Evaluation of agonist selectivity for the NMDA receptor ion channel in bilayer lipid membranes based on integrated single-channel currents

Formation of Cell Membrane Component Domains in Artificial Lipid Bilayer

The lipid bilayer environment around membrane proteins strongly affects their structure and functions. Here, we aimed to study the fusion of proteoliposomes (PLs) derived from cultured cells with an artificial lipid bilayer membrane and the distribution of the PL components after the fusion. PLs, which were extracted as a crude membrane fraction from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, formed isolated domains in a supported lipid bilayer (SLB), comprising phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and cholesterol (Chol), after the fusion. Observation with a fluorescence microscope and an atomic force microscope showed that the membrane fusion occurred selectively at microdomains in the PC + PE + Chol-SLB, and that almost all the components of the PL were retained in the domain. PLs derived from human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK) cells also formed isolated domains in the PC + PE + Chol-SLB, but their fusion kinetics was different from that of the CHO-PLs. We attempted to explain the mechanism of the PL-SLB fusion and the difference between CHO- and HEK-PLs, based on a kinetic model. The domains that contained the whole cell membrane components provided environments similar to that of natural cell membranes, and were thus effective for studying membrane proteins using artificial lipid bilayer membranes.

Transmembrane Signaling with Lipid-Bilayer Assemblies as a Platform for Channel-Based Biosensing

Artificial and natural lipid membranes that elicit transmembrane signaling is are useful as a platform for channel-based biosensing. In this account we summarize our research on the design of transmembrane signaling associated with lipid bilayer membranes containing nanopore-forming compounds. Channel-forming compounds, such as receptor ion-channels, channel-forming peptides and synthetic channels, are embedded in planar and spherical bilayer lipid membranes to develop highly sensitive and selective biosensing methods for a variety of analytes. The membrane-bound receptor approach is useful for introducing receptor sites on both planar and spherical bilayer lipid membranes. Natural receptors in biomembranes are also used for designing of biosensing methods.

Pore-forming compounds as signal transduction elements for highly sensitive biosensing

Pore-forming compounds are attracting much attention due to the signal transduction ability for the development of highly sensitive biosensing. In this review, we describe an overview of the recent advances made by our group in the design of molecular sensing interfaces of spherical and planar lipid bilayers and natural bilayers. The potential uses of pore-forming compounds, such as gramicidin and MCM-41, in lipid bilayers and natural glutamate receptor channels in biomembrane are presented.

Glutamate Receptor Incorporated in a Mixed Hybrid Bilayer Lipid Membrane Array, as a Sensing Element of a Biosensor Working under Flowing Conditions

The realization of a reliable receptor biosensor requires stable, long-lasting, reconstituted biomembranes able to supply a suitable biomimetic environment where the receptor can properly work after incorporation. To this end, we developed a new method for preparing stable biological membranes that couple the biomimetic properties of BLMs (bilayer lipid membranes) with the high stability of HBMs (hybrid bilayer membranes); this gives rise to an innovative assembly, named MHBLM (mixed hybrid bilayer lipid membrane). The present work deals with the characterization of biosensors achieved by embedding an ionotropic glutamate receptor (GluR) on MHBLM. Thanks to signal (transmembrane current) amplification, which is typical of natural receptors, the biosensor here produced detects glutamate at a level of nmol L(-1). The transmembrane current changes linearly vs glutamate up to 100 nmol L(-1), while the limit of detection is 1 nmol L(-1). In addition, the biosensor response can be modulated both by receptor agonists (glycine) and antagonists (Mg(2+)) as well, and by exploiting the biosensor response, the distribution of different kinds of ionotropic GluR present in the purified sample, and embedded in MHBLM, was also evaluated. Finally, one of the most important aspects of this investigation is represented by the high stability of the biomimetic system, which allows the use of biosensor under flowing conditions, where the solutions flow on both biomembrane faces.

Single-channel recordings of gramicidin at agarose-supported bilayer lipid membranes formed by the tip-dip and painting methods

Agarose-supported BLMs were prepared by the tip-dip and painting methods, and single-channel recordings of gramicidin were examined for the development of an ion-channel sensor. The supported BLMs formed by the tip-dip method had an electric resistance of >1.0 x 10(11) omega and a longer lifetime as compared with unsupported ones, which enabled single-channel recordings of gramicidin. The supported BLMs formed by the painting method also enabled single-channel recordings, but the lifetime was shorter than that of unsupported planar BLMs formed by the monolayer folding method.

A single-channel sensor based on gramicidin controlled by molecular recognition at bilayer lipid membranes containing receptor

A novel ion-channel sensor based on a membrane bound receptor and a single gramicidin channel is described, in which the binding of an analyte to the membrane bound receptor modulates the single-channel activity of gramicidin. The sensor is composed of a planar bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) containing biotin-labeled phosphatidylethanolamine as receptor for avidin and gramicidin as signal transducer. When the receptor catches an analyte (avidin or ferritin-labeled avidin (FA)) at the membrane surface, the bilayer structure is locally distorted and the gramicidin monomer/dimer kinetics is modulated in a manner that the fraction of channel opening with a short lifetime ( < or = 100 ms) to the total opening events increases. The fraction was found to increase with the concentration of avidin from 1.0 x 10(-9) to 1.0 x 10(-6) M and of FA from 1.0 x 10(-9) to 1.0 x 10(-8) M. With dinitrophenyl-labeled PE embedded as receptor in the BLM for monoclonal anti-dinitrophenyl antibody (anti-DNP), the fraction of channel openings ( < or = 100 ms) increased with the concentration of anti-DNP from 2.0 x 10(-9) to 2.0 x 10(-7) g/ml. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) and anti-BSA antibody caused no changes in the channel opening. The possible mechanism of analyte-induced modulation of single-channel activity of gramicidin is also discussed.

Methods of analysis for chemicals that promote/disrupt cellular signaling

Methods of analysis were presented for chemicals that promote or disrupt cellular signaling pathways. The developed analytical methods are based not only on receptor binding, but also on the following known molecular-level processes involved in signal transduction along signaling pathways, reconstituted in vitro or taken in part in living cells. The methods were discussed in relation to receptor binding assay and/or bioassay. Examples include: (1) Insulin signaling pathways; (1-i) Chemical selectivity of agonists for insulin signaling pathways based on agonist-induced phosphorylation of a target peptide; (1-ii) An SPR-based screening method for agonist selectivity for insulin signaling pathways based on the binding of phosphotyrosine to its specific binding protein; (1-iii) A fluorescent indicator for tyrosine phosphorylation-based insulin signaling pathways; (2) An optical method for evaluating ion selectivity for calcium signaling pathways in the cell; (3) Assay and screening of chemicals that disrupt cellular signaling pathways, potential endocrine disruptors in particular; (4) Protein conformational changes, and (5) A screening method for antigen-specific IgE using mast cells, based on intracellular calcium signaling.

A single-channel method for evaluation of very magnitudes of Ca2+ ion fluxes through epsilon4/zeta1 N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor channels in bilayer lipid membranes

A single-channel method for evaluating agonist selectivity in terms of the very number of Ca2+ ions passed through the epsilon4/zeta1 N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor ion channel in bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) is described. The number of Ca2+ passed through the single-channel was obtained from single-channel recordings in a medium where the primary permeant ion is Ca2+. The recombinant epsilon4/zeta1 NMDA channel was partially purified from Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing the channel and incorporated in BLMs formed by the tip-dip method. It was found that the epsilon4/zeta1 channel in BLMs is permeable to Ca2+ and Na+, but the number of Ca2+ passed through the channel is much fewer than that of Na+. The integrated Ca2+ currents induced by three typical agonists NMDA, L-glutamate and L-CCG-IV were obtained at concentration of 50 microM, where the integrated currents for all the agonists reached their saturated values. The integrated Ca2+ currents obtained are (3.1+/-0.21) x 10(-13) C/s for NMDA, (4.6+/-0.31) x 10(-13) C/s for L-glutamate and (5.7+/-0.25) x 10(-13) C/s for L-CCG-IV, respectively, suggesting that the three kinds of agonists have different efficacies to induce permeation of Ca2+. The range of the agonist selectivity thus obtained is much narrower than that of binding affinities for the NMDA receptors from rat brain. The present method is able to detect Ca2+ permeation with a detection limit of approximately 10(5) Ca2+ ions/s.

A glass capillary ultramicroelectrode with an electrokinetic sampling ability

A glass capillary ultramicroelectrode (tip diameter approximately 1.2 microm) having an electrokinetic sampling ability is described. It is composed of a pulled glass capillary filled with an inner solution and three internal electrodes (Pt working and counter electrodes and an Ag/AgCl reference electrode). The voltammetric response of the capillary electrode is based on electrokinetic transport of analyte ions from the sample solution into the inner solution across the conical tip. It was found that the electrophoretic migration of analytes at the conical tip is faster than electroosmotic flow, enabling electrokinetic transport of analyte ions into the inner solution of the electrode. By using [Fe(CN)6]4- and (ferrocenylmethyl)trimethylammonium (FcTMA+) ions as model analytes, differential pulse voltammetric responses of the capillary electrode were investigated in terms of tip diameter of the capillary, sampling voltage, sampling time, detection limit and selectivity. The magnitude of the response depends on the size and charge of analyte ions. With a capillary electrode having a approximately 1.2-microm tip diameter, which minimizes non-selective diffusional entry of analytes, the response after 1 h sampling at +1.7 V is linearly related to [Fe(CN)6]4- concentration in the range of 0.50-5.0 mM with the detection limit of 30 microM. Application of a potential of the same sign as that of the analyte ion forces the analyte to move out from the electrode to the solution, enabling reuse of the same capillary electrode. The charge-selective detection of analytes with the capillary electrode is demonstrated for [Fe(CN)6]4- in the presence of FcTMA+.

Evaluation and comparison of ion permeation and agonist selectivities for N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor channels with different subunit compositions in bilayer lipid membranes based on integrated single-channel currents

To quantify the ion-permeation ability of the recombinant epsilon1-4/zeta1 channel activated by agonists, the magnitude of agonist-induced integrated single-channel currents for the epsilon2-4/zeta1 N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) channels in bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) was evaluated electrochemically based on the single-channel recordings. The recombinant epsilon2-4/zeta1 channels were purified from Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing each channel and incorporated in BLMs formed by the tip-dip method. Three typical agonists, l-glutamate, NMDA, and (2S, 3R, 4S) isomer of 2-(carboxycyclopropyl)glycine (l-CCG-IV), were investigated at a concentration of 50 microM. The magnitude of l-glutamate-induced integrated current was found to depend on the epsilon-subunit composition and to increase in the order of epsilon2/zeta1 > epsilon1/zeta1 approximately epsilon4/zeta1 > epsilon3/zeta1, which differs from that of the reported binding affinities (EC(50)) between l-glutamate and each channel type. On the other hand, the magnitude of the integrated currents induced by NMDA and l-CCG-IV did not vary among the four channel types. The order of agonist selectivity toward the epsilon2-4/zeta1 channels in terms of the magnitude of the integrated current was l-glutamate > l-CCG-IV approximately NMDA for the epsilon2/zeta1 channel, l-CCG-IV > NMDA > l-glutamate for the epsilon3/zeta1 channel, and l-CCG-IV approximately l-glutamate > NMDA for the epsilon4/zeta1 channel, suggesting that the agonist selectivity also depends on the epsilon-subunit composition. The present study shows that each epsilon1-4/zeta1 channel has its own ability of ion permeation, i.e., its own signal transduction ability, which is not parallel to its binding ability.