Potent and selective inhibition of a single alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor subunit by an RNA aptamer

Inhibitors of AMPA-type glutamate ion channels are useful as biochemical probes for structure-function studies and as drug candidates for a number of neurological disorders and diseases. Here, we describe the identification of an RNA inhibitor or aptamer by an in vitro evolution approach and a characterization of its mechanism of inhibition on the sites of interaction by equilibrium binding and on the receptor channel opening rate by a laser-pulse photolysis technique. Our results show that the aptamer is a noncompetitive inhibitor that selectively inhibits the GluA2Q(flip) AMPA receptor subunit without any effect on other AMPA receptor subunits or kainate or NMDA receptors. On the GluA2 subunit, this aptamer preferentially inhibits the flip variant. Furthermore, the aptamer preferentially inhibits the closed-channel state of GluA2Q(flip) with a K(I) = 1.5 μM or by ～15-fold over the open-channel state. The potency and selectivity of this aptamer rival those of small molecule inhibitors. Together, these properties make this aptamer a promising candidate for the development of water-soluble, highly potent, and GluA2 subunit-selective drugs.