Previous studies on the rat P2X2 receptor demonstrated that structural modifications to amino acid side chains within the second transmembrane domain lead to receptor activation in the absence of exogenously applied ATP (Rassendren et al, 1997. Cao et al, 2007. Cao et al, 2009). Present work has been aimed towards the characterization of these apparently ATP-independent currents, to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon using a combination of computer modeling, amino acid substitution, heterologous expression in HEK293 cells, the real time modification of engineered cysteines by MTS compounds and electrophysiological techniques. A screen of cysteine substituted receptors at TM2 positions (from G323 to T354) with the membrane permeable MTS compound, MTSP, found that the compound evoked substantial currents from cells expressing P2X2[I328C] receptors, but not from cells expressing other TM2 cysteine substituted, nor wild type receptors. MTSP-evoked currents had similar properties to ATP currents in terms of rectification, NMDG+ permeability and unitary currents. Further investigation indicated that hydrophobic, unbranched modifications to the side chain at position 328 were the most effective. Overall, the results from this work demonstrate that increasing the length and hydrophobicity of an unbranched side-chain at position 328 leads to full receptor activation without the requirement for ATP. These results suggest that the highly conserved native Ile at position 328 stabilizes the closed of the receptor due to its branched nature.

4 Abstract Purinergic P2X receptors are membrane ion channels activated by extracellular ATP. There are seven isoforms of mammalian P2X receptors designated as P2X1-7, which according to their structure represent a specific family of ligand gated ionic channels, with extraordinary structural/functional properties. The P2X receptor consists of three subunits and each subunit has two transmembrane domains. Crystalographic data demonstrate that ionic channel pore is situated between the second transmembrane domains. Crystal structure of P2X4 receptor from the zebrafish (Danio rerio) is available in both open and closed state of the channel and the exact structure of ATP binding site is solved. The aim of this thesis was to study the structure-function relationships in a model of recombinant P2X4 receptor of the rat. By employing the point mutagenesis and electrophysiological recording, the functional importance of conserved cysteine residues in the ectodomain and amino acid residues which form the extracellular vestibule was investigated. All ten cysteins were substituted one by one with alanine or threonine and ATP-induced currents were measured from HEK293T cells expressing wild type (WT) and mutated P2X4 receptors. The results indicate that C116A, C126A, C149A and C165A mutations disrupt two disulfide bonds...

O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar se a variação genética no gene do receptor P2X7 está associada com a diminuição da densidade mineral óssea e o risco de osteoporose em pacientes acima de 50 anos de idade com fratura de tornozelo. Foi realizado um estudo diagnóstico Nível I. Os pacientes acima de 50 anos com fratura de tornozelo submetidos ao tratamento cirúrgico foram divididos em dois grupos após o resultado da densitometria óssea: o grupo de estudo com osteopenia (T score entre -1 e -2,5) ou osteoporose (T score <= -2,5) e o grupo controle com valores de normalidade (com T score >= -1). Os critérios de exclusão foram alterações que levam à osteoporose secundária. Os pacientes foram genotipados para 15 polimorfismos de nucleotídeo único (SNPs) não sinônimos dentro do receptor P2X7 (numerados de 1 à 15) obtidos a partir da saliva. Avaliamos 121 pacientes com fratura de tornozelo, sendo 56 do grupo controle e 65 do grupo de estudo. Todos os pacientes eram sedentários, não utilizavam nenhum medicamento para tratamento de osteoporose, não eram tabagistas e sofreram trauma de baixa energia. A análise agrupada das alterações dos SNPs demonstrou que se o gene tem 3 ou mais variantes de SNPs (36,4% dos 121 pacientes), dos 15 possíveis, ele está alterado com repercussão clínica relacionada à perda ou ganho de função do gene. E ao analisar as alterações dos SNPs, individualmente, os resultados sugerem que: os SNPs 1,4,14 e 15 são variantes de perda de função; SNPs 5 e 10 são descritos como variantes de perda de função; entretanto, não têm influência na nossa população; SNPs 11 e 13 são variantes de perda de função e não ganho de função, como descrito na literatura; e SNP 12 foi associado à perda de função em nossa população. Podemos ressaltar como limitações do nosso estudo o fato de nos concentramos principalmente em polimorfismos não sinônimos que não cobrem toda a variação genética em P2X7 e no número pequeno de participantes quando comparados com a literatura mundial. Em contrapartida, um dos pontos fortes do nosso estudo é ser o primeiro a avaliar o P2X7 na população brasileira, que é bastante heterogênea do ponto de vista genético devido à nossa miscigenação, quando comparado com os outros estudos que avaliaram a população do norte da Europa, que é mais homogênea geneticamente. Em conclusão, o polimorfismo do SNP 12 em P2X7 está associado à densidade mineral óssea e risco de fraturas de tornozelo / The purpose of this study was to determine whether a genetic variation in the P2X7 receptor gene is associated with reduced bone mineral density and the risk of osteoporosis in patients over 50 years of age with ankle fractures. A Level-1 diagnostic study was conducted. Patients over 50 years of age with ankle fractures who had undergone surgical treatment were divided into two groups following the result of a bone densitometry: a study group with osteopenia (bone mineral density T score between -1 and -2.5) or osteoporosis (bone mineral density T score <= -2.5) and the control group with normal values (bone mineral density T score >= -1). Exclusion criteria were alterations that led to secondary osteoporosis. Patients were genotyped for 15 nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the P2X7 receptor (numbered from 1 to 15) obtained from saliva. We evaluated 121 patients with ankle fractures, 56 being from the control group, and 65 from the study group. All patients were sedentary, did not take any medication for the treatment of osteoporosis, did not smoke, and had suffered a low-impact trauma. The grouped assessment of the SNP alterations showed that if a gene has three or more SNP variants (36.4% of the 121 patients), out of the 15 possibilities, it is altered with clinical repercussions related to the loss or gain of the function of the gene. In evaluating the SNP alterations individually, the results suggest that: SNPs 1,4,14, and 15 are loss of function variants; SNPs 5 and 10 are described as loss of function variants; however, they have no influence on our study population; SNPs 11 and 13 are loss of function variants and not gain of function function as is described in the literature; and SNP 12 was associated with a loss of function in our population. In conclusion, we showed that the functional polymorphisms in P2X7 are associated with Bone Mineral Density and the risk of ankle fractures. As limitations to our study, we can point out the fact that we focused mainly on nonsynonymous polymorphisms, which do not cover all the genetic variations in P2X7, and the small number of participants when compared to the world literature. On the other hand, a strength of our study is that it was the first to assess P2X7 in the Brazilian population, which is quite heterogeneous from the genetic point of view due to our miscegenation, as compared to other studies that evaluated the population of northern Europe, which is genetically more homogeneous. In conclusion, the SNP12 polymorphism in P2X7 is associated with Bone Mineral Density and the risk of ankle fractures

O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar se a variação genética no gene do receptor P2X7 está associada com a diminuição da densidade mineral óssea e o risco de osteoporose em pacientes acima de 50 anos de idade com fratura de tornozelo. Foi realizado um estudo diagnóstico Nível I. Os pacientes acima de 50 anos com fratura de tornozelo submetidos ao tratamento cirúrgico foram divididos em dois grupos após o resultado da densitometria óssea: o grupo de estudo com osteopenia (T score entre -1 e -2,5) ou osteoporose (T score <= -2,5) e o grupo controle com valores de normalidade (com T score >= -1). Os critérios de exclusão foram alterações que levam à osteoporose secundária. Os pacientes foram genotipados para 15 polimorfismos de nucleotídeo único (SNPs) não sinônimos dentro do receptor P2X7 (numerados de 1 à 15) obtidos a partir da saliva. Avaliamos 121 pacientes com fratura de tornozelo, sendo 56 do grupo controle e 65 do grupo de estudo. Todos os pacientes eram sedentários, não utilizavam nenhum medicamento para tratamento de osteoporose, não eram tabagistas e sofreram trauma de baixa energia. A análise agrupada das alterações dos SNPs demonstrou que se o gene tem 3 ou mais variantes de SNPs (36,4% dos 121 pacientes), dos 15 possíveis, ele está alterado com repercussão clínica relacionada à perda ou ganho de função do gene. E ao analisar as alterações dos SNPs, individualmente, os resultados sugerem que: os SNPs 1,4,14 e 15 são variantes de perda de função; SNPs 5 e 10 são descritos como variantes de perda de função; entretanto, não têm influência na nossa população; SNPs 11 e 13 são variantes de perda de função e não ganho de função, como descrito na literatura; e SNP 12 foi associado à perda de função em nossa população. Podemos ressaltar como limitações do nosso estudo o fato de nos concentramos principalmente em polimorfismos não sinônimos que não cobrem toda a variação genética em P2X7 e no número pequeno de participantes quando comparados com a literatura mundial. Em contrapartida, um dos pontos fortes do nosso estudo é ser o primeiro a avaliar o P2X7 na população brasileira, que é bastante heterogênea do ponto de vista genético devido à nossa miscigenação, quando comparado com os outros estudos que avaliaram a população do norte da Europa, que é mais homogênea geneticamente. Em conclusão, o polimorfismo do SNP 12 em P2X7 está associado à densidade mineral óssea e risco de fraturas de tornozelo / The purpose of this study was to determine whether a genetic variation in the P2X7 receptor gene is associated with reduced bone mineral density and the risk of osteoporosis in patients over 50 years of age with ankle fractures. A Level-1 diagnostic study was conducted. Patients over 50 years of age with ankle fractures who had undergone surgical treatment were divided into two groups following the result of a bone densitometry: a study group with osteopenia (bone mineral density T score between -1 and -2.5) or osteoporosis (bone mineral density T score <= -2.5) and the control group with normal values (bone mineral density T score >= -1). Exclusion criteria were alterations that led to secondary osteoporosis. Patients were genotyped for 15 nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the P2X7 receptor (numbered from 1 to 15) obtained from saliva. We evaluated 121 patients with ankle fractures, 56 being from the control group, and 65 from the study group. All patients were sedentary, did not take any medication for the treatment of osteoporosis, did not smoke, and had suffered a low-impact trauma. The grouped assessment of the SNP alterations showed that if a gene has three or more SNP variants (36.4% of the 121 patients), out of the 15 possibilities, it is altered with clinical repercussions related to the loss or gain of the function of the gene. In evaluating the SNP alterations individually, the results suggest that: SNPs 1,4,14, and 15 are loss of function variants; SNPs 5 and 10 are described as loss of function variants; however, they have no influence on our study population; SNPs 11 and 13 are loss of function variants and not gain of function function as is described in the literature; and SNP 12 was associated with a loss of function in our population. In conclusion, we showed that the functional polymorphisms in P2X7 are associated with Bone Mineral Density and the risk of ankle fractures. As limitations to our study, we can point out the fact that we focused mainly on nonsynonymous polymorphisms, which do not cover all the genetic variations in P2X7, and the small number of participants when compared to the world literature. On the other hand, a strength of our study is that it was the first to assess P2X7 in the Brazilian population, which is quite heterogeneous from the genetic point of view due to our miscegenation, as compared to other studies that evaluated the population of northern Europe, which is genetically more homogeneous. In conclusion, the SNP12 polymorphism in P2X7 is associated with Bone Mineral Density and the risk of ankle fractures

1. The effects of external H-7, a potent protein kinase inhibitor, on the responses mediated by γ-aminobutyric acid A type (GAGA(A))-, nicotinic acetylcholine (nicotinic ACh)-, ionotropic 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT3)-, adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP)-, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)- and kainate (KA)-receptors were studied in freshly dissociated rat dorsal root ganglion neurone by use of whole cell patch-clamp technique. 2. External H-7 (1-1000 μM) produced a reversible, dose-dependent inhibition of whole cell currents activated by GABA, ACh and 5-HT. 3. Whole-cell currents evoked by ATP, 2-methylthio-ATP, NMDA and KA were sensitive to external H-7. 4. External H-7 shifted the dose-response curve of GABA-activated currents downward without changing the EC50 significantly (from 15.0 ± 4.0 μM to 18.0 ± 5.0 μM). The maximum response to GABA was depressed by 34.0 ± 5.3%. This inhibitory action of H-7 was voltage-independent. 5. Intracellular application of H-7 (20 μM), cyclic AMP (1 mM) and BAPTA (10 mM) could not reverse the H-7 inhibition of GABA-activated currents. 6. The results suggest that external H-7 selectively and allosterically modulates the functions of GABA(A)-, nicotine ACh- and 5-HT3 receptors via a common conserved site in the external domain of these receptors.