scholarly journals Modal affinities of endplate acetylcholine receptors caused by loop C mutations

2015 ◽  
Vol 146 (5) ◽  
pp. 375-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ridhima Vij ◽  
Prasad Purohit ◽  
Anthony Auerbach

The time course of the endplate current is determined by the rate and equilibrium constants for acetylcholine receptor (AChR) activation. We measured these constants in single-channel currents from AChRs with mutations at the neurotransmitter-binding sites, in loop C. The main findings are: (a) Almost all perturbations of loop C generate heterogeneity in the channel open probability (“modes”). (b) Modes are generated by different affinities for ACh that can be either higher or lower than in the wild-type receptors. (c) The modes are stable, in so far as each receptor maintains its affinity for at least several minutes. (d) Different agonists show different degrees of modal activity. With the loop C mutation αP197A, there are four modes with ACh but only two with partial agonists. (e) The affinity variations arise exclusively from the αδ-binding site. (f) Substituting four γ-subunit residues into the δ subunit (three in loop E and one in the β5–β5′ linker) reduces modal activity. (g) At each neurotransmitter-binding site, affinity is determined by a core of five aromatic residues. Modes are eliminated by an alanine mutation at δW57 but not at the other aromatics. (h) Modes are eliminated by a phenylalanine substitution at all core aromatics except αY93. The results suggest that, at the αδ agonist site, loop C and the complementary subunit surface can each adopt alternative conformations and interact with each other to influence the position of δW57 with respect to the aromatic core and, hence, affinity.

2014 ◽  
Vol 145 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Marabelli ◽  
Remigijus Lape ◽  
Lucia Sivilotti

Prokaryotic channels, such as Erwinia chrysanthemi ligand-gated ion channel (ELIC) and Gloeobacter violaceus ligand-gated ion channel, give key structural information for the pentameric ligand-gated ion channel family, which includes nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. ELIC, a cationic channel from E. chrysanthemi, is particularly suitable for single-channel recording because of its high conductance. Here, we report on the kinetic properties of ELIC channels expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. Single-channel currents elicited by the full agonist propylamine (0.5–50 mM) in outside-out patches at −60 mV were analyzed by direct maximum likelihood fitting of kinetic schemes to the idealized data. Several mechanisms were tested, and their adequacy was judged by comparing the predictions of the best fit obtained with the observable features of the experimental data. These included open-/shut-time distributions and the time course of macroscopic propylamine-activated currents elicited by fast theta-tube applications (50–600 ms, 1–50 mM, −100 mV). Related eukaryotic channels, such as glycine and nicotinic receptors, when fully liganded open with high efficacy to a single open state, reached via a preopening intermediate. The simplest adequate description of their activation, the “Flip” model, assumes a concerted transition to a single intermediate state at high agonist concentration. In contrast, ELIC open-time distributions at saturating propylamine showed multiple components. Thus, more than one open state must be accessible to the fully liganded channel. The “Primed” model allows opening from multiple fully liganded intermediates. The best fits of this type of model showed that ELIC maximum open probability (99%) is reached when at least two and probably three molecules of agonist have bound to the channel. The overall efficacy with which the fully liganded channel opens was ∼102 (∼20 for α1β glycine channels). The microscopic affinity for the agonist increased as the channel activated, from 7 mM for the resting state to 0.15 mM for the partially activated intermediate state.


2012 ◽  
Vol 141 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Snehal Jadey ◽  
Prasad Purohit ◽  
Anthony Auerbach

A primary target for nicotine is the acetylcholine receptor channel (AChR). Some of the ability of nicotine to activate differentially AChR subtypes has been traced to a transmitter-binding site amino acid that is glycine in lower affinity and lysine in higher affinity AChRs. We studied the effects of mutations of this residue (αG153) in neuromuscular AChRs activated by nicotine and eight other agonists including nornicotine and anabasine. All of the mutations increased the unliganded gating equilibrium constant. The affinity of the resting receptor (Kd) and the net binding energy from the agonist for gating (ΔGB) were estimated by cross-concentration fitting of single-channel currents. In all but one of the agonist/mutant combinations there was a moderate decrease in Kd and essentially no change in ΔGB. The exceptional case was nicotine plus lysine, which showed a large, >8,000-fold decrease in Kd but no change in ΔGB. The extraordinary specificity of this combination leads us to speculate that AChRs with a lysine at position αG153 may be exposed to a nicotine-like compound in vivo.


1993 ◽  
Vol 264 (3) ◽  
pp. C745-C754 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Rich ◽  
J. L. Kenyon ◽  
J. R. Hume ◽  
K. Overturf ◽  
B. Horowitz ◽  
...  

Experiments were performed to identify and characterize the types of calcium channels that regulate inward calcium current in canine colonic smooth muscle. Freshly dispersed smooth muscle cells from the circular layer of the canine proximal colon were used. Single-channel currents were measured with 80 mM Ba2+ as the charge carrier. Small-conductance (10 +/- 2 pS, EBa = 46 +/- 11 mV, n = 9) and large-conductance (21 +/- 1 pS, EBa = 52 +/- 3 mV, n = 19) single-channel currents were observed during depolarizing voltage steps positive to -30 mV. Both types of single-channel currents were inhibited by the addition of 10(-6) M nifedipine to the bath solution. The smaller current was infrequently observed and therefore was not further characterized. Open probability (P(o)) of the larger current amplitude was strongly dependent on voltage. Activation curves were well described by a Boltzmann function with half activation occurring at 4 mV, and a 5-mV increase in membrane potential resulted in an e-fold increase in P(o). BAY K 8644 (1 microM) shifted the activation curve to the left while nifedipine (1 microM) resulted in a right shift. Molecular analysis showed that only the C class of Ca2+ channel alpha 1-subunit is expressed in this tissue. Furthermore, only a single splice variant (rbc-II) was observed. The results suggest that a single class of dihydropyridine-sensitive calcium channels regulates inward calcium current in canine colonic smooth muscle cells.


1998 ◽  
Vol 111 (4) ◽  
pp. 565-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgit Hirschberg ◽  
James Maylie ◽  
John P. Adelman ◽  
Neil V. Marrion

Small-conductance Ca-activated K+ channels play an important role in modulating excitability in many cell types. These channels are activated by submicromolar concentrations of intracellular Ca2+, but little is known about the gating kinetics upon activation by Ca2+. In this study, single channel currents were recorded from Xenopus oocytes expressing the apamin-sensitive clone rSK2. Channel activity was detectable in 0.2 μM Ca2+ and was maximal above 2 μM Ca2+. Analysis of stationary currents revealed two open times and three closed times, with only the longest closed time being Ca dependent, decreasing with increasing Ca2+ concentrations. In addition, elevated Ca2+ concentrations resulted in a larger percentage of long openings and short closures. Membrane voltage did not have significant effects on either open or closed times. The open probability was ∼0.6 in 1 μM free Ca2+. A lower open probability of ∼0.05 in 1 μM Ca2+ was also observed, and channels switched spontaneously between behaviors. The occurrence of these switches and the amount of time channels spent displaying high open probability behavior was Ca2+ dependent. The two behaviors shared many features including the open times and the short and intermediate closed times, but the low open probability behavior was characterized by a different, long Ca2+-dependent closed time in the range of hundreds of milliseconds to seconds. Small-conductance Ca- activated K+ channel gating was modeled by a gating scheme consisting of four closed and two open states. This model yielded a close representation of the single channel data and predicted a macroscopic activation time course similar to that observed upon fast application of Ca2+ to excised inside-out patches.


1999 ◽  
Vol 114 (5) ◽  
pp. 653-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Nasi ◽  
Maria del Pilar Gomez

The light-dependent K conductance of hyperpolarizing Pecten photoreceptors exhibits a pronounced outward rectification that is eliminated by removal of extracellular divalent cations. The voltage-dependent block by Ca2+ and Mg2+ that underlies such nonlinearity was investigated. Both divalents reduce the photocurrent amplitude, the potency being significantly higher for Ca2+ than Mg2+ (K1/2 ≈ 16 and 61 mM, respectively, at Vm = −30 mV). Neither cation is measurably permeant. Manipulating the concentration of permeant K ions affects the blockade, suggesting that the mechanism entails occlusion of the permeation pathway. The voltage dependency of Ca2+ block is consistent with a single binding site located at an electrical distance of δ ≈ 0.6 from the outside. Resolution of light-dependent single-channel currents under physiological conditions indicates that blockade must be slow, which prompted the use of perturbation/relaxation methods to analyze its kinetics. Voltage steps during illumination produce a distinct relaxation in the photocurrent (τ = 5–20 ms) that disappears on removal of Ca2+ and Mg2+ and thus reflects enhancement or relief of blockade, depending on the polarity of the stimulus. The equilibration kinetics are significantly faster with Ca2+ than with Mg2+, suggesting that the process is dominated by the “on” rate, perhaps because of a step requiring dehydration of the blocking ion to access the binding site. Complementary strategies were adopted to investigate the interaction between blockade and channel gating: the photocurrent decay accelerates with hyperpolarization, but the effect requires extracellular divalents. Moreover, conditioning voltage steps terminated immediately before light stimulation failed to affect the photocurrent. These observations suggest that equilibration of block at different voltages requires an open pore. Inducing channels to close during a conditioning hyperpolarization resulted in a slight delay in the rising phase of a subsequent light response; this effect can be interpreted as closure of the channel with a divalent ion trapped inside.


2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 341-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Proks ◽  
Charlotte E. Capener ◽  
Phillippa Jones ◽  
Frances M. Ashcroft

The ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel exhibits spontaneous bursts of rapid openings, which are separated by long closed intervals. Previous studies have shown that mutations at the internal mouth of the pore-forming (Kir6.2) subunit of this channel affect the burst duration and the long interburst closings, but do not alter the fast intraburst kinetics. In this study, we have investigated the nature of the intraburst kinetics by using recombinant Kir6.2/SUR1 KATP channels heterologously expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Single-channel currents were studied in inside-out membrane patches. Mutations within the pore loop of Kir6.2 (V127T, G135F, and M137C) dramatically affected the mean open time (τo) and the short closed time (τC1) within a burst, and the number of openings per burst, but did not alter the burst duration, the interburst closed time, or the channel open probability. Thus, the V127T and M137C mutations produced longer τo, shorter τC1, and fewer openings per burst, whereas the G135F mutation had the opposite effect. All three mutations also reduced the single-channel conductance: from 70 pS for the wild-type channel to 62 pS (G135F), 50 pS (M137C), and 38 pS (V127T). These results are consistent with the idea that the KATP channel possesses a gate that governs the intraburst kinetics, which lies close to the selectivity filter. This gate appears to be able to operate independently of that which regulates the long interburst closings.


1994 ◽  
Vol 267 (1) ◽  
pp. L94-L100 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Yue ◽  
R. L. Shoemaker ◽  
S. Matalon

We determined the mechanisms by which beta-agonists increase sodium (Na+) currents across rat alveolar type II (ATII) cells grown in primary culture. When ATII cells were patched in the cell-attached mode using symmetrical Na+ solutions (150 mM Na(+)-glutamate), single-channel currents were observed for holding potentials between -80 and 30 mV (referenced to the pipette solution) with a single-channel conductance of 27 +/- 3 pS, a mean open time (tau 1) of 3.3 +/- 0.15 ms and an open probability (Po) of 0.36 +/- 0.06 (n = 7). Addition of 10 microM terbutaline into the bath increased tau 1 to 6.43 +/- 0.5 ms and Po to 0.62 +/- 0.06 (n = 7) without affecting channel conductance. Single-channel currents with a conductance of 25 +/- 2 pS were also recorded across ATII cells patched in the inside-out mode. Addition of 250 U/ml of protein kinase A (PKA), 1 mM ATP, and 5 mM MgCl2 in the bath solution (150 mM Na(+)-glutamate) increased the single channel tau 1 from 3.26 +/- 0.15 to 7.38 +/- 0.38 and Po from 0.41 +/- 0.06 to 0.72 +/- 0.07 (n = 6) without altering conductance. Addition of 1 microM amiloride or ethylisopropylamiloride (EIPA) in the pipette solution (150 mM Na(+)-glutamate) blocked single-channel activity almost completely. Ionic substitution experiments showed the relative permeability of Na+ to K+ and Na+ to Cl- to be 7:1 and 8:1, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


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