Cholecystokinin 1 Receptor Is Activated Permanently in Photodynamic Action
Authors: Cui Zong Jie , Wang Jie , Li Peng Juan , Huang Wei Mei , Xie Xiao Bing , Li Yuan , Tang Wen Zhu 
Published: May 2024

In contrast to agonist activation that is reversed after washout of agonist, we have found that cholecystokinin 1 receptor (CCK1R) is activated permanently by singlet oxygen in type II photodynamic action, the G Protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR) Activated By Singlet Oxygen is named GPCR-ABSO. CCK1R ectopically expressed in cell lines is activated in photodynamic action with photosensitizer sulphonated aluminum phthalocyanine (SALPC) or with genetically encoded protein photosensitizers (such as miniSOG, KillerRed) to trigger persistent calcium oscillations which are not washed out. Such permanent photodynamic CCK1R activation is seen also in freshly isolated pancreatic acini, which is inhibited by CCK1R antagonist. Photodynamic CCK1R activation is physiological in intensity, triggering calcium oscillations similar in frequencies to those induced by physiological CCK concentrations (10 - 100 pM). The molecular mechanisms for such permanent photodynamic activation of CCK1R at the physiological level are three-fold. When membrane proteins prepared from isolated rat pancreatic acini are subject to Western blot, CCK1R is found to be present as both dimers and monomers. After photodynamic action with SALPC at an intensity that would trigger persistent calcium oscillations in live cells, the resting receptor dimer is converted quantitatively to monomer, similar to agonist stimulated CCK1R monomerization revealed by bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) method in rat CCK1R-expressing COS cells, suggesting that photodynamic CCK1R activation we have demonstrated is likely quite physiological. Whilst CCK1R is activated by singlet oxygen in photodynamic action, the M3 acetylcholine receptor is not affected. However, when TM3 of CCK1R is transplanted to M3R to replace TM3 of M3R, the chimeric receptor M3R-TM3CCK1R becomes activatable in photodynamic action, after tagging with miniSOG. The calculated extent of miniSOG photodynamic activation of M3R, chimeric M3R-TM3CCK1R, and CCK1R are 0%, 65%, 100% respectively. Comparative studies with pancreatic acini isolated from the rat, mouse and Peking duck found that sensitivity for photodynamic CCK1R activation is, in descending order: mouse > rat > Peking duck, the same order of the size of structure-free region of intracellular loop 3 (ICL3). Other than CCK1R, CCK2R is photodynamically activated also, after tagging with protein photosensitizer miniSOG. CCK1R and CCK2R are known to be involved in vital physiological functions: pancreatic secretion, satiety sensation, sinoatrial node pace-making, memory formation and storage, and others. Our work implies that all these and other physiological functions might be modulated in vivo by photodynamic CCK1R activation. The fact that such property of permanent photodynamic activation could be transplanted from CCK1R to other GPCR such as M3R suggests that photodynamic activation of GPCR could be used to tease apart the roles and functions of vast numbers of GPCR. Other functional proteins such as NAD(P)H oxidase 2, BK/Slo channel, CaMKII, riboflavin transporter (SLC52A1/RFVT1), might also be photodynamically activated permanently.

This work was supported by The Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC, Grant Nos. 31971170 and 32271278).

This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.