Abstract
Advances in synthetic chemistry, structural biology, molecular modelling and molecular cloning have enabled the systematic functional manipulation of transmembrane proteins. By combining genetically manipulated proteins with light-sensitive ligands, innately ‘blind’ neurobiological receptors can be converted into photoreceptors, which allows them to be photoregulated with high spatiotemporal precision. Here, we present the optochemical control of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) with photoswitchable tethered agonists and antagonists. Using structure-based design, we produced heteromeric α3β4 and α4β2 nAChRs that can be activated or inhibited with deep-violet light, but respond normally to acetylcholine in the dark. The generation of these engineered receptors should facilitate investigation of the physiological and pathological functions of neuronal nAChRs and open a general pathway to photosensitizing pentameric ligand-gated ion channels.
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Acknowledgements
Support for the work was provided by the Nanomedicine Development Center for the Optical Control of Biological Function PN2EY018241 (D.T., R.H.K.), The European Research Commission Advanced Grant (D.T.) and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft SFB 749 (D.T.).
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M.R.B., A.M., R.H.K. and D.T. designed the research. M.R.B. and J.Z.Y. synthesized the ligands. I.T., A.M. and B.G. performed the research and analysed the data. I.T., M.R.B. and D.T. co-wrote the paper.
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Tochitsky, I., Banghart, M., Mourot, A. et al. Optochemical control of genetically engineered neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Nature Chem 4, 105–111 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.1234
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.1234
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