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1.
Nature ; 616(7956): 378-383, 2023 04.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37045917

RESUMEN

The evolution of new traits enables expansion into new ecological and behavioural niches. Nonetheless, demonstrated connections between divergence in protein structure, function and lineage-specific behaviours remain rare. Here we show that both octopus and squid use cephalopod-specific chemotactile receptors (CRs) to sense their respective marine environments, but structural adaptations in these receptors support the sensation of specific molecules suited to distinct physiological roles. We find that squid express ancient CRs that more closely resemble related nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, whereas octopuses exhibit a more recent expansion in CRs consistent with their elaborated 'taste by touch' sensory system. Using a combination of genetic profiling, physiology and behavioural analyses, we identify the founding member of squid CRs that detects soluble bitter molecules that are relevant in ambush predation. We present the cryo-electron microscopy structure of a squid CR and compare this with octopus CRs1 and nicotinic receptors2. These analyses demonstrate an evolutionary transition from an ancestral aromatic 'cage' that coordinates soluble neurotransmitters or tastants to a more recent octopus CR hydrophobic binding pocket that traps insoluble molecules to mediate contact-dependent chemosensation. Thus, our study provides a foundation for understanding how adaptation of protein structure drives the diversification of organismal traits and behaviour.


Asunto(s)
Conducta Animal , Decapodiformes , Octopodiformes , Receptores Nicotínicos , Células Receptoras Sensoriales , Gusto , Tacto , Animales , Conducta Animal/fisiología , Sitios de Unión , Microscopía por Crioelectrón , Decapodiformes/química , Decapodiformes/fisiología , Decapodiformes/ultraestructura , Evolución Molecular , Interacciones Hidrofóbicas e Hidrofílicas , Neurotransmisores/metabolismo , Octopodiformes/química , Octopodiformes/fisiología , Octopodiformes/ultraestructura , Receptores Nicotínicos/química , Receptores Nicotínicos/metabolismo , Receptores Nicotínicos/ultraestructura , Gusto/fisiología , Tacto/fisiología , Células Receptoras Sensoriales/química , Células Receptoras Sensoriales/metabolismo , Células Receptoras Sensoriales/ultraestructura
2.
Nature ; 616(7956): 373-377, 2023 04.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37045920

RESUMEN

Chemotactile receptors (CRs) are a cephalopod-specific innovation that allow octopuses to explore the seafloor via 'taste by touch'1. CRs diverged from nicotinic acetylcholine receptors to mediate contact-dependent chemosensation of insoluble molecules that do not readily diffuse in marine environments. Here we exploit octopus CRs to probe the structural basis of sensory receptor evolution. We present the cryo-electron microscopy structure of an octopus CR and compare it with nicotinic receptors to determine features that enable environmental sensation versus neurotransmission. Evolutionary, structural and biophysical analyses show that the channel architecture involved in cation permeation and signal transduction is conserved. By contrast, the orthosteric ligand-binding site is subject to diversifying selection, thereby mediating the detection of new molecules. Serendipitous findings in the cryo-electron microscopy structure reveal that the octopus CR ligand-binding pocket is exceptionally hydrophobic, enabling sensation of greasy compounds versus the small polar molecules detected by canonical neurotransmitter receptors. These discoveries provide a structural framework for understanding connections between evolutionary adaptations at the atomic level and the emergence of new organismal behaviour.


Asunto(s)
Evolución Molecular , Octopodiformes , Células Receptoras Sensoriales , Animales , Microscopía por Crioelectrón , Ligandos , Octopodiformes/química , Octopodiformes/fisiología , Octopodiformes/ultraestructura , Receptores Nicotínicos/química , Receptores Nicotínicos/fisiología , Receptores Nicotínicos/ultraestructura , Células Receptoras Sensoriales/química , Células Receptoras Sensoriales/fisiología , Células Receptoras Sensoriales/ultraestructura , Tacto/fisiología , Transmisión Sináptica , Sitios de Unión , Interacciones Hidrofóbicas e Hidrofílicas
3.
Molecules ; 26(12)2021 Jun 12.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34204637

RESUMEN

The selectivity of α4ß2 nAChR agonists over the α3ß4 nicotinic receptor subtype, predominant in ganglia, primarily conditions their therapeutic range and it is still a complex and challenging issue for medicinal chemists and pharmacologists. Here, we investigate the determinants for such subtype selectivity in a series of more than forty α4ß2 ligands we have previously reported, docking them into the structures of the two human subtypes, recently determined by cryo-electron microscopy. They are all pyrrolidine based analogues of the well-known α4ß2 agonist N-methylprolinol pyridyl ether A-84543 and differ in the flexibility and pattern substitution of their aromatic portion. Indeed, the direct or water mediated interaction with hydrophilic residues of the relatively narrower ß2 minus side through the elements decorating the aromatic ring and the stabilization of the latter by facing to the not conserved ß2-Phe119 result as key distinctive features for the α4ß2 affinity. Consistently, these compounds show, despite the structural similarity, very different α4ß2 vs. α3ß4 selectivities, from modest to very high, which relate to rigidity/extensibility degree of the portion containing the aromatic ring and to substitutions at the latter. Furthermore, the structural rationalization of the rat vs. human differences of α4ß2 vs. α3ß4 selectivity ratios is here proposed.


Asunto(s)
Agonistas Nicotínicos/química , Receptores Nicotínicos/ultraestructura , Animales , Sitios de Unión , Microscopía por Crioelectrón/métodos , Bases de Datos Genéticas , Humanos , Ligandos , Simulación del Acoplamiento Molecular , Agonistas Nicotínicos/farmacología , Piridinas/química , Piridinas/farmacología , Pirrolidinas/química , Pirrolidinas/farmacología , Ratas , Receptores Nicotínicos/metabolismo , Relación Estructura-Actividad , Transmisión Sináptica/efectos de los fármacos
4.
Biomolecules ; 11(1)2020 12 22.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33374963

RESUMEN

Lynx1, membrane-bound protein co-localized with the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and regulates their function, is a three-finger protein (TFP) made of three ß-structural loops, similarly to snake venom α-neurotoxin TFPs. Since the central loop II of α-neurotoxins is involved in binding to nAChRs, we have recently synthesized the fragments of Lynx1 central loop, including those with the disulfide between Cys residues introduced at N- and C-termini, some of them inhibiting muscle-type nAChR similarly to the whole-size water-soluble Lynx1 (ws-Lynx1). Literature shows that the main fragment interacting with TFPs is the C-loop of both nAChRs and acetylcholine binding proteins (AChBPs) while some ligand-binding capacity is preserved by analogs of this loop, for example, by high-affinity peptide HAP. Here we analyzed the structural organization of these peptide models of ligands and receptors and its role in binding. Thus, fragments of Lynx1 loop II, loop C from the Lymnaea stagnalis AChBP and HAP were synthesized in linear and Cys-cyclized forms and structurally (CD and NMR) and functionally (radioligand assay on Torpedo nAChR) characterized. Connecting the C- and N-termini by disulfide in the ws-Lynx1 fragment stabilized its conformation which became similar to the loop II within the 1H-NMR structure of ws-Lynx1, the activity being higher than for starting linear fragment but lower than for peptide with free cysteines. Introduced disulfides did not considerably change the structure of HAP and of loop C fragments, the former preserving high affinity for α-bungarotoxin, while, surprisingly, no binding was detected with loop C and its analogs.


Asunto(s)
Proteínas Adaptadoras Transductoras de Señales/química , Bungarotoxinas/química , Proteínas Portadoras/ultraestructura , Receptores Nicotínicos/química , Animales , Proteínas Bacterianas/química , Proteínas Bacterianas/ultraestructura , Sitios de Unión , Proteínas Portadoras/química , Humanos , Ligandos , Lymnaea/química , Lymnaea/genética , Modelos Moleculares , Neurotoxinas/química , Péptidos/química , Unión Proteica/genética , Conformación Proteica en Lámina beta , Receptores Nicotínicos/ultraestructura
5.
Neuron ; 106(6): 952-962.e5, 2020 06 17.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32275860

RESUMEN

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, a pentameric ligand-gated ion channel, converts the free energy of binding of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine into opening of its central pore. Here we present the first high-resolution structure of the receptor type found in muscle-endplate membrane and in the muscle-derived electric tissues of fish. The native receptor was purified from Torpedo electric tissue and functionally reconstituted in lipids optimal for cryo-electron microscopy. The receptor was stabilized in a closed state by the binding of α-bungarotoxin. The structure reveals the binding of a toxin molecule at each of two subunit interfaces in a manner that would block the binding of acetylcholine. It also reveals a closed gate in the ion-conducting pore, formed by hydrophobic amino acid side chains, located ∼60 Å from the toxin binding sites. The structure provides a framework for understanding gating in ligand-gated channels and how mutations in the acetylcholine receptor cause congenital myasthenic syndromes.


Asunto(s)
Bungarotoxinas/metabolismo , Órgano Eléctrico/metabolismo , Receptores Nicotínicos/metabolismo , Receptores Nicotínicos/ultraestructura , Animales , Sitios de Unión , Bungarotoxinas/farmacología , Carbacol/farmacología , Microscopía por Crioelectrón , Conformación Molecular , Agonistas Nicotínicos/farmacología , Antagonistas Nicotínicos/farmacología , Técnicas de Placa-Clamp , Conformación Proteica , Receptores Nicotínicos/efectos de los fármacos , Torpedo
6.
Neuron ; 104(3): 501-511.e6, 2019 11 06.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31488329

RESUMEN

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are pentameric ion channels that mediate fast chemical neurotransmission. The α3ß4 nicotinic receptor subtype forms the principal relay between the central and peripheral nervous systems in the autonomic ganglia. This receptor is also expressed focally in brain areas that affect reward circuits and addiction. Here, we present structures of the α3ß4 nicotinic receptor in lipidic and detergent environments, using functional reconstitution to define lipids appropriate for structural analysis. The structures of the receptor in complex with nicotine, as well as the α3ß4-selective ligand AT-1001, complemented by molecular dynamics, suggest principles of agonist selectivity. The structures further reveal much of the architecture of the intracellular domain, where mutagenesis experiments and simulations define residues governing ion conductance.


Asunto(s)
Nicotina/metabolismo , Agonistas Nicotínicos/metabolismo , Receptores Nicotínicos/metabolismo , Receptores Nicotínicos/ultraestructura , Sodio/metabolismo , Microscopía por Crioelectrón , Ganglios Autónomos , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Simulación de Dinámica Molecular , Oligopéptidos/metabolismo , Técnicas de Placa-Clamp , Estructura Terciaria de Proteína
7.
Nature ; 557(7704): 261-265, 2018 05.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29720657

RESUMEN

Fast chemical communication in the nervous system is mediated by neurotransmitter-gated ion channels. The prototypical member of this class of cell surface receptors is the cation-selective nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. As with most ligand-gated ion channels, nicotinic receptors assemble as oligomers of subunits, usually as hetero-oligomers and often with variable stoichiometries 1 . This intrinsic heterogeneity in protein composition provides fine tunability in channel properties, which is essential to brain function, but frustrates structural and biophysical characterization. The α4ß2 subtype of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor is the most abundant isoform in the human brain and is the principal target in nicotine addiction. This pentameric ligand-gated ion channel assembles in two stoichiometries of α- and ß-subunits (2α:3ß and 3α:2ß). Both assemblies are functional and have distinct biophysical properties, and an imbalance in the ratio of assemblies is linked to both nicotine addiction2,3 and congenital epilepsy4,5. Here we leverage cryo-electron microscopy to obtain structures of both receptor assemblies from a single sample. Antibody fragments specific to ß2 were used to 'break' symmetry during particle alignment and to obtain high-resolution reconstructions of receptors of both stoichiometries in complex with nicotine. The results reveal principles of subunit assembly and the structural basis of the distinctive biophysical and pharmacological properties of the two different stoichiometries of this receptor.


Asunto(s)
Microscopía por Crioelectrón , Subunidades de Proteína/química , Subunidades de Proteína/metabolismo , Receptores Nicotínicos/metabolismo , Receptores Nicotínicos/ultraestructura , Animales , Sitios de Unión , Conductividad Eléctrica , Femenino , Humanos , Fragmentos Fab de Inmunoglobulinas/inmunología , Fragmentos Fab de Inmunoglobulinas/farmacología , Activación del Canal Iónico , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos BALB C , Modelos Moleculares , Nicotina/química , Nicotina/metabolismo , Nicotina/farmacología , Isoformas de Proteínas/química , Isoformas de Proteínas/inmunología , Isoformas de Proteínas/metabolismo , Isoformas de Proteínas/ultraestructura , Estructura Cuaternaria de Proteína/efectos de los fármacos , Subunidades de Proteína/agonistas , Subunidades de Proteína/inmunología , Receptores Nicotínicos/química , Receptores Nicotínicos/inmunología
8.
Sci Rep ; 8(1): 3898, 2018 03 01.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29497086

RESUMEN

The mechanisms underlying lipid-sensing by membrane proteins is of considerable biological importance. A unifying mechanistic question is how a change in structure at the lipid-protein interface is translated through the transmembrane domain to influence structures critical to protein function. Gating of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is sensitive to its lipid environment. To understand how changes at the lipid-protein interface influence gating, we examined how a mutation at position 418 on the lipid-facing surface of the outer most M4 transmembrane α-helix alters the energetic couplings between M4 and the remainder of the transmembrane domain. Human muscle nAChR is sensitive to mutations at position 418, with the Cys-to-Trp mutation resulting in a 16-fold potentiation in function that leads to a congenital myasthenic syndrome. Energetic coupling between M4 and the Cys-loop, a key structure implicated in gating, do not change with C418W. Instead, Trp418 and an adjacent residue couple energetically with residues on the M1 transmembrane α-helix, leading to a reorientation of M1 that stabilizes the open state. We thus identify an allosteric link connecting the lipid-protein interface of the nAChR to altered channel function.


Asunto(s)
Membrana Celular/fisiología , Receptores Nicotínicos/genética , Receptores Nicotínicos/metabolismo , Regulación Alostérica , Sitio Alostérico/genética , Membrana Celular/metabolismo , Humanos , Activación del Canal Iónico/fisiología , Proteínas Ligadas a Lípidos/fisiología , Lípidos/química , Lípidos/fisiología , Modelos Moleculares , Conformación Proteica , Dominios Proteicos , Receptores Nicotínicos/ultraestructura , Transducción de Señal
9.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 110(26): 10622-7, 2013 Jun 25.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23754381

RESUMEN

The scaffolding protein at the neuromuscular junction, rapsyn, enables clustering of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in high concentration and is critical for muscle function. Patients with insufficient receptor clustering suffer from muscle weakness. However, the detailed organization of the receptor-rapsyn network is poorly understood: it is unclear whether rapsyn first forms a wide meshwork to which receptors can subsequently dock or whether it only forms short bridges linking receptors together to make a large cluster. Furthermore, the number of rapsyn-binding sites per receptor (a heteropentamer) has been controversial. Here, we show by cryoelectron tomography and subtomogram averaging of Torpedo postsynaptic membrane that receptors are connected by up to three rapsyn bridges, the minimum number required to form a 2D network. Half of the receptors belong to rapsyn-connected groups comprising between two and fourteen receptors. Our results provide a structural basis for explaining the stability and low diffusion of receptors within clusters.


Asunto(s)
Proteínas Musculares/química , Receptores Nicotínicos/química , Animales , Sitios de Unión , Microscopía por Crioelectrón , Órgano Eléctrico/química , Órgano Eléctrico/diagnóstico por imagen , Tomografía con Microscopio Electrónico , Humanos , Modelos Moleculares , Modelos Neurológicos , Complejos Multiproteicos/química , Complejos Multiproteicos/ultraestructura , Unión Neuromuscular/química , Unión Neuromuscular/ultraestructura , Estructura Cuaternaria de Proteína , Receptores Nicotínicos/ultraestructura , Torpedo , Ultrasonografía
10.
Subcell Biochem ; 51: 467-87, 2010.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-20213555

RESUMEN

Cholesterol is an essential partner of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR). It is not only an abundant component of the postsynaptic membrane but also affects the stability of the receptor protein in the membrane, its supramolecular organization and function. In the absence of innervation, early on in ontogenetic development of the muscle cell, embryonic AChRs occur in the form of diffusely dispersed molecules. At embryonic day 13, receptors organize in the form of small aggregates. This organization can be mimicked in mammalian cells in culture.Trafficking to the plasmalemma is a cholesterol-dependent process. Receptors acquire association with the sterol as early as the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus. Once AChRs reach the cell surface, their stability is also highly dependent on cholesterol levels. Acute cholesterol depletion reduces the number of receptor domains by accelerating the rate of endocytosis. In muscle cells, AChRs are internalized via a recently discovered dynamin- and clathrin-independent, cytoskeleton-dependent endocytic mechanism. Unlike other endocytic pathways, cholesterol depletion accelerates internalization and re-routes AChR endocytosis to an Arf6-dependent pathway. Cholesterol depletion also results in ion channel gain-of-function of the remaining cell-surface AChRs, whereas cholesterol enrichment has the opposite effect.Wide-field microscopy shows AChR clusters as diffraction-limited puncta of approximately 200 nm diameter. Stimulated emission depletion (STED) fluorescence microscopy resolves these puncta into nanoclusters with an average diameter of approximately 55 nm. Exploiting the enhanced resolution, the effect of acute cholesterol depletion can be shown to alter the short- and long-range organization of AChR nanoclusters. In the short range, AChRs form bigger nanoclusters. On larger scales (0.5-3.5 mum) nanocluster distribution becomes non-random, attributable to the cholesterol-related abolition of cytoskeletal physical barriers normally preventing the lateral diffusion of AChR nanoclusters. The dependence of AChR numbers at the cell surface on membrane cholesterol raises the possibility that cholesterol depletion leads to AChR conformational changes that alter its stability and its long-range dynamic association with other AChR nanoclusters, accelerate its endocytosis, and transiently affect the channel kinetics of those receptors remaining at the surface. Cholesterol content at the plasmalemma may thus homeostatically modulate AChR dynamics, cell-surface organization and lifetime of receptor nanodomains, and fine tune the ion permeation process.


Asunto(s)
Colesterol/farmacología , Membrana Dobles de Lípidos/metabolismo , Receptores Nicotínicos/metabolismo , Animales , Endocitosis/efectos de los fármacos , Exocitosis/efectos de los fármacos , Humanos , Microdominios de Membrana , Nanoestructuras , Receptores Nicotínicos/efectos de los fármacos , Receptores Nicotínicos/ultraestructura
11.
Int J Biochem Cell Biol ; 42(5): 712-24, 2010 May.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-20079457

RESUMEN

Functional and structural approaches were used to examine the inhibitory mechanisms and binding site location for fluoxetine and paroxetine, two serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors, on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) in different conformational states. The results establish that: (a) fluoxetine and paroxetine inhibit h alpha1beta1 gammadelta AChR-induced Ca(2+) influx with higher potencies than dizocilpine. The potency of fluoxetine is increased approximately 10-fold after longer pre-incubation periods, which is in agreement with the enhancement of [(3)H]cytisine binding to resting but activatable Torpedo AChRs elicited by these antidepressants, (b) fluoxetine and paroxetine inhibit the binding of the phencyclidine analog piperidyl-3,4-(3)H(N)]-(N-(1-(2 thienyl)cyclohexyl)-3,4-piperidine to the desensitized Torpedo AChR with higher affinities compared to the resting AChR, and (c) fluoxetine inhibits [(3)H]dizocilpine binding to the desensitized AChR, suggesting a mutually exclusive interaction. This is supported by our molecular docking results where neutral dizocilpine and fluoxetine and the conformer of protonated fluoxetine with the highest LUDI score interact with the domain between the valine (position 13') and leucine (position 9') rings. Molecular mechanics calculations also evidence electrostatic interactions of protonated fluoxetine at positions 20', 21', and 24'. Protonated dizocilpine bridges these two binding domains by interacting with the valine and outer (position 20') rings. The high proportion of protonated fluoxetine and dizocilpine calculated at physiological pH suggests that the protonated drugs can be attracted to the channel mouth before binding deeper within the AChR ion channel between the leucine and valine rings, a domain shared with phencyclidine, finally blocking ion flux and inducing AChR desensitization.


Asunto(s)
Receptores Nicotínicos/metabolismo , Inhibidores Selectivos de la Recaptación de Serotonina/metabolismo , Inhibidores Selectivos de la Recaptación de Serotonina/farmacología , Animales , Sitios de Unión , Unión Competitiva , Señalización del Calcio/efectos de los fármacos , Línea Celular , Membrana Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Membrana Celular/metabolismo , Maleato de Dizocilpina/metabolismo , Maleato de Dizocilpina/farmacología , Órgano Eléctrico/efectos de los fármacos , Órgano Eléctrico/metabolismo , Fluoxetina/química , Fluoxetina/metabolismo , Fluoxetina/farmacología , Humanos , Ligandos , Modelos Moleculares , Conformación Molecular , Músculos/efectos de los fármacos , Músculos/metabolismo , Agonistas Nicotínicos/metabolismo , Agonistas Nicotínicos/farmacología , Antagonistas Nicotínicos/metabolismo , Antagonistas Nicotínicos/farmacología , Paroxetina/química , Paroxetina/metabolismo , Paroxetina/farmacología , Isoformas de Proteínas/química , Isoformas de Proteínas/metabolismo , Isoformas de Proteínas/ultraestructura , Receptores Nicotínicos/química , Receptores Nicotínicos/ultraestructura , Inhibidores Selectivos de la Recaptación de Serotonina/química , Torpedo
12.
Curr Opin Pharmacol ; 9(3): 306-10, 2009 Jun.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-19428299

RESUMEN

While the structures of several G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) have been solved by X-ray crystallography, the high-resolution structure of first ligand-gated ion channels (LGICs) has been available only recently. The ultrastructure of the prototypic LGIC nAChR is deduced from electron microscopy in combination with crystal structures of model proteins. From this analysis, agonist and antagonist binding sites and hints at the mechanism of channel gating become visible.


Asunto(s)
Agonistas Nicotínicos/metabolismo , Antagonistas Nicotínicos/metabolismo , Receptores Nicotínicos/ultraestructura , Animales , Sitios de Unión , Proteínas Portadoras/metabolismo , Activación del Canal Iónico/efectos de los fármacos , Ligandos , Microscopía Electrónica , Unión Proteica , Receptores Nicotínicos/efectos de los fármacos , Receptores Nicotínicos/metabolismo
13.
J Neurosci ; 28(47): 12465-76, 2008 Nov 19.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-19020039

RESUMEN

Mutations of genes encoding alpha4, beta2, or alpha2 subunits (CHRNA4, CHRNB2, or CHRNA2, respectively) of nAChR [neuronal nicotinic ACh (acetylcholine) receptor] cause nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (NFLE) in human. NFLE-related seizures are seen exclusively during sleep and are characterized by three distinct seizure phenotypes: "paroxysmal arousals," "paroxysmal dystonia," and "episodic wandering." We generated transgenic rat strains that harbor a missense mutation S284L, which had been identified in CHRNA4 in NFLE. The transgenic rats were free of biological abnormalities, such as dysmorphology in the CNS, and behavioral abnormalities. The mRNA level of the transgene (mutant Chrna4) was similar to the wild type, and no distorted expression was detected in the brain. However, the transgenic rats showed epileptic seizure phenotypes during slow-wave sleep (SWS) similar to those in NFLE exhibiting three characteristic seizure phenotypes and thus fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of human NFLE. The therapeutic response of these rats to conventional antiepileptic drugs also resembled that of NFLE patients with the S284L mutation. The rats exhibited two major abnormalities in neurotransmission: (1) attenuation of synaptic and extrasynaptic GABAergic transmission and (2) abnormal glutamate release during SWS. The currently available genetically engineered animal models of epilepsy are limited to mice; thus, our transgenic rats offer another dimension to the epilepsy research field.


Asunto(s)
Epilepsia del Lóbulo Frontal/genética , Leucina/genética , Mutación/genética , Receptores Nicotínicos/genética , Serina/genética , Transmisión Sináptica/genética , Ácido gamma-Aminobutírico/metabolismo , Factores de Edad , Análisis de Varianza , Animales , Conducta Animal/fisiología , Corteza Cerebral/citología , Corteza Cerebral/patología , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Electroencefalografía , Epilepsia del Lóbulo Frontal/dietoterapia , Epilepsia del Lóbulo Frontal/fisiopatología , Antagonistas de Aminoácidos Excitadores/farmacología , Antagonistas del GABA/farmacología , Ácido Glutámico/metabolismo , Calor/efectos adversos , Técnicas In Vitro , Microscopía Inmunoelectrónica , Actividad Motora/genética , Destreza Motora/fisiología , Neurotransmisores/metabolismo , Nicotina/farmacología , Dimensión del Dolor/métodos , Pentilenotetrazol/farmacología , Fenotipo , Ratas , Ratas Transgénicas , Receptores Nicotínicos/metabolismo , Receptores Nicotínicos/ultraestructura , Transmisión Sináptica/efectos de los fármacos
15.
J Membr Biol ; 223(1): 13-26, 2008 May.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-18581036

RESUMEN

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) of Torpedo electric rays has been extensively characterized over the last three decades. However, high-resolution structural studies have been hampered by the lack of mechanistic molecular models that describe how detergents influence membrane protein stability and function. Furthermore, elucidation of the dynamic detergent-lipid-protein interactions of solubilized membrane proteins is a largely unexplored research field. This study examines the effects of nine detergents on: (1) nAChR-lipid composition (gas chromatography with flame ionization; GC-FID and/or mass selective detectors; GC-MSD), (2) stability and aggregation state (analytical size exclusion chromatography; A-SEC and electron microscopy; EM) and (3) ion channel function (planar lipid bilayers). Detergent solubilization of nAChR-enriched membranes did not result in significant native lipid depletion or destabilization. Upon purification, native lipid depletion occurred in all detergents, with lipid-analogue detergents CHAPS {(3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethylammonio]-1-propane sulfonate}, FC-12 (n-dodecylphosphocholine) and sodium cholate (3alpha,7alpha,12alpha-trihydroxy-5beta-cholan-24-oic acid) maintaining stability and supporting ion channel function, and non-lipid-analogue detergents Cymal-6 (6-cyclohexyl-1-hexyl-beta-D-maltoside), DDM (n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltopyranoside), LDAO (lauryldimethylamine-N-oxide) and OG (n-octyl-beta-d-glucopyranoside) decreasing stability and significantly reducing or completely suppressing ion channel function. Anapoe-C(12)E(9 )(polyoxyethylene-[9]-dodecyl ether) and BigCHAP (N,N'-bis-[3-d-gluconamidopropyl] cholamide) retained residual amounts of native lipid, maintaining moderate stability and ion channel function compared to lipid-analogue detergents. Therefore, the nAChR can be stable and functional in lipid-analogue detergents or in detergents that retain moderate amounts of residual native lipids, but not in non-lipid-analogue detergents.


Asunto(s)
Detergentes/química , Lípidos/química , Receptores Nicotínicos/química , Torpedo/metabolismo , Animales , Fenómenos Biofísicos , Dimerización , Electroforesis en Gel de Poliacrilamida , Canales Iónicos/química , Canales Iónicos/fisiología , Canales Iónicos/ultraestructura , Microscopía Electrónica , Modelos Químicos , Estructura Molecular , Receptores Nicotínicos/fisiología , Receptores Nicotínicos/ultraestructura
16.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun ; 369(2): 648-53, 2008 May 02.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-18302933

RESUMEN

The objective of the study was to generate a full-length model for the heteropentameric structure of human alpha4beta2 nicotinic receptor. The monomers structure was derived using a fragmental approach and the pentamer was assembled by protein-protein docking. The reliability of the model was assessed docking a representative set of known nicotinic ligands. Docking results unveiled that the ligand affinity depends on key interactions that the ligand's charged moiety realizes with conserved apolar residues of alpha4 monomer, whereas the H-bond acceptor group interacts with a less conserved and more heterogeneous subpocket, involving polar residues of beta2 subunit. The consistency of docking results and the agreement with the experimental data afford an encouraging validation for the proposed model and emphasize the soundness of such a fragmental approach to model any transmembrane protein.


Asunto(s)
Modelos Químicos , Modelos Moleculares , Nicotina/química , Receptores Nicotínicos/química , Receptores Nicotínicos/ultraestructura , Sitios de Unión , Simulación por Computador , Humanos , Unión Proteica , Conformación Proteica
17.
Folia Histochem Cytobiol ; 46(1): 111-6, 2008.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-18296273

RESUMEN

In the present study, a fine ultrastructural localization of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) was attempted, using d-tubocurarine (d-TC), a quaternary ammonium compound binding to nAChR. The localization was based on the binding avidity of immunoglobulin G (IgG) for acetylcholine (ACh) and other quaternary ammonium compounds, such as d-TC. d-TC was applied to the frog neuromuscular preparation and caused a blockade of neuromuscular transmission. Then, d-TC was rendered insoluble in situ by silicotungstic acid (STA), a precipitating agent of soluble proteins and quaternary ammonium compounds. After tissue fixation, a normal rabbit serum was applied to the fine precipitate of the insoluble salt of d-TC silicotungstate (quaternary ammonium radical of d-TC) to form the immunochemical complex d-TC- rabbit IgG at ACh binding sites. The IgG of the complex was revealed by means of the conventional immunoperoxidase procedure used for ultrastructural localization. Under the electron microscope, fine diaminobenzidine (DAB) precipitates appeared as regular rod-like structures oriented to cytoplasmic side of the horizontal part (crest) of the postsynaptic membrane (between the junctional folds) which is known to be endowed with nAChR. The rod-like precipitates were not observed in the postsynaptic junctional folds which are devoid of nAChR. The distance separating the rods each other was rather constant (12 - 15 nm), while the length of the rods was variable and exceeded the usual length of nAChR. The present work indicates that the rod-like structures, already observed in association with sarcoplasmic side of the postsynaptic membrane, did correspond to the intramembranous and intracytoplasmic part of nAChR and related proteins. These cytochemical results confirm that d-TC binds to ACh binding sites in the pore of nAChR, and raise the question of DAB staining of cytoskeletal proteins related to the nAChR complex.


Asunto(s)
Afinidad de Anticuerpos/inmunología , Membrana Celular/ultraestructura , Citoplasma/ultraestructura , Inmunoglobulina G/inmunología , Placa Motora/ultraestructura , Receptores Nicotínicos/ultraestructura , Tubocurarina/farmacología , Animales , Anuros , Membrana Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Citoplasma/efectos de los fármacos , Placa Motora/efectos de los fármacos , Transmisión Sináptica/efectos de los fármacos
18.
PLoS Comput Biol ; 4(2): e41, 2008 Feb.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-18282090

RESUMEN

We used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to explore the transport of single cations through the channel of the muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). Four MD simulations of 16 ns were performed at physiological and hyperpolarized membrane potentials, with and without restraints of the structure, but all without bound agonist. With the structure unrestrained and a potential of -100 mV, one cation traversed the channel during a transient period of channel hydration; at -200 mV, the channel was continuously hydrated and two cations traversed the channel. With the structure restrained, however, cations did not traverse the channel at either membrane potential, even though the channel was continuously hydrated. The overall results show that cation selective transport through the nAChR channel is governed by electrostatic interactions to achieve charge selectivity, but ion translocation relies on channel hydration, facilitated by a trans-membrane field, coupled with dynamic fluctuations of the channel structure.


Asunto(s)
Activación del Canal Iónico , Membrana Dobles de Lípidos/química , Modelos Químicos , Modelos Moleculares , Receptores Nicotínicos/química , Receptores Nicotínicos/ultraestructura , Cationes , Simulación por Computador , Campos Electromagnéticos , Movimiento (Física) , Permeabilidad
19.
PLoS Comput Biol ; 4(1): e19, 2008 Jan.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-18225945

RESUMEN

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is a key molecule involved in the propagation of signals in the central nervous system and peripheral synapses. Although numerous computational and experimental studies have been performed on this receptor, the structural dynamics of the receptor underlying the gating mechanism is still unclear. To address the mechanical fundamentals of nAChR gating, both conventional molecular dynamics (CMD) and steered rotation molecular dynamics (SRMD) simulations have been conducted on the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of nAChR embedded in a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayer and water molecules. A 30-ns CMD simulation revealed a collective motion amongst C-loops, M1, and M2 helices. The inward movement of C-loops accompanying the shrinking of acetylcholine (ACh) binding pockets induced an inward and upward motion of the outer beta-sheet composed of beta9 and beta10 strands, which in turn causes M1 and M2 to undergo anticlockwise motions around the pore axis. Rotational motion of the entire receptor around the pore axis and twisting motions among extracellular (EC), transmembrane (TM), and intracellular MA domains were also detected by the CMD simulation. Moreover, M2 helices undergo a local twisting motion synthesized by their bending vibration and rotation. The hinge of either twisting motion or bending vibration is located at the middle of M2, possibly the gate of the receptor. A complementary twisting-to-open motion throughout the receptor was detected by a normal mode analysis (NMA). To mimic the pulsive action of ACh binding, nonequilibrium MD simulations were performed by using the SRMD method developed in one of our laboratories. The result confirmed all the motions derived from the CMD simulation and NMA. In addition, the SRMD simulation indicated that the channel may undergo an open-close (O <--> C) motion. The present MD simulations explore the structural dynamics of the receptor under its gating process and provide a new insight into the gating mechanism of nAChR at the atomic level.


Asunto(s)
1,2-Dipalmitoilfosfatidilcolina/química , Activación del Canal Iónico , Membrana Dobles de Lípidos/química , Modelos Químicos , Modelos Moleculares , Receptores Nicotínicos/química , Receptores Nicotínicos/ultraestructura , Fenómenos Biomecánicos , Simulación por Computador , Fluidez de la Membrana , Movimiento (Física) , Porosidad , Conformación Proteica
20.
Nat Neurosci ; 10(8): 953-62, 2007 Aug.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-17643119

RESUMEN

We determined the crystal structure of the extracellular domain of the mouse nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) alpha1 subunit bound to alpha-bungarotoxin at 1.94 A resolution. This structure is the first atomic-resolution view of a nAChR subunit extracellular domain, revealing receptor-specific features such as the main immunogenic region (MIR), the signature Cys-loop and the N-linked carbohydrate chain. The toxin binds to the receptor through extensive protein-protein and protein-sugar interactions. To our surprise, the structure showed a well-ordered water molecule and two hydrophilic residues deep in the core of the alpha1 subunit. The two hydrophilic core residues are highly conserved in nAChRs, but correspond to hydrophobic residues in the nonchannel homolog acetylcholine-binding proteins. We carried out site-directed mutagenesis and electrophysiology analyses to assess the functional role of the glycosylation and the hydrophilic core residues. Our structural and functional studies show essential features of the nAChR and provide new insights into the gating mechanism.


Asunto(s)
Bungarotoxinas/metabolismo , Receptores Nicotínicos/metabolismo , Acetilcolina/farmacología , Animales , Sitios de Unión/efectos de los fármacos , Sitios de Unión/genética , Bungarotoxinas/química , Células COS , Chlorocebus aethiops , Microscopía por Crioelectrón , Potenciales de la Membrana/efectos de los fármacos , Potenciales de la Membrana/genética , Potenciales de la Membrana/efectos de la radiación , Ratones , Modelos Moleculares , Músculos/química , Mutación , Resonancia Magnética Nuclear Biomolecular , Técnicas de Placa-Clamp , Estructura Terciaria de Proteína , Receptores Nicotínicos/biosíntesis , Receptores Nicotínicos/ultraestructura , Proteínas Recombinantes/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/metabolismo , Homología de Secuencia de Aminoácido , Transfección
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