External Zn(2+) binding to cysteine-substituted cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator constructs regulates channel gating and curcumin potentiation.

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel is activated by ATP binding-induced dimerization of nucleotide-binding domains, the interaction between the phosphorylated regulatory (R) domain and the curcumin-sensitive interface between intracellular loop (ICL) 1 and ICL4, and the resultant inward-to-'outward' reorientation of transmembrane domains. Although transmembrane helices (TM) 2 and TM11 link the ICL1-ICL4 interface with the interface between extracellular loop (ECL) 1 and ECL6, it is unknown whether both interfaces are gating-coupled during the reorientation. Herein, R334C and T1122C mutations were used to engineer two Zn(2+) bridges near and at the ECL1-ECL6 interface, respectively, and the gating effects of a Zn(2+) disturbance at the ECL1-ECL6 interface on the stimulatory ICL1/ICL4-R interaction were determined.

Limited efficacy of α-conopeptides, Vc1.1 and RgIA, to inhibit sensory neuron Ca current.

Unlabelled: Chronic pain is very difficult to treat. Thus, novel analgesics are a critical area of research. Strong pre-clinical evidence supports the analgesic effects of α-conopeptides, Vc1.

Exploring the determinants of trace amine-associated receptor 1's functional selectivity for the stereoisomers of amphetamine and methamphetamine.

Amphetamines are widely abused drugs that interfere with dopamine transport and storage. Recently, however, another mechanism of action was identified: stereoselective activation of the GαS protein-coupled trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1). To identify structural determinants of this stereoselectivity, we functionally evaluated six mutant receptors in vitro and then used homology modeling and dynamic simulation to predict drug affinities.

Lubiprostone activates CFTR, but not ClC-2, via the prostaglandin receptor (EP(4)).

The goal of this study was to determine the mechanism of lubiprostone activation of epithelial chloride transport. Lubiprostone is a bicyclic fatty acid approved for the treatment of constipation [1]. There is uncertainty, however, as to how lubiprostone increases epithelial chloride transport.

Locating a plausible binding site for an open-channel blocker, GlyH-101, in the pore of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator.

High-throughput screening has led to the identification of small-molecule blockers of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel, but the structural basis of blocker binding remains to be defined. We developed molecular models of the CFTR channel on the basis of homology to the bacterial transporter Sav1866, which could permit blocker binding to be analyzed in silico. The models accurately predicted the existence of a narrow region in the pore that is a likely candidate for the binding site of an open-channel pore blocker such as N-(2-naphthalenyl)-[(3,5-dibromo-2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)methylene]glycine hydrazide (GlyH-101), which is thought to act by entering the channel from the extracellular side.

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator: a molecular model defines the architecture of the anion conduction path and locates a "bottleneck" in the pore.

We developed molecular models for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator chloride channel based on the prokaryotic ABC transporter, Sav1866. Here we analyze predicted pore geometry and side-chain orientations for TM3, TM6, TM9, and TM12, with particular attention being paid to the location of the rate-limiting barrier for anion conduction. Side-chain orientations assayed by cysteine scanning were found to be from 77 to 90% in accord with model predictions.

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator: using differential reactivity toward channel-permeant and channel-impermeant thiol-reactive probes to test a molecular model for the pore.

The sixth transmembrane segment (TM6) of the CFTR chloride channel has been intensively investigated. The effects of amino acid substitutions and chemical modification of engineered cysteines (cysteine scanning) on channel properties strongly suggest that TM6 is a key component of the anion-conducting pore, but previous cysteine-scanning studies of TM6 have produced conflicting results. Our aim was to resolve these conflicts by combining a screening strategy based on multiple, thiol-directed probes with molecular modeling of the pore.