Carbamylcholine and acetylcholine-sensitive, cation-selective ionophore as part of the purified acetylcholine receptor

Water-soluble acetylcholine receptor from Torpedo californica. Solubilization, purification and characterization

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor from electrogenic tissue of Torpedo californica was solubilized by tryptic digestion of membrane fragments obtained from autolysed tissue, without use of detergent. The water-soluble acetylcholine receptor was purified by affinity chromatography on a cobra-toxin-Sepharose resin. The purified receptor bound 4000-6000 pmol per mg protein of alpha-[125I]bungarotoxin, and toxin-binding was specifically inhibited by cholinergic ligands. Gel filtration revealed a single molecular species of Stokes radius 125 +/- 10 A and on sucrose gradient centrifugation one major peak was observed of 20-22 S. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate and beta-mercaptoethanol revealed two major polypeptides of mol. wt. 30 000 and 48 000.

The lipid environment of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in native and reconstituted membranes

Detailed knowledge of the membrane framework surrounding the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) is key to an understanding of its structure, dynamics, and function. Recent theoretical models discuss the structural relationship between the AChR and the lipid bilayer. Independent experimental data on the composition, metabolism, and dynamics of the AChR lipid environment are analyzed in the first part of the review. The composition of the lipids in which the transmembrane AChR chains are inserted bears considerable resemblance among species, perhaps providing this evolutionarily conserved protein with an adequate milieu for its optimal functioning. The effects of lipids on the latter are discussed in the second part of the review. The third part focuses on the information gained on the dynamics of AChR and lipids in the membrane, a section that also covers the physical properties and interactions between the protein, its immediate annulus, and the bulk lipid bilayer.

Characterization of acetylcholine receptor isolated from Torpedo californica electroplax through the use of an easily removable detergent, beta-D-octylglucopyranoside

Non-ionic detergents used for the solubilization and purification of acetylcholine receptor from Torpedo californica electroplax may remain tightly bound to this protein. The presence of detergent greatly hinders spectrophotometric and hydrodynamic studies of the receptor protein. beta-D-Octylglucopyranoside, however, is found to be effective in solubilizing the receptor from electroplax membranes with minimal interference in the characterization of the protein. The acetylcholine receptor purified from either octylglucopyranoside- or Triton X-100-solubilized extracts exhibits identical amino acid compositions, alpha-Bungarotoxin and (+)-tubocurarine binding parameters, and subunit distributions in SDS-polyacrylamide gels. The use of octylglucopyranoside allows for the assignment of a molar absorptivity for the purified receptor at 280 nm of approx. 530000 M-1 . cm-1. Additionally, successful reconstitution of octylglucopyranoside-extracted acetylcholine receptor into functional membrane vesicles has recently been achieved (Gonzales-Ros, J.M., Paraschos, A. and Martinez-Carrion, M. (1980) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77, 1796--1799). Removal of octylglucopyranoside by dialysis does not alter the specific toxin and antagonist binding ability of the receptor or its solubility at low protein concentrations. Sedimentation profiles of the purified acetylcholine receptor in sucrose density gradients reveal several components. Sedimentation coefficients obtained for the slowest sedimenting species agree with previously reported molecular weight values. Additionally, the different sedimenting forms exhibit distinctive behavior in isoelectric focusing gels. Our results suggest that both the concentration and type of detergent greatly influence the physicochemical behavior of the receptor protein.

Protease effects on the structure of acetylcholine receptor membranes from Torpedo californica

Protease digestion of acetylcholine receptor-rich membranes derived from Torpedo californica electroplaques by homogenization and isopycnic centrifugation results in degradation of all receptor subunits without any significant effect on the appearance in electron micrographs, the toxin binding ability, or the sedimentation value of the receptor molecule. Such treatment does produce dramatic changes in the morphology of the normally 0.5- to 2-microns-diameter spherical vesicles when observed by either negative-stain or freeze-fracture electron microscopy. Removal of peripheral, apparently nonreceptor polypeptides by alkali stripping (Neubig et al. 1979, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 76:690-694) results in increased sensitivity of the acetylcholine receptor membranes to the protease trypsin as indicated by SDS gel electrophoretic patterns and by the extent of morphologic change observed in vesicle structure. Trypsin digestion of alkali-stripped receptor membranes results in a limit degradation pattern of all four receptor subunits, whereupon all the vesicles undergo the morphological transformation to minivesicles. The protein-induced morphological transformation and the limit digestion pattern of receptor membranes are unaffected by whether the membranes are prepared so as to preserve the receptor as a disulfide bridged dimer, or prepared so as to generate monomeric receptor.

Membranes rich in acetylcholine receptor: characterization and reconstitution to excitable membranes from exogenous lipids

Characterization of acetylcholine-receptor-enriched membranes from Torpedo californica electric tissue by negative-staining electron-microscopy and by lipid analysis is described. The protein/lipid ratio is 70%/30%. The lipids consist of 70% phospholipids (46% phosphatidylcholine, 31% phosphatidylethanolamine, 14% phosphatidylserine, 7% sphingomyelin, 2% phosphatidylinositol of the phospholipids determined) and 20% cholesterol. The acetylcholinesterase-enriched membranes show a similar composition. The only differences are a lower protein/lipid ratio (45%/55%) and a lower phosphatidylcholine/sphingomyelin ratio of 39%/14% as compared to 46%/7% for the receptor-enriched membranes. A method of preparing single-walled phosphatidylcholine vesicles by gel filtration on Sephadex G50 according to Brunner et al. (Biochem. Biophys. Acta, 455, 322--331, 1976) is used to recombine the lipid-depleted receptor complex with artificial lipid vesicles. Starting from a lipid mixture of 46% phosphatidylcholine, 31% phosphatidylethanolamine, 14% phosphatidylserine, 7% sphingomyelin, 2% phosphatidylinositol and 15% cholesterol we obtained vesicles associated with the acetylcholine receptor complex. These receptor vesicles are chemically excitable by 10 micrometer carbamoylcholine as measured by efflux of 22Na+ from the vesicles. The excitability is blocked by preincubation with 0.5 mM alpha-toxin from Naja naja siamensis venom and by reduction with 5 mM dithioerythritol.

Recovery of some functional properties of the detergent-extracted cholinergic receptor protein from Torpedo marmorata after reintegration into a membrane environment

The change of affinity of the acetylcholine receptor for agonists and the influence of local anaesthetics has been studied in detail in receptor-rich membranes. These properties are changed after solubilisation by ionic detergents. A method for reproducibly reintegrating the receptor protein into a lipid environment is described. Reintegration of the receptor results in partial recovery of the binding and fluorescence properties of the membrane-bound receptor protein. In particular, the slow affinity change caused by agonists can be recovered but not the effect of local anaesthetics on this change. The fluorescence response to cholinergic ligands of the reintegrated receptor protein labelled with quinacrine does not appear identical to that found with the native receptor-rich membranes. It is suggested that the failure to recover the sensitivity to local anaesthetics is at the origin of the difficulties to regain functional reconstitution.

The acetylcholine receptor as part of a protein complex in receptor-enriched membrane fragments from Torpedo californica electric tissue

The acetylcholine receptor from Torpedo californica electric tissue consisting of polypeptide chains of molecular weight 42000 (+/- 2000) is part of a protein complex. Cross-linking experiments with bifunctional reagents have shown that this complex has possibly a pentameric structure with a molecular weight of 270000 (+/- 30000). Besides the receptor subunit (alpha-chain), at least three further classes of polypeptide chains are part of the complex: beta (Mr 48000), gamma (Mr 62000) and delta (Mr 68000). This can be shown by cross-linking the proteins extracted from receptor-enriched membrane fractions with a cleavable reagent: From the 270000 molecular weight particle the four predominant polypeptide chains of the membrane, alpha, beta, gamma, and delta, can be obtained. The gamma-polypeptide chains appear to form a dimer connected by an inter-chain disulphide bridge.

Interactions of acetylcholine receptor and acetylcholinesterase with lipid monolayers

The interaction of acetylcholine receptor and acetylcholinesterase with lipid monolayers was followed by measuring changes in surface pressure. When injected into the subphase of a lipid monolayer, the proteins caused increases in surface pressure from 5 to 10 dynes/cm, indicating a penetration of protein into the monolayer. At pH values below the isoelectric point of the proteins the incorporation was improved. The same was observed when Ca2+ (2mM) was added. The presence of the enzyme in the mixed film could be demonstrated by using diiso [3H] propyl fluorophosphate-labelled acetylcholinesterase as well as by measuring enzyme activity. Acetylcholine receptor was shown to be present in the mixed film by using a complex made of the receptor and alpha-[3H]neurotoxin.

Interactions of acetylcholine receptors with organic mercury compounds

Micromolar concentrations of methylmercury and several organic mercury fungicides were found to block binding of [3H]acetylcholine (ACh) to the ACh-receptor of the electric organ of the electric ray, Torpedo ocellata. The same compounds had little or no effect on the catalytic activity of ACh-esterase of the same tissue. [14C]Methyl-mercury bound to the purified ACh-receptor with high affinity (Kd=7micrometer) and there were 6.5 +/- 0.5 binding sites for each ACh-binding site. Binding of methylmercury was highly cooperative with a Hill coefficient of 2.6. This binding was irreversible by redialysis in methylmercury - free medium, however, the bound [14C]methylmercury was easily displaced from the receptor protein with micrometer concentrations of BAL or penicillamine. Methylmercury also blocked binding of [3H] nicotine and [3H]pilocarpine to the nicotinic and muscarinic ACh-receptors of the rat brain, respectively. The data suggest that the ACh-receptor may be a target for methylmercury and other organic mercury compounds.

Ca++-induced fusion of fragmented sarcoplasmic reticulum with artificial planar bilayers

Addition of fragmented sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles to the aqueous phase of a black lipid membrane (BLM) causes a large increase in BLM conductance within 10 min. The conductance increase is absolutely dependent on three conditions: The presence of at least 0.5 mM Ca++, an acidic phospholipid such as phosphatidylserine or diphosphatidylglycerol in the BLM phospholipid mixture, and an osmotic gradient across the SR vesicle membrane, with the internal osmolarity greater than the external. These requirements are identical to conditions under which the fusion of phospholipid vesicles occurs. When the early part of the time course of conductance rise is examined at high sensitivity, the conductance is seen to increase in discrete steps. The probability of a step increases with the concentration of Ca++ in the medium, with the fraction of acidic phospholipid in the BLM, and with the size of the osmotic gradient across the SR vesicle membrane. On the other hand, the average conductance change per step is independent of the above parameters, but varies with the type and concentration of ions present in the aqueous phase. For a given ion, the mean specific conductance per step is independent of the ion's concentration between 10 and 100 mM. The probability distribution of the step-conductances agrees well with the distribution of SR vesicle surface areas, both before and after sonication of the vesicles. The evidence indicates that SR vesicles fuse with the BLM, thereby inserting SR membrane conductance pathways into it. Each discrete conductance jump appears to be the result of the fusion of a single SR vesicle with the BLM. This technique may serve as a general method for inserting membrane vesicles into an electrically accessible system.