Structural rearrangement of the intracellular domains during AMPA receptor activation.

α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors (AMPARs) are ligand-gated ion channels that mediate the majority of fast excitatory neurotransmission in the central nervous system. Despite recent advances in structural studies of AMPARs, information about the specific conformational changes that underlie receptor function is lacking. Here, we used single and dual insertion of GFP variants at various positions in AMPAR subunits to enable measurements of conformational changes using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) in live cells. We produced dual CFP/YFP-tagged GluA2 subunit constructs that had normal activity and displayed intrareceptor FRET. We used fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) in live HEK293 cells to determine distinct steady-state FRET efficiencies in the presence of different ligands, suggesting a dynamic picture of the resting state. Patch-clamp fluorometry of the double- and single-insert constructs showed that both the intracellular C-terminal domain (CTD) and the loop region between the M1 and M2 helices move during activation and the CTD is detached from the membrane. Our time-resolved measurements revealed unexpectedly complex fluorescence changes within these intracellular domains, providing clues as to how posttranslational modifications and receptor function interact.

Structure-activity relationship studies of N-methylated and N-hydroxylated spider polyamine toxins as inhibitors of ionotropic glutamate receptors.

Polyamine toxins from spiders and wasps are potent open-channel blockers of ionotropic glutamate (iGlu) receptors. It is well-established that secondary amino groups in the polyamine moiety of these toxins are key to both selectivity and potency at iGlu receptors, still some native spider polyamine toxins comprise both N-methyl and N-hydroxy functionalities. Here, we investigate the effect of both N-methylation and N-hydroxylation of spider polyamine toxins by the synthesis and biological evaluation of the naturally occurring N-methylated argiopinines and pseudoargiopinines I and II, N-hydroxylated Agel-489 and Agel-505, as well as N-methylated analogues of the NMDA and AMPA iGlu receptor subtype selective antagonists ArgTX-93 and ArgTX-48. Efficient synthetic strategies for the synthesis of target compounds were developed, and evaluation of biological activity at AMPA and NMDA receptors identified highly potent and in some cases very selective ligands.