1
|
Ye J, Chen H, Wang K, Wang Y, Ammerman A, Awasthi S, Xu J, Liu B, Li W. Structural insights into vesicular monoamine storage and drug interactions. Nature 2024; 629:235-243. [PMID: 38499039 PMCID: PMC11070986 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07290-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Biogenic monoamines-vital transmitters orchestrating neurological, endocrinal and immunological functions1-5-are stored in secretory vesicles by vesicular monoamine transporters (VMATs) for controlled quantal release6,7. Harnessing proton antiport, VMATs enrich monoamines around 10,000-fold and sequester neurotoxicants to protect neurons8-10. VMATs are targeted by an arsenal of therapeutic drugs and imaging agents to treat and monitor neurodegenerative disorders, hypertension and drug addiction1,8,11-16. However, the structural mechanisms underlying these actions remain unclear. Here we report eight cryo-electron microscopy structures of human VMAT1 in unbound form and in complex with four monoamines (dopamine, noradrenaline, serotonin and histamine), the Parkinsonism-inducing MPP+, the psychostimulant amphetamine and the antihypertensive drug reserpine. Reserpine binding captures a cytoplasmic-open conformation, whereas the other structures show a lumenal-open conformation stabilized by extensive gating interactions. The favoured transition to this lumenal-open state contributes to monoamine accumulation, while protonation facilitates the cytoplasmic-open transition and concurrently prevents monoamine binding to avoid unintended depletion. Monoamines and neurotoxicants share a binding pocket that possesses polar sites for specificity and a wrist-and-fist shape for versatility. Variations in this pocket explain substrate preferences across the SLC18 family. Overall, these structural insights and supporting functional studies elucidate the mechanism of vesicular monoamine transport and provide the basis to develop therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases and substance abuse.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jin Ye
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Huaping Chen
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kaituo Wang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Yi Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Aaron Ammerman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Samjhana Awasthi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jinbin Xu
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Bin Liu
- The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN, USA.
| | - Weikai Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wu D, Chen Q, Yu Z, Huang B, Zhao J, Wang Y, Su J, Zhou F, Yan R, Li N, Zhao Y, Jiang D. Transport and inhibition mechanisms of human VMAT2. Nature 2024; 626:427-434. [PMID: 38081299 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06926-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) accumulates monoamines in presynaptic vesicles for storage and exocytotic release, and has a vital role in monoaminergic neurotransmission1-3. Dysfunction of monoaminergic systems causes many neurological and psychiatric disorders, including Parkinson's disease, hyperkinetic movement disorders and depression4-6. Suppressing VMAT2 with reserpine and tetrabenazine alleviates symptoms of hypertension and Huntington's disease7,8, respectively. Here we describe cryo-electron microscopy structures of human VMAT2 complexed with serotonin and three clinical drugs at 3.5-2.8 Å, demonstrating the structural basis for transport and inhibition. Reserpine and ketanserin occupy the substrate-binding pocket and lock VMAT2 in cytoplasm-facing and lumen-facing states, respectively, whereas tetrabenazine binds in a VMAT2-specific pocket and traps VMAT2 in an occluded state. The structures in three distinct states also reveal the structural basis of the VMAT2 transport cycle. Our study establishes a structural foundation for the mechanistic understanding of substrate recognition, transport, drug inhibition and pharmacology of VMAT2 while shedding light on the rational design of potential therapeutic agents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Di Wu
- Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qihao Chen
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhuoya Yu
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bo Huang
- Beijing StoneWise Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Jun Zhao
- Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Agricultural Sciences at Weifang, Weifang, China
| | - Yuhang Wang
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jiawei Su
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Feng Zhou
- Beijing StoneWise Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Rui Yan
- Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Na Li
- Heart Center and Beijing Key Laboratory of Hypertension, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Zhao
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Daohua Jiang
- Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Pidathala S, Liao S, Dai Y, Li X, Long C, Chang CL, Zhang Z, Lee CH. Mechanisms of neurotransmitter transport and drug inhibition in human VMAT2. Nature 2023; 623:1086-1092. [PMID: 37914936 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06727-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Monoamine neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin control important brain pathways, including movement, sleep, reward and mood1. Dysfunction of monoaminergic circuits has been implicated in various neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders2. Vesicular monoamine transporters (VMATs) pack monoamines into vesicles for synaptic release and are essential to neurotransmission3-5. VMATs are also therapeutic drug targets for a number of different conditions6-9. Despite the importance of these transporters, the mechanisms of substrate transport and drug inhibition of VMATs have remained elusive. Here we report cryo-electron microscopy structures of the human vesicular monoamine transporter VMAT2 in complex with the antichorea drug tetrabenazine, the antihypertensive drug reserpine or the substrate serotonin. Remarkably, the two drugs use completely distinct inhibition mechanisms. Tetrabenazine binds VMAT2 in a lumen-facing conformation, locking the luminal gating lid in an occluded state to arrest the transport cycle. By contrast, reserpine binds in a cytoplasm-facing conformation, expanding the vestibule and blocking substrate access. Structural analyses of VMAT2 also reveal the conformational changes following transporter isomerization that drive substrate transport into the vesicle. These findings provide a structural framework for understanding the physiology and pharmacology of neurotransmitter packaging by synaptic vesicular transporters.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shabareesh Pidathala
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Shuyun Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yaxin Dai
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Xiao Li
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Changkun Long
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Chi-Lun Chang
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Zhe Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
| | - Chia-Hsueh Lee
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Drew D, North RA, Nagarathinam K, Tanabe M. Structures and General Transport Mechanisms by the Major Facilitator Superfamily (MFS). Chem Rev 2021; 121:5289-5335. [PMID: 33886296 PMCID: PMC8154325 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c00983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 49.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The major facilitator superfamily (MFS) is the largest known superfamily of secondary active transporters. MFS transporters are responsible for transporting a broad spectrum of substrates, either down their concentration gradient or uphill using the energy stored in the electrochemical gradients. Over the last 10 years, more than a hundred different MFS transporter structures covering close to 40 members have provided an atomic framework for piecing together the molecular basis of their transport cycles. Here, we summarize the remarkable promiscuity of MFS members in terms of substrate recognition and proton coupling as well as the intricate gating mechanisms undergone in achieving substrate translocation. We outline studies that show how residues far from the substrate binding site can be just as important for fine-tuning substrate recognition and specificity as those residues directly coordinating the substrate, and how a number of MFS transporters have evolved to form unique complexes with chaperone and signaling functions. Through a deeper mechanistic description of glucose (GLUT) transporters and multidrug resistance (MDR) antiporters, we outline novel refinements to the rocker-switch alternating-access model, such as a latch mechanism for proton-coupled monosaccharide transport. We emphasize that a full understanding of transport requires an elucidation of MFS transporter dynamics, energy landscapes, and the determination of how rate transitions are modulated by lipids.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Drew
- Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm
University, SE 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Rachel A. North
- Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm
University, SE 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kumar Nagarathinam
- Center
of Structural and Cell Biology in Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Lübeck, D-23538, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Mikio Tanabe
- Structural
Biology Research Center, Institute of Materials Structure Science, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Oho 1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Pietrancosta N, Djibo M, Daumas S, El Mestikawy S, Erickson JD. Molecular, Structural, Functional, and Pharmacological Sites for Vesicular Glutamate Transporter Regulation. Mol Neurobiol 2020; 57:3118-3142. [PMID: 32474835 PMCID: PMC7261050 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-020-01912-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUTs) control quantal size of glutamatergic transmission and have been the center of numerous studies over the past two decades. VGLUTs contain two independent transport modes that facilitate glutamate packaging into synaptic vesicles and phosphate (Pi) ion transport into the synaptic terminal. While a transmembrane proton electrical gradient established by a vacuolar-type ATPase powers vesicular glutamate transport, recent studies indicate that binding sites and flux properties for chloride, potassium, and protons within VGLUTs themselves regulate VGLUT activity as well. These intrinsic ionic binding and flux properties of VGLUTs can therefore be modulated by neurophysiological conditions to affect levels of glutamate available for release from synapses. Despite their extraordinary importance, specific and high-affinity pharmacological compounds that interact with these sites and regulate VGLUT function, distinguish between the various modes of transport, and the different isoforms themselves, are lacking. In this review, we provide an overview of the physiologic sites for VGLUT regulation that could modulate glutamate release in an over-active synapse or in a disease state.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Pietrancosta
- Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS) INSERM, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France. .,Laboratoire des Biomolécules, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, ENS, LBM, 75005, Paris, France.
| | - Mahamadou Djibo
- Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris Descartes, LCBPT, UMR 8601, 75006, Paris, France
| | - Stephanie Daumas
- Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS) INSERM, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Salah El Mestikawy
- Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS) INSERM, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France. .,Douglas Hospital Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, 6875 boulevard Lasalle, Verdun, Montreal, QC, Canada.
| | - Jeffrey D Erickson
- Neuroscience Center, Louisiana State University, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA. .,Department of Pharmacology, Louisiana State University, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Majumder P, Khare S, Athreya A, Hussain N, Gulati A, Penmatsa A. Dissection of Protonation Sites for Antibacterial Recognition and Transport in QacA, a Multi-Drug Efflux Transporter. J Mol Biol 2019; 431:2163-2179. [PMID: 30910733 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2019.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Revised: 03/14/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
QacA is a drug:H+ antiporter with 14 transmembrane helices that confers antibacterial resistance to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains, with homologs in other pathogenic organisms. It is a highly promiscuous antiporter, capable of H+-driven efflux of a wide array of cationic antibacterial compounds and dyes. Our study, using a homology model of QacA, reveals a group of six protonatable residues in its vestibule. Systematic mutagenesis resulted in the identification of D34 (TM1), and a cluster of acidic residues in TM13 including E407 and D411 and D323 in TM10, as being crucial for substrate recognition and transport of monovalent and divalent cationic antibacterial compounds. The transport and binding properties of QacA and its mutants were explored using whole cells, inside-out vesicles, substrate-induced H+ release and microscale thermophoresis-based assays. The activity of purified QacA was also observed using proteoliposome-based substrate-induced H+ transport assay. Our results identify two sites, D34 and D411 as vital players in substrate recognition, while E407 facilitates substrate efflux as a protonation site. We also observe that E407 plays an additional role as a substrate recognition site for the transport of dequalinium, a divalent quaternary ammonium compound. These observations rationalize the promiscuity of QacA for diverse substrates. The study unravels the role of acidic residues in QacA with implications for substrate recognition, promiscuity and processive transport in multidrug efflux transporters, related to QacA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Puja Majumder
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Shashank Khare
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Arunabh Athreya
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Nazia Hussain
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Ashutosh Gulati
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Aravind Penmatsa
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Yaffe D, Forrest LR, Schuldiner S. The ins and outs of vesicular monoamine transporters. J Gen Physiol 2018; 150:671-682. [PMID: 29666153 PMCID: PMC5940252 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201711980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Yaffe et al. review structure-guided studies that have provided insight into the mechanism of proton-monoamine antiport by VMATs. The H+-coupled vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT) is a transporter essential for life. VMAT mediates packaging of the monoamines serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and histamine from the neuronal cytoplasm into presynaptic vesicles, which is a key step in the regulated release of neurotransmitters. However, a detailed understanding of the mechanism of VMAT function has been limited by the lack of availability of high-resolution structural data. In recent years, a series of studies guided by homology models has revealed significant insights into VMAT function, identifying residues that contribute to the binding site and to specific steps in the transport cycle. Moreover, to characterize the conformational transitions that occur upon binding of the substrate and coupling ion, we have taken advantage of the unique and powerful pharmacology of VMAT as well as of mutants that affect the conformational equilibrium of the protein and shift it toward defined conformations. This has allowed us to identify an important role for the proton gradient in driving a shift from lumen-facing to cytoplasm-facing conformations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dana Yaffe
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Lucy R Forrest
- Computational Structural Biology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Shimon Schuldiner
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Emulating proton-induced conformational changes in the vesicular monoamine transporter VMAT2 by mutagenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:E7390-E7398. [PMID: 27821772 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1605162113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurotransporters located in synaptic vesicles are essential for communication between nerve cells in a process mediated by neurotransmitters. Vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT), a member of the largest superfamily of transporters, mediates transport of monoamines to synaptic vesicles and storage organelles in a process that involves exchange of two H+ per substrate. VMAT transport is inhibited by the competitive inhibitor reserpine, a second-line agent to treat hypertension, and by the noncompetitive inhibitor tetrabenazine, presently in use for symptomatic treatment of hyperkinetic disorders. During the transport cycle, VMAT is expected to occupy at least three different conformations: cytoplasm-facing, occluded, and lumen-facing. The lumen- to cytoplasm-facing transition, facilitated by protonation of at least one of the essential membrane-embedded carboxyls, generates a binding site for reserpine. Here we have identified residues in the cytoplasmic gate and show that mutations that disrupt the interactions in this gate also shift the equilibrium toward the cytoplasm-facing conformation, emulating the effect of protonation. These experiments provide significant insight into the role of proton translocation in the conformational dynamics of a mammalian H+-coupled antiporter, and also identify key aspects of the mode of action and binding of two potent inhibitors of VMAT2: reserpine binds the cytoplasm-facing conformation, and tetrabenazine binds the lumen-facing conformation.
Collapse
|