Monod-Wyman-Changeux allosteric mechanisms of action and the pharmacology of etomidate

Potentiation of the GABAAR reveals variable energetic contributions by etiocholanolone and propofol

The properties of a potentiator are typically evaluated by measuring its ability to enhance the magnitude of the control response. Analysis of the ability of drugs to potentiate responses from receptor channels takes place in the context of particular models to extract parameters for functional effects. In the often-used coagonist model, the agonist generating control activity and the potentiator enhancing the control activity make additive energetic contributions to stabilize the active state of the receptor. The energetic contributions are fixed and, once known, enable calculation of predicted receptor behavior at any concentration combination of agonist and potentiator. Here, we have examined the applicability of the coagonist model by measuring the relationship between the magnitude of receptor potentiation and the level of background activity. Ternary αβγ GABAA receptors were activated by GABA or the allosteric agonist propofol, or by a gain-of-function mutation, and etiocholanolone- or propofol-mediated potentiation of peak responses was measured. We show that the free energy change contributed by the modulators etiocholanolone or propofol is reduced at higher levels of control activity, thereby being in disagreement with basic principles of the coagonist model. Possible mechanisms underlying this discrepancy are discussed.

Mutational Analysis of Anesthetic Binding Sites and Their Effects on GABAA Receptor Activation and Modulation by Positive Allosteric Modulators of the α7 Nicotinic Receptor

The positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of the α7 nicotinic receptor N-(5-Cl-2-hydroxyphenyl)-N'-[2-Cl-5-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-urea (NS-1738) and (E)-3-(furan-2-yl)-N-(p-tolyl)-acrylamide (PAM-2) potentiate the α1β2γ2L GABAA receptor through interactions with the classic anesthetic binding sites located at intersubunit interfaces in the transmembrane domain of the receptor. In the present study, we employed mutational analysis to investigate in detail the involvement and contributions made by the individual intersubunit interfaces to receptor modulation by NS-1738 and PAM-2. We show that mutations to each of the anesthetic-binding intersubunit interfaces (β+/α-, α+/β-, and γ+/β-), as well as the orphan α+/γ- interface, modify receptor potentiation by NS-1738 and PAM-2. Furthermore, mutations to any single interface can fully abolish potentiation by the α7-PAMs. The findings are discussed in the context of energetic additivity and interactions between the individual binding sites.

The Mechanism of Enantioselective Neurosteroid Actions on GABAA Receptors

The neurosteroid allopregnanolone (ALLO) and pregnanolone (PREG), are equally effective positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of GABAA receptors. Interestingly, the PAM effects of ALLO are strongly enantioselective, whereas those of PREG are not. This study was aimed at determining the basis for this difference in enantioselectivity. The oocyte electrophysiology studies showed that ent-ALLO potentiates GABA-elicited currents in α1β3 GABAA receptors with lower potency and efficacy than ALLO, PREG or ent-PREG. The small PAM effect of ent-ALLO was prevented by the α1(Q242L) mutation in the intersubunit neurosteroid binding site between the β3 and α1 subunits. Consistent with this result, neurosteroid analogue photolabeling with mass spectrometric readout, showed that ent-ALLO binds weakly to the β3-α1 intersubunit binding site in comparison to ALLO, PREG and ent-PREG. Rigid body docking predicted that ent-ALLO binds in the intersubunit site with a preferred orientation 180° different than ALLO, PREG or ent-PREG, potentially explaining its weak binding and effect. Photolabeling studies did not identify differences between ALLO and ent-ALLO binding to the α1 or β3 intrasubunit binding sites that also mediate neurosteroid modulation of GABAA receptors. The results demonstrate that differential binding of ent-ALLO and ent-PREG to the β3-α1 intersubunit site accounts for the difference in enantioselectivity between ALLO and PREG.

Modulation of the mammalian GABAA receptor by type I and type II positive allosteric modulators of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Positive allosteric modulators of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine (nACh) receptor (α7-PAMs) possess promnesic and procognitive properties and have potential in the treatment of cognitive and psychiatric disorders including Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. Behavioural studies in rodents have indicated that α7-PAMs can also produce antinociceptive and anxiolytic effects that may be associated with positive modulation of the GABAA receptor. The overall goal of this study was to investigate the modulatory actions of selected α7-PAMs on the GABAA receptor.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

We employed a combination of cell fluorescence imaging, electrophysiology, functional competition and site-directed mutagenesis to investigate the functional and structural mechanisms of modulation of the GABAA receptor by three representative α7-PAMs.

KEY RESULTS

We show that the α7-PAMs at micromolar concentrations enhance the apparent affinity of the GABAA receptor for the transmitter and potentiate current responses from the receptor. The compounds were equi-effective at binary αβ and ternary αβγ GABAA receptors. Functional competition and site-directed mutagenesis indicate that the α7-PAMs bind to the classic anaesthetic binding sites in the transmembrane region in the intersubunit interfaces, which results in stabilization of the active state of the receptor.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS

We conclude that the tested α7-PAMs are micromolar-affinity, intermediate- to low-efficacy allosteric potentiators of the mammalian αβγ GABAA receptor. Given the similarities in the in vitro sensitivities of the α7 nACh and α1β2γ2L GABAA receptors to α7-PAMs, we propose that doses used to produce nACh receptor-mediated behavioural effects in vivo are likely to modulate GABAA receptor function.

Activation of the Rat α1β2ε GABAA Receptor by Orthosteric and Allosteric Agonists

GABA_A receptors are a major contributor to fast inhibitory neurotransmission in the brain. The receptors are activated upon binding the transmitter GABA or allosteric agonists including a number of GABAergic anesthetics and neurosteroids. Functional receptors can be formed by various combinations of the nineteen GABA_A subunits cloned to date. GABA_A receptors containing the ε subunit exhibit a significant degree of constitutive activity and have been suggested to be unresponsive to allosteric agents. In this study, we have characterized the functional properties of the rat α1β2ε GABA_A receptor. We confirm that the α1β2ε receptor exhibits a higher level of constitutive activity than typical of GABA_A receptors and show that it is inefficaciously activated by the transmitter and the allosteric agonists propofol, pentobarbital, and allopregnanolone. Manipulations intended to alter ε subunit expression and receptor stoichiometry were largely without effect on receptor properties including sensitivity to GABA and allosteric agonists. Surprisingly, amino acid substitutions at the conserved 9' and 6' positions in the second transmembrane (TM2) domain in the ε subunit did not elicit the expected functional effects of increased constitutive activity and resistance to the channel blocker picrotoxin, respectively. We tested the accessibility of TM2 residues mutated to cysteine using the cysteine-modifying reagent 4-(hydroxymercuri)benzoic acid and found a unique pattern of water-accessible residues in the ε subunit.

(+)-Catharanthine potentiates the GABAA receptor by binding to a transmembrane site at the β(+)/α(-) interface near the TM2-TM3 loop

(+)-Catharanthine, a coronaridine congener, potentiates the γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor (GABA_AR) and induces sedation through a non-benzodiazepine mechanism, but the specific site of action and intrinsic mechanism have not beendefined. Here, we describe GABA_AR subtype selectivity and location of the putative binding site for (+)-catharanthine using electrophysiological, site-directed mutagenesis, functional competition, and molecular docking experiments. Electrophysiological and in silico experiments showed that (+)-catharanthine potentiates the responses to low, subsaturating GABA at β2/3-containing GABA_ARs 2.4-3.5 times more efficaciously than at β1-containing GABA_ARs. The activity of (+)-catharanthine is reduced by the β2(N265S) mutation that decreases GABA_AR potentiation by loreclezole, but not by the β3(M286C) or α1(Q241L) mutations that reduce receptor potentiation by R(+)-etomidate or neurosteroids, respectively. Competitive functional experiments indicated that the binding site for (+)-catharanthine overlaps that for loreclezole, but not those for R(+)-etomidate or potentiating neurosteroids. Molecular docking experiments suggested that (+)-catharanthine binds at the β(+)/α(-) intersubunit interface near the TM2-TM3 loop, where it forms H-bonds with β2-D282 (TM3), β2-K279 (TM2-TM3 loop), and β2-N265 and β2-R269 (TM2). Site-directed mutagenesis experiments supported the in silico results, demonstrating that the K279A and D282A substitutions, that lead to a loss of H-bonding ability of the mutated residue, and the N265S mutation, impair the gating efficacy of (+)-catharanthine. We infer that (+)-catharanthine potentiates the GABA_AR through several H-bond interactions with a binding site located in the β(+)/α(-) interface in the transmembrane domain, near the TM2-TM3 loop, where it overlaps with loreclezole binding site.

Activation of the α1β2γ2L GABAA Receptor by Physiological Agonists

The Cl⁻ permeable GABA_A receptor is a major contributor to cellular inhibition in the brain. The receptor is normally activated by synaptically-released or ambient GABA but is sensitive to a number of physiological compounds such as β-alanine, taurine, and neurosteroids that, to various degrees, activate the receptor and modulate responses either to the transmitter or to each other. Here, we describe α1β2γ2L GABA_A receptor activation and modulation by combinations of orthosteric and allosteric activators. The overall goal was to gain insight into how changes in the levels of endogenous agonists modulate receptor activity and influence cellular inhibition. Experimental observations and simulations are described in the framework of a cyclic concerted transition model. We also provide general analytical solutions for the analysis of electrophysiological data collected in the presence of combinations of active compounds.

Assessing potentiation of the (α4)3(β2)2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor by the allosteric agonist CMPI

The extracellular domain of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor isoforms formed by three α4 and two β2 subunits ((α4)3(β2)2 nAChR) harbors two high-affinity “canonical” acetylcholine (ACh)-binding sites located in the two α4:β2 intersubunit interfaces and a low-affinity “noncanonical” ACh-binding site located in the α4:α4 intersubunit interface. In this study, we used ACh, cytisine, and nicotine (which bind at both the α4:α4 and α4:β2 interfaces), TC-2559 (which binds at the α4:β2 but not at the α4:α4 interface), and 3-(2-chlorophenyl)-5-(5-methyl-1-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-pyrrazol-4-yl)isoxazole (CMPI, which binds at the α4:α4 but not at the α4:β2 interface), to investigate the binding and gating properties of CMPI at the α4:α4 interface. We recorded whole-cell currents from Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing (α4)3(β2)2 nAChR in response to applications of these ligands, alone or in combination. The electrophysiological data were analyzed in the framework of a modified Monod–Wyman–Changeux allosteric activation model. We show that CMPI is a high-affinity, high-efficacy agonist at the α4:α4 binding site and that its weak direct activating effect is accounted for by its inability to productively interact with the α4:β2 sites. The data presented here enhance our understanding of the functional contributions of ligand binding at the α4:α4 subunit interface to (α4)3(β2)2 nAChR-channel gating. These findings support the potential use of α4:α4 specific ligands to increase the efficacy of the neurotransmitter ACh in conditions associated with decline in nAChRs activity in the brain.

Perspective on the relationship between GABAA receptor activity and the apparent potency of an inhibitor

Background: In electrophysiological experiments, inhibition of a receptor-channel, such as the GABA_A receptor, is measured by co-applying an agonist producing a predefined control response with an inhibitor to calculate the fraction of the control response remaining in the presence of the inhibitor. The properties of the inhibitor are determined by fitting the inhibition concentration-response relationship to the Hill equation to estimate the midpoint (IC₅₀) of the inhibition curve.

Objective: We sought to estimate sensitivity of the fitted IC₅₀ to the level of activity of the control response.

Methods: The inhibition concentration-response relationships were calculated for models with distinct mechanisms of inhibition. In Model I, the inhibitor acts allosterically to stabilize the resting state of the receptor. In Model II, the inhibitor competes with the agonist for a shared binding site. In Model III, the inhibitor stabilizes the desensitized state.

Results: The simulations indicate that the fitted IC₅₀ of the inhibition curve is sensitive to the degree of activity of the control response. In Models I and II, the IC₅₀ of inhibition was increased as the probability of being in the active state (P_A) of the control response increased. In Model III, the IC₅₀ of inhibition was reduced at higher P_A.

Conclusion: We infer that the apparent potency of an inhibitor depends on the P_A of the control response. While the calculations were carried out using the activation and inhibition properties that are representative of the GABA_A receptor, the principles and conclusions apply to a wide variety of receptor-channels.

Intrasubunit and Intersubunit Steroid Binding Sites Independently and Additively Mediate α1β2γ2L GABAA Receptor Potentiation by the Endogenous Neurosteroid Allopregnanolone

Prior work employing functional analysis, photolabeling, and X-ray crystallography have identified three distinct binding sites for potentiating steroids in the heteromeric GABA_A receptor. The sites are located in the membrane-spanning domains of the receptor at the β-α subunit interface (site I) and within the α (site II) and β subunits (site III). Here, we have investigated the effects of mutations to these sites on potentiation of the rat α1β2γ2L GABA_A receptor by the endogenous neurosteroid allopregnanolone (3α5αP). The mutations were introduced alone or in combination to probe the additivity of effects. We show that the effects of amino acid substitutions in sites I and II are energetically additive, indicating independence of the actions of the two steroid binding sites. In site III, none of the mutations tested reduced potentiation by 3α5αP, nor did a mutation in site III modify the effects of mutations in sites I or II. We infer that the binding sites for 3α5αP act independently. The independence of steroid action at each site is supported by photolabeling data showing that mutations in either site I or site II selectively change steroid orientation in the mutated site without affecting labeling at the unmutated site. The findings are discussed in the context of linking energetic additivity to empirical changes in receptor function and ligand binding. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Prior work has identified three distinct binding sites for potentiating steroids in the heteromeric γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor. This study shows that the sites act independently and additively in the presence of the steroid allopregnanolone and provide estimates of energetic contributions made by steroid binding to each site.

Enhancement of Muscimol Binding and Gating by Allosteric Modulators of the GABAA Receptor: Relating Occupancy to State Functions

Muscimol is a psychoactive isoxazole derived from the mushroom Amanita muscaria and a potent orthosteric agonist of the GABAA receptor. The binding of [3H]muscimol has been used to evaluate the distribution of GABAA receptors in the brain, and studies of modulation of [3H]muscimol binding by allosteric GABAergic modulators such as barbiturates and steroid anesthetics have provided insight into the modes of action of these drugs on the GABAA receptor. It has, however, not been feasible to directly apply interaction parameters derived from functional studies to describe the binding of muscimol to the receptor. Here, we employed the Monod-Wyman-Changeux concerted transition model to analyze muscimol binding isotherms. We show that the binding isotherms from recombinant α1β3 GABAA receptors can be qualitatively predicted using electrophysiological data pertaining to properties of receptor activation and desensitization in the presence of muscimol. The model predicts enhancement of [3H]muscimol binding in the presence of the steroids allopregnanolone and pregnenolone sulfate, although the steroids interact with distinct sites and either enhance (allopregnanolone) or reduce (pregnenolone sulfate) receptor function. We infer that the concerted transition model can be used to link radioligand binding and electrophysiological data. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The study employs a three-state resting-active-desensitized model to link radioligand binding and electrophysiological data. We show that the binding isotherms can be qualitatively predicted using parameters estimated in electrophysiological experiments and that the model accurately predicts the enhancement of [3H]muscimol binding in the presence of the potentiating steroid allopregnanolone and the inhibitory steroid pregnenolone sulfate.

Reduced Activation of the Synaptic-Type GABAA Receptor Following Prolonged Exposure to Low Concentrations of Agonists: Relationship between Tonic Activity and Desensitization

Synaptic GABA_A receptors are alternately exposed to short pulses of a high, millimolar concentration of GABA and prolonged periods of low, micromolar concentration of the transmitter. Prior work has indicated that exposure to micromolar concentrations of GABA can both activate the postsynaptic receptors generating sustained low-amplitude current and desensitize the receptors, thereby reducing the peak amplitude of subsequent synaptic response. However, the precise relationship between tonic activation and reduction of peak response is not known. Here, we have measured the effect of prolonged exposure to GABA or the combination of GABA and the neurosteroid allopregnanolone, which was intended to desensitize a fraction of receptors, on a subsequent response to a high concentration of agonist in human α1β3γ2L receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes. We show that the reduction in the peak amplitude of the post-exposure test response correlates with the open probability of the preceding desensitizing response. Curve fitting of the inhibitory relationship yielded an IC₅₀ of 12.5 µM and a Hill coefficient of -1.61. The activation and desensitization data were mechanistically analyzed in the framework of a three-state Resting-Active-Desensitized model. Using the estimated affinity, efficacy, and desensitization parameters, we calculated the amount of desensitization that would accumulate during a long (2-minute) application of GABA or GABA plus allopregnanolone. The results indicate that accumulation of desensitization depends on the level of activity rather than agonist or potentiator concentration per se. We estimate that in the presence of 1 µM GABA, approximately 5% of α1β3γ2L receptors are functionally eliminated because of desensitization. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: We present an analytical approach to quantify and predict the loss of activatable GABA_A receptors due to desensitization in the presence of transmitter and the steroid allopregnanolone. The findings indicate that the peak amplitude of the synaptic response is influenced by ambient GABA and that changes in ambient concentrations of the transmitter and other GABAergic agents can modify tonically and phasically activated synaptic receptors in opposite directions.

Analysis of Modulation of the ρ1 GABAA Receptor by Combinations of Inhibitory and Potentiating Neurosteroids Reveals Shared and Distinct Binding Sites

The ρ1 GABA_A receptor is prominently expressed in the retina and is present at lower levels in several brain regions and other tissues. Although the ρ1 receptor is insensitive to many anesthetic drugs that modulate the heteromeric GABA_A receptor, it maintains a rich and multifaceted steroid pharmacology. The receptor is negatively modulated by 5β-reduced steroids, sulfated or carboxylated steroids, and β-estradiol, whereas many 5α-reduced steroids potentiate the receptor. In this study, we analyzed modulation of the human ρ1 GABA_A receptor by several neurosteroids, individually and in combination, in the framework of the coagonist concerted transition model. Experiments involving coapplication of two or more steroids revealed that the receptor contains at least three classes of distinct, nonoverlapping sites for steroids, one each for the inhibitory steroids pregnanolone (3α5βP), 3α5βP sulfate, and β-estradiol. The site for 3α5βP can accommodate the potentiating steroid 5αTHDOC. The findings are discussed with respect to receptor modulation by combinations of endogenous neurosteroids. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The study describes modulation of the ρ1 GABA_A receptor by neurosteroids. The coagonist concerted transition model was used to determine overlap of binding sites for several inhibitory and potentiating steroids.

Application of the Co-Agonist Concerted Transition Model to Analysis of GABAA Receptor Properties

The co-agonist concerted transition model is a simple and practical solution to analyze various aspects of GABAA receptor function. Several model-based predictions have been verified experimentally in previous reports. We review here the practical implications of the model and demonstrate how it enables simplification of the experimental procedure and data analysis to characterize the effects of mutations or properties of novel ligands. Specifically, we show that the value of EC50 and the magnitude of current response are directly affected by basal activity, and that coapplication of a background agonist acting at a distinct site or use of a gain-of-function mutation can be employed to enable studies of weak activators or mutated receptors with impaired gating. We also show that the ability of one GABAergic agent to potentiate the activity elicited by another is a computable value that depends on the level of constitutive activity of the ion channel and the ability of each agonist to directly activate the receptor. Significantly, the model accurately accounts for situations where the paired agonists interact with the same site compared to distinct sites on the receptor.

The effects of a competitive antagonist on GABA-evoked currents in the presence of sedative-hypnotic agents

BACKGROUND

Many sedative-hypnotic agents are thought to act by positively modulating γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA_A) receptors. However, for many agents, the location(s) of the binding site(s) responsible for such receptor modulation is uncertain. We previously developed a low efficacy ligand (naphthalene-etomidate) that binds within a homologous set of hydrophobic cavities located at GABA_A receptor subunit interfaces in the transmembrane domain, and thus acts as a competitive antagonist for higher efficacy sedative-hypnotics that also bind to these sites. In this report, we describe studies using this compound as a pharmacological screening tool to test whether sedative-hypnotics representing a range of chemical classes can modulate GABA_A receptors by binding within these receptor cavities.

METHODS

The impact of naphthalene-etomidate on GABA-evoked currents that were mediated by oocyte-expressed α₁β₃γ_2L GABA_A receptors and potentiated by muscimol, alphaxalone, 2,2,2-trichloroethanol, isoflurane, AA29504, loreclezole, or diazepam was quantified using electrophysiological techniques.

RESULTS

Naphthalene-etomidate (300 µM) significantly reduced GABA_A receptor currents potentiated by alphaxalone (by 22 ± 11%), 2,2,2-trichloroethanol (by 23 ± 6%), isoflurane (by 32 ± 10%), AA29504 (by 41 ± 6%), loreclezole (by 43 ± 9%), but significantly increased those potentiated by muscimol (by 26 ± 11%). Naphthalene-etomidate significantly increased currents potentiated by a low (1 µM) diazepam concentration (by 56 ± 14%) while reducing those potentiated by a high (100 µM) diazepam concentration (by 11 ± 7%).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that many (but not all) sedative-hypnotics are capable of positively modulating the GABA_A receptor by binding within a common set of hydrophobic cavities.

Steady-state activation of the high-affinity isoform of the α4β2δ GABAA receptor

Activation of GABA_A receptors consisting of α4, β2 (or β3), and δ subunits is a major contributor to tonic inhibition in several brain regions. The goal of this study was to analyze the function of the α4β2δ receptor in the presence of GABA and other endogenous and clinical activators and modulators under steady-state conditions. We show that the receptor has a high constitutive open probability (~0.1), but is only weakly activated by GABA that has a maximal peak open probability (P_Open,peak) of 0.4, taurine (maximal P_Open,peak = 0.4), or the endogenous steroid allopregnanolone (maximal P_Open,peak = 0.2). The intravenous anesthetic propofol is a full agonist (maximal P_Open,peak = 0.99). Analysis of currents using a cyclic three-state Resting-Active-Desensitized model indicates that the maximal steady-state open probability of the α4β2δ receptor is ~0.45. Steady-state open probability in the presence of combinations of GABA, taurine, propofol, allopregnanolone and/or the inhibitory steroid pregnenolone sulfate closely matched predicted open probability calculated assuming energetic additivity. The results suggest that the receptor is active in the presence of physiological concentrations of GABA and taurine, but, surprisingly, that receptor activity is only weakly potentiated by propofol.

Steady-state activation and modulation of the synaptic-type α1β2γ2L GABAA receptor by combinations of physiological and clinical ligands

The synaptic α1β2γ2 GABAA receptor is activated phasically by presynaptically released GABA. The receptor is considered to be inactive between synaptic events when exposed to ambient GABA because of its low resting affinity to the transmitter. We tested the hypothesis that a combination of physiological and/or clinical positive allosteric modulators of the GABAA receptor with ambient GABA generates measurable steady-state activity. Recombinant α1β2γ2L GABAA receptors were expressed in Xenopus oocytes and activated by combinations of low concentrations of orthosteric (GABA, taurine) and allosteric (the steroid allopregnanolone, the anesthetic propofol) agonists, in the absence and presence of the inhibitory steroid pregnenolone sulfate. Steady-state activity was analyzed using the three-state cyclic Resting-Active-Desensitized model. We estimate that the steady-state open probability of the synaptic α1β2γ2L GABAA receptor in the presence of ambient GABA (1 μmol/L), taurine (10 μmol/L), and physiological levels of allopregnanolone (0.01 μmol/L) and pregnenolone sulfate (0.1 μmol/L) is 0.008. Coapplication of a clinical concentration of propofol (1 μmol/L) increases the steady-state open probability to 0.03. Comparison of total charge transfer for phasic and tonic activity indicates that steady-state activity can contribute strongly (~20 to >99%) to integrated activity from the synaptic GABAA receptor.

Steady-State Activation and Modulation of the Concatemeric α1β2γ2L GABAA Receptor

The two-state coagonist model has been successfully used to analyze and predict peak current responses of the γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA_A) receptor. The goal of the present study was to provide a model-based description of GABA_A receptor activity under steady-state conditions after desensitization has occurred. We describe the derivation and properties of the cyclic three-state resting-active-desensitized (RAD) model. The relationship of the model to receptor behavior was tested using concatemeric α1β2γ2 GABA_A receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes. The receptors were activated by the orthosteric agonists GABA or β-alanine, the allosteric agonist propofol, or combinations of GABA, propofol, pentobarbital, and the steroid allopregnanolone, and the observed steady-state responses were compared with those predicted by the model. A modified RAD model was employed to analyze and describe the actions on steady-state current of the inhibitory steroid pregnenolone sulfate. The findings indicate that the steady-state activity in the presence of multiple active agents that interact with distinct binding sites follows standard energetic additivity. The derived equations enable prediction of peak and steady-state activity in the presence of orthosteric and allosteric agonists, and the inhibitory steroid pregnenolone sulfate. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The study describes derivation and properties of a three-state resting-active-desensitized model. The model and associated equations can be used to analyze and predict peak and steady-state activity in the presence of one or more active agents.

Monod-Wyman-Changeux Allosteric Shift Analysis in Mutant α1β3γ2L GABAA Receptors Indicates Selectivity and Crosstalk among Intersubunit Transmembrane Anesthetic Sites

Propofol, etomidate, and barbiturate anesthetics are allosteric coagonists at pentameric α1β3γ2 GABA_A receptors, modulating channel activation via four biochemically established intersubunit transmembrane pockets. Etomidate selectively occupies the two β ⁺/α ^- pockets, the barbiturate photolabel R-5-allyl-1-methyl-5-(m-trifluoromethyl-diazirynylphenyl) barbituric acid (R-mTFD-MPAB) occupies homologous α ⁺/β ^- and γ ⁺/β ^- pockets, and propofol occupies all four. Functional studies of mutations at M2-15' or M3-36' loci abutting these pockets provide conflicting results regarding their relative contributions to propofol modulation. We electrophysiologically measured GABA-dependent channel activation in α1β3γ2L or receptors with single M2-15' (α1S270I, β3N265M, and γ2S280W) or M3-36' (α1A291W, β3M286W, and γ2S301W) mutations, in the absence and presence of equipotent clinical range concentrations of etomidate, R-mTFD-MPAB, and propofol. Estimated open probabilities were calculated and analyzed using global two-state Monod-Wyman-Changeux models to derive log(d) parameters proportional to anesthetic-induced channel modulating energies (where d is the allosteric anesthetic shift factor). All mutations reduced the log(d) values for anesthetics occupying both abutting and nonabutting pockets. The Δlog(d) values [log(d, mutant) - log(d, wild type)] for M2-15' mutations abutting an anesthetic's biochemically established binding sites were consistently larger than the Δlog(d) values for nonabutting mutations, although this was not true for the M3-36' mutant Δlog(d) values. The sums of the anesthetic-associated Δlog(d) values for sets of M2-15' or M3-36' mutations were all much larger than the wild-type log(d) values. Mutant Δlog(d) values qualitatively reflect anesthetic site occupancy patterns. However, the lack of Δlog(d) additivity undermines quantitative comparisons of distinct site contributions to anesthetic modulation because the mutations impaired both abutting anesthetic binding effects and positive cooperativity between anesthetic binding sites.

Analysis of GABAA Receptor Activation by Combinations of Agonists Acting at the Same or Distinct Binding Sites

Under both physiologic and clinical conditions GABA_A receptors are exposed to multiple agonists, including the transmitter GABA, endogenous or exogenous neuroactive steroids, and various GABAergic anesthetic and sedative drugs. The functional output of the receptor reflects the interplay among all active agents. We have investigated the activation of the concatemeric α1β2γ2L GABA_A receptor by combinations of agonists. Simulations of receptor activity using the coagonist concerted transition model demonstrate that the response amplitude in the presence of agonist combinations is highly dependent on whether the paired agonists interact with the same or distinct sites. The experimental data for receptor activation by agonist combinations were in agreement with the established views of the overlap of binding sites for several pairs of orthosteric (GABA, β-alanine, and piperidine-4-sulfonic acid) and/or allosteric agents (propofol, pentobarbital, and several neuroactive steroids). Conversely, the degree of potentiation when two GABAergic agents are coapplied can be used to determine whether the compounds act by binding to the same or distinct sites. We show that common interaction sites mediate the actions of 5α- and 5β-reduced neuroactive steroids, and natural and enantiomeric steroids. Furthermore, the results indicate that the anesthetics propofol and pentobarbital interact with partially shared binding sites. We propose that the findings may be used to predict the efficacy of drug mixtures in combination therapy and thus have potential clinical relevance.

Applying the Monod-Wyman-Changeux Allosteric Activation Model to Pseudo-Steady-State Responses from GABAA Receptors

The Monod-Wyman-Changeux (MWC) cyclic model was described as a kinetic scheme to explain enzyme function and modulation more than 50 years ago and was proposed as a model for understanding the activation of transmitter-gated channels soon afterward. More recently, the MWC model has been used to describe the activation of the GABA_A receptor by the transmitter, GABA, and drugs that bind to separate sites on the receptor. It is most interesting that the MWC formalism can also describe the interactions among drugs that activate the receptor. In this review, we describe properties of the MWC model that have been explored experimentally using the GABA_A receptor, summarize analytical expressions for activation and interaction for drugs, and briefly review experimental results.

Enhanced GABAergic actions resulting from the coapplication of the steroid 3α-hydroxy-5α-pregnane-11,20-dione (alfaxalone) with propofol or diazepam

Many GABAergic drugs are in clinical use as anesthetics, sedatives, or anxiolytics. We have investigated the actions of the combinations of the neuroactive steroid 3α-hydroxy-5α-pregnane-11,20-dione (alfaxalone) with the intravenous anesthetic propofol or the benzodiazepine diazepam. The goal of the study was to determine whether coapplication of alfaxalone reduces the effective doses and concentrations of propofol and diazepam. Behavioral effects of alfaxalone, propofol, diazepam, and the combinations of the drugs were evaluated during a 30-min activity test in mice. Functional effects of the individual drugs and drug combinations were tested by measuring the decay times of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents in rat hippocampal neurons, and peak current responses from heterologously expressed concatemeric α1β2γ2L GABA_A receptors. Co-administration of alfaxalone increased the sedative actions of propofol and diazepam in mice. The combination of alfaxalone with propofol or diazepam increased the decay times of sIPSCs and shifted the concentration-response relationships for GABA-activated receptors to lower transmitter concentrations. We infer that alfaxalone acts as a co-agonist to enhance the GABAergic effects of propofol and diazepam. We propose that co-administration of alfaxalone, and possibly other neuroactive steroids, can be employed to reduce dosage requirements for propofol and diazepam.

High Constitutive Activity Accounts for the Combination of Enhanced Direct Activation and Reduced Potentiation in Mutated GABAA Receptors

GABA_A receptors activated by the transmitter GABA are potentiated by several allosterically acting drugs, including the intravenous anesthetic propofol. Propofol can also directly activate the receptor, albeit at higher concentrations. Previous functional studies have identified amino acid residues whose substitution reduces potentiation of GABA-activated receptors by propofol while enhancing the ability of propofol to directly activate the receptor. One interpretation of such observations is that the mutation has specific effects on the sites or processes involved in potentiation or activation. We show here that divergent effects on potentiation and direct activation can be mediated by increased constitutive open probability in the mutant receptor without any specific effect on the interactions between the allosteric drug and the receptor. By simulating GABA_A receptor activity using the concerted transition model, we demonstrate that the predicted degree of potentiation is reduced as the level of constitutive activity increases. The model further predicts that a potentiating effect of an allosteric modulator is a computable value that depends on the level of constitutive activity, the amplitude of the response to the agonist, and the amplitude of the direct activating response to the modulator. Specific predictions were confirmed by electrophysiological data from the binary α1β3 and concatemeric ternary β2α1γ2L+β2α1 GABA_A receptors. The corollaries of reduced potentiation due to increased constitutive activity are isobolograms that conform to simple additivity and a loss of separation between the concentration-response relationships for direct activation and potentiation.

Comparison of αβδ and αβγ GABAA receptors: Allosteric modulation and identification of subunit arrangement by site-selective general anesthetics

GABA_A receptors play a dominant role in mediating inhibition in the mature mammalian brain, and defects of GABAergic neurotransmission contribute to the pathogenesis of a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Two types of GABAergic inhibition have been described: αβγ receptors mediate phasic inhibition in response to transient high-concentrations of synaptic GABA release, and αβδ receptors produce tonic inhibitory currents activated by low-concentration extrasynaptic GABA. Both αβδ and αβγ receptors are important targets for general anesthetics, which induce apparently different changes both in GABA-dependent receptor activation and in desensitization in currents mediated by αβγ vs. αβδ receptors. Many of these differences are explained by correcting for the high agonist efficacy of GABA at most αβγ receptors vs. much lower efficacy at αβδ receptors. The stoichiometry and subunit arrangement of recombinant αβγ receptors are well established as β-α-γ-β-α, while those of αβδ receptors remain controversial. Importantly, some potent general anesthetics selectively bind in transmembrane inter-subunit pockets of αβγ receptors: etomidate acts at β⁺/α^- interfaces, and the barbiturate R-5-allyl-1-methyl-5-(m-trifluoromethyl-diazirynylphenyl) barbituric acid (R-mTFD-MPAB) acts at α⁺/β^- and γ⁺/β^- interfaces. Thus, these drugs are useful as structural probes in αβδ receptors formed from free subunits or concatenated subunit assemblies designed to constrain subunit arrangement. Although a definite conclusion cannot be drawn, studies using etomidate and R-mTFD-MPAB support the idea that recombinant α1β3δ receptors may share stoichiometry and subunit arrangement with α1β3γ2 receptors.

GABA Type A Receptor Activation in the Allosteric Coagonist Model Framework: Relationship between EC50 and Basal Activity

The concerted transition model for multimeric proteins is a simple formulation for analyzing the behavior of transmitter-gated ion channels. We used the model to examine the relationship between the EC₅₀ for activation of the GABA type A (GABA_A) receptor by the transmitter GABA and basal activity employing concatemeric ternary GABA_A receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Basal activity, reflecting the receptor function in the absence of the transmitter, can be changed either by mutation to increase constitutive activity or by the addition of a second agonist (acting at a different site) to increase background activity. The model predicts that either mechanism for producing a change in basal activity will result in identical effects on the EC₅₀ We examined receptor activation by GABA while changing the level of basal activity with the allosterically acting anesthetics propofol, pentobarbital, or alfaxalone. We found that the relationship between EC₅₀ and basal activity was well described by the concerted transition model. Changes in the basal activity by gain-of-function mutations also resulted in predictable changes in the EC₅₀ Finally, we altered the number of GABA-binding sites by a mutation and again found that the relationship could be well described by the model. Overall, the results support the idea that interactions between the transmitter GABA and the allosteric agonists propofol, pentobarbital, or alfaxalone can be understood as reflecting additive and independent free energy changes, without assuming any specific interactions.

Competitive Antagonism of Anesthetic Action at the γ-Aminobutyric Acid Type A Receptor by a Novel Etomidate Analog with Low Intrinsic Efficacy

BACKGROUND

The authors characterized the γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor pharmacology of the novel etomidate analog naphthalene-etomidate, a potential lead compound for the development of anesthetic-selective competitive antagonists.

METHODS

The positive modulatory potencies and efficacies of etomidate and naphthalene-etomidate were defined in oocyte-expressed α1β3γ2L γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors using voltage clamp electrophysiology. Using the same technique, the ability of naphthalene-etomidate to reduce currents evoked by γ-aminobutyric acid alone or γ-aminobutyric acid potentiated by etomidate, propofol, pentobarbital, and diazepam was quantified. The binding affinity of naphthalene-etomidate to the transmembrane anesthetic binding sites of the γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor was determined from its ability to inhibit receptor photoaffinity labeling by the site-selective photolabels [H]azi-etomidate and R-[H]5-allyl-1-methyl-5-(m-trifluoromethyl-diazirynylphenyl) barbituric acid.

RESULTS

In contrast to etomidate, naphthalene-etomidate only weakly potentiated γ-aminobutyric acid-evoked currents and induced little direct activation even at a near-saturating aqueous concentration. It inhibited labeling of γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors by [H]azi-etomidate and R-[H]5-allyl-1-methyl-5-(m-trifluoromethyl-diazirynylphenyl) barbituric acid with similar half-maximal inhibitory concentrations of 48 μM (95% CI, 28 to 81 μM) and 33 μM (95% CI, 20 to 54 μM). It also reduced the positive modulatory actions of anesthetics (propofol > etomidate ~ pentobarbital) but not those of γ-aminobutyric acid or diazepam. At 300 μM, naphthalene-etomidate increased the half-maximal potentiating propofol concentration from 6.0 μM (95% CI, 4.4 to 8.0 μM) to 36 μM (95% CI, 17 to 78 μM) without affecting the maximal response obtained at high propofol concentrations.

CONCLUSIONS

Naphthalene-etomidate is a very low-efficacy etomidate analog that exhibits the pharmacology of an anesthetic competitive antagonist at the γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor.

Orthosteric- versus allosteric-dependent activation of the GABAA receptor requires numerically distinct subunit level rearrangements

Anaesthetic molecules act on synaptic transmission via the allosteric modulation of ligand-gated chloride channels, such as hetero-oligomeric α₁β₂γ₂ GABA_A receptors. To elucidate the overall activation paradigm via allosteric versus orthosteric sites, we used highly homologous, but homo-oligomeric, ρ₁ receptors that are contrastingly insensitive to anaesthetics and respond partially to several full GABA α₁β₂γ₂ receptor agonists. Here, we coexpressed varying ratios of RNAs encoding the wild-type and the mutated ρ₁ subunits, which are anaesthetic-sensitive and respond with full efficacy to partial GABA agonists, to generate distinct ensembles of receptors containing five, four, three, two, one, or zero mutated subunits. Using these experiments, we then demonstrate that, in the pentamer, three anaesthetic-sensitive ρ₁ subunits are needed to impart full efficacy to the partial GABA agonists. By contrast, five anaesthetic-sensitive subunits are required for direct activation by anaesthetics alone, and only one anaesthetic-sensitive subunit is sufficient to confer the anaesthetic-dependent potentiation to the GABA current. In conclusion, our data indicate that GABA and anaesthetics holistically activate the GABA_A ρ₁ receptor through distinct subunit level rearrangements and suggest that in contrast to the global impact of GABA via orthosteric sites, the force of anaesthetics through allosteric sites may not propagate to the neighbouring subunits and, thus, may have only a local and limited effect on the ρ₁ GABA_A receptor model system.

The Actions of Drug Combinations on the GABAA Receptor Manifest as Curvilinear Isoboles of Additivity

Drug interactions are often analyzed in terms of isobolograms. In the isobologram, the line connecting the axial points corresponding to the concentrations of two different drugs that produce an effect of the same magnitude is termed an isobole of additivity. Although the isobole of additivity can be a straight line in some special cases, previous work has proposed that it is curvilinear when the two drugs differ in their maximal effects or Hill slopes. Modulators of transmitter-gated ion channels have a wide range of maximal effects as well as Hill slopes, suggesting that the isoboles for drug actions on ion channel function are not linear. In this study, we have conducted an analysis of direct activation and potentiation of the human α1β2γ2L GABA_A receptor to demonstrate that: 1) curvilinear isoboles of additivity are predicted by a concerted transition model where the binding of each GABAergic drug additively and independently reduces the free energy of the open receptor compared with the closed receptor; and 2) experimental data for receptor activation using the agonist pair of GABA and propofol or potentiation of responses to a low concentration of GABA by the drug pair of alfaxalone and propofol agree very well with predictions. The approach assuming independent energetic contributions from GABAergic drugs enables, at least for the drug combinations tested, a straightforward method to accurately predict functional responses to any combination of concentrations.

Multiple Non-Equivalent Interfaces Mediate Direct Activation of GABAA Receptors by Propofol

Abstract: Background

Propofol is a sedative agent that at clinical concentrations acts by allosterically activating or potentiating the γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA_A) receptor. Mutational, modeling, and photolabeling studies with propofol and its analogues have identified potential interaction sites in the transmembrane domain of the receptor. At the “+” of the β subunit, in the β-α interface, meta-azipropofol labels the M286 residue in the third transmembrane domain. Substitution of this residue with tryptophan results in loss of potentiation by propofol. At the “-” side of the β subunit, in the α-β interface (or β-β interface, in the case of homomeric β receptors), ortho-propofol diazirine labels the H267 residue in the second transmembrane domain. Structural modeling indicates that the β(H267) residue lines a cavity that docks propofol with favorable interaction energy.

Method

We used two-electrode voltage clamp to determine the functional effects of mutations to the 
“+” and “-” sides of the β subunit on activation of the α1β3 GABA_A receptor by propofol.

Results

We found that while the individual mutations had a small effect, the combination of the M286W mutation with tryptophan mutations of selected residues at the α-β interface leads to strong reduction in gating efficacy for propofol.

Conclusion

We conclude that α1β3 GABA_A receptors can be activated by propofol interactions with the β-β, α-β, and β-α interfaces, where distinct, non-equivalent regions control channel gating. Any interface can mediate activation, hence substitutions at all interfaces are required for loss of activation by propofol.

γ-Aminobutyric Acid Type A Receptor Modulation by Etomidate Analogs

BACKGROUND

Etomidate is a highly potent anesthetic agent that is believed to produce hypnosis by enhancing γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor function. The authors characterized the GABAA receptor and hypnotic potencies of etomidate analogs. The authors then used computational techniques to build statistical and graphical models that relate the potencies of these etomidate analogs to their structures to identify the specific molecular determinants of potency.

METHODS

GABAA receptor potencies were defined with voltage clamp electrophysiology using α1β3γ2 receptors harboring a channel mutation (α1[L264T]) that enhances anesthetic sensitivity (n = 36 to 60 measurements per concentration-response curve). The hypnotic potencies of etomidate analogs were defined using a loss of righting reflexes assay in Sprague Dawley rats (n = 9 to 21 measurements per dose-response curve). Three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationships were determined in silico using comparative molecular field analysis.

RESULTS

The GABAA receptor and hypnotic potencies of etomidate and the etomidate analogs ranged by 91- and 53-fold, respectively. These potency measurements were significantly correlated (r = 0.72), but neither measurement correlated with drug hydrophobicity (r = 0.019 and 0.005, respectively). Statistically significant and predictive comparative molecular field analysis models were generated, and a pharmacophore model was built that revealed both the structural elements in etomidate analogs associated with high potency and the interactions that these elements make with the etomidate-binding site.

CONCLUSIONS

There are multiple specific structural elements in etomidate and etomidate analogs that mediate GABAA receptor modulation. Modifying any one element can alter receptor potency by an order of magnitude or more.

Subunit stoichiometry and arrangement in a heteromeric glutamate-gated chloride channel

The invertebrate glutamate-gated chloride-selective receptors (GluClRs) are ion channels serving as targets for ivermectin (IVM), a broad-spectrum anthelmintic drug used to treat human parasitic diseases like river blindness and lymphatic filariasis. The native GluClR is a heteropentamer consisting of α and β subunit types, with yet unknown subunit stoichiometry and arrangement. Based on the recent crystal structure of a homomeric GluClαR, we introduced mutations at the intersubunit interfaces where Glu (the neurotransmitter) binds. By electrophysiological characterization of these mutants, we found heteromeric assemblies with two equivalent Glu-binding sites at β/α intersubunit interfaces, where the GluClβ and GluClα subunits, respectively, contribute the "principal" and "complementary" components of the putative Glu-binding pockets. We identified a mutation in the IVM-binding site (far away from the Glu-binding sites), which significantly increased the sensitivity of the heteromeric mutant receptor to both Glu and IVM, and improved the receptor subunits' cooperativity. We further characterized this heteromeric GluClR mutant as a receptor having a third Glu-binding site at an α/α intersubunit interface. Altogether, our data unveil heteromeric GluClR assemblies having three α and two β subunits arranged in a counterclockwise β-α-β-α-α fashion, as viewed from the extracellular side, with either two or three Glu-binding site interfaces.

Ethanol Modulation is Quantitatively Determined by the Transmembrane Domain of Human α1 Glycine Receptors

BACKGROUND

Mutagenesis and labeling studies have identified amino acids from the human α1 glycine receptor (GlyR) extracellular, transmembrane (TM), and intracellular domains in mediating ethanol (EtOH) potentiation. However, limited high-resolution structural data for physiologically relevant receptors in this Cys-loop receptor superfamily have made pinpointing the critical amino acids difficult. Homologous ion channels from lower organisms provide conserved models for structural and functional properties of Cys-loop receptors. We previously demonstrated that a single amino acid variant of the Gloeobacter violaceus ligand-gated ion channel (GLIC) produced EtOH and anesthetic sensitivity similar to that of GlyRs and provided crystallographic evidence for EtOH binding to GLIC.

METHODS

We directly compared EtOH modulation of the α1 GlyR and GLIC to a chimera containing the TM domain from human α1 GlyRs and the ligand-binding domain of GLIC using 2-electrode voltage-clamp electrophysiology of receptors expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes.

RESULTS

EtOH potentiated α1 GlyRs in a concentration-dependent manner in the presence of zinc-chelating agents, but did not potentiate GLIC at pharmacologically relevant concentrations. The GLIC/GlyR chimera recapitulated the EtOH potentiation of GlyRs, without apparent sensitivity to zinc chelation. For chimera expression in oocytes, it was essential to suppress leakage current by adding 50 μM picrotoxin to the media, a technique that may have applications in expression of other ion channels.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results are consistent with a TM mechanism of EtOH modulation in Cys-loop receptors. This work highlights the relevance of bacterial homologs as valuable model systems for studying ion channel function of human receptors and demonstrates the modularity of these channels across species.

Etomidate produces similar allosteric modulation in α1β3δ and α1β3γ2L GABA(A) receptors

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Neuronal GABA(A) receptors are pentameric chloride ion channels, which include synaptic αβγ and extrasynaptic αβδ isoforms, mediating phasic and tonic inhibition respectively. Although the subunit arrangement of αβγ receptors is established as β-α-γ-β-α, that of αβδ receptors is uncertain and possibly variable. We compared receptors formed from free α1, β3 and δ or γ2L subunits and concatenated β3-α1-δ and β3-α1 subunit assemblies (placing δ in the established γ position) by investigating the effects of R-(+)-etomidate (ETO), an allosteric modulator that selectively binds to transmembrane interfacial sites between β3 and α1.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

GABA-activated receptor-mediated currents in Xenopus oocytes were measured electrophysiologically, and ETO-induced allosteric shifts were quantified using an established model.

KEY RESULTS

ETO (3.2 μM) similarly enhanced maximal GABA (1 mM)-evoked currents in oocytes injected with 5 ng total mRNA and varying subunit ratios, for α1β3(1:1), α1β3δ(1:1:1) and α1β3δ(1:1:3), but this potentiation by ETO was significantly greater for β3-α1-δ/β3-α1(1:1) receptors. Reducing the amount of α1β3δ(1:1:3) mRNA mixture injected (0.5 ng) increased the modulatory effect of ETO, matching that seen with β3-α1-δ/β3-α1(1:1, 1 ng). ETO similarly reduced EC₅₀s and enhanced maxima of GABA concentration-response curves for both α1β3δ and β3-α1-δ/β3-α1 receptors. Allosteric shift parameters derived from these data depended on estimates of maximal GABA efficacy, and the calculated ranges overlap with allosteric shift values for α1β3γ2L receptors.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Reducing total mRNA unexpectedly increased δ subunit incorporation into receptors on oocyte plasma membranes. Our results favour homologous locations for δ and γ2L subunits in α1β3γ2/δ GABA(A) receptors.

Assessment of homology templates and an anesthetic binding site within the γ-aminobutyric acid receptor

BACKGROUND

Anesthetics mediate portions of their activity via modulation of the γ-aminobutyric acid receptor (GABAaR). Although its molecular structure remains unknown, significant progress has been made toward understanding its interactions with anesthetics via molecular modeling.

METHODS

The structure of the torpedo acetylcholine receptor (nAChRα), the structures of the α4 and β2 subunits of the human nAChR, the structures of the eukaryotic glutamate-gated chloride channel (GluCl), and the prokaryotic pH-sensing channels, from Gloeobacter violaceus and Erwinia chrysanthemi, were aligned with the SAlign and 3DMA algorithms. A multiple sequence alignment from these structures and those of the GABAaR was performed with ClustalW. The Modeler and Rosetta algorithms independently created three-dimensional constructs of the GABAaR from the GluCl template. The CDocker algorithm docked a congeneric series of propofol derivatives into the binding pocket and scored calculated binding affinities for correlation with known GABAaR potentiation EC50s.

RESULTS

Multiple structure alignments of templates revealed a clear consensus of residue locations relevant to anesthetic effects except for torpedo nAChR. Within the GABAaR models generated from GluCl, the residues notable for modulating anesthetic action within transmembrane segments 1, 2, and 3 converged on the intersubunit interface between α and β subunits. Docking scores of a propofol derivative series into this binding site showed strong linear correlation with GABAaR potentiation EC50.

CONCLUSION

Consensus structural alignment based on homologous templates revealed an intersubunit anesthetic binding cavity within the transmembrane domain of the GABAaR, which showed a correlation of ligand docking scores with experimentally measured GABAaR potentiation.

The concept of allosteric interaction and its consequences for the chemistry of the brain

Throughout this Reflections article, I have tried to follow up on the genesis in the 1960s and subsequent evolution of the concept of allosteric interaction and to examine its consequences within the past decades, essentially in the field of the neuroscience. The main conclusion is that allosteric mechanisms built on similar structural principles operate in bacterial regulatory enzymes, gene repressors (and the related nuclear receptors), rhodopsin, G-protein-coupled receptors, neurotransmitter receptors, ion channels, and so on from prokaryotes up to the human brain yet with important features of their own. Thus, future research on these basic cybernetic sensors is expected to develop in two major directions: at the elementary level, toward the atomic structure and molecular dynamics of the conformational changes involved in signal recognition and transduction, but also at a higher level of organization, the contribution of allosteric mechanisms to the modulation of brain functions.

Specificity of intersubunit general anesthetic-binding sites in the transmembrane domain of the human α1β3γ2 γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor

GABA type A receptors (GABAAR), the brain's major inhibitory neurotransmitter receptors, are the targets for many general anesthetics, including volatile anesthetics, etomidate, propofol, and barbiturates. How such structurally diverse agents can act similarly as positive allosteric modulators of GABAARs remains unclear. Previously, photoreactive etomidate analogs identified two equivalent anesthetic-binding sites in the transmembrane domain at the β(+)-α(-) subunit interfaces, which also contain the GABA-binding sites in the extracellular domain. Here, we used R-[(3)H]5-allyl-1-methyl-5-(m-trifluoromethyl-diazirynylphenyl) barbituric acid (R-mTFD-MPAB), a potent stereospecific barbiturate anesthetic, to photolabel expressed human α1β3γ2 GABAARs. Protein microsequencing revealed that R-[(3)H]mTFD-MPAB did not photolabel the etomidate sites at the β(+)-α(-) subunit interfaces. Instead, it photolabeled sites at the α(+)-β(-) and γ(+)-β(-) subunit interfaces in the transmembrane domain. On the (+)-side, α1M3 was labeled at Ala-291 and Tyr-294 and γ2M3 at Ser-301, and on the (-)-side, β3M1 was labeled at Met-227. These residues, like those in the etomidate site, are located at subunit interfaces near the synaptic side of the transmembrane domain. The selectivity of R-etomidate for the β(+)-α(-) interface relative to the α(+)-β(-)/γ(+)-β(-) interfaces was >100-fold, whereas that of R-mTFD-MPAB for its sites was >50-fold. Each ligand could enhance photoincorporation of the other, demonstrating allosteric interactions between the sites. The structural heterogeneity of barbiturate, etomidate, and propofol derivatives is accommodated by varying selectivities for these two classes of sites. We hypothesize that binding at any of these homologous intersubunit sites is sufficient for anesthetic action and that this explains to some degree the puzzling structural heterogeneity of anesthetics.

The pyrrole etomidate analog carboetomidate potently inhibits human 5-HT3A receptor function: comparisons with etomidate and potential implications for emetogenesis

BACKGROUND

5-Hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5-HT(3)) receptors are excitatory ion channels belonging to the cys-loop family of ligand-gated ion channels. They are involved in nausea and vomiting and their antagonists are used clinically as antiemetic drugs. We previously reported the development of a novel pyrrole analog of etomidate, (R)-ethyl 1-(1-phenylethyl)-1H-pyrrole-2-carboxylate (carboetomidate), which retains etomidate's desirable anesthetic and hemodynamic properties, but lacks its potent inhibitory effect on adrenocorticotropic hormone-stimulated steroid synthesis. Also in contrast to etomidate, carboetomidate potently inhibits nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Because nicotinic acetylcholine and 5-HT(3) receptors are highly homologous, we hypothesized that carboetomidate might also potently inhibit 5-HT(3) receptors with potentially important implications for the drug's emetogenic activity. In the current studies, we investigated and compared modulation of 5-HT(3A) receptors by carboetomidate and etomidate.

METHODS

5-HT(3) receptors were heterologously expressed in human embryonic kidney cells. Drugs were applied with a multichannel superfusion pipette coupled to piezoelectric elements, and currents were recorded from cells in either the whole-cell or excised outside-out patch configuration of patch-clamp recordings.

RESULTS

Carboetomidate and etomidate inhibited integrated 5-HT(3A) receptor-mediated currents with respective half-inhibitory concentrations of 1.9 μM (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.4-2.7 μM) and 25 μM (95% CI = 17-37 μM). These values may be compared with respective hypnotic concentrations of 5.4 and 2.3 µM. This inhibition reflected hypnotic effects on peak current amplitudes and desensitization rates. Half-inhibitory concentrations for reducing peak current amplitudes were 34 μM (95% CI = 24-48 µM) for carboetomidate and 171 μM (95% CI = 128-228 µM) for etomidate. Half-inhibitory concentrations for reducing the desensitization time constant were 3.5 μM (95% CI = 2.4-5.1 µM) for carboetomidate and 36 μM (95% CI = 21-59 µM) for etomidate.

CONCLUSIONS

In contrast to etomidate, carboetomidate inhibits 5-HT(3A) receptor-mediated currents at hypnotic concentrations. This inhibition is primarily the result of enhancing the rate of desensitization. Because carboetomidate potently inhibits 5-HT(3A) receptors, it may be less emetogenic than etomidate.