Identification of binding sites in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor for TDBzl-etomidate, a photoreactive positive allosteric effector.
Etomidate, one of the most potent general anesthetics used clinically, acts at micromolar concentrations as an anesthetic and positive allosteric modulator of gamma-aminobutyric acid responses, whereas it inhibits muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) at concentrations above 10 microm. We report here that TDBzl-etomidate, a photoreactive etomidate analog, acts as a positive allosteric nAChR modulator rather than an inhibitor, and we identify its binding sites by photoaffinity labeling. TDBzl-etomidate (>10 microm) increased the submaximal response to acetylcholine (10 microm) with a 2.5-fold increase at 60 microm. At higher concentrations, it inhibited the binding of the noncompetitive antagonists [(3)H]tetracaine and [(3)H]phencyclidine to Torpedo nAChR-rich membranes (IC(50) values of 0. 8 mm). nAChR-rich membranes were photolabeled with [(3)H]TDBzl-etomidate, and labeled amino acids were identified by Edman degradation. For nAChRs photolabeled in the absence of agonist (resting state), there was tetracaine-inhibitable photolabeling of amino acids in the ion channel at positions M2-9 (deltaLeu-265) and M2-13 (alphaVal-255 and deltaVal-269), whereas labeling of alphaM2-10 (alphaSer-252) was not inhibited by tetracaine but was enhanced 10-fold by proadifen or phencyclidine. In addition, there was labeling in gammaM3 (gammaMet-299), a residue that contributes to the same pocket in the nAChR structure as alphaM2-10. The pharmacological specificity of labeling of residues, together with their locations in the nAChR structure, indicate that TDBzl-etomidate binds at two distinct sites: one within the lumen of the ion channel (labeling of M2-9 and -13), an inhibitory site, and another at the interface between the alpha and gamma subunits (labeling of alphaM2-10 and gammaMet-299) likely to be a site for positive allosteric modulation.
Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
Selvanayagam
S
Nirthanan
Galo
G
Garcia
David C
DC
Chiara
S Shaukat
SS
Husain
Jonathan B
JB
Cohen
D000494:Allosteric Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D000495:Allosteric Site; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D003978:Diazomethane / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D005045:Etomidate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014101:Torpedo
C513361:4-(3-(trifluoromethyl)-3H-diazirin-3-yl)benzyl 1-(1-phenylethyl)-1H-imidazole-5-carboxylate; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D003978:Diazomethane; D005045:Etomidate