Lateral diffusion, function, and expression of the slow channel congenital myasthenia syndrome αC418W nicotinic receptor mutation with changes in lipid raft components.

Lipid rafts, specialized membrane microdomains in the plasma membrane rich in cholesterol and sphingolipids, are hot spots for a number of important cellular processes. The novel nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) mutation αC418W, the first lipid-exposed mutation identified in a patient that causes slow channel congenital myasthenia syndrome was shown to be cholesterol-sensitive and to accumulate in microdomains rich in the membrane raft marker protein caveolin-1. The objective of this study is to gain insight into the mechanism by which lateral segregation into specialized raft membrane microdomains regulates the activable pool of nAChRs. We performed fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), quantitative RT-PCR, and whole cell patch clamp recordings of GFP-encoding Mus musculus nAChRs transfected into HEK 293 cells to assess the role of cholesterol and caveolin-1 (CAV-1) in the diffusion, expression, and functionality of the nAChR (WT and αC418W). Our findings support the hypothesis that a cholesterol-sensitive nAChR might reside in specialized membrane microdomains that upon cholesterol depletion become disrupted and release the cholesterol-sensitive nAChRs to the pool of activable receptors. In addition, our results in HEK 293 cells show an interdependence between CAV-1 and αC418W that could confer end plates rich in αC418W nAChRs to a susceptibility to changes in cholesterol levels that could cause adverse drug reactions to cholesterol-lowering drugs such as statins. The current work suggests that the interplay between cholesterol and CAV-1 provides the molecular basis for modulating the function and dynamics of the cholesterol-sensitive αC418W nAChR.

Engineering α4ß2 nAChRs with reduced or increased nicotine sensitivity via selective disruption of consensus sites in the M3-M4 cytoplasmic loop of the α4 subunit.

The α4ß2 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) plays a crucial role in nicotine addiction. These receptors are known to desensitize and up-regulate after chronic nicotine exposure, but the mechanism remains unknown. Currently, the structure and functional role of the intracellular domains of the nAChR are obscure. To study the effect of subunit phosphorylation on α4ß2 nAChR function and expression, eleven residues located in the M3-M4 cytoplasmic loop were mutated to alanine and aspartic acid. Two-electrode voltage clamp and 125I-labeled epibatidine binding assays were performed on Xenopus oocytes to assess agonist activation and receptor expression. When ACh was used as an agonist, a decrease in receptor activation was observed for the majority of the mutations. When nicotine was used as an agonist, four mutations exhibited a statistically significant hypersensitivity to nicotine (S438D, S469A, Y576A, and S589A). Additionally, two mutations (S516D and T536A) that displayed normal activation with ACh displayed remarkable reductions in sensitivity to nicotine. Binding assays revealed a constitutive up-regulation in these two nicotine mutations with reduced nicotine sensitivity. These results suggest that consensus phosphorylation residues in the M3-M4 cytoplasmic loop of the α4 subunit play a crucial role in regulating α4ß2 nAChR agonist selectivity and functional expression. Furthermore, these results suggest that disruption of specific interactions at PKC putative consensus sites can render α4ß2 nAChRs almost insensitive to nicotine without substantial effects on normal AChR function. Therefore, these PKC consensus sites in the M3-M4 cytoplasmic loop of the α4 nAChR subunit could be a target for smoking cessation drugs.

Tryptophan scanning mutagenesis reveals distortions in the helical structure of the δM4 transmembrane domain of the Torpedo californica nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.

The lipid-protein interface is an important domain of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) that has recently garnered increased relevance. Several studies have made significant advances toward determining the structure and dynamics of the lipid-exposed domains of the nAChR. However, there is still a need to gain insight into the mechanism by which lipid-protein interactions regulate the function and conformational transitions of the nAChR. In this study, we extended the tryptophan scanning mutagenesis (TrpScanM) approach to dissect secondary structure and monitor the conformational changes experienced by the δM4 transmembrane domain (TMD) of the Torpedo californica nAChR, and to identify which positions on this domain are potentially linked to the regulation of ion channel kinetics. The difference in oscillation patterns between the closed- and open-channel states suggests a substantial conformational change along this domain as a consequence of channel activation. Furthermore, TrpScanM revealed distortions along the helical structure of this TMD that are not present on current models of the nAChR. Our results show that a Thr-Pro motif at positions 462-463 markedly bends the helical structure of the TMD, consistent with the recent crystallographic structure of the GluCl Cys-loop receptor which reveals a highly bent TMD4 in each subunit. This Thr-Pro motif acts as a molecular hinge that delineates two gating blocks in the δM4 TMD. These results suggest a model in which a hinge-bending motion that tilts the helical structure is combined with a spring-like motion during transition between the closed- and open-channel states of the δM4 TMD.

Fourier transform coupled tryptophan scanning mutagenesis identifies a bending point on the lipid-exposed δM3 transmembrane domain of the Torpedo californica nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is a member of a family of ligand-gated ion channels that mediate diverse physiological functions, including fast synaptic transmission along the peripheral and central nervous systems. Several studies have made significant advances toward determining the structure and dynamics of the lipid-exposed domains of the nAChR. However, a high-resolution atomic structure of the nAChR still remains elusive. In this study, we extended the Fourier transform coupled tryptophan scanning mutagenesis (FT-TrpScanM) approach to gain insight into the secondary structure of the δM3 transmembrane domain of the Torpedo californica nAChR, to monitor conformational changes experienced by this domain during channel gating, and to identify which lipid-exposed positions are linked to the regulation of ion channel kinetics. The perturbations produced by periodic tryptophan substitutions along the δM3 transmembrane domain were characterized by two-electrode voltage clamp and (125)I-labeled α-bungarotoxin binding assays. The periodicity profiles and Fourier transform spectra of this domain revealed similar helical structures for the closed- and open-channel states. However, changes in the oscillation patterns observed between positions Val-299 and Val-304 during transition between the closed- and open-channel states can be explained by the structural effects caused by the presence of a bending point introduced by a Thr-Gly motif at positions 300-301. The changes in periodicity and localization of residues between the closed-and open-channel states could indicate a structural transition between helix types in this segment of the domain. Overall, the data further demonstrate a functional link between the lipid-exposed transmembrane domain and the nAChR gating machinery.

Functional contribution of alpha3L8' to the neuronal nicotinic alpha3 receptor.

The role of position L8', located in transmembrane domain 1 of the neuronal nicotinic alpha3 subunit, was characterized by using two-electrode voltage clamp in Xenopus oocytes. Four amino acids (Ala, Ser, Phe, and Tyr) were inserted at this conserved position, and the mutant subunit was coexpressed with either wild-type beta2 or beta4 subunits. These substitutions led to significant alterations in the pharmacodynamic parameters of cholinergic agents, resulting in loss of function. Ala and Ser substitutions resulted in losses in agonist (ACh, nicotine, and DMPP) potency and intrinsic activity at both alpha3beta2 and alpha3beta4 receptors. Similarly, significant changes in antagonist potency were produced by the Ala and Ser substitutions. Phe and Tyr mutations did not alter the receptor's EC(50) for ACh or nicotine but reduced the EC(50) for DMPP at both receptors. The Phe mutation also reduced the intrinsic activity of all agonists tested at both receptors. The Tyr mutation, though, led to a decrease in intrinsic activity for all agonists at the alpha3beta2 receptor, yet resulted in no changes for DMPP, a decrease for nicotine, and an increase for ACh at the alpha3beta4 receptor. The most dramatic changes in the receptor's functional properties were produced by substitutions that introduced the largest changes in amino acid volume. Additional replacements (Gly, Thr, and Val) suggested an inverse correlation between amino acid volume at position alpha3L8' and EC(50) for alpha3beta4 nAChRs; however, alpha3beta2 nAChRs displayed a nonlinear correlation. These data demonstrate that structural alterations at position alpha3L8' could propagate to the agonist-binding site.

Contribution of valine 7' of TMD2 to gating of neuronal alpha3 receptor subtypes.

The second transmembrane domain (TMD2) of the Cys-loop family of ligand-gated ion channels forms the channel pore. The functional role of the amino acid residues contributing to the channel pore in neuronal nicotinic alpha3 receptors is not well understood. We characterized the contribution of TMD2 position V7' to channel gating in neuronal nicotinic alpha3 receptors. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to substitute position alpha3 (V7') with four different amino acids (A, F, S, or Y) and coexpressed each mutant subunit with wild-type (WT) beta2 or beta4 subunits in Xenopus oocytes. Whole-cell voltage clamp experiments show that substitution for an alanine, serine, or phenylalanine decreased by 2.3-6.2-fold the ACh-EC(50) for alpha3beta2 and alpha3beta4 receptor subtypes. Interestingly, mutation V7'Y did not produce a significant change in ACh-EC(50) when coexpressed with the beta2 subunit but showed a significant approximately two-fold increase with beta4. Similar responses were obtained with nicotine as the agonist. The antagonist sensitivity of the mutant channels was assessed by using dihydro-beta-erythroidine (DHbetaE) and methyllycaconitine (MLA). The apparent potency of DHbetaE as an antagonist increased by approximately 3.7- and 11-fold for the alpha3beta2 V7'S and V7'F mutants, respectively, whereas no evident changes in antagonist potency were observed for the V7'A and V7'Y mutants. The V7'S and V7'F mutations increase MLA antagonist potency for the alpha3beta4 receptor by approximately 6.2- and approximately 9.3-fold, respectively. The V7'A mutation selectively increases the MLA antagonist potency for the alpha3beta4 receptor by approximately 18.7-fold. These results indicate that position V7' contributes to channel gating kinetics and pharmacology of the neuronal nicotinic alpha3 receptors.