Cryo-EM structures of pannexin 1 and 3 reveal differences among pannexin isoforms.

Pannexins are single-membrane large-pore channels that release ions and ATP upon activation. Three isoforms of pannexins 1, 2, and 3, perform diverse cellular roles and differ in their pore lining residues. In this study, we report the cryo-EM structure of pannexin 3 at 3.9 Å and analyze its structural differences with pannexin isoforms 1 and 2. The pannexin 3 vestibule has two distinct chambers and a wider pore radius in comparison to pannexins 1 and 2. We further report two cryo-EM structures of pannexin 1, with pore substitutions W74R/R75D that mimic the pore lining residues of pannexin 2 and a germline mutant of pannexin 1, R217H at resolutions of 3.2 Å and 3.9 Å, respectively. Substitution of cationic residues in the vestibule of pannexin 1 results in reduced ATP interaction propensities to the channel. The germline mutant R217H in transmembrane helix 3 (TM3), leads to a partially constricted pore, reduced ATP interaction and weakened voltage sensitivity. The study compares the three pannexin isoform structures, the effects of substitutions of pore and vestibule-lining residues and allosteric effects of a pathological substitution on channel structure and function thereby enhancing our understanding of this vital group of ATP-release channels.

Emerging insights into the structure and function of ionotropic glutamate delta receptors.

Glutamate delta-1 (GluD1) and delta-2 (GluD2) receptors belong to the orphan GluD subfamily of ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs). GluDs were classified as ionotropic glutamate receptors based on their sequence similarity. Two decades after these GluDs were first cloned they are still considered "orphan" due to a lack of knowledge of the endogenous ligands that can activate them. Nevertheless, they are crucial for synapse formation, maturation and maintenance of CNS functions, and are implicated in multiple neuronal disorders, including schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder and depressive disorders. Over the last decade significant discoveries have been made, include role of GluD receptors in mediating trans-synaptic interactions and their unique non-swapped architecture, which is distinct from other ionotropic glutamate receptors. Also, the prospect of GluD ionotropic activity being regulated by direct interaction with metabotropic glutamate receptors is exciting. These discoveries will likely drive the field in the future, providing direction to GluD research. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed issue on Structure Guided Pharmacology of Membrane Proteins (BJP 75th Anniversary). To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v179.14/issuetoc.

Structural biology of ionotropic glutamate delta receptors and their crosstalk with metabotropic glutamate receptors.

Enigmatic orphan glutamate delta receptors (GluD) are one of the four classes of the ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) that play key roles in synaptic transmission and plasticity. While members of other iGluR families viz AMPA, NMDA, and kainate receptors are gated by glutamate, the GluD receptors neither bind glutamate nor evoke ligand-induced currents upon binding of glycine and D-serine. Thus, the GluD receptors were considered to function as structural proteins that facilitate the formation, maturation, and maintenance of synapses in the hippocampus and cerebellum. Recent work has revealed that GluD receptors have extensive crosstalk with metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGlus) and are also gated by their activation. The latest development of a novel optopharamcological tool and the cryoEM structures of GluD receptors would help define the molecular and chemical basis of the GluD receptor's role in synaptic physiology. This article is part of the special Issue on "Glutamate Receptors - Orphan iGluRs".

An overview of the recent advances in cryo-electron microscopy for life sciences.

Cryo-electron microscopy (CryoEM) has superseded X-ray crystallography and NMR to emerge as a popular and effective tool for structure determination in recent times. It has become indispensable for the characterization of large macromolecular assemblies, membrane proteins, or samples that are limited, conformationally heterogeneous, and recalcitrant to crystallization. Besides, it is the only tool capable of elucidating high-resolution structures of macromolecules and biological assemblies in situ. A state-of-the-art electron microscope operable at cryo-temperature helps preserve high-resolution details of the biological sample. The structures can be determined, either in isolation via single-particle analysis (SPA) or helical reconstruction, electron diffraction (ED) or within the cellular environment via cryo-electron tomography (cryoET). All the three streams of SPA, ED, and cryoET (along with subtomogram averaging) have undergone significant advancements in recent times. This has resulted in breaking the boundaries with respect to both the size of the macromolecules/assemblies whose structures could be determined along with the visualization of atomic details at resolutions unprecedented for cryoEM. In addition, the collection of larger datasets combined with the ability to sort and process multiple conformational states from the same sample are providing the much-needed link between the protein structures and their functions. In overview, these developments are helping scientists decipher the molecular mechanism of critical cellular processes, solve structures of macromolecules that were challenging targets for structure determination until now, propelling forward the fields of biology and biomedicine. Here, we summarize recent advances and key contributions of the three cryo-electron microscopy streams of SPA, ED, and cryoET.

The architecture of GluD2 ionotropic delta glutamate receptor elucidated by cryo-EM.

GluD2 receptor belongs to the orphan delta family of glutamate receptor ion channels. These receptors play key roles in synaptogenesis and synaptic plasticity and are associated with multiple neuronal disorders like schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, cerebellar ataxia, intellectual disability, paraplegia, retinal dystrophy, etc. Despite the importance of these receptors in CNS, insights into full-length GluD2 receptor structure is missing till-date. Here we report cryo-electron microscopy structure of the rat GluD2 receptor in the presence of calcium ions and the ligand 7-chlorokynurenic acid, elucidating its 3D architecture. The structure reveals a non-swapped architecture at the extracellular amino-terminal (ATD), and ligand-binding domain (LBD) interface similar to that observed in GluD1; however, the organization and arrangement of the ATD and LBD domains in GluD2 are unique. While our results demonstrate that non-swapped architecture is conserved in the delta receptor family, they also highlight the differences that exist between the two member receptors; GluD1 and GluD2.

Cryo-EM structures of the ionotropic glutamate receptor GluD1 reveal a non-swapped architecture.

Ionotropic orphan delta (GluD) receptors are not gated by glutamate or any other endogenous ligand but are grouped with ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) based on sequence similarity. GluD1 receptors play critical roles in synaptogenesis and synapse maintenance and have been implicated in neuronal disorders, including schizophrenia, cognitive deficits, and cerebral ataxia. Here we report cryo-EM structures of the rat GluD1 receptor complexed with calcium and the ligand 7-chlorokynurenic acid (7-CKA), elucidating molecular architecture and principles of receptor assembly. The structures reveal a non-swapped architecture at the interface of the extracellular amino-terminal domain (ATD) and the ligand-binding domain (LBD). This finding is in contrast with structures of other families of iGluRs, where the dimer partners between the ATD and LBD layers are swapped. Our results demonstrate that principles of architecture and symmetry are not conserved between delta receptors and other iGluRs and provide a molecular blueprint for understanding the functions of the 'orphan' class of iGluRs.