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Schaefer N, Harvey RJ, Villmann C. Startle Disease: New Molecular Insights into an Old Neurological Disorder. Neuroscientist 2023; 29:767-781. [PMID: 35754344 PMCID: PMC10623600 DOI: 10.1177/10738584221104724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Startle disease (SD) is characterized by enhanced startle responses, generalized muscle stiffness, unexpected falling, and fatal apnea episodes due to disturbed feedback inhibition in the spinal cord and brainstem of affected individuals. Mutations within the glycine receptor (GlyR) subunit and glycine transporter 2 (GlyT2) genes have been identified in individuals with SD. Impaired inhibitory neurotransmission in SD is due to pre- and/or postsynaptic GlyR or presynaptic GlyT2 dysfunctions. Previous research has focused on mutated GlyRs and GlyT2 that impair ion channel/transporter function or trafficking. With insights provided by recently solved cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray structures of GlyRs, a detailed picture of structural transitions important for receptor gating has emerged, allowing a deeper understanding of SD at the molecular level. Moreover, studies on novel SD mutations have demonstrated a higher complexity of SD, with identification of additional clinical signs and symptoms and interaction partners representing key players for fine-tuning synaptic processes. Although our knowledge has steadily improved during the last years, changes in synaptic localization and GlyR or GlyT2 homeostasis under disease conditions are not yet completely understood. Combined proteomics, interactomics, and high-resolution microscopy techniques are required to reveal alterations in receptor dynamics at the synaptic level under disease conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natascha Schaefer
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, University Hospital, Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Robert J. Harvey
- School of Health and Behavioural Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Australia
- Sunshine Coast Health Institute, Birtinya, Australia
| | - Carmen Villmann
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, University Hospital, Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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Chan MC, Procko E, Shukla D. Structural Rearrangement of the Serotonin Transporter Intracellular Gate Induced by Thr276 Phosphorylation. ACS Chem Neurosci 2022; 13:933-945. [PMID: 35258286 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.1c00714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The reuptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin from the synaptic cleft by the serotonin transporter, SERT, is essential for proper neurological signaling. Biochemical studies have shown that Thr276 of transmembrane helix 5 is a site of PKG-mediated SERT phosphorylation, which has been proposed to shift the SERT conformational equilibria to promote inward-facing states, thus enhancing 5-HT transport. Recent structural and simulation studies have provided insights into the conformation transitions during substrate transport but have not shed light on SERT regulation via post-translational modifications. Using molecular dynamics simulations and Markov state models, we investigate how Thr276 phosphorylation impacts the SERT mechanism and its role in enhancing transporter stability and function. Our simulations show that Thr276 phosphorylation alters the hydrogen-bonding network involving residues on transmembrane helix 5. This in turn decreases the free energy barriers for SERT to transition to the inward-facing state, thus facilitating 5-HT import. The results provide atomistic insights into in vivo SERT regulation and can be extended to other pharmacologically important transporters in the solute carrier family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew C. Chan
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Erik Procko
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Diwakar Shukla
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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Eulenburg V, Hülsmann S. Synergistic Control of Transmitter Turnover at Glycinergic Synapses by GlyT1, GlyT2, and ASC-1. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23052561. [PMID: 35269698 PMCID: PMC8909939 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23052561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
In addition to being involved in protein biosynthesis and metabolism, the amino acid glycine is the most important inhibitory neurotransmitter in caudal regions of the brain. These functions require a tight regulation of glycine concentration not only in the synaptic cleft, but also in various intracellular and extracellular compartments. This is achieved not only by confining the synthesis and degradation of glycine predominantly to the mitochondria, but also by the action of high-affinity large-capacity glycine transporters that mediate the transport of glycine across the membranes of presynaptic terminals or glial cells surrounding the synapses. Although most cells at glycine-dependent synapses express more than one transporter with high affinity for glycine, their synergistic functional interaction is only poorly understood. In this review, we summarize our current knowledge of the two high-affinity transporters for glycine, the sodium-dependent glycine transporters 1 (GlyT1; SLC6A9) and 2 (GlyT2; SLC6A5) and the alanine–serine–cysteine-1 transporter (Asc-1; SLC7A10).
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Affiliation(s)
- Volker Eulenburg
- Department for Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Liebigstraße 20, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Correspondence: (V.E.); (S.H.)
| | - Swen Hülsmann
- Department for Anesthesiology, University Medical Center, Georg-August University, Humboldtallee 23, D-37073 Göttingen, Germany
- Correspondence: (V.E.); (S.H.)
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Rescue of two trafficking-defective variants of the neuronal glycine transporter GlyT2 associated to hyperekplexia. Neuropharmacology 2021; 189:108543. [PMID: 33794243 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Hyperekplexia is a rare sensorimotor syndrome characterized by pathological startle reflex in response to unexpected trivial stimuli for which there is no specific treatment. Neonates suffer from hypertonia and are at high risk of sudden death due to apnea episodes. Mutations in the human SLC6A5 gene encoding the neuronal glycine transporter GlyT2 may disrupt the inhibitory glycinergic neurotransmission and cause a presynaptic form of the disease. The phenotype of missense mutations giving rise to protein misfolding but maintaining residual activity could be rescued by facilitating folding or intracellular trafficking. In this report, we characterized the trafficking properties of two mutants associated with hyperekplexia (A277T and Y707C, rat numbering). Transporter molecules were partially retained in the endoplasmic reticulum showing increased interaction with the endoplasmic reticulum chaperone calnexin. One transporter variant had export difficulties and increased ubiquitination levels, suggestive of enhanced endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation. However, the two mutant transporters were amenable to correction by calnexin overexpression. Within the search for compounds capable of rescuing mutant phenotypes, we found that the arachidonic acid derivative N-arachidonoyl glycine can rescue the trafficking defects of the two variants in heterologous cells and rat brain cortical neurons. N-arachidonoyl glycine improves the endoplasmic reticulum output by reducing the interaction transporter/calnexin, increasing membrane expression and improving transport activity in a comparable way as the well-established chemical chaperone 4-phenyl-butyrate. This work identifies N-arachidonoyl glycine as a promising compound with potential for hyperekplexia therapy.
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Bhat S, El-Kasaby A, Freissmuth M, Sucic S. Functional and Biochemical Consequences of Disease Variants in Neurotransmitter Transporters: A Special Emphasis on Folding and Trafficking Deficits. Pharmacol Ther 2020; 222:107785. [PMID: 33310157 PMCID: PMC7612411 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2020.107785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Neurotransmitters, such as γ-aminobutyric acid, glutamate, acetyl choline, glycine and the monoamines, facilitate the crosstalk within the central nervous system. The designated neurotransmitter transporters (NTTs) both release and take up neurotransmitters to and from the synaptic cleft. NTT dysfunction can lead to severe pathophysiological consequences, e.g. epilepsy, intellectual disability, or Parkinson’s disease. Genetic point mutations in NTTs have recently been associated with the onset of various neurological disorders. Some of these mutations trigger folding defects in the NTT proteins. Correct folding is a prerequisite for the export of NTTs from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the subsequent trafficking to their pertinent site of action, typically at the plasma membrane. Recent studies have uncovered some of the key features in the molecular machinery responsible for transporter protein folding, e.g., the role of heat shock proteins in fine-tuning the ER quality control mechanisms in cells. The therapeutic significance of understanding these events is apparent from the rising number of reports, which directly link different pathological conditions to NTT misfolding. For instance, folding-deficient variants of the human transporters for dopamine or GABA lead to infantile parkinsonism/dystonia and epilepsy, respectively. From a therapeutic point of view, some folding-deficient NTTs are amenable to functional rescue by small molecules, known as chemical and pharmacological chaperones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shreyas Bhat
- Institute of Pharmacology and the Gaston H. Glock Research Laboratories for Exploratory Drug Development, Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ali El-Kasaby
- Institute of Pharmacology and the Gaston H. Glock Research Laboratories for Exploratory Drug Development, Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Freissmuth
- Institute of Pharmacology and the Gaston H. Glock Research Laboratories for Exploratory Drug Development, Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Sonja Sucic
- Institute of Pharmacology and the Gaston H. Glock Research Laboratories for Exploratory Drug Development, Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
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Marques BL, Oliveira-Lima OC, Carvalho GA, de Almeida Chiarelli R, Ribeiro RI, Parreira RC, da Madeira Freitas EM, Resende RR, Klempin F, Ulrich H, Gomez RS, Pinto MCX. Neurobiology of glycine transporters: From molecules to behavior. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 118:97-110. [PMID: 32712279 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Glycine transporters (GlyTs) are Na+/Cl--dependent neurotransmitter transporters, responsible for l-glycine uptake into the central nervous system. GlyTs are members of the solute carrier family 6 (SLC6) and comprise glycine transporter type 1 (SLC6A9; GlyT1) and glycine transporter type 2 (SLC6A5; Glyt2). GlyT1 and GlyT2 are expressed on both astrocytes and neurons, but their expression pattern in brain tissue is foremost related to neurotransmission. GlyT2 is markedly expressed in brainstem, spinal cord and cerebellum, where it is responsible for glycine uptake into glycinergic and GABAergic terminals. GlyT1 is abundant in neocortex, thalamus and hippocampus, where it is expressed in astrocytes, and involved in glutamatergic neurotransmission. Consequently, inhibition of GlyT1 transporters can modulate glutamatergic neurotransmission through NMDA receptors, suggesting an alternative therapeutic strategy. In this review, we focus on recent progress in the understanding of GlyTs role in brain function and in various diseases, such as epilepsy, hyperekplexia, neuropathic pain, drug addiction, schizophrenia and stroke, as well as in neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Lemes Marques
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Neurofarmacologia - Neurolab, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Onésia Cristina Oliveira-Lima
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Neurofarmacologia - Neurolab, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Almeida Carvalho
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Neurofarmacologia - Neurolab, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Raphaela de Almeida Chiarelli
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Neurofarmacologia - Neurolab, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Raul Izidoro Ribeiro
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Neurofarmacologia - Neurolab, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Cambraia Parreira
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Neurofarmacologia - Neurolab, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Elis Marra da Madeira Freitas
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Neurofarmacologia - Neurolab, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Ribeiro Resende
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | | | - Henning Ulrich
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Renato Santiago Gomez
- Departamento de Cirurgia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Mauro Cunha Xavier Pinto
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Neurofarmacologia - Neurolab, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
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Antonioni A, Peschi G, Granieri E. A Case of Hyperekplexia That Started From Childhood: Clinical Diagnosis With Negative Genetic Investigations. Front Neurol 2020; 11:10. [PMID: 32116999 PMCID: PMC7026473 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Here, we report the case of a 63-year-old woman affected by abnormal, excessive, and involuntary reactions to harmless and unexpected sensory stimuli, compatible with the diagnosis of hyperekplexia. It is a pathology that involves the glycinergic system on a hereditary basis, and even if genetic proof compatible with the diagnosis is not present in this case, the fact that an aunt on her father's side suffered from the same disorders supports the clinical suspicion. From an early age, clinical history shows anomalous motor manifestations, initially framed as a form of focal epilepsy or ordinary disorders of the mood sphere, later excluded by the lack of effectiveness of a targeted therapy. Despite this, intellectual, psychological, and socio-emotional development was regular. The manifestations, present throughout childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood in moderate entity, worsened after the age of 50, perhaps due to hormonal changes. The presence of consequent anxiety and depression has compromised her quality of life, and in order to improve it, therapies were resorted, which, however, produced cognitive-attention deficits. No diagnostic exam has confirmed the diagnosis, although some scars in some brain areas involved in the control of reactions are elements favorable to this condition in genetically predisposed subjects. Therapies currently in use attenuate the motor symptomatology without resolving it and cause side effects in the psychological and cognitive sphere. In this case, we want to highlight the difficulty of diagnosing a very rare genetic condition, still not well-known, which presents symptoms easily mistaken for other more common diseases, because there are no specific clinical-diagnostic tools for the time being. In this particular case, we describe a female patient with an atypical onset age and negative genetic investigations compared with what is known in literature regarding this rare disorder. That is why it has been thought she was affected by epilepsy or anxiety-related disorders for several years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annibale Antonioni
- Section of Neurology, Psychology and Psychiatry, Department of Biomedical and Specialty-Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Giovanni Peschi
- Department of Interventional, Pediatric and Diagnostic Radiology, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Enrico Granieri
- Section of Neurology, Psychology and Psychiatry, Department of Biomedical and Specialty-Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
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