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Huang J, Korsunsky A, Yazdani M, Chen J. Targeting TRP channels: recent advances in structure, ligand binding, and molecular mechanisms. Front Mol Neurosci 2024; 16:1334370. [PMID: 38273937 PMCID: PMC10808746 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1334370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are a large and diverse family of transmembrane ion channels that are widely expressed, have important physiological roles, and are associated with many human diseases. These proteins are actively pursued as promising drug targets, benefitting greatly from advances in structural and mechanistic studies of TRP channels. At the same time, the complex, polymodal activation and regulation of TRP channels have presented formidable challenges. In this short review, we summarize recent progresses toward understanding the structural basis of TRP channel function, as well as potential ligand binding sites that could be targeted for therapeutics. A particular focus is on the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms of TRP channel activation and regulation, where many fundamental questions remain unanswered. We believe that a deeper understanding of the functional mechanisms of TRP channels will be critical and likely transformative toward developing successful therapeutic strategies targeting these exciting proteins. This endeavor will require concerted efforts from computation, structural biology, medicinal chemistry, electrophysiology, pharmacology, drug safety and clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Huang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States
| | - Aron Korsunsky
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States
| | - Mahdieh Yazdani
- Modeling and Informatics, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA, United States
| | - Jianhan Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States
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Wang G. Thermoring basis for the TRPV3 bio-thermometer. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21594. [PMID: 38062125 PMCID: PMC10703924 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47100-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The thermosensitive transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are well-known as bio-thermometers with specific temperature thresholds and sensitivity. However, their precise structural origins are still mysterious. Here, graph theory was used to test how the temperature-dependent non-covalent interactions as identified in the 3D structures of thermo-gated TRPV3 could form a systematic fluidic grid-like mesh network with the constrained thermo-rings from the biggest grids to the smallest ones as necessary structural motifs for the variable temperature thresholds and sensitivity. The results showed that the heat-evoked melting of the biggest grids may control the specific temperature thresholds to initiate channel gating while the smaller grids may be required to secure heat efficacy. Together, all the grids along the lipid-dependent minimal gating pathway may be necessary to change with molar heat capacity for the specific temperature sensitivity. Therefore, this graph theory-based grid thermodynamic model may provide an extensive structural basis for the thermo-gated TRP channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangyu Wang
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California School of Medicine, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
- Department of Drug Research and Development, Institute of Biophysical Medico-Chemistry, Reno, NV, 89523, USA.
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Brauchi SE. Cold blooded vertebrates help unveil a heat-dependent trigger. Trends Neurosci 2023; 46:781-782. [PMID: 37652839 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2023.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
In a recent study, Hori and colleagues demonstrated that two specific residues located in the first ankyrin repeat of TRPV1 channels modulate the threshold for temperature activation. This study highlights the importance of considering natural diversity and comparative biology when approaching biophysical questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian E Brauchi
- Physiology Department and Millennium Nucleus of Ion Channel-Associated Diseases (MiNICAD), Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile.
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Burns D, Venditti V, Potoyan DA. Temperature sensitive contact modes allosterically gate TRPV3. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011545. [PMID: 37831724 PMCID: PMC10599574 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
TRPV Ion channels are sophisticated molecular sensors designed to respond to distinct temperature thresholds. The recent surge in cryo-EM structures has provided numerous insights into the structural rearrangements accompanying their opening and closing; however, the molecular mechanisms by which TRPV channels establish precise and robust temperature sensing remain elusive. In this work we employ molecular simulations, multi-ensemble contact analysis, graph theory, and machine learning techniques to reveal the temperature-sensitive residue-residue interactions driving allostery in TRPV3. We find that groups of residues exhibiting similar temperature-dependent contact frequency profiles cluster at specific regions of the channel. The dominant mode clusters on the ankyrin repeat domain and displays a linear melting trend while others display non-linear trends. These modes describe the residue-level temperature response patterns that underlie the channel's functional dynamics. With network analysis, we find that the community structure of the channel changes with temperature. And that a network of high centrality contacts connects distant regions of the protomer to the gate, serving as a means for the temperature-sensitive contact modes to allosterically regulate channel gating. Using a random forest model, we show that the contact states of specific temperature-sensitive modes are indeed predictive of the channel gate's state. Supporting the physical validity of these modes and networks are several residues identified with our analyses that are reported in literature to be functionally critical. Our results offer high resolution insight into thermo-TRP channel function and demonstrate the utility of temperature-sensitive contact analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Burns
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Vincenzo Venditti
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Davit A. Potoyan
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
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Burns D, Venditti V, Potoyan DA. Temperature-Sensitive Contact Modes Allosterically Gate TRPV3. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.02.522497. [PMID: 36711981 PMCID: PMC9881879 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.02.522497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
TRPV Ion channels are sophisticated molecular sensors designed to respond to distinct temperature thresholds. The recent surge in cryo-EM structures has provided numerous insights into the structural rearrangements accompanying their opening and closing; however, the molecular mechanisms by which TRPV channels establish precise and robust temperature sensing remain elusive. In this work we employ molecular simulations, multi-ensemble contact analysis, graph theory, and machine learning techniques to reveal the temperature-sensitive residue-residue interactions driving allostery in TRPV3. We find that groups of residues exhibiting similar temperature-dependent contact frequency profiles cluster at specific regions of the channel. The dominant mode clusters on the ankyrin repeat domain and displays a linear melting trend while others display non-linear trends. These modes describe the residue-level temperature response patterns that underlie the channel's functional dynamics. With network analysis, we find that the community structure of the channel changes with temperature. And that a network of high centrality contacts connects distant regions of the protomer to the gate, serving as a means for the temperature-sensitive contact modes to allosterically regulate channel gating. Using a random forest model, we show that the contact states of specific temperature-sensitive modes are indeed predictive of the channel gate's state. Supporting the physical validity of these modes and networks are several residues identified with our analyses that are reported in literature to be functionally critical. Our results offer high resolution insight into thermo-TRP channel function and demonstrate the utility of temperature-sensitive contact analysis.
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Hori S, Tateyama M, Shirai T, Kubo Y, Saitoh O. Two single-point mutations in Ankyrin Repeat one drastically change the threshold temperature of TRPV1. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2415. [PMID: 37169739 PMCID: PMC10175561 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38051-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
TRPV1 plays an important role in the thermosensory system; however, the mechanism controlling its heat activation property is not well understood. Here, we determine the heat activation properties of TRPV1 cloned from tailed amphibians, which prefer cooler environments, finding the threshold temperatures were approximately 10 °C lower compared with rat TRPV1 (rTRPV1). We find that two amino acid residues (Gln, Leu/Val) in the Ankyrin Repeat 1 (ANK1) region of the N-terminal domain are conserved among tailed amphibians and different from those (Arg, Lys) in rTRPV1. We observe the activation by heat in all urodelan TRPV1s is markedly elevated by substitution of these two amino acids. Conversely, reciprocal substitutions of rTRPV1 apparently lowers the high threshold temperature. Our studies demonstrate that tailed amphibians express TRPV1 with a reduced heat-activation threshold by substitution of two amino acid residues in the ANK1 region that likely contribute to cool-habitat selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shogo Hori
- Graduate School of Biosciences, Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology, Nagahama, Shiga, 526-0829, Japan
| | - Michihiro Tateyama
- Division of Biophysics and Neurobiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Shirai
- Graduate School of Biosciences, Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology, Nagahama, Shiga, 526-0829, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Kubo
- Division of Biophysics and Neurobiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan
| | - Osamu Saitoh
- Graduate School of Biosciences, Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology, Nagahama, Shiga, 526-0829, Japan.
- Genome Editing Research Institute, Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology, Nagahama, Shiga, 526-0829, Japan.
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Rosenbaum T, Morales-Lázaro SL, Islas LD. TRP channels: a journey towards a molecular understanding of pain. Nat Rev Neurosci 2022; 23:596-610. [PMID: 35831443 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-022-00611-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The perception of nociceptive signals, which are translated into pain, plays a fundamental role in the survival of organisms. Because pain is linked to a negative sensation, animals learn to avoid noxious signals. These signals are detected by receptors, which include some members of the transient receptor potential (TRP) family of ion channels that act as transducers of exogenous and endogenous noxious cues. These proteins have been in the focus of the field of physiology for several years, and much knowledge of how they regulate the function of the cell types and organs where they are expressed has been acquired. The last decade has been especially exciting because the 'resolution revolution' has allowed us to learn the molecular intimacies of TRP channels using cryogenic electron microscopy. These findings, in combination with functional studies, have provided insights into the role played by these channels in the generation and maintenance of pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Rosenbaum
- Departamento de Neurociencia Cognitiva, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico.
| | - Sara L Morales-Lázaro
- Departamento de Neurociencia Cognitiva, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - León D Islas
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico
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