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Understanding structure-function relationships of the human neuronal acetylcholine receptor: insights from the first crystal structures of neuronal subunits.

ABSTRACT: Nicotinic ACh receptors (nAChRs) are the best studied members of the superfamily of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs). Neuronal nAChRs regulate neuronal excitability and neurotransmitter release in the nervous system and form either homo- or hetero-pentameric complexes with various combinations of the 11 neuronal nAChR subunits (?2-7, ?9, ?10 and ?2-4) known to exist in humans. In addition to their wide distribution in the nervous system, neuronal nAChRs have been also found in immune cells and many peripheral tissues. These nAChRs are important drug targets for neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases (e.g. Alzheimer's, schizophrenia) and substance addiction (e.g. nicotine), as well as in a variety of diseases such as chronic pain, auditory disorders and some cancers. To decipher the functional mechanisms of human nAChRs and develop efficient and specific therapeutic drugs, elucidation of their high-resolution structures is needed. Recent studies, including the X-ray crystal structures of the near-intact ?4?2 nAChR and of the ligand-binding domains of the ?9 and ?2 subunits, have advanced our knowledge on the detailed structure of the ligand-binding sites formed between the same and different subunits and revealed many other functionally important interactions. The aim of this review is to highlight some of the structural and functional findings of these studies and to compare them with recent breakthrough findings on other pLGIC members and earlier data from their homologous ACh-binding proteins. LINKED ARTICLES:This article is part of a themed section on Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v175.11/issuetoc.

SUBMITTER: Giastas P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5980119 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Understanding structure-function relationships of the human neuronal acetylcholine receptor: insights from the first crystal structures of neuronal subunits.

Giastas Petros P Zouridakis Marios M Tzartos Socrates J SJ

British journal of pharmacology 20170620 11

Nicotinic ACh receptors (nAChRs) are the best studied members of the superfamily of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs). Neuronal nAChRs regulate neuronal excitability and neurotransmitter release in the nervous system and form either homo- or hetero-pentameric complexes with various combinations of the 11 neuronal nAChR subunits (α2-7, α9, α10 and β2-4) known to exist in humans. In addition to their wide distribution in the nervous system, neuronal nAChRs have been also found in immun ...[more]

PMID: 28452148

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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

Understanding structure-function relationships of the human neuronal acetylcholine receptor: insights from the first crystal structures of neuronal subunits.

Publications

Understanding structure-function relationships of the human neuronal acetylcholine receptor: insights from the first crystal structures of neuronal subunits.

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