Abstract
The malfunction of a mutated GABA(A) receptor (alpha1beta2gamma2L(K289M)) in an inheritable form of epilepsy (GEFS+, generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus) in humans [Baulac, S., Huberfeld, G., Gourfinkel-An, I., Mitropoulou, G., Beranger, A., Prud'homme, J. F., Baulac, M., Brice, A., Bruzzone, R., and LeGuern, E. (2001) Nat. Genet. 28, 46-48] has been accounted for by a 5-fold decrease in the channel-opening equilibrium of the mutated receptor compared to the wild type [Ramakrishnan, L., and Hess, G. P. (2004) Biochemistry 43, 7534-7540]. Here we describe the mechanism by which the neurosteroid 3alpha, 21-dihydroxy-5alpha-pregnan-20-one (5alpha-THDOC) alleviates this malfunction of the mutated receptor transiently expressed in HEK293 cells. Two rapid reaction techniques, the cell-flow and the laser-pulse photolysis methods, were used in combination with whole-cell current recordings. 150-muM 5alpha-THDOC does not affect the rate constant for channel opening (k(op)) of approximately 250 s(-1) but does decrease the rate constant for channel closing (k(cl)) from 121 +/- 11 s(-1) to 56 +/- 21 s(-1). This results in an increase in the channel-opening equilibrium constant ((Phi(-1) = k(op)/k(cl)) by a factor of about 2, leading to about 50% alleviation of the malfunction of the inheritable mutated (alpha1beta2gamma2L(K289M)) GABA(A) receptor linked to GEFS+.
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