General anesthetics, including etomidate, act by binding to and enhancing the function of GABA type A receptors (GABA A Rs), which mediate inhibitory neurotransmission in the brain. Here, we used a radiolabeled, photoreactive etomidate analog ([ 3 H]azietomidate), which retains anesthetic potency in vivo and enhances GABA A R function in vitro, to identify directly, for the first time, amino acids that contribute to a GABA A R anesthetic binding site. For GABA A Rs purified by affinity chromatography from detergent extracts of bovine cortex, [ 3 H]azietomidate photoincorporation was increased by GABA and inhibited by etomidate in a concentration-dependent manner (IC 50 ϭ 30 M). Protein microsequencing of fragments isolated from proteolytic digests established photolabeling of two residues: one within the ␣M1 transmembrane helix at ␣1Met-236 (and/or the homologous methionines in ␣2,3,5), not previously implicated in etomidate function, and one within the ␤M3 transmembrane helix at ␤3Met-286 (and/or the homologous methionines in ␤1,2), an etomidate sensitivity determinant. The pharmacological specificity of labeling indicates that these methionines contribute to a single binding pocket for etomidate located in the transmembrane domain at the interface between ␤ and ␣ subunits, in what is predicted by structural models based on homology with the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor to be a water-filled pocket ϳ50 Å below the GABA binding site. The localization of the etomidate binding site to an intersubunit, not an intrasubunit, binding pocket is a novel conclusion that suggests more generally that the localization of drug binding sites to subunit interfaces may be a feature not only for GABA and benzodiazepines but also for etomidate and other intravenous and volatile anesthetics.

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Background: Propofol binding to GABA A R sites of uncertain location potentiates receptor function and produces anesthesia in vivo. Results: A photoreactive propofol analog identifies propofol-binding sites in ␣1␤3 GABA A Rs. Conclusion: Propofol binds to each class of intersubunit sites in the GABA A R transmembrane domain. Significance: This study demonstrates that propofol binds to the same sites in a GABA A R as etomidate and barbiturates.

The γ-aminobutyric acid type-A receptor (GABAAR) is a target for general anesthetics of diverse chemical structures, which act as positive allosteric modulators at clinical doses. Previously, in a heterogeneous mixture of GABAARs purified from bovine brain, [3H]azietomidate photolabeling of αMet-236 and βMet-286 in the αM1 and βM3 transmembrane helices identified an etomidate binding site in the GABAAR transmembrane domain at the interface between the β and α subunits. To further define GABAAR etomidate binding sites, we now use [3H]TDBzl-etomidate, an aryl diazirine with broader amino acid side-chain reactivity than azietomidate, to photolabel purified human FLAG-α1β3 GABAARs and obtain a more extensive identification of photolabeled GABAAR amino acids. [3H]TDBzl-etomidate photolabeled in an etomidate-inhibitable manner β3Val-290, in the β3M3 transmembrane helix, as well as α1Met-236 in α1M1, a residue photolabeled by [3H]azietomidate, while no photolabeling was detected of amino acids in the αM2 or βM2 helices that also border the etomidate binding site. The location of these photolabeled amino acids in GABAAR homology models derived from the recently solved structures of prokaryote (GLIC) or invertebrate (GluCl) homologs and the results of computational docking studies predict the orientation of [3H]TDBzl-etomidate bound in that site and the other amino acids contributing to this GABAAR intersubunit etomidate binding site. Etomidate-inhibitable photolabeling of β3Met-227 in βM1 by [3H]TDBzl-etomidate and [3H]azietomidate also provides evidence of an homologous etomidate binding site at the β3-β3 subunit interface in the α1β3 GABAAR.

To identify inhalational anesthetic binding domains in a ligand-gated ion channel, we photolabeled nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR)-rich membranes from Torpedo electric organ with [(14)C]halothane and determined by Edman degradation some of the photolabeled amino acids in nAChR subunit fragments isolated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography. Irradiation at 254 nm for 60 s in the presence of 1 mM [(14)C]halothane resulted in incorporation of approximately 0.5 mol of (14)C/mol of subunit, with photolabeling distributed within the nAChR extracellular and transmembrane domains, primarily at tyrosines. GammaTyr-111 in ACh binding site segment E was labeled, while alphaTyr-93 in segment A was not. Within the transmembrane domain, alphaTyr-213 within alphaM1 and deltaTyr-228 within deltaM1 were photolabeled, while no labeled amino acids were identified within the deltaM2 ion channel domain. Although the efficiency of photolabeling at the subunit level was unaffected by agonist, competitive antagonist, or isoflurane, state-dependent photolabeling was seen in a delta subunit fragment beginning at deltaPhe-206. Labeling of deltaTyr-212 in the extracellular domain was inhibited >90% by d-tubocurarine, whereas addition of either carbamylcholine or isoflurane had no effect. Within M1, the level of photolabeling of deltaTyr-228 with [(14)C]halothane was increased by carbamylcholine (90%) or d-tubocurarine (50%), but it was inhibited by isoflurane (40%). Within the structure of the nAChR transmembrane domain, deltaTyr-228 projects into an extracellular, water accessible pocket formed by amino acids from the deltaM1-deltaM3 alpha-helices. Halothane photolabeling of deltaTyr-228 provides initial evidence that halothane and isoflurane bind within this pocket with occupancy or access increased in the nAChR desensitized state compared to the closed channel state. Halothane binding at this site may contribute to the functional inhibition of nAChRs.