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Agonist binding to the NMDA receptor drives movement of its cytoplasmic domain without ion flow.

ABSTRACT: The NMDA receptor (R) plays important roles in brain physiology and pathology as an ion channel. Here we examine the ion flow-independent coupling of agonist to the NMDAR cytoplasmic domain (cd). We measure FRET between fluorescently tagged cytoplasmic domains of GluN1 subunits of NMDARs expressed in neurons. Different neuronal compartments display varying levels of FRET, consistent with different NMDARcd conformations. Agonist binding drives a rapid and transient ion flow-independent reduction in FRET between GluN1 subunits within individual NMDARs. Intracellular infusion of an antibody targeting the GluN1 cytoplasmic domain blocks agonist-driven FRET changes in the absence of ion flow, supporting agonist-driven movement of the NMDARcd. These studies indicate that extracellular ligand binding to the NMDAR can transmit conformational information into the cell in the absence of ion flow.

SUBMITTER: Dore K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4664357 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Agonist binding to the NMDA receptor drives movement of its cytoplasmic domain without ion flow.

Dore Kim K Aow Jonathan J Malinow Roberto R

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20151109 47

The NMDA receptor (R) plays important roles in brain physiology and pathology as an ion channel. Here we examine the ion flow-independent coupling of agonist to the NMDAR cytoplasmic domain (cd). We measure FRET between fluorescently tagged cytoplasmic domains of GluN1 subunits of NMDARs expressed in neurons. Different neuronal compartments display varying levels of FRET, consistent with different NMDARcd conformations. Agonist binding drives a rapid and transient ion flow-independent reduction ...[more]

PMID: 26553997

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Project description:Inward rectifier potassium (Kir) channels act as cellular diodes, allowing unrestricted flow of potassium (K(+)) into the cell while preventing currents of large magnitude in the outward direction. The rectification mechanism by which this occurs involves a coupling between K(+) and intracellular blockers-magnesium (Mg(2+)) or polyamines-that simultaneously occupy the permeation pathway. In addition to the transmembrane pore, Kirs possess a large cytoplasmic domain (CD) that provides a favorable electronegative environment for cations. Electrophysiological experiments have shown that the CD is a key regulator of both conductance and rectification. In this study, we calculate and compare averaged equilibrium probability densities of K(+) and Cl(-) in open-pore models of the CDs of a weak (Kir1.1-ROMK) and a strong (Kir2.1-IRK) rectifier through explicit-solvent molecular-dynamics simulations in ~1 M KCl. The CD of both channels concentrates K(+) ions greater than threefold inside the cytoplasmic pore while IRK shows an additional K(+) accumulation region near the cytoplasmic entrance. Simulations carried out with Mg(2+) or spermine (SPM(4+)) show that these ions interact with pore-lining residues, shielding the surface charge and reducing K(+) in both channels. The results also show that SPM(4+) behaves differently inside these two channels. Although SPM(4+) remains inside the CD of ROMK, it diffuses around the entire volume of the pore. In contrast, this polyatomic cation finds long-lived conformational states inside the IRK pore, interacting with residues E224, D259, and E299. The strong rectifier CD is also capable of sequestering an additional SPM(4+) at the cytoplasmic entrance near a cluster of negative residues D249, D274, E275, and D276. Although understanding the actual mechanism of rectification blockade will require high-resolution structural information of the blocked state, these simulations provide insight into how sequence variation in the CD can affect the multi-ion distributions that underlie the mechanisms of conduction, rectification affinity, and kinetics.

Dataset Information

Agonist binding to the NMDA receptor drives movement of its cytoplasmic domain without ion flow.

Publications

Agonist binding to the NMDA receptor drives movement of its cytoplasmic domain without ion flow.

Similar Datasets

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