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Principles of cell signaling - UT Southwestern

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39057_ch14_<strong>cell</strong>bio.qxd 8/28/06 5:11 PM Page 613<br />

and by lining the walls <strong>of</strong> the pore with appropriate<br />

hydrophilic residues. Receptor ion channels<br />

can, thus, provide a diffusion path for only<br />

cations or anions, or select among different ions.<br />

Ligand-gated ion channels provide the<br />

fastest signal transduction mechanism found in<br />

biology. Upon binding an agonist ligand, channels<br />

open within microseconds. At synapses,<br />

where neurotransmitters need to diffuse less<br />

than 0.1 micron, a signal in the postsynaptic<br />

<strong>cell</strong> can be generated in 100 microseconds. In<br />

contrast, receptor-stimulated G proteins require<br />

about 100 milliseconds to exchange GDP for<br />

GTP, and the action <strong>of</strong> receptor protein kinases<br />

is even slower. Ligand-gated ion channels are<br />

important receptors in many <strong>cell</strong>s in addition<br />

to neurons and muscle, and other ion channels<br />

play equally vital roles in <strong>signaling</strong> pathways<br />

triggered by other classes <strong>of</strong> ligands.<br />

Ion channel <strong>signaling</strong> differs from that <strong>of</strong><br />

the other receptors mentioned in this chapter<br />

in that there is no immediate protein target nor,<br />

in most cases, is there a specific second messenger<br />

involved. In most cases, channel-mediated<br />

ion flow acts to increase or decrease the <strong>cell</strong>’s<br />

membrane potential and, thus, modulates all<br />

transport processes for metabolites or ions that<br />

are electrically driven.<br />

Animal <strong>cell</strong>s maintain an inside-negative<br />

membrane potential by pumping out Na + ions<br />

and pumping in K + ions (for more on membrane<br />

potential see 2.4 Electrochemical gradients<br />

across the <strong>cell</strong> membrane generate the membrane potential).<br />

The opening <strong>of</strong> a channel selective for<br />

Na+ will thus depolarize <strong>cell</strong>s, and the opening<br />

<strong>of</strong> a channel for K + will hyperpolarize <strong>cell</strong>s.<br />

Similarly, because Cl - is primarily extra<strong>cell</strong>ular,<br />

opening Cl - channels will also cause hyperpolarization.<br />

These electrical effects convey information<br />

to effector proteins that are energetically<br />

coupled to the membrane potential, or to specific<br />

ion gradients, or that bind a specific ion<br />

(such as Ca2+) whose concentration changes<br />

upon channel opening.<br />

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor is the prototypical<br />

receptor ion channel and was the first<br />

receptor that was shown to be a channel. It is a relatively<br />

unselective cation channel that causes depolarization<br />

<strong>of</strong> the target <strong>cell</strong> by allowing Na+<br />

influx. It is best known as the excitatory receptor<br />

at the neuromuscular synapse, where it triggers<br />

contraction, but alternative is<strong>of</strong>orms are also active<br />

in neurons and many other <strong>cell</strong>s. In muscles,<br />

nicotinic depolarization acts via a voltage-sensitive<br />

Ca2+ channel to allow Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic<br />

reticulum into the cytosol. Calcium acts<br />

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor structure<br />

CLOSED<br />

CYTOSOL<br />

Pore<br />

OPEN<br />

Pore<br />

FIGURE 14.19 The nicotinic cholinergic receptor is a cation-selective channel<br />

that is composed <strong>of</strong> five homologous but usually nonidentical subunits that<br />

oligomerize to form a primarily -helical membrane-spanning core. The channel<br />

itself is created within this core, and its opening and closing are executed<br />

by cooperative changes in subunit arrangement. Structure generated from<br />

Protein Data Bank file 2BG9.<br />

as a second (or third) messenger to initiate contraction<br />

(see 2.13 Cardiac and skeletal muscles are activated<br />

by excitation-contraction coupling). Nicotinic<br />

receptors promote exocytosis in some secretory<br />

<strong>cell</strong>s by a similar mechanism, where Ca2+ triggers<br />

the exocytic event. In neurons, where nicotinic<br />

stimulation causes an action potential (depolarization<br />

that is rapidly propagated along the neuron),<br />

the initial depolarization is sensed by<br />

voltage-sensitive Na+ channels. Their opening<br />

(along with the action <strong>of</strong> other channels) propagates<br />

the action potential along the neuron.<br />

The nervous system is rich in receptor cation<br />

channels that respond to other neurotransmitters,<br />

the most common <strong>of</strong> which is the amino<br />

acid glutamate (Glu). The three different families<br />

<strong>of</strong> glutamate receptors share the property<br />

<strong>of</strong> cation conductance, but each family has its<br />

own spectrum <strong>of</strong> drug responses. All operate as<br />

neuronal activators, with one interesting twist:<br />

The NMDA family <strong>of</strong> receptors, named for their<br />

response to a selective drug, is permeant to Ca2+<br />

in addition to Na+. A significant component <strong>of</strong><br />

its activity is to permit the inward flow <strong>of</strong> Ca2+,<br />

which acts as a second messenger on a wide variety<br />

<strong>of</strong> targets. Persistant stimulation <strong>of</strong> NMDA<br />

channels by glutamate released during injury,<br />

or by drugs, can cause toxic amounts <strong>of</strong> Ca2+ to<br />

enter, resulting in neuronal death.<br />

A second functional group <strong>of</strong> receptor channels<br />

is selective for anions and, by allowing inward<br />

flux <strong>of</strong> Cl - , hyperpolarizes the target <strong>cell</strong>.<br />

Anion-selective receptors include those for γ-<br />

aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine (Gly). In<br />

neurons, hyperpolarization can inhibit the initiation<br />

<strong>of</strong> an action potential and/or neurotransmitter<br />

release.<br />

14.18 Signaling through ion channel receptors is very fast 613

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