Mutagenesis and derivatization of human vesicle monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) cysteines identifies transporter domains involved in tetrabenazine binding and substrate transport.

The vesicle monoamine transporter (VMAT2) concentrates monoamine neurotransmitter into synaptic vesicles. Photoaffinity labeling, chimera analysis, and mutagenesis have identified functionally important amino acids and provided some information regarding structure and ligand binding sites. To extend these studies, we engineered functional human VMAT2 constructs with reduced numbers of cysteines. Subsets of cysteines were discovered, which restore function to an inactive cysteine-less human VMAT2. Replacement of three transmembrane (TM) cysteines together (net removal/replacement of three atoms) significantly enhanced monoamine transport. Cysteine modification studies involving single and combination cysteine mutants with methanethiosulfonate ethylamine revealed that [(3)H]dihydrotetrabenazine binding is > 90% inhibited by modification of two sets of cysteines. The primary target (responsible for approximately 80% of inhibition) is Cys(439) in TM 11. The secondary target (responsible for approximately 20% of inhibition) is one or more of the four non-TM cysteines. [(3)H]Dihydrotetrabenazine protects against modification of Cys(439) by a 10,000-fold molar excess of methanethiosulfonate ethylamine, demonstrating that Cys(439) is either at the tetrabenazine binding site, or conformationally linked to tetrabenazine binding. Supporting a direct effect, the position of tetrabenazine-protectable Cys 439 is consistent with previous mutagenesis, chimera, and photoaffinity labeling data, demonstrating involvement of TM 10-12 in a tetrabenazine binding domain.

Tyr199 in transmembrane domain 5 of the beta2-adrenergic receptor interacts directly with the pharmacophore of a unique fluorenone-based antagonist.

Mutagenesis of the beta2-adrenergic receptor (beta2AR) has suggested that amino acids in transmembrane domain 5 (TMD 5) play an important role in the interaction of the receptor with the catechol end of adrenergic agonists. However, little direct biochemical evidence for the interaction of any beta2AR agonist or antagonist with TMD 5 has been reported. To identify receptor amino acids that contribute to the beta2AR antagonist binding site, we identified the precise amino acid photoinsertion site of a novel carazolol-like fluorenone antagonist photoaffinity label, [125I]iodoaminoflisopolol ([125I]IAmF). A unique property of this photolabel is that the photoreactive centre is also the binding pharmacophore, which corresponds to the catechol end of related beta2AR agonists. [125I]IAmF specifically photolabels membrane-bound and purified beta2AR from a baculovirus/Spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm) ('Sf9') expression system. When the photolabelled beta2AR was cleaved by trypsin or Factor Xa, 30 kDa labelled peptides were generated. On the basis of concanavalin A binding and amino acid sequencing, these contain the N-terminus of the beta2AR, including TMDs 1-5. Further cleavage of the 30 kDa peptides with endoproteinase Lys-C generated a 4 kDa labelled peptide with an N-terminal amino acid sequence between TMDs 4 and 5. Radiosequencing of this peptide demonstrated that the precise [125I]IAmF photoinsertion site was Tyr(199) in TMD 5. Since the photoreactive centre and the binding pharmacophore of IAmF are the same, these data demonstrate that Tyr(199) interacts with the planar fluorenone moiety of a carazolol-like beta2AR antagonist, and contributes significant new information regarding the binding site for beta2AR antagonists.

Probing the salmeterol binding site on the beta 2-adrenergic receptor using a novel photoaffinity ligand, [(125)I]iodoazidosalmeterol.

Salmeterol is a long-acting beta2-adrenergic receptor (beta 2AR) agonist used clinically to treat asthma. In addition to binding at the active agonist site, it has been proposed that salmeterol also binds with very high affinity at a second site, termed the "exosite", and that this exosite contributes to the long duration of action of salmeterol. To determine the position of the phenyl ring of the aralkyloxyalkyl side chain of salmeterol in the beta 2AR binding site, we designed and synthesized the agonist photoaffinity label [(125)I]iodoazidosalmeterol ([125I]IAS). In direct adenylyl cyclase activation, in effects on adenylyl cyclase after pretreatment of intact cells, and in guinea pig tracheal relaxation assays, IAS and the parent drug salmeterol behave essentially the same. Significantly, the photoreactive azide of IAS is positioned on the phenyl ring at the end of the molecule which is thought to be involved in exosite binding. Carrier-free radioiodinated [125I]IAS was used to photolabel epitope-tagged human beta 2AR in membranes prepared from stably transfected HEK 293 cells. Labeling with [(125)I]IAS was blocked by 10 microM (-)-alprenolol and inhibited by addition of GTP gamma S, and [125I]IAS migrated at the same position on an SDS-PAGE gel as the beta 2AR labeled by the antagonist photoaffinity label [125I]iodoazidobenzylpindolol ([125I]IABP). The labeled receptor was purified on a nickel affinity column and cleaved with factor Xa protease at a specific sequence in the large loop between transmembrane segments 5 and 6, yielding two peptides. While the control antagonist photoaffinity label [125I]IABP labeled both the large N-terminal fragment [containing transmembranes (TMs) 1-5] and the smaller C-terminal fragment (containing TMs 6 and 7), essentially all of the [125I]IAS labeling was on the smaller C-terminal peptide containing TMs 6 and 7. This direct biochemical evidence demonstrates that when salmeterol binds to the receptor, its hydrophobic aryloxyalkyl tail is positioned near TM 6 and/or TM 7. A model of IAS binding to the beta 2AR is proposed.

High-efficiency expression and characterization of the synaptic-vesicle monoamine transporter from baculovirus-infected insect cells.

The full-length cDNA for the rat synaptic-vesicle monoamine transporter (VMAT2) containing a C-terminal polyhistidine epitope has been engineered into baculovirus DNA for expression in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) insect cells. Using this recombinant baculovirus and cultured Sf9 cells, rVMAT2 has been expressed at levels of 7.8x10(6) transporters per cell, as assessed by [3H]dihydrotetrabenazine binding. A 1l culture of infected cells produced approx. 15 nmol (900 microg) of transporter. rVMAT2 expressed in the Sf9 cells bound [3H]dihydrotetrabenazine with a KD of 31.2 nM and a Bmax of 19.9 pmol/mg. Two polypeptides of 55 and 63 kDa were identified using the photolabel, 7-azido-8-[125I]iodoketanserin ([125I]AZIK). Photoaffinity labelling of rVMAT2 by 1 nM [125I]AZIK was protectable by 10 microM tetrabenazine and 10 microM 7-aminoketanserin. Digitonin-solubilized VMAT2 was purified to greater than 95% homogeneity using immobilized Ni2+-affinity chromatography, followed by lectin (Concanavalin A) chromatography. The purified transporter migrates as a single broad band with a molecular mass of approx. 63kDa, as analyzed by SDS/PAGE. The purified transporter retained the ability to bind ligands ([125I]AZIK and [3H]dihydrotetrabenazine). The purified VMAT2 bound [3H]dihydrotetrabenazine with a KD of 86.2 nM. As is the case with the monoamine transporter from bovine chromaffin granule membranes, purified VMAT2 is covalently modified by dicyclohexylcarbodi-imide (DCCD) and is specifically labelled by [14C]DCCD. This labelling is inhibited by tetrabenazine and ketanserin. These data indicate that VMAT2 can be overexpressed using the baculovirus expression system and purified.