Synthesis and evaluation of a conditionally-silent agonist for the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.

ABSTRACT: We introduce the term 'silent agonists' to describe ligands that can place the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) into a desensitized state with little or no apparent activation of the ion channel, forming a complex that can subsequently generate currents when treated with an allosteric modulator. KC-1 (5'-phenylanabaseine) was synthesized and identified as a new silent agonist for the α7 nAChR; it binds to the receptor but does not activate α7 nAChR channel opening when applied alone, and its agonism is revealed by co-application with the type II positive allosteric modulator PNU-120596 in the Xenopus oocyte system. The concise synthesis was accomplished in three steps with the C-C bonds formed via Pd-catalyzed mono-arylation and organolithium coupling with N-Boc piperidinone. Co

SUBMITTER: Chojnacka K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3882203 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature