)
| | - Erin M Walch
- Neuroscience Program, Departments of Biological Sciences (L.C., C.J.C., S.G., N.Z., A.C.-S.T., E.M.W., A.C.H.) and Chemistry (K.S., A.P., K.M.S.), Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts; Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (C.D.H., D.J., G.G.P.); and Department of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila, Estonia (G.G.P.)
| | - Kelly Smith
- Neuroscience Program, Departments of Biological Sciences (L.C., C.J.C., S.G., N.Z., A.C.-S.T., E.M.W., A.C.H.) and Chemistry (K.S., A.P., K.M.S.), Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts; Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (C.D.H., D.J., G.G.P.); and Department of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila, Estonia (G.G.P.)
| | - Alexandra Page
- Neuroscience Program, Departments of Biological Sciences (L.C., C.J.C., S.G., N.Z., A.C.-S.T., E.M.W., A.C.H.) and Chemistry (K.S., A.P., K.M.S.), Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts; Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (C.D.H., D.J., G.G.P.); and Department of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila, Estonia (G.G.P.)
| | - Kevin M Shea
- Neuroscience Program, Departments of Biological Sciences (L.C., C.J.C., S.G., N.Z., A.C.-S.T., E.M.W., A.C.H.) and Chemistry (K.S., A.P., K.M.S.), Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts; Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (C.D.H., D.J., G.G.P.); and Department of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila, Estonia (G.G.P.)
| | - C Dennis Hall
- Neuroscience Program, Departments of Biological Sciences (L.C., C.J.C., S.G., N.Z., A.C.-S.T., E.M.W., A.C.H.) and Chemistry (K.S., A.P., K.M.S.), Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts; Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (C.D.H., D.J., G.G.P.); and Department of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila, Estonia (G.G.P.)
| | - D Jishkariani
- Neuroscience Program, Departments of Biological Sciences (L.C., C.J.C., S.G., N.Z., A.C.-S.T., E.M.W., A.C.H.) and Chemistry (K.S., A.P., K.M.S.), Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts; Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (C.D.H., D.J., G.G.P.); and Department of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila, Estonia (G.G.P.)
| | - Girinath G Pillai
- Neuroscience Program, Departments of Biological Sciences (L.C., C.J.C., S.G., N.Z., A.C.-S.T., E.M.W., A.C.H.) and Chemistry (K.S., A.P., K.M.S.), Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts; Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (C.D.H., D.J., G.G.P.); and Department of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila, Estonia (G.G.P.)
| | - Adam C Hall
- Neuroscience Program, Departments of Biological Sciences (L.C., C.J.C., S.G., N.Z., A.C.-S.T., E.M.W., A.C.H.) and Chemistry (K.S., A.P., K.M.S.), Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts; Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (C.D.H., D.J., G.G.P.); and Department of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila, Estonia (G.G.P.)
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Olsen RW. Allosteric ligands and their binding sites define γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) type A receptor subtypes. ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGY (SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) 2015; 73:167-202. [PMID: 25637441 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apha.2014.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
GABAA receptors (GABA(A)Rs) mediate rapid inhibitory transmission in the brain. GABA(A)Rs are ligand-gated chloride ion channel proteins and exist in about a dozen or more heteropentameric subtypes exhibiting variable age and brain regional localization and thus participation in differing brain functions and diseases. GABA(A)Rs are also subject to modulation by several chemotypes of allosteric ligands that help define structure and function, including subtype definition. The channel blocker picrotoxin identified a noncompetitive channel blocker site in GABA(A)Rs. This ligand site is located in the transmembrane channel pore, whereas the GABA agonist site is in the extracellular domain at subunit interfaces, a site useful for low energy coupled conformational changes of the functional channel domain. Two classes of pharmacologically important allosteric modulatory ligand binding sites reside in the extracellular domain at modified agonist sites at other subunit interfaces: the benzodiazepine site and the high-affinity, relevant to intoxication, ethanol site. The benzodiazepine site is specific for certain GABA(A)R subtypes, mainly synaptic, while the ethanol site is found at a modified benzodiazepine site on different, extrasynaptic, subtypes. In the transmembrane domain are allosteric modulatory ligand sites for diverse chemotypes of general anesthetics: the volatile and intravenous agents, barbiturates, etomidate, propofol, long-chain alcohols, and neurosteroids. The last are endogenous positive allosteric modulators. X-ray crystal structures of prokaryotic and invertebrate pentameric ligand-gated ion channels, and the mammalian GABA(A)R protein, allow homology modeling of GABA(A)R subtypes with the various ligand sites located to suggest the structure and function of these proteins and their pharmacological modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard W Olsen
- Department of Molecular & Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA.
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α1F64 Residue at GABA(A) receptor binding site is involved in gating by influencing the receptor flipping transitions. J Neurosci 2014; 34:3193-209. [PMID: 24573278 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2533-13.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
GABA receptors (GABAARs) mediate inhibition in the adult brain. These channels are heteropentamers and their ligand binding sites are localized at the β+ / α- interfaces. As expected, mutations of binding-site residues affect binding kinetics but accumulating evidence indicates that gating is also altered, although the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We investigated the impact of the hydrophobic box residue localized at α1(-), F64 (α1F64), on the binding and gating of rat recombinant α1β1γ2 receptors. The analysis of current responses to rapid agonist applications confirmed a marked effect of α1F64 mutations on agonist binding and revealed surprisingly strong effects on gating, including the disappearance of rapid desensitization, the slowing of current onset, and accelerated deactivation. Moreover, nonstationary variance analysis revealed that the α1F64C mutation dramatically reduced the maximum open probability without altering channel conductance. Interestingly, for wild-type receptors, responses to saturating concentration of a partial agonist, P4S, showed no rapid desensitization, similar to GABA-evoked responses mediated by α1F64C mutants. For the α1F64L mutation, the application of the high-affinity agonist muscimol partially rescued rapid desensitization compared with responses evoked by GABA. These findings suggest that α1F64 mutations do not disrupt desensitization mechanisms but rather affect other gating features that obscure it. Model simulations indicated that all of our observations related to α1F64 mutations could be properly reproduced by altering the flipped state transitions that occurred after agonist binding but preceded opening. In conclusion, we propose that the α1F64 residue may participate in linking binding and gating by influencing flipping kinetics.
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Yip GMS, Chen ZW, Edge CJ, Smith EH, Dickinson R, Hohenester E, Townsend RR, Fuchs K, Sieghart W, Evers AS, Franks NP. A propofol binding site on mammalian GABAA receptors identified by photolabeling. Nat Chem Biol 2013; 9:715-20. [PMID: 24056400 PMCID: PMC3951778 DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.1340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 169] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2013] [Accepted: 08/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Propofol is the most important intravenous general anesthetic in current clinical use. It acts by potentiating GABAA (γ-aminobutyric acid type A) receptors, but where it binds to this receptor is not known and has been a matter of some debate. We synthesized a new propofol analog photolabeling reagent whose biological activity is very similar to that of propofol. We confirmed that this reagent labeled known propofol binding sites in human serum albumin that have been identified using X-ray crystallography. Using a combination of protiated and deuterated versions of the reagent to label mammalian receptors in intact membranes, we identified a new binding site for propofol in GABAA receptors consisting of both β3 homopentamers and α1β3 heteropentamers. The binding site is located within the β subunit at the interface between the transmembrane domains and the extracellular domain and lies close to known determinants of anesthetic sensitivity in the transmembrane segments TM1 and TM2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace M S Yip
- 1] Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College, London, UK. [2]
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Robust photoregulation of GABA(A) receptors by allosteric modulation with a propofol analogue. Nat Commun 2013; 3:1095. [PMID: 23033071 PMCID: PMC4023869 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2012] [Accepted: 08/29/2012] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Photochemical switches represent a powerful method for improving pharmacological therapies and controlling cellular physiology. Here we report the photo-regulation of GABAA receptors (GABAARs) by a derivative of propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol), a GABAAR allosteric modulator, that we have modified to contain photo-isomerizable azobenzene. Using α1β2γ2 GABAARs expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes and native GABAARs of isolated retinal ganglion cells, we show that the trans-azobenzene isomer of the new compound (trans-MPC088), generated by visible light (wavelengths ~440 nm), potentiates the GABA-elicited response and at higher concentrations directly activates the receptors. cis-MPC088, generated from trans-MPC088 by UV light (~365 nm), produces little if any receptor potentiation/activation. In cerebellar slices, MPC088 co-applied with GABA affords bidirectional photo-modulation of Purkinje cell membrane current and spike-firing rate. The findings demonstrate photo-control of GABAARs by an allosteric ligand and open new avenues for fundamental and clinically oriented research on GABAARs, a major class of neurotransmitter receptors in the central nervous system.
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Fernandez SP, Karim N, Mewett KN, Chebib M, Johnston GA, Hanrahan JR. Flavan-3-ol esters: new agents for exploring modulatory sites on GABA(A) receptors. Br J Pharmacol 2012; 165:965-77. [PMID: 21806603 DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01615.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Enhancement of GABAergic function is the primary mechanism of important therapeutic agents such as benzodiazepines, barbiturates, neurosteroids, general anaesthetics and some anticonvulsants. Despite their chemical diversity, many studies have postulated that these agents may bind at a common or overlapping binding site, or share an activation domain. Similarly, we found that flavan-3-ol esters act as positive modulators of GABA(A) receptors, and noted that this action resembled the in vitro profile of general anaesthetics. In this study we further investigated the interactions between these agents. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Using two-electrode voltage clamp electrophysiological recordings on receptors of known subunit composition expressed in Xenopus oocytes, we evaluated positive modulation by etomidate, loreclezole, diazepam, thiopentone, 5α-pregnan-3α-ol-20-one (THP) and the flavan-3-ol ester 2S,3R-trans 3-acetoxy-4'-methoxyflavan (Fa131) on wild-type and mutated GABA(A) receptors. KEY RESULTS The newly identified flavan, 2S,3S-cis 3-acetoxy-3',4'-dimethoxyflavan (Fa173), antagonized the potentiating actions of Fa131, etomidate and loreclezole at α1β2 and α1β2γ2L GABA(A) receptors. Furthermore, Fa173 blocked the potentiation of GABA responses by high, but not low, concentrations of diazepam, but did not block the potentiation induced by propofol, the neurosteroid THP or the barbiturate thiopental. Mutational studies on 'anaesthetic-influencing' residues showed that, compared with wild-type GABA(A) receptors, α1M236Wβ2γ2L and α1β2N265Sγ2L receptors are resistant to potentiation by etomidate, loreclezole and Fa131. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Fa173 is a selective antagonist that can be used for allosteric modulation of GABA(A) receptors. Flavan-3-ol derivatives are potential ligands for etomidate/loreclezole-related binding sites at GABA(A) receptors and the low-affinity effects of diazepam are mediated via the same site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian P Fernandez
- Department of Pharmacology Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Recognition of anesthetic barbiturates by a protein binding site: a high resolution structural analysis. PLoS One 2012; 7:e32070. [PMID: 22359658 PMCID: PMC3281113 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2011] [Accepted: 01/23/2012] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Barbiturates potentiate GABA actions at the GABAA receptor and act as central nervous system depressants that can induce effects ranging from sedation to general anesthesia. No structural information has been available about how barbiturates are recognized by their protein targets. For this reason, we tested whether these drugs were able to bind specifically to horse spleen apoferritin, a model protein that has previously been shown to bind many anesthetic agents with affinities that are closely correlated with anesthetic potency. Thiopental, pentobarbital, and phenobarbital were all found to bind to apoferritin with affinities ranging from 10–500 µM, approximately matching the concentrations required to produce anesthetic and GABAergic responses. X-ray crystal structures were determined for the complexes of apoferritin with thiopental and pentobarbital at resolutions of 1.9 and 2.0 Å, respectively. These structures reveal that the barbiturates bind to a cavity in the apoferritin shell that also binds haloalkanes, halogenated ethers, and propofol. Unlike these other general anesthetics, however, which rely entirely upon van der Waals interactions and the hydrophobic effect for recognition, the barbiturates are recognized in the apoferritin site using a mixture of both polar and nonpolar interactions. These results suggest that any protein binding site that is able to recognize and respond to the chemically and structurally diverse set of compounds used as general anesthetics is likely to include a versatile mixture of both polar and hydrophobic elements.
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A Single phenylalanine residue in the main intracellular loop of α1 γ-aminobutyric acid type A and glycine receptors influences their sensitivity to propofol. Anesthesiology 2011; 115:464-73. [PMID: 21673564 DOI: 10.1097/aln.0b013e31822550f7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The intravenous anesthetic propofol acts as a positive allosteric modulator of glycine (GlyRs) and γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAARs) receptors. Although the role of transmembrane residues is recognized, little is known about the involvement of other regions in the modulatory effects of propofol. Therefore, the influence of the large intracellular loop in propofol sensitivity of both receptors was explored. METHODS The large intracellular loop of α1 GlyRs and α1β2 GABAARs was screened using alanine replacement. Sensitivity to propofol was studied using patch-clamp recording in HEK293 cells transiently transfected with wild type or mutant receptors. RESULTS Alanine mutation of a conserved phenylalanine residue within the α1 large intracellular loop significantly reduced propofol enhancement in both GlyRs (360 ± 30 vs. 75 ± 10%, mean ± SEM) and GABAARs (361 ± 49% vs. 80 ± 23%). Remarkably, propofol-hyposensitive mutant receptors retained their sensitivity to other allosteric modulators such as alcohols, etomidate, trichloroethanol, and isoflurane. At the single-channel level, the ability of propofol to increase open probability was significantly reduced in both α1 GlyR (189 ± 36 vs. 22 ± 13%) and α1β2 GABAAR (279 ± 29 vs. 29 ± 11%) mutant receptors. CONCLUSION In this study, it is demonstrated that the large intracellular loop of both GlyR and GABAAR has a conserved single phenylalanine residue (F380 and F385, respectively) that influences its sensitivity to propofol. Results suggest a new role of the large intracellular loop in the allosteric modulation of two members of the Cys-loop superfamily. Thus, these data provide new insights into the molecular framework behind the modulation of inhibitory ion channels by propofol.
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Garcia PS, Kolesky SE, Jenkins A. General anesthetic actions on GABA(A) receptors. Curr Neuropharmacol 2011; 8:2-9. [PMID: 20808541 PMCID: PMC2866459 DOI: 10.2174/157015910790909502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 183] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2009] [Revised: 11/24/2009] [Accepted: 11/25/2009] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
General anesthetic drugs interact with many receptors in the nervous system, but only a handful of these interactions are critical for producing anesthesia. Over the last 20 years, neuropharmacologists have revealed that one of the most important target sites for general anesthetics is the GABAA receptor. In this review we will discuss what is known about anesthetic – GABAA receptor interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul S Garcia
- Departments of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology, Emory University, School of Medicine, Rollins Research Center #5013, 1510 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta GA, USA
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Saba LM, Bennett B, Hoffman PL, Barcomb K, Ishii T, Kechris K, Tabakoff B. A systems genetic analysis of alcohol drinking by mice, rats and men: influence of brain GABAergic transmission. Neuropharmacology 2011; 60:1269-80. [PMID: 21185315 PMCID: PMC3079014 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2010.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2010] [Revised: 12/01/2010] [Accepted: 12/15/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Genetic influences on the predisposition to complex behavioral or physiological traits can reflect genetic polymorphisms that lead to altered gene product function, and/or variations in gene expression levels. We have explored quantitative variations in an animal's alcohol consumption, using a genetical genomic/phenomic approach. In our studies, gene expression is correlated with amount of alcohol consumed, and genomic regions that regulate the alcohol consumption behavior and the quantitative levels of gene expression (behavioral and expression quantitative trait loci [QTL]) are determined and used as a filter to identify candidate genes predisposing the behavior. We determined QTLs for alcohol consumption using the LXS panel of recombinant inbred mice. We then identified genes that were: 1) differentially expressed between five high and five low alcohol-consuming lines or strains of mice; and 2) were physically located in, or had an expression QTL (eQTL) within the alcohol consumption QTLs. Comparison of mRNA and protein levels in brains of high and low alcohol consuming mice led us to a bioinformatic examination of potential regulation by microRNAs of an identified candidate transcript, Gnb1 (G protein beta subunit 1). We combined our current analysis with our earlier work identifying candidate genes for the alcohol consumption trait in mice, rats and humans. Our overall analysis leads us to postulate that the activity of the GABAergic system, and in particular GABA release and GABA receptor trafficking and signaling, which involves G protein function, contributes significantly to genetic variation in the predisposition to varying levels of alcohol consumption. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Trends in neuropharmacology: in memory of Erminio Costa'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M. Saba
- University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, PO Box 6511, MS 8303, Aurora, CO 80045 USA; , , , , ,
| | - Beth Bennett
- University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, PO Box 6511, MS 8303, Aurora, CO 80045 USA; , , , , ,
| | - Paula L. Hoffman
- University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, PO Box 6511, MS 8303, Aurora, CO 80045 USA; , , , , ,
| | - Kelsey Barcomb
- University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, PO Box 6511, MS 8303, Aurora, CO 80045 USA; , , , , ,
| | - Takao Ishii
- University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, PO Box 6511, MS 8303, Aurora, CO 80045 USA; , , , , ,
| | - Katerina Kechris
- Colorado School of Public Health, Campus Box B119, Aurora, CO 80045 USA,
| | - Boris Tabakoff
- University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, PO Box 6511, MS 8303, Aurora, CO 80045 USA; , , , , ,
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Olsen RW, Li GD. GABA(A) receptors as molecular targets of general anesthetics: identification of binding sites provides clues to allosteric modulation. Can J Anaesth 2010; 58:206-15. [PMID: 21194017 PMCID: PMC3033524 DOI: 10.1007/s12630-010-9429-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2010] [Accepted: 11/15/2010] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this review is to summarize current knowledge of detailed biochemical evidence for the role of γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABAA–Rs) in the mechanisms of general anesthesia. Principal findings With the knowledge that all general anesthetics positively modulate GABAA-R-mediated inhibitory transmission, site-directed mutagenesis comparing sequences of GABAA-R subunits of varying sensitivity led to identification of amino acid residues in the transmembrane domain that are critical for the drug actions in vitro. Using a photo incorporable analogue of the general anesthetic, R(+)etomidate, we identified two transmembrane amino acids that were affinity labelled in purified bovine brain GABAA-R. Homology protein structural modelling positions these two residues, αM1-11’ and βM3-4’, close to each other in a single type of intersubunit etomidate binding pocket at the β/α interface. This position would be appropriate for modulation of agonist channel gating. Overall, available information suggests that these two etomidate binding residues are allosterically coupled to sites of action of steroids, barbiturates, volatile agents, and propofol, but not alcohols. Residue α/βM2-15’ is probably not a binding site but allosterically coupled to action of volatile agents, alcohols, and intravenous agents, and α/βM1-(-2’) is coupled to action of intravenous agents. Conclusions Establishment of a coherent and consistent structural model of the GABAA-R lends support to the conclusion that general anesthetics can modulate function by binding to appropriate domains on the protein. Genetic engineering of mice with mutation in some of these GABAA-R residues are insensitive to general anesthetics in vivo, suggesting that further analysis of these domains could lead to development of more potent and specific drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard W Olsen
- Department of Molecular & Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California Los Angeles, Room CHS 23-120, 650 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1735, USA.
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Mechanism of Allosteric Modulation of the Cys-loop Receptors. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2010; 3:2592-2609. [PMID: 27713368 PMCID: PMC4033940 DOI: 10.3390/ph3082592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2010] [Revised: 07/30/2010] [Accepted: 08/09/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The cys-loop receptor family is a major family of neurotransmitter-operated ion channels. They play important roles in fast synaptic transmission, controlling neuronal excitability, and brain function. These receptors are allosteric proteins, in that binding of a neurotransmitter to its binding site remotely controls the channel function. The cys-loop receptors also are subject to allosteric modulation by many pharmaceutical agents and endogenous modulators. By binding to a site of the receptor distinct from the neurotransmitter binding site, allosteric modulators alter the response of the receptors to their agonists. The mechanism of allosteric modulation is traditionally believed to be that allosteric modulators directly change the binding affinity of receptors for their agonists. More recent studies support the notion that these allosteric modulators are very weak agonists or antagonists by themselves. They directly alter channel gating, and thus change the distribution of the receptor across multiple different affinity states, indirectly influencing receptors’ sensitivity to agonists. There are two major locations of allosteric modulator binding sites. One is in subunit interfaces of the amino-terminal domain. The other is in the transmembrane domain close to the channel gating machinery. In this review, we also give some examples of well characterized allosteric binding pockets.
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Jonsson Fagerlund M, Sjödin J, Krupp J, Dabrowski M. Reduced effect of propofol at human α1β2(N289M)γ2 and α2β3(N290M)γ2 mutant GABA A receptors †. Br J Anaesth 2010; 104:472-81. [DOI: 10.1093/bja/aeq023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Koo BN, Kim MK, Yang J, Min KT. The role of residues in binding loop A in desflurane and propofol modulation of recombinant 5-HT3A receptor. Neurosci Lett 2009; 465:147-50. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2009.09.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2009] [Revised: 09/04/2009] [Accepted: 09/05/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Vedula LS, Brannigan G, Economou NJ, Xi J, Hall MA, Liu R, Rossi MJ, Dailey WP, Grasty KC, Klein ML, Eckenhoff RG, Loll PJ. A unitary anesthetic binding site at high resolution. J Biol Chem 2009; 284:24176-84. [PMID: 19605349 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m109.017814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Propofol is the most widely used injectable general anesthetic. Its targets include ligand-gated ion channels such as the GABA(A) receptor, but such receptor-channel complexes remain challenging to study at atomic resolution. Until structural biology methods advance to the point of being able to deal with systems such as the GABA(A) receptor, it will be necessary to use more tractable surrogates to probe the molecular details of anesthetic recognition. We have previously shown that recognition of inhalational general anesthetics by the model protein apoferritin closely mirrors recognition by more complex and clinically relevant protein targets; here we show that apoferritin also binds propofol and related GABAergic anesthetics, and that the same binding site mediates recognition of both inhalational and injectable anesthetics. Apoferritin binding affinities for a series of propofol analogs were found to be strongly correlated with the ability to potentiate GABA responses at GABA(A) receptors, validating this model system for injectable anesthetics. High resolution x-ray crystal structures reveal that, despite the presence of hydrogen bond donors and acceptors, anesthetic recognition is mediated largely by van der Waals forces and the hydrophobic effect. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate that the ligands undergo considerable fluctuations about their equilibrium positions. Finally, apoferritin displays both structural and dynamic responses to anesthetic binding, which may mimic changes elicited by anesthetics in physiologic targets like ion channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Sangeetha Vedula
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
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A transmembrane residue influences the interaction of propofol with the strychnine-sensitive glycine alpha1 and alpha1beta receptor. Anesth Analg 2008; 107:1875-83. [PMID: 19020133 DOI: 10.1213/ane.0b013e3181875a31] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Propofol, well known for its anesthetic effects, acts as a positive allosteric modulator of the alpha-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA(A)) receptor but also enhances the function of the glycine receptor. The GABA modulatory effects of propofol are influenced by an amino acid residue located within the second transmembrane domain (TM2) of the GABA(A) receptor beta subunit. In glycine alpha(1) subunits, the homologous residue (serine 267) affects the glycine modulatory actions of alcohols and alkane anesthetics. In the present study we investigated the role of this residue on the interaction of propofol with the glycine alpha(1) and alpha(1)beta receptor. METHODS The influence of propofol on wild type and mutant (alpha(1)S267M, alpha(1)S267I, alpha(1)S267Mbeta, alpha(1)S267Ibeta) glycine receptors expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells was investigated by using the whole-cell clamp technique. RESULTS Mutation of the alpha(1) subunit TM2 serine residue to either isoleucine or methionine decreased the sensitivity of the receptor to glycine, and abolished the direct activation of the glycine receptor by propofol. Additionally, the methionine and particularly the isoleucine mutation decreased the glycine-enhancing actions of propofol. CONCLUSIONS The nature of the TM2 residue (267) of the glycine alpha(1) subunit influences the glycine modulatory effect of propofol and direct activation of the receptor by this anesthetic. A comparison of the impact of such complementary mutations on the interaction of propofol with glycine and GABA(A) receptors should permit a better understanding of the molecular determinants of action of propofol on these structurally related receptors and may aid in the development of selective glycine receptor modulators.
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Stewart D, Desai R, Cheng Q, Liu A, Forman SA. Tryptophan mutations at azi-etomidate photo-incorporation sites on alpha1 or beta2 subunits enhance GABAA receptor gating and reduce etomidate modulation. Mol Pharmacol 2008; 74:1687-95. [PMID: 18805938 DOI: 10.1124/mol.108.050500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The potent general anesthetic etomidate produces its effects by enhancing GABA(A) receptor activation. Its photolabel analog [(3)H]azi-etomidate labels residues within transmembrane domains on alpha and beta subunits: alphaMet236 and betaMet286. We hypothesized that these methionines contribute to etomidate sites formed at alpha-beta subunit interfaces and that increasing side-chain bulk and hydrophobicity at either locus would mimic etomidate binding and block etomidate effects. Channel activity was electrophysiologically quantified in alpha(1)beta(2)gamma(2L) receptors with alpha(1)M236W or beta(2)M286W mutations, in both the absence and the presence of etomidate. Measurements included spontaneous activation, GABA EC(50), etomidate agonist potentiation, etomidate direct activation, and rapid macrocurrent kinetics. Both alpha(1)M236W and beta(2)M286W mutations induced spontaneous channel opening, lowered GABA EC(50), increased maximal GABA efficacy, and slowed current deactivation, mimicking effects of etomidate on alpha(1)beta(2)gamma(2L) channels. These changes were larger with alpha(1)M236W than with beta(2)M286W. Etomidate (3.2 muM) reduced GABA EC(50) much less in alpha(1)M236Wbeta(2)gamma(2L) receptors (2-fold) than in wild type (23-fold). However, etomidate was more potent and efficacious in directly activating alpha(1)M236Wbeta(2)gamma(2L) compared with wild type. In alpha(1)beta(2)M286Wgamma(2L) receptors, etomidate induced neither agonist-potentiation nor direct channel activation. These results support the hypothesis that alpha(1)Met236 and beta(2)Met286 are within etomidate sites that allosterically link to channel gating. Although alpha(1)M236W produced the larger impact on channel gating, beta(2)M286W produced more profound changes in etomidate sensitivity, suggesting a dominant role in drug binding. Furthermore, quantitative mechanistic analysis demonstrated that wild-type and mutant results are consistent with the presence of only one class of etomidate sites mediating both agonist potentiation and direct activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deirdre Stewart
- Beecher/Mallincrodt Labs, Department of Anesthesia & Critical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.
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Franks NP. General anaesthesia: from molecular targets to neuronal pathways of sleep and arousal. Nat Rev Neurosci 2008; 9:370-86. [PMID: 18425091 DOI: 10.1038/nrn2372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 880] [Impact Index Per Article: 55.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The mechanisms through which general anaesthetics, an extremely diverse group of drugs, cause reversible loss of consciousness have been a long-standing mystery. Gradually, a relatively small number of important molecular targets have emerged, and how these drugs act at the molecular level is becoming clearer. Finding the link between these molecular studies and anaesthetic-induced loss of consciousness presents an enormous challenge, but comparisons with the features of natural sleep are helping us to understand how these drugs work and the neuronal pathways that they affect. Recent work suggests that the thalamus and the neuronal networks that regulate its activity are the key to understanding how anaesthetics cause loss of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas P Franks
- Blackett Laboratory Biophysics Section, Imperial College, South Kensington, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
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Hu XQ, Peoples RW. Arginine 246 of the Pretransmembrane Domain 1 Region Alters 2,2,2-Trichloroethanol Action in the 5-Hydroxytryptamine3A Receptor. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2007; 324:1011-8. [DOI: 10.1124/jpet.107.131011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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Twede V, Tartaglia AL, Covey DF, Bamber BA. The neurosteroids dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and pregnenolone sulfate inhibit the UNC-49 GABA receptor through a common set of residues. Mol Pharmacol 2007; 72:1322-9. [PMID: 17715402 DOI: 10.1124/mol.107.034058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurosteroids are endogenous neuromodulators that bind and allosterically regulate GABA(A) receptors. Residues were recently identified in the first transmembrane domain (M1) of GABA(A) receptor subunits that are important for neurosteroid modulation. We are studying the inhibition of GABA(A) receptors by sulfated neurosteroids. One of these neurosteroid, pregnenolone sulfate (PS), depends on six identified M1 residues to inhibit the UNC-49 GABA receptor, a homomeric GABA receptor from Caenorhabditis elegans that is homologous to the mammalian GABA(A) receptor. Here, we investigate the inhibition of the UNC-49 GABA receptor by another sulfated neurosteroid, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS). DHEAS is identical to PS except that it contains a carbonyl oxygen instead of an acetyl group at C17 on the steroid D ring. UNC-49 mutations that affect PS inhibition had broadly parallel effects on DHEAS, suggesting the two neurosteroids act through similar mechanisms. However, certain M1 mutations affected DHEAS differently than PS. Considering that first, the D ring contains the only structural difference between PS and DHEAS, and second, the strongest chemical and steric effects of a mutation are likely to be felt in the local environment of the altered residues, this result implies that the steroid D ring may contact M1 near the mutated residues. This possibility is interesting because current models of neurosteroid interactions with GABA(A) receptors, based on pregnane steroids, suggest that the steroid A ring binds M1, whereas the D ring binds M4. Our findings suggest that there may be considerable diversity in the way different classes of neurosteroids interact with GABA(A) receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vernon Twede
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, 2801 W. Bancroft St., Toledo, OH 43606-3390, USA
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Chen ZW, Chang CSS, Leil TA, Olsen RW. C-terminal modification is required for GABARAP-mediated GABA(A) receptor trafficking. J Neurosci 2007; 27:6655-63. [PMID: 17581952 PMCID: PMC6672693 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0919-07.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the ubiquitin-like modification of GABA(A) receptor-associated protein (GABARAP) and its function. A fusion protein of GABARAP with v5 in the N terminus and myc in the C terminus was expressed in rat cultured hippocampal neurons and PC12 cells. Western blotting with antibodies to v5 and myc revealed that the C terminus of GABARAP was cleaved off. Cleavage was blocked by mutating the C-terminal Gly116 to Ala, suggesting that G116 is required for the processing. Unlike ubiquitin, GABARAP was not incorporated covalently into higher-molecular-weight protein complexes. Nor was GABARAP degraded by ubiquitinylation through the proteasome, although GABARAP formed noncovalent dimers. Immunofluorescent confocal microscopy demonstrated that recombinantly expressed GABARAP was diffusely localized in PC12 cells. However, prevention of C-terminal processing in the mutant GABARAP(G116A) resulted in redistribution to the Golgi. In neurons, punctate cytoplasmic staining of GABARAP was seen in soma and processes, whereas GABARAP(G116A) was limited to soma. Compared with wild-type GABARAP, the colocalization and interaction of GABARAP(G116A) with GABA(A) receptors were significantly reduced, resulting in a reduction in expression of receptors in the plasma membrane. When alpha1beta2gamma2S-containing GABA(A) receptors were expressed in oocytes, the increased surface expression of GABA(A) receptors, as shown by increased GABA currents and surface-accessible GABA(A) receptor subunit polypeptides resulting from GABARAP coexpression, was prevented by mutation G116A. In addition, the distribution of NSF (N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor) was affected in GABARAP(G116A)-expressing neurons. These results suggest that glycine 116 is required for C-terminal processing of GABARAP and that processing is essential for the localization of GABARAP and its functions as a trafficking protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Wei Chen
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1735
| | - Chang-Sheng S. Chang
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1735
| | - Tarek A. Leil
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1735
| | - Richard W. Olsen
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1735
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Hosie AM, Wilkins ME, Smart TG. Neurosteroid binding sites on GABA(A) receptors. Pharmacol Ther 2007; 116:7-19. [PMID: 17560657 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2007.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 168] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2007] [Accepted: 03/29/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Controlling neuronal excitability is vitally important for maintaining a healthy central nervous system (CNS) and this relies on the activity of type A gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA(A)) neurotransmitter receptors. Given this role, it is therefore important to understand how these receptors are regulated by endogenous modulators in the brain and determine where they bind to the receptor. One of the most potent groups of modulators is the neurosteroids which regulate the activity of synaptic and extrasynaptic GABA(A) receptors. This level of regulation is thought to be physiologically important and its dysfunction may be relevant to numerous neurological conditions. The aim of this review is to summarise those studies that over the last 20 years have focussed upon finding the binding sites for neurosteroids on GABA(A) receptors. We consider the nature of steroid binding sites in other proteins where this has been determined at atomic resolution and how their generic features were mapped onto GABA(A) receptors to help locate 2 putative steroid binding sites. Altogether, the findings strongly suggest that neurosteroids do bind to discrete sites on the GABA(A) receptor and that these are located within the transmembrane domains of alpha and beta receptor subunits. The implications for neurosteroid binding to other inhibitory receptors such as glycine and GABA(C) receptors are also considered. Identifying neurosteroid binding sites may enable the precise pathophysiological role(s) of neurosteroids in the CNS to be established for the first time, as well as providing opportunities for the design of novel drug entities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alastair M Hosie
- University College London, Department of Pharmacology, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT
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Gaul S, Ozsarac N, Liu L, Fink RHA, Gage PW. The neuroactive steroids alphaxalone and pregnanolone increase the conductance of single GABAA channels in newborn rat hippocampal neurons. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2007; 104:35-44. [PMID: 17254775 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2006.09.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2006] [Accepted: 09/22/2006] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The effects of the neuroactive steroids alphaxalone and pregnanolone on single GABA(A) receptor channels were tested in cell-attached and inside-out patches from cultured newborn rat hippocampal neurons. The conductance of these single channels ranged between 10 and 80 pS when exposed to low (0.5-3 microM) GABA concentrations. These GABA concentrations activated low-conducting channels (<40 pS) in 78% of the patches, 22% of patches had channels with a maximum conductance above 40 pS. Alphaxalone at concentrations above 1 microM, and pregnanolone at concentrations above 0.1 microM, significantly increased the conductance of initially low-conducting single channels activated by GABA up to seven-fold and at all concentrations tested, both drugs increased open probability and mean open time and decreased closed probability and mean closed time of channels. Both steroids at higher concentrations could directly activate high conductance (>40 pS) chloride channels. Both the directly activated channels and those channels that had been previously affected by alphaxalone were modulated by diazepam, a benzodiazepine drug that is known to specifically modulate GABA(A) channels. The present study is the first one to show that neurosteroids can significantly increase single GABA(A) channel conductance, thus enlarging our current knowledge on the molecular mechanism of action of these compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Gaul
- Division of Molecular Bioscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
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Mathers DA, Wan X, Puil E. Barbiturate activation and modulation of GABA(A) receptors in neocortex. Neuropharmacology 2006; 52:1160-8. [PMID: 17289092 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2006.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2006] [Revised: 12/06/2006] [Accepted: 12/11/2006] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
We determined if anesthetic and anti-epileptic barbiturates inhibit neurons by different mechanisms. Current- and voltage-clamp recordings were made from somatosensory neurons of neocortex and some thalamocortical neurons in coronal brain slices of rats. We compared effects of pentobarbital, amobarbital, and phenobarbital on inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) mediated by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), input conductance, and evoked action potential firing. In neocortex, pentobarbital (EC(50)=41 microM) and amobarbital (EC(50)=103 microM) increased the decay time constant of GABA(A)ergic IPSCs. At higher concentrations, pentobarbital and amobarbital shunted firing by increasing input conductance through agonism at GABA(A) receptors. At anti-epileptic concentrations, phenobarbital increased the IPSC decay time constant (EC(50)=144 microM), and shunted firing by agonism at GABA(A) receptors (EC(50)=133 microM). In thalamocortical neurons, similar concentrations of phenobarbital had negligible effects on GABA(A)ergic IPSCs, conductance, and firing. In contrast to their thalamic actions, barbiturates inhibit neocortical neurons mostly through GABA receptors. Neocortical enhancement of inhibition by pentobarbital and amobarbital, combined with actions on thalamocortical neurons, may contribute to redundant mechanisms of anesthesia. The ability of phenobarbital at anti-epileptic concentrations to inhibit neocortical firing by direct activation and modulation of GABA(A) receptors relates to its specialized therapeutic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Mathers
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z3, Canada.
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Drafts BC, Fisher JL. Identification of structures within GABAA receptor alpha subunits that regulate the agonist action of pentobarbital. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2006; 318:1094-101. [PMID: 16728592 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.106.104844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Barbiturates act on GABA(A) receptors (GABARs) through three distinct mechanisms, resulting in positive allosteric modulation, direct activation, and inhibition. These effects are observed at different concentrations and are differentially affected by some mutations and by the receptor's subunit composition. Mammalian GABARs can be formed from a combination of 16 different subunit subtypes. Although the effect of barbiturates depends largely on the beta subunit, their agonist activity is substantially influenced by the alpha subunit subtype. Pentobarbital is a more effective agonist than GABA only when receptors contain an alpha6 subunit. Results from chimeric alpha1/alpha6 subunits suggested that structural differences within the extracellular N-terminal domain were responsible for this characteristic. Within this domain, we examined 15 amino acid residues unique to the alpha6 subtype. Each of these sites was individually mutated in the alpha6 subunit to the corresponding residue of the alpha1 subunit. The effect of the mutation on direct activation by pentobarbital was determined with whole-cell electrophysiological recordings. Our results indicate that only one of these mutations, alpha6(T69K), altered pentobarbital efficacy. This single mutation reduced the response to pentobarbital to a level intermediate to the wild-type alpha1beta1gamma2L and alpha6beta1gamma2L isoforms. The mutation did not affect the sensitivity of the receptor to GABA but did reduce the efficacy of etomidate, another i.v. anesthetic with activity similar to pentobarbital. The reverse mutation in the alpha1 subunit (K70T) did not alter the response to pentobarbital. This is the first identification of a structural difference in GABAR alpha subtypes that regulates direct activation by barbiturates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon C Drafts
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
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Wardell B, Marik PS, Piper D, Rutar T, Jorgensen EM, Bamber BA. Residues in the first transmembrane domain of the Caenorhabditis elegans GABA(A) receptor confer sensitivity to the neurosteroid pregnenolone sulfate. Br J Pharmacol 2006; 148:162-72. [PMID: 16547524 PMCID: PMC1617053 DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0706719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2005] [Revised: 01/20/2006] [Accepted: 01/25/2006] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The GABA(A) receptor is a target of endogenous and synthetic neurosteroids. Little is known about the residues required for neurosteroid action on GABA(A) receptors. We have investigated pregnenolone sulfate (PS) inhibition of the Caenorhabditis elegans UNC-49 GABA receptor, a close homolog of the mammalian GABA(A) receptor. The UNC-49 locus encodes two GABA receptor subunits, UNC-49B and UNC-49C. UNC-49C is sensitive to PS but UNC-49B is not sensitive. By analyzing chimeric receptors and receptors containing site-directed mutations, we identified two regions required for PS inhibition. Four residues in the first transmembrane domain are required for the majority of the sensitivity to PS, but a charged extracellular residue at the end of the M2 helix also plays a role. Strikingly, mutation of one additional M1 residue reverses the effect of PS from an inhibitor to an enhancer of receptor function. Mutating the M1 domain had little effect on sensitivity to the inhibitor picrotoxin, suggesting that these residues may mediate neurosteroid action specifically, and not allosteric regulation in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan Wardell
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Utah, 30 South 2000 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, U.S.A
| | - Purba S Marik
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Utah, 30 South 2000 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, U.S.A
| | - David Piper
- Department of Physiology, University of Utah, 410 Chipeta Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, U.S.A
| | - Tina Rutar
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 South, 1400E Salt Lake City, UT 84112, U.S.A
| | - Erik M Jorgensen
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 South, 1400E Salt Lake City, UT 84112, U.S.A
| | - Bruce A Bamber
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Utah, 30 South 2000 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, U.S.A
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Chen Y, Reilly K, Chang Y. Evolutionarily conserved allosteric network in the Cys loop family of ligand-gated ion channels revealed by statistical covariance analyses. J Biol Chem 2006; 281:18184-92. [PMID: 16595655 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m600349200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The Cys loop family of ligand-gated ion channels mediate fast synaptic transmission for communication between neurons. They are allosteric proteins, in which binding of a neurotransmitter to its binding site in the extracellular amino-terminal domain triggers structural changes in distant transmembrane domains to open a channel for ion flow. Although the locations of binding site and channel gating machinery are well defined, the structural basis of the activation pathway coupling binding and channel opening remains to be determined. In this paper, by analyzing amino acid covariance in a multiple sequence alignment, we have identified an energetically interconnected network in the Cys loop family of ligand-gated ion channels. Statistical coupling and correlated mutational analyses along with clustering revealed a highly coupled cluster. Mapping the positions in the cluster onto a three-dimensional structural model demonstrated that these highly coupled positions form an interconnected network linking experimentally identified binding domains through the coupling region to the gating machinery. In addition, these highly coupled positions are also condensed in the transmembrane domains, which are a recent focus for the sites of action of many allosteric modulators. Thus, our results revealed a genetically interconnected network that potentially plays an important role in the allosteric activation and modulation of the Cys loop family of ligand-gated ion channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonghui Chen
- Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
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Sarto-Jackson I, Ramerstorfer J, Ernst M, Sieghart W. Identification of amino acid residues important for assembly of GABA receptor alpha1 and gamma2 subunits. J Neurochem 2006; 96:983-95. [PMID: 16412095 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2005.03626.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Comparative models of GABA(A) receptors composed of alpha1 beta3 gamma2 subunits were generated using the acetylcholine-binding protein (AChBP) as a template and were used for predicting putative engineered cross-link sites between the alpha1 and the gamma2 subunit. The respective amino acid residues were substituted by cysteines and disulfide bond formation between subunits was investigated on co-transfection into human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells. Although disulfide bond formation between subunits could not be observed, results indicated that mutations studied influenced assembly of GABA(A) receptors. Whereas residue alpha1A108 was important for the formation of assembly intermediates with beta3 and gamma2 subunits consistent with its proposed location at the alpha1(+) side of GABA(A) receptors, residues gamma2T125 and gamma2P127 were important for assembly with beta3 subunits. Mutation of each of these residues also caused an impaired expression of receptors at the cell surface. In contrast, mutated residues alpha1F99C, alpha1S106C or gamma2T126C only impaired the formation of receptors at the cell surface when co-expressed with subunits in which their predicted interaction partner was also mutated. These data are consistent with the prediction that the mutated residue pairs are located close to each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Sarto-Jackson
- Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Centre for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
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García DA, Bujons J, Vale C, Suñol C. Allosteric positive interaction of thymol with the GABAA receptor in primary cultures of mouse cortical neurons. Neuropharmacology 2005; 50:25-35. [PMID: 16185724 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2005.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2005] [Revised: 06/27/2005] [Accepted: 07/20/2005] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Thymol is a naturally occurring phenolic monoterpene known for its anti-microbial and anti-oxidant properties. It is used in dental practice and in anaesthetic halothane preparations. Recent studies have reported enhanced GABA(A) receptor-operated chloride channel activity and increased binding affinity of [(3)H]flunitrazepam in the presence of thymol. In the present work, we more closely examined the pharmacological action of thymol on the native GABA(A) receptor by using primary cultures of cortical neurons. Thymol enhanced GABA-induced (5 microM) chloride influx at concentrations lower than those exhibiting direct activity in the absence of GABA (EC(50) = 12 microM and 135 microM, respectively). This direct effect was inhibited by competitive and non-competitive GABA(A) receptor antagonists. Thymol increased [(3)H]flunitrazepam binding (EC(50) = 131 microM) and showed a tendency to increase [(3)H]muscimol binding. These results confirm that thymol is a positive allosteric modulator of the GABA(A) receptor. The thymol structural analogues menthol and cymene, which lack an aromatic ring or a hydroxyl group, did not affect [(3)H]flunitrazepam binding. Using a pharmacophoric model that includes a hydrogen bond donor group as well as an aromatic ring with two aliphatic substituents, we propose to demonstrate the molecular essential features of these compounds to interact with GABA(A) receptors. Thymol (0-1 mM) did not affect cellular viability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A García
- Department of Neurochemistry, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques de Barcelona, CSIC-IDIBAPS, Rosselló 161, Spain
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Abstract
GABA(A) (gamma-aminobutyric acid type A) receptors mediate most of the 'fast' synaptic inhibition in the mammalian brain and are targeted by many clinically important drugs. Certain naturally occurring pregnane steroids can potently and specifically enhance GABA(A) receptor function in a nongenomic (direct) manner, and consequently have anxiolytic, analgesic, anticonvulsant, sedative, hypnotic and anaesthetic properties. These steroids not only act as remote endocrine messengers, but also can be synthesized in the brain, where they modify neuronal activity locally by modulating GABA(A) receptor function. Such 'neurosteroids' can influence mood and behaviour in various physiological and pathophysiological situations, and might contribute to the behavioural effects of psychoactive drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delia Belelli
- Neurosciences Institute, Division of Pathology and Neuroscience, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee University, Dundee DD19SY, UK
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Martyniuk CJ, Crawford AB, Hogan NS, Trudeau VL. GABAergic modulation of the expression of genes involved in GABA synaptic transmission and stress in the hypothalamus and telencephalon of the female goldfish (Carassius auratus). J Neuroendocrinol 2005; 17:269-75. [PMID: 15869561 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2826.2005.01311.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
GABA is one of the most abundant neurotransmitters in the vertebrate central nervous system and is involved in neuroendocrine processes such as development, reproduction, feeding and stress. To examine the effect of GABA on gene expression in the brain, we used a cDNA macroarray containing 26 genes involved in GABA synaptic transmission (GABA receptor subunits, GABA transporters), reproduction (gonadotrophin-releasing hormone isoforms and oestrogen receptor alpha), feeding (neuropeptide Y and cholecystokinin), and stress [corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF)]. To elevate GABA levels in the brain, we injected female goldfish with gamma-vinyl GABA (300 microg/g of body weight) (24 h), an irreversible inhibitor of the enzyme GABA transaminase (GABA-T). We found that increased levels of GABA in the hypothalamus resulted in a 2.2-fold down-regulation of GABA(A) receptor beta4 subunit mRNA. In the telencephalon, we found that increased GABA levels resulted in a 1.5-fold increase of CRF mRNA and a 1.8-fold decrease of GABA(A) receptor beta2 subunit mRNA. Increasing GABA in the hypothalamus and telencephalon of the goldfish did not significantly affect the mRNA abundance of genes involved in GABA synthesis (glutamic acid decarboxylase isoforms) and degradation (GABA-T), feeding, or reproduction. Our preliminary study suggests that the regulation of GABA receptor subunit mRNA expression by GABA may be a conserved evolutionary mechanism in vertebrates to modulate GABAergic synaptic transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- C J Martyniuk
- Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Genomics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Chen ZW, Chang CSS, Leil TA, Olcese R, Olsen RW. GABAA receptor-associated protein regulates GABAA receptor cell-surface number in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Mol Pharmacol 2005; 68:152-9. [PMID: 15814572 DOI: 10.1124/mol.104.009878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
GABA(A) receptor-associated protein (GABARAP) was isolated previously in a yeast two-hybrid screen using the intracellular loop of the gamma2 subunit of the GABA(A) receptor as bait. GABARAP has been shown to participate in the membrane-clustering and intracellular-trafficking of GABA(A) receptors, including a stimulation of the surface expression of GABA(A) receptors. To assess this quantitatively, we used Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing alpha1beta2gamma2S-containing GABA(A) receptors to demonstrate that coexpression of GABARAP increased net surface levels of GABA(A) receptors as shown by both increased GABA currents and surface-expressed protein. This GABARAP stimulation of GABA currents required the receptor gamma2 subunit and full-length GABARAP: deletion of the microtubule-binding domain (amino acids 1-22) or disrupting the polymerization of microtubules abolished the enhancement, indicating that the effect of GABARAP was derived from the interaction with microtubules. GABARAP coexpression did not alter the general properties of GABA(A) receptors such as sensitivity to GABA or benzodiazepines, but it increased surface levels of receptor protein in oocytes. Rather, it seems to supplement inadequate amounts of endogenous GABARAP to support optimum trafficking and/or stabilization of surface GABA(A) receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Wei Chen
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, Division of Molecular Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095-1735, USA
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Taly A, Delarue M, Grutter T, Nilges M, Le Novère N, Corringer PJ, Changeux JP. Normal mode analysis suggests a quaternary twist model for the nicotinic receptor gating mechanism. Biophys J 2005; 88:3954-65. [PMID: 15805177 PMCID: PMC1305627 DOI: 10.1529/biophysj.104.050229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We present a three-dimensional model of the homopentameric alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR), that includes the extracellular and membrane domains, developed by comparative modeling on the basis of: 1), the x-ray crystal structure of the snail acetylcholine binding protein, an homolog of the extracellular domain of nAChRs; and 2), cryo-electron microscopy data of the membrane domain collected on Torpedo marmorata nAChRs. We performed normal mode analysis on the complete three-dimensional model to explore protein flexibility. Among the first 10 lowest frequency modes, only the first mode produces a structural reorganization compatible with channel gating: a wide opening of the channel pore caused by a concerted symmetrical quaternary twist motion of the protein with opposing rotations of the upper (extracellular) and lower (transmembrane) domains. Still, significant reorganizations are observed within each subunit, that involve their bending at the domain interface, an increase of angle between the two beta-sheets composing the extracellular domain, the internal beta-sheet being significantly correlated to the movement of the M2 alpha-helical segment. This global symmetrical twist motion of the pentameric protein complex, which resembles the opening transition of other multimeric ion channels, reasonably accounts for the available experimental data and thus likely describes the nAChR gating process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Taly
- Récepteurs et Cognition, Unité de Recherche Associeé (URA) Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 2182, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
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Olsen RW, Chang CSS, Li G, Hanchar HJ, Wallner M. Fishing for allosteric sites on GABAA receptors. Biochem Pharmacol 2004; 68:1675-84. [PMID: 15451411 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2004.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2004] [Accepted: 07/14/2004] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
GABA(A) receptors have structural and functional homology with a super-family of cys-loop ligand-gated ion channel receptors including the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Amino acid residues involved in ligand-binding pockets are homologous among super-family members, leading to the multiple-loop model of binding sites situated at subunit interfaces, validated by structural studies on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and water-soluble snail acetylcholine binding protein. This article will briefly review the literature on the agonist binding sites on the receptor super-family, and then describe the current situation for attempts to identify sites for allosteric modulators on the GABA(A) receptors. A combination of mutagenesis and photoaffinity labeling with anesthetic ligands has given some leads in this endeavor. Current work by others and ourselves focuses on three putative sites for modulators: (1) within the ion channel domain TM2, near the extracellular end; (2) the agonist binding sites and homologous pockets at other subunit interfaces of the pentameric receptor; and (3) on the linker region stretching from the agonist site loop C to the top of the TM1 region. It is likely that concrete structural information will be forthcoming soon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard W Olsen
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Room CHS 23-120, 650 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1735, USA.
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Rüsch D, Zhong H, Forman SA. Gating Allosterism at a Single Class of Etomidate Sites on α1β2γ2L GABAA Receptors Accounts for Both Direct Activation and Agonist Modulation. J Biol Chem 2004; 279:20982-92. [PMID: 15016806 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m400472200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
At clinical concentrations, the potent intravenous general anesthetic etomidate enhances gamma-aminobutyric acid, type A (GABA(A)) receptor activity elicited with low gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentrations, whereas much higher etomidate concentrations activate receptors in the absence of GABA. Therefore, GABA(A) receptors may possess two types of etomidate sites: high affinity GABA-modulating sites and low affinity channel-activating sites. However, GABA modulation and direct activation share stereoselectivity for the (R)(+)-etomidate isomer and display parallel dependence on GABA(A) beta subunit isoforms, suggesting that these two actions may be mediated by a single class of etomidate site(s) that exert one or more molecular effects. In this study, we assessed GABA modulation by etomidate using leftward shifts of electrophysiological GABA concentration responses in cells expressing human alpha1beta2gamma2L receptors. Etomidate at up to 100 microm reduced GABA EC(50) values by over 100-fold but without apparent saturation, indicating the absence of high affinity etomidate sites. In experiments using a partial agonist, P4S, etomidate both reduced EC(50) and increased maximal efficacy, demonstrating that etomidate shifts the GABA(A) receptor gating equilibrium toward open states. Results were quantitatively analyzed using equilibrium receptor gating models, wherein a postulated class of equivalent etomidate sites both directly activates receptors and enhances agonist gating. A Monod-Wyman-Changeux co-agonist mechanism with two equivalent etomidate sites that allosterically enhance GABA(A) receptor gating independently of agonist binding most simply accounts for direct activation and agonist modulation. This model also correctly predicts the actions of etomidate on GABA(A) receptors containing a point mutation that increases constitutive gating activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirk Rüsch
- Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
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