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Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Modulators Reduce Sugar Intake.

ABSTRACT: Excess sugar consumption has been shown to contribute directly to weight gain, thus contributing to the growing worldwide obesity epidemic. Interestingly, increased sugar consumption has been shown to repeatedly elevate dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), in the mesolimbic reward pathway of the brain similar to many drugs of abuse. We report that varenicline, an FDA-approved nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) partial agonist that modulates dopamine in the mesolimbic reward pathway of the brain, significantly reduces sucrose consumption, especially in a long-term consumption paradigm. Similar results were observed with other nAChR drugs, namely mecamylamine and cytisine. Furthermore, we show that long-term sucrose consumption increases ?4?2 * and decreases ?6?2* nAChRs in the nucleus accumbens, a key brain region associated with reward. Taken together, our results suggest that nAChR drugs such as varenicline may represent a novel treatment strategy for reducing sugar consumption.

SUBMITTER: Shariff M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4814119 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Modulators Reduce Sugar Intake.

Shariff Masroor M Quik Maryka M Holgate Joan J Morgan Michael M Patkar Omkar L OL Tam Vincent V Belmer Arnauld A Bartlett Selena E SE

PloS one 20160330 3

Excess sugar consumption has been shown to contribute directly to weight gain, thus contributing to the growing worldwide obesity epidemic. Interestingly, increased sugar consumption has been shown to repeatedly elevate dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), in the mesolimbic reward pathway of the brain similar to many drugs of abuse. We report that varenicline, an FDA-approved nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) partial agonist that modulates dopamine in the mesolimbic reward path ...[more]

PMID: 27028298

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Project description:Homomeric ?7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) have an intrinsically low probability of opening that can be overcome by ?7-selective positive allosteric modulators (PAMs), which bind at a site involving the second transmembrane domain (TM2). Mutation of a methionine that is unique to ?7 at the 15' position of TM2 to leucine, the residue in most other nAChR subunits, largely eliminates the activity of such PAMs. We tested the effect of the reverse mutation (L15'M) in heteromeric nAChR receptors containing ?4 and ?2, which are the nAChR subunits that are most abundant in the brain. Receptors containing these mutations were found to be strongly potentiated by the ?7 PAM 3a,4,5,9b-tetrahydro-4-(1-naphthalenyl)-3H-cyclopentan[c]quinoline-8-sulfonamide (TQS) but insensitive to the alternative PAM 1-(5-chloro-2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-(5-methylisoxazol-3-yl)-urea. The presence of the mutation in the ?2 subunit was necessary and sufficient for TQS sensitivity. The primary effect of the mutation in the ?4 subunit was to reduce responses to acetylcholine applied alone. Sensitivity to TQS required only a single mutant ? subunit, regardless of the position of the mutant ? subunit within the pentameric complex. Similar results were obtained when ?2L15'M was coexpressed with ?2 or ?3 and when the L15'M mutation was placed in ?4 and coexpressed with ?2, ?3, or ?4. Functional receptors were not observed when ?1L15'M subunits were coexpressed with other muscle nAChR subunits. The unique structure-activity relationship of PAMs and the ?4?2L15'M receptor compared with ?7 and the availability of high-resolution ?4?2 structures may provide new insights into the fundamental mechanisms of nAChR allosteric potentiation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Heteromeric neuronal nAChRs have a relatively high initial probability of channel activation compared to receptors that are homomers of ?7 subunits but are insensitive to PAMs, which greatly increase the open probability of ?7 receptors. These features of heteromeric nAChR can be reversed by mutation of a single residue present in all neuronal heteromeric nAChR subunits to the sequence found in ?7. Specifically, the mutation of the TM2 15' leucine to methionine in ? subunits reduces heteromeric receptor channel activation, while the same mutation in neuronal ? subunits allows heteromeric receptors to respond to select ?7 PAMs. The results indicate a key role for this residue in the functional differences in the two main classes of neuronal nAChRs.

Dataset Information

Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Modulators Reduce Sugar Intake.

Publications

Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Modulators Reduce Sugar Intake.

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