Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5800, USA.
Centre for Synaptic Plasticity, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Neuropharmacology. 2017 Oct;125:64-79. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.07.007. Epub 2017 Jul 11.
The theory that N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction is responsible for the symptoms of schizophrenia is well supported by many pharmacological and genetic studies. Accordingly, positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) that augment NMDAR signaling may be useful for treating schizophrenia. Previously we have identified several NMDAR PAMs containing a carboxylic acid attached to naphthalene, phenanthrene, or coumarin ring systems. In this study, we describe several functional and mechanistic properties of UBP684, a 2-naphthoic acid derivative, which robustly potentiates agonist responses at each of the four GluN1a/GluN2 receptors and at neuronal NMDARs. UBP684 increases the maximal l-glutamate/glycine response while having minor subunit-specific effects on agonist potency. PAM binding is independent of agonist binding, and PAM activity is independent of membrane voltage, redox state, and the GluN1 exon 5 N-terminal insert. UBP684 activity is, however, markedly pH-dependent, with greater potentiation occurring at lower pHs and inhibitory activity at pH 8.4. UBP684 increases channel open probability (P) and slows receptor deactivation time upon removal of l-glutamate, but not glycine. The structurally related PAM, UBP753, reproduced most of these findings, but did not prolong agonist removal deactivation time. Studies using cysteine mutants to lock the GluN1 and GluN2 ligand-binding domains (LBDs) in the agonist-bound states indicate that PAM potentiation requires GluN2 LBD conformational flexibility. Together, these findings suggest that UBP684 and UBP753 stabilize the GluN2 LBD in an active conformation and thereby increase P. Thus, UBP684 and UBP753 may serve as lead compounds for developing agents to enhance NMDAR activity in disorders associated with NMDAR hypofunction.
NMDA 受体(NMDAR)功能低下导致精神分裂症症状的理论得到了许多药理学和遗传学研究的支持。因此,增强 NMDAR 信号的正变构调节剂(PAMs)可能对治疗精神分裂症有用。此前,我们已经鉴定出几种含有连接到萘、菲或香豆素环系统的羧酸的 NMDAR PAMs。在这项研究中,我们描述了 2-萘甲酸衍生物 UBP684 的几种功能和机制特性,它可强烈增强每个 GluN1a/GluN2 受体和神经元 NMDAR 对激动剂的反应。UBP684 增加了 l-谷氨酸/甘氨酸的最大反应,同时对激动剂的效力具有较小的亚基特异性影响。PAM 结合与激动剂结合无关,PAM 活性与膜电压、氧化还原状态和 GluN1 外显子 5 N 端插入无关。然而,UBP684 的活性明显依赖于 pH 值,较低的 pH 值下增强作用更大,而在 pH 值为 8.4 时则表现出抑制活性。UBP684 增加通道开放概率(P)并在去除 l-谷氨酸时减缓受体失活时间,但对甘氨酸没有影响。结构相关的 PAM UBP753 再现了这些发现中的大多数,但没有延长激动剂去除失活时间。使用半胱氨酸突变体锁定 GluN1 和 GluN2 配体结合域(LBD)在激动剂结合状态的研究表明,PAM 增强需要 GluN2 LBD 构象灵活性。综上所述,这些发现表明 UBP684 和 UBP753 稳定 GluN2 LBD 处于活性构象,从而增加 P。因此,UBP684 和 UBP753 可能作为开发增强与 NMDAR 功能低下相关的疾病中 NMDAR 活性的药物的先导化合物。