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Looking below the surface of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

ABSTRACT: The amino acid sequences of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) from diverse species can be compared across extracellular, transmembrane, and intracellular domains. The intracellular domains are most divergent among subtypes, yet relatively consistent among species. The diversity indicates that each nAChR subtype has a unique language for communication with its host cell. The conservation across species also suggests that the intracellular domains have defining functional roles for each subtype. Secondary structure prediction indicates two relatively conserved alpha helices within the intracellular domains of all nAChRs. Among all subtypes, the intracellular domain of ?7 nAChR is one of the most well conserved, and ?7 nAChRs have effects in non-neuronal cells independent of generating ion currents, making it likely that the ?7 intracellular domain directly mediates signal transduction. There are potential phosphorylation and protein-binding sites in the ?7 intracellular domain, which are conserved and may be the basis for ?7-mediated signal transduction.

SUBMITTER: Stokes C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4532579 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Looking below the surface of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

Stokes Clare C Treinin Millet M Papke Roger L RL

Trends in pharmacological sciences 20150608 8

The amino acid sequences of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) from diverse species can be compared across extracellular, transmembrane, and intracellular domains. The intracellular domains are most divergent among subtypes, yet relatively consistent among species. The diversity indicates that each nAChR subtype has a unique language for communication with its host cell. The conservation across species also suggests that the intracellular domains have defining functional roles for each s ...[more]

PMID: 26067101

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Project description:The interaction of a small molecule made in one cell with a large receptor made in another is the signature event of cell signaling. Understanding the structure and energy changes associated with agonist activation is important for engineering drugs, receptors and synapses. The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) is a ?300kD ion channel that binds the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) and other cholinergic agonists to elicit electrical responses in the central and peripheral nervous systems. This mini-review is in two sections. First, general concepts of skeletal muscle AChR operation are discussed in terms of energy landscapes for conformational change. Second, adult vs. fetal AChRs are compared with regard to interaction energies between ACh and agonist-site side chains, measured by single-channel electrophysiology and molecular dynamics simulations. The five aromatic residues that form the core of each agonist binding site can be divided into two working groups, a triad (led by ?Y190) that behaves similarly at all sites and a coupled pair (led by ?W55) that has a large influence on affinity only in fetal AChRs. Each endplate AChR has 5 homologous subunits, two of ?(1) and one each of ?, ?, and either ? (fetal) or ? (adult). These nicotinic AChRs have only 2 functional agonist binding sites located in the extracellular domain, at ?? and either ?? or ?? subunit interfaces. The receptor undergoes a reversible, global isomerization between structures called C and O. The C shape does not conduct ions and has a relatively low affinity for ACh, whereas O conducts cations and has a higher affinity. When both agonist sites are empty (filled only with water) the probability of taking on the O conformation (PO) is low, <10(-6). When ACh molecules occupy the agonist sites the C?O opening rate constant and C?O gating equilibrium constant increase dramatically. Following a pulse of ACh at the nerve-muscle synapse, the endplate current rises rapidly to reach a peak that corresponds to PO ?0.96.

Dataset Information

Looking below the surface of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

Publications

Looking below the surface of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

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