Site-directed mutagenesis implicates a threonine residue in TM6 in the subtype selectivities of UH-AH 37 and pirenzepine at muscarinic receptors

Aminergic GPCR-Ligand Interactions: A Chemical and Structural Map of Receptor Mutation Data

The aminergic family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) plays an important role in various diseases and represents a major drug discovery target class. Structure determination of all major aminergic subfamilies has enabled structure-based ligand design for these receptors. Site-directed mutagenesis data provides an invaluable complementary source of information for elucidating the structural determinants of binding of different ligand chemotypes. The current study provides a comparative analysis of 6692 mutation data points on 34 aminergic GPCR subtypes, covering the chemical space of 540 unique ligands from mutagenesis experiments and information from experimentally determined structures of 52 distinct aminergic receptor-ligand complexes. The integrated analysis enables detailed investigation of structural receptor-ligand interactions and assessment of the transferability of combined binding mode and mutation data across ligand chemotypes and receptor subtypes. An overview is provided of the possibilities and limitations of using mutation data to guide the design of novel aminergic receptor ligands.

Opposing effects of atropine and timolol on the color and luminance emmetropization mechanisms in chicks

This study analyzed the luminance and color emmetropization response in chicks treated with the nonselective parasympathetic antagonist atropine and the sympathetic β-receptor blocker timolol. Chicks were binocularly exposed (8h/day) for 4days to one of three illumination conditions: 2Hz sinusoidal luminance flicker, 2Hz sinusoidal blue/yellow color flicker, or steady light (mean 680lux). Atropine experiments involved monocular daily injections of either 20μl of atropine (18nmol) or 20μl of phosphate-buffered saline. Timolol experiments involved monocular daily applications of 2 drops of 0.5% timolol or 2 drops of distilled H2O. Changes in the experimental eye were compared with those in the fellow eye after correction for the effects of saline/water treatments. Atropine caused a reduction in axial length with both luminance flicker (-0.078±0.021mm) and color flicker (-0.054±0.017mm), and a reduction in vitreous chamber depth with luminance flicker (-0.095±0.023mm), evoking a hyperopic shift in refraction (3.40±1.77D). Timolol produced an increase in axial length with luminance flicker (0.045±0.030mm) and a myopic shift in refraction (-4.07±0.92D), while color flicker caused a significant decrease in axial length (-0.046±0.017mm) that was associated with choroidal thinning (-0.046±0.015mm). The opposing effects on growth and refraction seen with atropine and timolol suggest a balancing mechanism between the parasympathetic and β-receptor mediated sympathetic system through stimulation of the retina with luminance and color contrast.

Binding of orthosteric ligands to the allosteric site of the M(2) muscarinic cholinergic receptor

The M(2) muscarinic receptor has two topographically distinct sites: the orthosteric site and an allosteric site recognized by compounds such as gallamine. It also can exhibit cooperative effects in the binding of orthosteric ligands, presumably to the orthosteric sites within an oligomer. Such effects would be difficult to interpret, however, if those ligands also bound to the allosteric site. Monomers of the hemagglutinin (HA)- and FLAG-tagged human M(2) receptor therefore have been purified from coinfected Sf9 cells and examined for any effect of the antagonist N-methyl scopolamine or the agonist oxotremorine-M on the rate at which N-[(3)H]methyl scopolamine dissociates from the orthosteric site (k(obsd)). The predominantly monomeric status was confirmed by coimmunoprecipitation and by cross-linking with bis(sulfosuccinimidyl)suberate. Both N-methyl scopolamine and oxotremorine-M acted in a cooperative manner to decrease k(obsd) by 4.5- and 9.1-fold, respectively; the corresponding estimates of affinity (log K(L)) are -2.55 +/- 0.13 and -2.29 +/- 0.14. Gallamine and the allosteric ligand obidoxime decreased k(obsd) by more than 100-fold (log K(L) = -4.12 +/- 0.04) and by only 1.1-fold (log K(L) = -1.73 +/- 0.91), respectively. Obidoxime reversed the effect of N-methyl scopolamine, oxotremorine-M, and gallamine in a manner that could be described by a model in which all four ligands compete for a common allosteric site. Ligands generally assumed to be exclusively orthosteric therefore can act at the allosteric site of the M(2) receptor, albeit at comparatively high concentrations.

Molecular and pharmacological characterization of muscarinic receptors in retinal pigment epithelium: role in light-adaptive pigment movements

Muscarinic receptors are the predominant cholinergic receptors in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Recently, activation of muscarinic receptors was found to elicit pigment granule dispersion in retinal pigment epithelium isolated from bluegill fish. Pigment granule movement in retinal pigment epithelium is a light-adaptive mechanism in fish. In the present study, we used pharmacological and molecular approaches to identify the muscarinic receptor subtype and the intracellular signaling pathway involved in the pigment granule dispersion in retinal pigment epithelium. Of the muscarinic receptor subtype-specific antagonists used, only antagonists specific for M1 and M3 muscarinic receptors were found to block carbamyl choline (carbachol)-induced pigment granule dispersion. A phospholipase C inhibitor also blocked carbachol-induced pigment granule dispersion, and a similar result was obtained when retinal pigment epithelium was incubated with an inositol trisphosphate receptor inhibitor. We isolated M2 and M5 receptor genes from bluegill and studied their expression. Only M5 was found to be expressed in retinal pigment epithelium. Taken together, pharmacological and molecular evidence suggest that activation of an odd subtype of muscarinic receptor, possibly M5, on fish retinal pigment epithelium induces pigment granule dispersion.

Asparagine, Valine, and Threonine in the Third Extracellular Loop of Muscarinic Receptor Have Essential Roles in the Positive Cooperativity of Strychnine-Like Allosteric Modulators

We have investigated allosteric interactions of four closely related strychnine-like substances: Wieland-Gumlich aldehyde (WGA), propargyl Wieland-Gumlich aldehyde, strychnine, and brucine with N-methylscopolamine (NMS) on M(3) subtype of muscarinic receptor genetically modified in the second or the third extracellular loop to corresponding loops of M(2) subtype (M(3)o2 and M(3)o3 chimera). The M(3)o2 chimeric receptor The exhibited no change in either affinity of strychnine, brucine, and WGA or in cooperativity of brucine or WGA, whereas both parameters for propargyl-WGA changed. In contrast, there was a change in affinity of all tested modulators (except for brucine) and in their cooperativity in the M(3)o3 chimera. Directions of affinity changes in both chimeras were always toward values of the donor M(2) subtype, but changes in cooperativity were variable. Compared with the native M(3) receptor, strychnine displayed a slight increase in positive cooperativity and propargyl-WGA a robust decrease in negative cooperativity at M(3)o2 chimera. Similar changes were found in the M(3)o3 chimera. Interestingly, cooperativity of brucine and WGA at the M(3)o3 chimera changed from negative to positive. This is the first evidence of constitution of positive cooperativity of WGA by switching sequences of two parental receptors, both exhibiting negative cooperativity. Gradual replacement of individual amino acids revealed that only three residues (NVT of the o3 loop of the M(2) receptor) are involved in this effect. Data suggest that these amino acids are essential for propagation of a conformation change resulting in positive cooperativity induced by these modulators.

Allosteric drugs acting at muscarinic acetylcholine receptors

The binding properties of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors are affected by various drugs acting at a second (allosteric) binding site, usually (but not always) at supratherapeutic concentrations. Allosteric drugs acting at GABA receptors present advantages over competitive drugs; this explains the interest raised by allosteric effects on muscarinic receptors. A theoretical and practicable definition of allosteric drugs acting at muscarinic receptors will be given in this work, together with a summary of recent data concerning the number, position, and structural requirements of their binding sites.

Amino acid substitutions in the human genome: evolutionary implications of single nucleotide polymorphisms

Functional differences between amino acids have long been of interest in understanding protein evolution. Several indices exist for comparing residues on the basis of their physicochemical properties and frequencies of occurrence in conserved protein alignments. Here we present a residue dissimilarity index based on coding single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the human genome. The index represents an average, organism-wide set of differences between residues and provides important insight into evolutionary restraints on residue substitutions in the human genome. Unlike previous models, it is not restricted to highly conserved protein structures, nor confounded by evolutionary differences between species. Our results confirm earlier observations regarding residue mutabilities but also suggest that in addition to the established key properties, such as size and polarity, charge conservation may be an important and currently underestimated factor in protein evolution. We also estimate that less than 51% of amino acid substitutions occurring in the human genome are evolutionarily neutral.

Zebrafish M2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor: cloning, pharmacological characterization, expression patterns and roles in embryonic bradycardia

1. A zebrafish M2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) gene was cloned. It encodes 495 amino acids in a single exon. The derived amino acid sequence is 73.5% identical to its human homologue. 2. Competitive binding studies of the zebrafish M2 receptor and [(3)H]-NMS gave negative log dissociation constants (pK(i)) for each antagonist as follows: atropine (9.16)>himbacine (8.05)>/=4-DAMP (7.83)>AF-DX 116 (7.26)>/=pirenzepine (7.18)>/=tropicamide (6.97)>/=methoctramine (6.82)>/=p-F-HHSiD (6.67)>carbachol (5.20). The antagonist affinity profile correlated with the profile of the human M2 receptor, except for pirenzepine. 3. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Southern blotting analysis demonstrated that the M2 mAChR mRNA levels increased during the segmentation period (12 h post-fertilization; h.p.f.) in zebrafish. By whole-mount in situ hybridization, the M2 mAChR was first detectable in the heart, vagus motor ganglion, and vagus sensory ganglion at 30, 48 and 60 h.p.f., respectively. 4. The muscarinic receptor that mediates carbachol (CCh)-induced bradycardia was functionally mature at 72 h.p.f. The effect of CCh-induced bradycardia was antagonized by several muscarinic receptor antagonists with the order of potency (pIC(50) values): atropine (6.76)>methoctramine (6.47)>himbacine (6.10)>4-DAMP (5.72)>AF-DX 116 (4.77), however, not by pirenzepine, p-F-HHSiD, or tropicamide (<10 micro M). 5. The effect of CCh-induced bradycardia was abolished completely before 56 h.p.f. by M2 RNA interference, and the bradycardia effect gradually recovered after 72 h.p.f. The basal heart rate was increased in embryos injected with M2 mAChR morpholino antisense oligonucleotide (M2 MO) and the effect of CCh-induced bradycardia was abolished by M2 MO in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, the results suggest that the M2 mAChR inhibit basal heart rate in zebrafish embryo and the M2 mAChR mediates the CCh-induced bradycardia.

Interactions of alcuronium, TMB-8, and other allosteric ligands with muscarinic acetylcholine receptors: studies with chimeric receptors

A series of ligands that allosterically modulate the binding of classical ligands to muscarinic receptors was evaluated at wild-type and chimeric receptors. All of the ligands studied had highest affinity toward the M(2) subtype and lowest affinity toward the M(5) subtype. The chimeric receptors were mostly M(5) sequence; the amount of M(2) sequence ranged from about 6 to just under 30%. Alcuronium and TMB-8 had much higher affinity for the chimeric receptor that included the M(2) second outer loop of the receptor plus flanking regions of TM4 and TM5 than for any of the other chimeric receptors (the affinities of which remained similar to that of the M(5) subtype). However, this chimera retained the negative cooperativity between alcuronium and the classical antagonist N-methylscopolamine that is characteristic of M(5) (these ligands are positively cooperative at M(2)). Verapamil, tetrahydroaminoacridine, and d-tubocurarine were also sensitive to that chimeric substitution, although verapamil and tetrahydroaminoacridine had even higher affinity for a chimera with M(2) sequence in TM7. None of these ligands shared gallamine's sensitivity to a region of the third outer loop, but studies in which obidoxime reversed the allosteric effects of gallamine and other ligands suggested that they nevertheless compete for a common site. In summary, although the present data are consistent with previous studies that have suggested that allosteric ligands bind to the outermost regions of muscarinic receptors, it appears that different allosteric ligands may derive subtype selectivity from different regions of the receptor.