Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Regulation of the Acid-Sensing Ion Channels

Abstract

The Acid Sensing Ion Channels (ASICS) are proton activated, voltage-insensitive, sodium channels found throughout the peripheral and central nervous systems. Tissue acidosis can occur due to injury, ischemia, and inflammation which can lead to ASIC activation. Pain that occurs with several of these conditions, including ischemia and inflammation, has previously been linked to the activation of ASICs. In addition, ASICs have been shown to be able to sense several pro-inflammatory agents that are increased under these pathophysiological conditions. The polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), Arachidonic Acid, is one such molecule that potentiates ASIC isoforms 1a, 2 and 3 at concentrations reached during inflammation. Interestingly, several other PUFAs have been shown to similarly potentiate ASIC1a. However, no study has yet to elucidate the mechanism of PUFA potentiation, nor has there been a thorough investigation of the how different properties of PUFAs modulate their effect on ASICs. Here we characterized how PUFA chain length, number of double bonds, location of double bonds and head group relate to potentiation of several ASIC isoforms. First, we demonstrate that PUFAs potentiates ASICs via an alkaline shift in the pH dependence of activation. In contrast to a previous finding, we show that the head group is critical for ASIC regulation by PUFAs. PUFAs with a negatively charged head group, like Arachidonoyl Glycine, dramatically shift the pH dependence of ASIC activation while uncharged head groups like Arachidonic Acid methyl ester have no effect on channel function. In addition, we show that the position of double bonds in the fatty acid tail are important for ASIC regulation as well. Finally, mutagenesis is used to localize possible PUFA interaction sites with ASICs.