title: Histidine 140 plays a key role in the inhibitory modulation of the P2X4 nucleotide receptor by copper but not zinc.
abstract: To elucidate the role of extracellular histidines in the modulation of the rat P2X4 receptor by trace metals, we generated single, double, and triple histidine mutants for residues 140, 241, and 286, replacing them with alanines. cDNAs for the wild-type and receptor mutants were expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes and in human embryonic kidney 293 cells and examined by the two electrode and patch clamp techniques, respectively. Whereas copper inhibited concentration-dependently the ATP-gated currents in the wild-type and in the single or double H241A and H286A receptor mutants, all receptors containing H140A were insensitive to copper in both cell systems. The characteristic bell-shaped concentration-response curve of zinc observed in the wild-type receptor became sigmoid in both oocytes and human embryonic kidney cells expressing the H140A mutant; in these mutants, the zinc potentiation was 2.5-4-fold larger than in the wild-type. Results with the H140T and H140R mutants further support the importance of a histidine residue at this position. We conclude that His-140 is critical for the action of copper, indicating that this histidine residue, but not His-241 or His-286, forms part of the inhibitory allosteric metal-binding site of the P2X4 receptor, which is distinct from the putative zinc facilitator binding site.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Regulación Celular y Patología J. V. Luco, Instituto Milenio Biología Fundamental y Aplicada, MIFAB, Departamentos de Fisiología y Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 1, Chile.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Coddou
authors.forename: Bernardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grauso
authors.forename: Felipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gordillo
authors.forename: Paulina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bull
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rassendren
authors.forename: J Pablo
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Huidobro-Toro
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000495:Allosteric Site; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002460:Cell Line; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D003545:Cysteine / Q000737:chemistry; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006639:Histidine / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008670:Metals / Q000494:pharmacology; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009154:Mutation; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D051381:Rats; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2 / Q000737:chemistry*; D058848:Receptors, Purinergic P2X4; D013997:Time Factors; D014162:Transfection; D014982:Xenopus laevis; D015032:Zinc / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D008670:Metals; C548226:P2RX4 protein, human; C548228:P2rx4 protein, rat; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2; D058848:Receptors, Purinergic P2X4; D006639:Histidine; D003300:Copper; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D015032:Zinc; D003545:Cysteine