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A structural preview of aquaporin 8 via homology modeling of seven vertebrate isoforms.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Aquaporins (AQPs) facilitate the passage of small neutral polar molecules across membranes of the cell. In animals there are four distinct AQP subfamilies, whereof AQP8 homologues constitute one of the smallest subfamilies with just one member in man. AQP8 conducts water, ammonia, urea, glycerol and H2O2 through various membranes of animal cells. This passive channel has been connected to a number of phenomena, such as volume change of mitochondria, ammonia neurotoxicity, and mitochondrial dysfunction related to oxidative stress. Currently, there is no experimentally determined structure of an AQP8, hence the structural understanding of this subfamily is limited. The recently solved structure of the plant AQP, AtTIP2;1, which has structural and functional features in common with AQP8s, has opened up for construction of homology models that are likely to be more accurate than previous models. RESULTS:Here we present homology models of seven vertebrate AQP8s. Modeling based on the AtTIP2;1 structure alone resulted in reasonable models except for the pore being blocked by a phenylalanine that is not present in AtTIP2;1. To achieve an open pore, these models were supplemented with models based on the bacterial water specific AQP, EcAqpZ, creating a chimeric monomeric model for each AQP8 isoform. The selectivity filter (also named the aromatic/arginine region), which defines the permeant substrate profile, comprises five amino acid residues in AtTIP2;1, including a histidine coming from loop C. Compared to AtTIP2;1, the selectivity filters of modelled AQP8s only deviates in that they are slightly more narrow and more hydrophobic due to a phenylalanine replacing the histidine from loop C. Interestingly, the models do not exclude the existence of a side pore beneath loop C similar to that described in the structure of AtTIP2;1. CONCLUSIONS:Our models concur that AQP8s are likely to have an AtTIP2;1-like selectivity filter. The detailed description of the expected configuration of residues in the selectivity filters of AQP8s provides an excellent starting point for planning of as well as rationalizing the outcome of mutational studies. Our strategy to compile hybrid models based on several templates may prove useful also for other AQPs for which structural information is limited.

SUBMITTER: Kirscht A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5816522 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A structural preview of aquaporin 8 via homology modeling of seven vertebrate isoforms.

Kirscht Andreas A Sonntag Yonathan Y Kjellbom Per P Johanson Urban U

BMC structural biology 20180217 1

<h4>Background</h4>Aquaporins (AQPs) facilitate the passage of small neutral polar molecules across membranes of the cell. In animals there are four distinct AQP subfamilies, whereof AQP8 homologues constitute one of the smallest subfamilies with just one member in man. AQP8 conducts water, ammonia, urea, glycerol and H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> through various membranes of animal cells. This passive channel has been connected to a number of phenomena, such as volume change of mitochondria, ammon ...[more]

PMID: 29454339

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Project description:Human P2Y receptors encompass at least eight subtypes of Class A G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), responding to adenine and/or uracil nucleotides. Using a BLAST search against the Homo sapiens subset of the SWISS-PROT and TrEMBL databases, we identified 68 proteins showing high similarity to P2Y receptors. To address the problem of low sequence identity between rhodopsin and the P2Y receptors, we performed a multiple-sequence alignment of the retrieved proteins and the template bovine rhodopsin, combining manual identification of the transmembrane domains (TMs) with automatic techniques. The resulting phylogenetic tree delineated two distinct subgroups of P2Y receptors: Gq-coupled subtypes (e.g., P2Y1) and those coupled to Gi (e.g., P2Y12). On the basis of sequence comparison we mutated three Tyr residues of the putative P2Y1 binding pocket to Ala and Phe and characterized pharmacologically the mutant receptors expressed in COS-7 cells. The mutation of Y306 (7.35, site of a cationic residue in P2Y12) or Y203 in the second extracellular loop selectively decreased the affinity of the agonist 2-MeSADP, and the Y306F mutation also reduced antagonist (MRS2179) affinity by 5-fold. The Y273A (6.48) mutation precluded the receptor activation without a major effect on the ligand-binding affinities, but the Y273F mutant receptor still activated G proteins with full agonist affinity. Thus, we have identified new recognition elements to further define the P2Y1 binding site and related these to other P2Y receptor subtypes. Following sequence-based secondary-structure prediction, we constructed complete models of all the human P2Y receptors by homology to rhodopsin. Ligand docking on P2Y1 and P2Y12 receptor models was guided by mutagenesis results, to identify the residues implicated in the binding process. Different sets of cationic residues in the two subgroups appeared to coordinate phosphate-bearing ligands. Within the P2Y1 subgroup these residues are R3.29, K/R6.55, and R7.39. Within the P2Y12 subgroup, the only residue in common with P2Y1 is R6.55, and the role of R3.29 in TM3 seems to be fulfilled by a Lys residue in EL2, whereas the R7.39 in TM7 seems to be substituted by K7.35. Thus, we have identified common and distinguishing features of P2Y receptor structure and have proposed modes of ligand binding for the two representative subtypes that already have well-developed ligands.

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A structural preview of aquaporin 8 via homology modeling of seven vertebrate isoforms.

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A structural preview of aquaporin 8 via homology modeling of seven vertebrate isoforms.

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