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Title: Structural basis of subunit selectivity for competitive NMDA receptor antagonists with preference for GluN2A over GluN2B subunits

Journal Article · · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

NMDA-type glutamate receptors are ligand-gated ion channels that contribute to excitatory neurotransmission in the central nervous system (CNS). Most NMDA receptors comprise two glycine-binding GluN1 and two glutamate-binding GluN2 subunits (GluN2A–D). We describe highly potent (S)-5-[(R)-2-amino-2-carboxyethyl]-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylic acid (ACEPC) competitive GluN2 antagonists, of which ST3 has a binding affinity of 52 nM at GluN1/2A and 782 nM at GluN1/2B receptors. This 15-fold preference of ST3 for GluN1/2A over GluN1/2B is improved compared with NVP-AAM077, a widely used GluN2A-selective antagonist, which we show has 11-fold preference for GluN1/2A over GluN1/2B. Crystal structures of the GluN1/2A agonist binding domain (ABD) heterodimer with bound ACEPC antagonists reveal a binding mode in which the ligands occupy a cavity that extends toward the subunit interface between GluN1 and GluN2A ABDs. Mutational analyses show that the GluN2A preference of ST3 is primarily mediated by four nonconserved residues that are not directly contacting the ligand, but positioned within 12 Å of the glutamate binding site. Two of these residues influence the cavity occupied by ST3 in a manner that results in favorable binding to GluN2A, but occludes binding to GluN2B. Thus, we reveal opportunities for the design of subunit-selective competitive NMDA receptor antagonists by identifying a cavity for ligand binding in which variations exist between GluN2A and GluN2B subunits. In conclusion, this structural insight suggests that subunit selectivity of glutamate-site antagonists can be mediated by mechanisms in addition to direct contributions of contact residues to binding affinity.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); National Inst. of Health
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357; P20 GM103546; R01 NS097536
OSTI ID:
1400292
Journal Information:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 114, Issue 33; ISSN 0027-8424
Publisher:
National Academy of SciencesCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 25 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (8)

Recent progress in allosteric modulators for GluN2A subunit and development of GluN2A-selective nuclear imaging probes journal June 2019
Structural basis of subtype-selective competitive antagonism for GluN2C/2D-containing NMDA receptors journal January 2020
Physiological activation of mGlu5 receptors supports the ion channel function of NMDA receptors in hippocampal LTD induction in vivo journal March 2018
Structure, function, and allosteric modulation of NMDA receptors journal July 2018
The Route to ‘Chemobrain’ - Computational probing of neuronal LTP pathway journal July 2019
Coot model-building tools for molecular graphics journal November 2004
Subunit contribution to NMDA receptor hypofunction and redox sensitivity of hippocampal synaptic transmission during aging journal July 2019
Cellular and Molecular Changes in Hippocampal Glutamate Signaling and Alterations in Learning, Attention, and Impulsivity Following Prenatal Nicotine Exposure journal January 2020