Single subunits of the GABAA receptor form ion channels with properties of the native receptor

The alpha and beta subunits of the gamma-aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptor were expressed individually in Xenopus oocytes by injection of RNA synthesized from their cloned DNAs. GABA-sensitive chloride channels were detected several days after injection with any one of three different alpha RNAs (alpha 1, alpha 2, and alpha 3) or with beta RNA. The channels induced by each of the alpha-subunit RNAs were indistinguishable, they had multiple conductance levels (10, 19, 28, and 42 picosiemens), and their activity was potentiated by pentobarbital and inhibited by picrotoxin. The beta channels usually expressed poorly but showed similar single channel conductance levels (10, 18, 27, and 40 picosiemens), potentiation by pentobarbital and inhibition by picrotoxin. The finding that both alpha and beta subunits, examined separately, form GABA-sensitive ion channels with permeation properties and regulatory sites characteristic of the native receptor suggests that the amino acid sequences that confer these properties are within the homologous domains shared by the subunits.     

Type I and type II GABAA-benzodiazepine receptors produced in transfected cells

GABAA (gamma-aminobutyric acid A)-benzodiazepine receptors expressed in mammalian cells and assembled from one of three different alpha subunit variants (alpha 1, alpha 2, or alpha 3) in combination with a beta 1 and a gamma 2 subunit display the pharmacological properties of either type I or type II receptor subtypes. These receptors contain high-affinity binding sites for benzodiazepines. However, CL 218 872, 2-oxoquazepam, and methyl beta-carboline-3-carboxylate (beta-CCM) show a temperature-modulated selectivity for alpha 1 subunit-containing receptors. There were no significant differences in the binding of clonazepam, diazepam, Ro 15-1788, or dimethoxy-4-ethyl-beta-carboline-3-carboxylate (DMCM) to all three recombinant receptors. Receptors containing the alpha 3 subunit show greater GABA potentiation of benzodiazepine binding than receptors containing the alpha 1 or alpha 2 subunit, indicating that there are subtypes within the type II class. Thus, diversity in benzodiazepine pharmacology is generated by heterogeneity of the alpha subunit of the GABAA receptor.     

Molecular cloning and functional expression of glutamate receptor subunit genes

Three closely related genes, GluR1, GluR2, and GluR3, encode receptor subunits for the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. The proteins encoded by the individual genes form homomeric ion channels in Xenopus oocytes that are sensitive to glutamatergic agonists such as kainate and quisqualate but not to N-methyl-D-aspartate, indicating that binding sites for kainate and quisqualate exist on single receptor polypeptides. In addition, kainate-evoked conductances are potentiated in oocytes expressing two or more of the cloned receptor subunits. Electrophysiological responses obtained with certain subunit combinations show agonist profiles and current-voltage relations that are similar to those obtained in vivo. Finally, in situ hybridization histochemistry reveals that these genes are transcribed in shared neuroanatomical loci. Thus, as with gamma-aminobutyric acid, glycine, and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, native kainate-quisqualate-sensitive glutamate receptors form a family of heteromeric proteins.     

Type-specific regulation of adenylyl cyclase by G protein beta gamma subunits

Heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory proteins (G proteins) dissociate into guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-bound alpha subunits and a complex of beta and gamma subunits after interaction with receptors. The GTP-alpha subunit complex activates appropriate effectors, such as adenylyl cyclase, retinal phosphodiesterase, phospholipase C, and ion channels. G protein beta gamma subunits have been found to have regulatory effects on certain types of adenylyl cyclase. In the presence of Gs alpha, the alpha subunit of the G protein that activates adenylyl cyclase, one form of adenylyl cyclase was inhibited by beta gamma, some forms were activated by beta gamma, and some forms were not affected by beta gamma. These interactions suggest mechanisms for communication between distinct signal-transducing pathways.     

Expression of high-affinity binding of human immunoglobulin E by transfected cells

The receptor with high affinity for immunoglobulin E (IgE) on mast cells and basophils is critical in initiating allergic reactions. It is composed of an IgE-binding alpha subunit, a beta subunit, and two gamma subunits. The human alpha subunit was expressed on transfected cells in the presence of rat beta and gamma subunits or in the presence of the gamma subunit alone. The IgE binding properties of the expressed human alpha were characteristic of receptors on normal human cells. These results now permit a systematic analysis of human IgE binding and a search for therapeutically useful inhibitors of that binding.     

Acetylcholine receptor: an allosteric protein

The nicotine receptor for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine is an allosteric protein composed of four different subunits assembled in a transmembrane pentamer alpha 2 beta gamma delta. The protein carries two acetylcholine sites at the level of the alpha subunits and contains the ion channel. The complete sequence of the four subunits is known. The membrane-bound protein undergoes conformational transitions that regulate the opening of the ion channel and are affected by various categories of pharmacologically active ligands.     

Molecular and neuronal substrate for the selective attenuation of anxiety

Benzodiazepine tranquilizers are used in the treatment of anxiety disorders. To identify the molecular and neuronal target mediating the anxiolytic action of benzodiazepines, we generated and analyzed two mouse lines in which the alpha2 or alpha3 GABAA (gamma-aminobutyric acid type A) receptors, respectively, were rendered insensitive to diazepam by a knock-in point mutation. The anxiolytic action of diazepam was absent in mice with the alpha2(H101R) point mutation but present in mice with the alpha3(H126R) point mutation. These findings indicate that the anxiolytic effect of benzodiazepine drugs is mediated by alpha2 GABAA receptors, which are largely expressed in the limbic system, but not by alpha3 GABAA receptors, which predominate in the reticular activating system.     

Functional expression of a new pharmacological subtype of brain nicotinic acetylcholine receptor

A new type of agonist-binding subunit of rat neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) was identified. Rat genomic DNA and complementary DNA encoding this subunit (alpha 2) were cloned and analyzed. Complementary DNA expression studies in Xenopus oocytes revealed that the injection of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) for alpha 2 and beta 2 (a neuronal nAChR subunit) led to the generation of a functional nAChR. In contrast to the other known neuronal nAChRs, the receptor produced by the injection of alpha 2 and beta 2 mRNAs was resistant to the alpha-neurotoxin Bgt3.1. In situ hybridization histochemistry showed that alpha 2 mRNA was expressed in a small number of regions, in contrast to the wide distribution of the other known agonist-binding subunits (alpha 3 and alpha 4) mRNAs. These results demonstrate that the alpha 2 subunit differs from other known agonist-binding alpha-subunits of nAChRs in its distribution in the brain and in its pharmacology.     

Activation of integrin alphaIIbbeta3 by modulation of transmembrane helix associations

Transmembrane helices of integrin alpha and beta subunits have been implicated in the regulation of integrin activity. Two mutations, glycine-708 to asparagine-708 (G708N)and methionine-701 to asparagine-701, in the transmembrane helix of the beta3 subunit enabled integrin alphaIIbbeta3 to constitutively bind soluble fibrinogen. Further characterization of the G708N mutant revealed that it induced alphaIIbbeta3 clustering and constitutive phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase. This mutation also enhanced the tendency of the transmembrane helix to form homotrimers. These results suggest that homomeric associations involving transmembrane domains provide a driving force for integrin activation. They also suggest a structural basis for the coincidence of integrin activation and clustering.     

Direct activation of mammalian atrial muscarinic potassium channels by GTP regulatory protein Gk

The mammalian heart rate is regulated by the vagus nerve, which acts via muscarinic acetylcholine receptors to cause hyperpolarization of atrial pacemaker cells. The hyperpolarization is produced by the opening of potassium channels and involves an intermediary guanosine triphosphate-binding regulatory (G) protein. Potassium channels in isolated, inside-out patches of membranes from atrial cells now are shown to be activated by a purified pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein of subunit composition alpha beta gamma, with an alpha subunit of 40,000 daltons. Thus, mammalian atrial muscarinic potassium channels are activated directly by a G protein, not indirectly through a cascade of intermediary events. The G protein regulating these channels is identified as a potent Gk; it is active at 0.2 to 1 pM. Thus, proteins other than enzymes can be under control of receptor coupling G proteins.     

Cloning, sequencing, and expression of the gene coding for the human platelet alpha 2-adrenergic receptor

The gene for the human platelet alpha 2-adrenergic receptor has been cloned with oligonucleotides corresponding to the partial amino acid sequence of the purified receptor. The identity of this gene has been confirmed by the binding of alpha 2-adrenergic ligands to the cloned receptor expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. The deduced amino acid sequence is most similar to the recently cloned human beta 2- and beta 1-adrenergic receptors; however, similarities to the muscarinic cholinergic receptors are also evident. Two related genes have been identified by low stringency Southern blot analysis. These genes may represent additional alpha 2-adrenergic receptor subtypes.     

Chimeric alpha 2-,beta 2-adrenergic receptors: delineation of domains involved in effector coupling and ligand binding specificity

The alpha 2 and beta 2 adrenergic receptors, both of which are activated by epinephrine, but which can be differentiated by selective drugs, have opposite effects (inhibitory and stimulatory) on the adenylyl cyclase system. The two receptors are homologous with each other, rhodopsin, and other receptors coupled to guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins and they contain seven hydrophobic domains, which may represent transmembrane spanning segments. The function of specific structural domains of these receptors was determined after construction and expression of a series of chimeric alpha 2-,beta 2-adrenergic receptor genes. The specificity for coupling to the stimulatory guanine nucleotide regulatory protein lies within a region extending from the amino terminus of the fifth hydrophobic domain to the carboxyl terminus of the sixth. Major determinants of alpha 2- and beta 2-adrenergic receptor agonist and antagonist ligand binding specificity are contained within the seventh membrane spanning domain. Chimeric receptors should prove useful for elucidating the structural basis of receptor function.     

Splice variants of the alpha subunit of the G protein Gs activate both adenylyl cyclase and calcium channels

Signal transducing guanine nucleotide binding (G) proteins are heterotrimers with different alpha subunits that confer specificity for interactions with receptors and effectors. Eight to ten such G proteins couple a large number of receptors for hormones and neurotransmitters to at least eight different effectors. Although one G protein can interact with several receptors, a given G protein was thought to interact with but one effector. The recent finding that voltage-gated calcium channels are stimulated by purified Gs, which stimulates adenylyl cyclase, challenged this concept. However, purified Gs may have four distinct alpha-subunit polypeptides, produced by alternative splicing of messenger RNA. By using recombinant DNA techniques, three of the splice variants were synthesized in Escherichia coli and each variant was shown to stimulate both adenylyl cyclase and calcium channels. Thus, a single G protein alpha subunit may regulate more than one effector function.     

The alpha subunit of the GTP binding protein Gk opens atrial potassium channels

Guanine nucleotide binding (G) proteins (subunit composition alpha beta gamma) dissociate on activation with guanosine triphosphate (GTP) analogs and magnesium to give alpha-guanine nucleotide complexes and free beta gamma subunits. Whether the opening of potassium channels by the recently described Gk in isolated membrane patches from mammalian atrial myocytes was mediated by the alpha k subunit or beta gamma dimer was tested. The alpha k subunit was found to be active, while the beta gamma dimer was inactive in stimulating potassium channel activity. Thus, Gk resembles Gs, the stimulatory regulatory component of adenylyl cyclase, and transducin, the regulatory component of the visual system, in that it regulates its effector function--the activity of the ligand-gated potassium channel--through its guanine nucleotide binding subunit.     

Structure of the cytoplasmic beta subunit-T1 assembly of voltage-dependent K+ channels

The structure of the cytoplasmic assembly of voltage-dependent K+ channels was solved by x-ray crystallography at 2.1 angstrom resolution. The assembly includes the cytoplasmic (T1) domain of the integral membrane alpha subunit together with the oxidoreductase beta subunit in a fourfold symmetric T1(4)beta4 complex. An electrophysiological assay showed that this complex is oriented with four T1 domains facing the transmembrane pore and four beta subunits facing the cytoplasm. The transmembrane pore communicates with the cytoplasm through lateral, negatively charged openings above the T1(4)beta4 complex. The inactivation peptides of voltage-dependent K(+) channels reach their site of action by entering these openings.     

Functional conversion between A-type and delayed rectifier K+ channels by membrane lipids

Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels control action potential repolarization, interspike membrane potential, and action potential frequency in excitable cells. It is thought that the combinatorial association between distinct alpha and beta subunits determines whether Kv channels function as non-inactivating delayed rectifiers or as rapidly inactivating A-type channels. We show that membrane lipids can convert A-type channels into delayed rectifiers and vice versa. Phosphoinositides remove N-type inactivation from A-type channels by immobilizing the inactivation domains. Conversely, arachidonic acid and its amide anandamide endow delayed rectifiers with rapid voltage-dependent inactivation. The bidirectional control of Kv channel gating by lipids may provide a mechanism for the dynamic regulation of electrical signaling in the nervous system.     

Insulin-resistant diabetes due to a point mutation that prevents insulin proreceptor processing

A point mutation in the human insulin receptor gene in a patient with type A insulin resistance alters the amino acid sequence within the tetrabasic processing site of the proreceptor molecule from Arg-Lys-Arg-Arg to Arg-Lys-Arg-Ser. Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphocytes from this patient synthesize an insulin receptor precursor that is normally glycosylated and inserted into the plasma membrane but is not cleaved to mature alpha and beta subunits. Insulin binding to these cells is severely reduced but can be increased about fivefold by gentle treatment with trypsin, accompanied by the appearance of normal alpha subunits. These results indicate that proteolysis of the proreceptor is necessary for its normal full insulin-binding sensitivity and signal-transducing activity and that a cellular protease that is more stringent in its specificity than trypsin is required to process the receptor precursor.     

Functional properties of rat brain sodium channels expressed in a somatic cell line

Transfection of Chinese hamster ovary cells with complementary DNA encoding the RIIA sodium channel alpha subunit from rat brain led to expression of functional sodium channels with the rapid, voltage-dependent activation and inactivation characteristic of sodium channels in brain neurons. The sodium currents mediated by these transfected channels were inhibited by tetrodotoxin, persistently activated by veratridine, and prolonged by Leiurus alpha-scorpion toxin, indicating that neurotoxin receptor sites 1 through 3 were present in functional form. The RIIA sodium channel alpha subunit cDNA alone is sufficient for stable expression of functional sodium channels with the expected kinetic and pharmacological properties in mammalian somatic cells.     

Evidence that the M2 membrane-spanning region lines the ion channel pore of the nicotinic receptor

Site-directed mutagenesis and expression in Xenopus oocytes were used to study acetylcholine receptors in which serine residues (i) were replaced by alanines (alpha, delta subunits) or (ii) replaced a phenylalanine (beta subunit) at a postulated polar site within the M2 transmembrane helix. As the number of serines decreased, there were decreases in the residence time and consequently the equilibrium binding affinity of QX-222, a quaternary ammonium anesthetic derivative thought to bind within the open channel. Receptors with three serine-to-alanine mutations also displayed a selective decrease in outward single-channel currents. Both the direction of this rectification and the voltage dependence of QX-222 blockade suggest that the residues mutated are within the aqueous pore of the receptor and near its cytoplasmic (inner) surface.