Tryptophan and Cysteine Mutations in M1 Helices of ?1?3?2L ?-Aminobutyric Acid Type A Receptors Indicate Distinct Intersubunit Sites for Four Intravenous Anesthetics and One Orphan Site.
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ABSTRACT: ?-Aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors mediate important effects of intravenous general anesthetics. Photolabel derivatives of etomidate, propofol, barbiturates, and a neurosteroid get incorporated in GABAA receptor transmembrane helices M1 and M3 adjacent to intersubunit pockets. However, photolabels have not been consistently targeted at heteromeric ??? receptors and do not form adducts with all contact residues. Complementary approaches may further define anesthetic sites in typical GABAA receptors.Two mutation-based strategies, substituted tryptophan sensitivity and substituted cysteine modification-protection, combined with voltage-clamp electrophysiology in Xenopus oocytes, were used to evaluate interactions between four intravenous anesthetics and six amino acids in M1 helices of ?1, ?3, and ?2L GABAA receptor subunits: two photolabeled residues, ?1M236 and ?3M227, and their homologs.Tryptophan substitutions at ?1M236 and positional homologs ?3L231 and ?2L246 all caused spontaneous channel gating and reduced ?-aminobutyric acid EC50. Substituted cysteine modification experiments indicated etomidate protection at ?1L232C and ?1M236C, R-5-allyl-1-methyl-5-(m-trifluoromethyl-diazirinylphenyl) barbituric acid protection at ?3M227C and ?3L231C, and propofol protection at ?1M236C and ?3M227C. No alphaxalone protection was evident at the residues the authors explored, and none of the tested anesthetics protected ?2I242C or ?2L246C.All five intersubunit transmembrane pockets of GABAA receptors display similar allosteric linkage to ion channel gating. Substituted cysteine modification and protection results were fully concordant with anesthetic photolabeling at ?1M236 and ?3M227 and revealed overlapping noncongruent sites for etomidate and propofol in ?-? interfaces and R-5-allyl-1-methyl-5-(m-trifluoromethyl-diazirinylphenyl) barbituric acid and propofol in ?-? and ?-? interfaces. The authors' results identify the ?-? transmembrane interface as a potentially unique orphan modulator site.
SUBMITTER: Nourmahnad A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5117677 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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