The Serine Protease Plasmin Cleaves the Amino-terminal Domain of the NR2A
Subunit to Relieve Zinc Inhibition of the
N-Methyl-d-aspartate
Receptors |
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Authors: | Hongjie Yuan Katie M Vance Candice E Junge Matthew T Geballe James P Snyder John R Hepler Manuel Yepes Chian-Ming Low and Stephen F Traynelis |
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Institution: | Departments of ‡Pharmacology, §Chemistry, and ¶Neurology, Center for Neurodegenerative Disease, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322-3090 and the ![></sup>Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, S117597 Singapore</td>
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Abstract: | Zinc is hypothesized to be co-released with glutamate at synapses of the
central nervous system. Zinc binds to NR1/NR2A
N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors with high affinity
and inhibits NMDAR function in a voltage-independent manner. The serine
protease plasmin can cleave a number of substrates, including
protease-activated receptors, and may play an important role in several
disorders of the central nervous system, including ischemia and spinal cord
injury. Here, we demonstrate that plasmin can cleave the native NR2A
amino-terminal domain (NR2AATD), removing the functional high
affinity Zn2+ binding site. Plasmin also cleaves recombinant
NR2AATD at lysine 317 (Lys317), thereby producing a
~40-kDa fragment, consistent with plasmin-induced NR2A cleavage fragments
observed in rat brain membrane preparations. A homology model of the
NR2AATD predicts that Lys317 is near the surface of the
protein and is accessible to plasmin. Recombinant expression of NR2A with an
amino-terminal deletion at Lys317 is functional and Zn2+
insensitive. Whole cell voltage-clamp recordings show that Zn2+
inhibition of agonist-evoked NMDA receptor currents of NR1/NR2A-transfected
HEK 293 cells and cultured cortical neurons is significantly reduced by
plasmin treatment. Mutating the plasmin cleavage site Lys317 on
NR2A to alanine blocks the effect of plasmin on Zn2+ inhibition.
The relief of Zn2+ inhibition by plasmin occurs in
PAR1-/- cortical neurons and thus is independent of interaction
with protease-activated receptors. These results suggest that plasmin can
directly interact with NMDA receptors, and plasmin may increase NMDA receptor
responses through disruption or removal of the amino-terminal domain and
relief of Zn2+ inhibition.N-Methyl-d-aspartate
(NMDA)2 receptors are
one of three types of ionotropic glutamate receptors that play critical roles
in excitatory neurotransmission, synaptic plasticity, and neuronal death
(1–3).
NMDA receptors are comprised of glycine-binding NR1 subunits in combination
with at least one type of glutamate-binding NR2 subunit
(1,
4). Each subunit contains three
transmembrane domains, one cytoplasmic re-entrant membrane loop, one bi-lobed
domain that forms the ligand binding site, and one bi-lobed amino-terminal
domain (ATD), thought to share structural homology to periplasmic amino
acid-binding proteins
(4–6).
Activation of NMDA receptors requires combined stimulation by glutamate and
the co-agonist glycine in addition to membrane depolarization to overcome
voltage-dependent Mg2+ block of the ion channel
(7). The activity of NMDA
receptors is negatively modulated by a variety of extracellular ions,
including Mg2+, polyamines, protons, and Zn2+ ions,
which can exert tonic inhibition under physiological conditions
(1,
4). Several extracellular
modulators such as Zn2+ and ifenprodil are thought to act at the
ATD of the NMDA receptor
(8–14).Zinc is a transition metal that plays key roles in both catalytic and
structural capacities in all mammalian cells
(15). Zinc is required for
normal growth and survival of cells. In addition, neuronal death in
hypoxia-ischemia and epilepsy has been associated with Zn2+
(16–18).
Abnormal metabolism of zinc may contribute to induction of cytotoxicity in
neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer''s disease, Parkinson''s disease,
and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(19). Zinc is co-released with
glutamate at excitatory presynaptic terminals and inhibits native NMDA
receptor activation (20,
21). Zn2+ inhibits
NMDA receptor function through a dual mechanism, which includes
voltage-dependent block and voltage-independent inhibition
(22–24).
Voltage-independent Zn2+ inhibition at low nanomolar concentrations
(IC50, 20 nm) is observed for NR2A-containing NMDA
receptors
(25–28).
Evidence has accumulated that the amino-terminal domain of the NR2A subunit
controls high-affinity Zn2+ inhibition of NMDA receptors, and
several histidine residues in this region may constitute part of an
NR2A-specific Zn2+ binding site
(8,
9,
11,
12). For the NR2A subunit,
several lines of evidence suggest that Zn2+ acts by enhancing
proton inhibition (8,
11,
29,
30).Serine proteases present in the circulation, mast cells, and elsewhere
signal directly to cells by cleaving protease-activated receptors (PARs),
members of a subfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors. Cleavage exposes a
tethered ligand domain that binds to and activates the cleaved receptors
(31,
32). Protease receptor
activation has been studied extensively in relation to coagulation and
thrombolysis (33). In addition
to their circulation in the bloodstream, some serine proteases and PARs are
expressed in the central nervous system, and have been suggested to play roles
in physiological conditions (e.g. long-term potentiation or memory)
and pathophysiological states such as glial scarring, edema, seizure, and
neuronal death (31,
34–36).Functional interactions between proteases and NMDA receptors have
previously been suggested. Earlier studies reported that the blood-derived
serine protease thrombin potentiates NMDA receptor response more than 2-fold
through activation of PAR1
(37). Plasmin, another serine
protease, similarly potentiates NMDA receptor response
(38). Tissue-plasminogen
activator (tPA), which catalyzes the conversion of the zymogen precursor
plasminogen to plasmin and results in PAR1 activation, also interacts with and
cleaves the ATD of the NR1 subunit of the NMDA receptor
(39,
40). This raises the
possibility that plasmin may also interact directly with the NMDA receptor
subunits to modulate receptor response. We therefore investigated the ability
of plasmin to cleave the NR2A NMDA receptor subunit. We found that nanomolar
concentrations of plasmin can cleave within the ATD, a region that mediates
tonic voltage-independent Zn2+ inhibition of NR2A-containing NMDA
receptors. We hypothesized that plasmin cleavage reduces the
Zn2+-mediated inhibition of NMDA receptors by removing the
Zn2+ binding domain. In the present study, we have demonstrated
that Zn2+ inhibition of agonist-evoked NMDA currents is decreased
significantly by plasmin treatment in recombinant NR1/NR2A-transfected HEK 293
cells and cultured cortical neurons. These concentrations of plasmin may be
pathophysiologically relevant in situations in which the blood-brain barrier
is compromised, which could allow blood-derived plasmin to enter brain
parenchyma at concentrations in excess of these that can cleave NR2A. Thus,
ability of plasmin to potentiate NMDA function through the relief of the
Zn2+ inhibition could exacerbate the harmful actions of NMDA
receptor overactivation in pathological situations. In addition, if newly
cleaved NR2AATD enters the bloodstream during ischemic injury, it
could serve as a biomarker of central nervous system injury. |
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Keywords: | |
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