ADP-ribosylation at R125 gates the P2X7 ion channel by presenting a covalent ligand to its nucleotide binding site

High sensitivity of intestinal CD8+ T cells to nucleotides indicates P2X7 as a regulator for intestinal T cell responses

The purinoreceptor P2X7 is expressed on subsets of T cells and mediates responses of these cells to extracellular nucleotides such as ATP or NAD(+). We identified P2X7 as a molecule highly up-regulated on conventional CD8alphabeta(+) and unconventional CD8alphaalpha(+) T cells of the intestinal epithelium of mice. In contrast, CD8(+) T cells derived from spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes, and liver expressed only marginal levels of P2X7. However, P2X7 was highly up-regulated on CD8(+) T cells from spleen and lymph nodes when T cells were activated in the presence of retinoic acid. High P2X7 expression on intestinal CD8(+) T cells as well as on CD8(+) T cells incubated with retinoic acid resulted in enhanced sensitivity of cells to extracellular nucleotides. Both cell populations showed a high level of apoptosis following incubation with NAD(+) and the ATP derivative 2',3'-O-(benzoyl-4-benzoyl)-ATP, and injection of NAD(+) caused selective in vivo depletion of intestinal CD8(+) T cells. Following oral infection with Listeria monocytogenes, P2X7-deficient mice showed similar CD8(+) T cell responses in the spleen, but enhanced responses in the intestinal mucosa, when compared with similarly treated wild-type control mice. Overall, our observations define P2X7 as a new regulatory element in the control of CD8(+) T cell responses in the intestinal mucosa.

Comparative models of P2X2 receptor support inter-subunit ATP-binding sites

ATP-gated P2X receptors (P2XRs) are ligand-gated ion channels (LGICs) presumably trimeric. To date, no experimental high-resolution structures are available. Recent X-ray structure of the acid-sensing ion channel 1 (ASIC1) revealed an unexpected trimeric ion channel. Beside their quaternary structure, P2XR and ASIC1 share common membrane topologies, but no significant sequence similarity. In order to overcome this low sequence resemblance, we have developed comparative models of P2X(2)R based on secondary structure predictions using the crystal structure of ASIC1 as template. These models were constrained to be consistent with known arrangement of disulfide bridges. They agreed with cross-linking experiments and supported inter-subunit ATP-binding sites. One of our models reconciled most existing data and provides new structural insights for a plausible mechanism of gating, thus encouraging new experiments.

Inter-subunit disulfide cross-linking in homomeric and heteromeric P2X receptors

P2X receptors are ATP-gated cation channels and assembled as homotrimers or heterotrimers from seven cloned subunits. Each subunit contains two transmembrane domains connected by a large extracellular loop. We have previously shown that replacement of two conserved residues, K68 and F291, by cysteine residues leads to disulfide cross-linking between neighbouring P2X(1) subunits. Since mutation of these residues results in a reduced ATP potency and cysteine cross-linking is prevented in the presence of ATP, we suggested an inter-subunit ATP binding site. To investigate whether the proximity of these residues is preserved in other P2X subtypes, we tested for spontaneous cystine formation between the corresponding P2X(2 )(K69C, F289C), P2X(3 )(K63C, F280C), and P2X(4 )(K67C, F294C) mutants upon pairwise expression in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Non-reducing SDS-PAGE analysis of the purified receptors revealed a specific dimer formation between P2X(2)K69C and P2X(2)F289C mutants. Likewise, co-expression of P2X(1)K68C and P2X(2)F289C, but not P2X(1)F291C and P2X(2)K69C, mutants resulted in dimer formation between the respective subunits. Cross-linked P2X(1/2) heteromers showed strongly reduced or absent function that was selectively recovered upon treatment with DTT. Cross-linking was less efficient between P2X(3) or P2X(4) mutants but could be enhanced by the short cysteine-reactive cross-linker MTS-2-MTS. These results show that the spatial proximity and/or orientation of residues analogous to positions K68 and F291 in P2X(1) are preserved in P2X(2) receptors and at one of two possible interfaces in heteromeric P2X(1/2) receptors but appears to be redundant for P2X(3) and P2X(4) receptor function.

Orthosteric and allosteric binding sites of P2X receptors

P2X receptors for ATP comprise a distinct family of ligand gated ion channels with a range of properties. They have been shown to be involved in a variety of physiological processes including blood clotting, sensory perception, pain sensation, bone formation as well as inflammation and may provide a number of novel drug targets. In addition to the orthosteric site for ATP binding it has been suggested that there may be additional allosteric sites that regulate agonist action at the receptor. There is currently no crystal structure available for P2X receptors and the lack of sequence similarity to other ATP binding proteins has meant that a mutagenesis-based approach has been used primarily to investigate receptor structure-function. This review aims to provide an overview of recent work that gives an insight into residues involved in ATP action and allosteric regulation.