A fluorescence-based method for evaluating inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor ligands: Determination of subtype selectivity and partial agonist effects

•We developed a new method for evaluating properties of IP3R ligands using fluorescent biosensors.•This method revealed a diversity in subtype selectivity of adenophostin A and its analogs.•We also found a compound showing a partial agonistic effect on IP3R1.

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptors consist of three subtypes: IP3R1, IP3R2, and IP3R3. Although numerous IP3 receptor ligands have been synthesized, none of the subtype-selective ligands are known. We have developed a simple fluorescence method to examine the subtype selectivity of IP3 receptor ligands using FRET-based IP3 biosensors LIBRAvI, LIBRAvII, and LIBRAvIII. The addition of IP3 or adenophostin A (ADA) to permeabilized biosensor-expressing cells increased the fluorescence ratios of these biosensors in a concentration-dependent manner, and the potency of ADA relative to that of IP3 in terms of the changes in the fluorescence ratios of LIBRAvI, LIBRAvII, and LIBRAvIII was 43-, 22-, and 28-fold, respectively. This fluorescence-based method further showed that several ADA analogs had significant differences with respect to subtype selectivity and potency. These results highlight the important role played by the O-glycosidic structure of ADA in the selectivity of the ligands for IP3R1, as evidenced by the modified selectivity following replacement of the 5′-hydroxyl with a phenyl or phenethyl group. We also found that one ADA analog 5′-deoxy-5′-phenyladenophostin A possessed a partial agonistic effect on IP3R1. Together, the novel fluorescent methods described herein are useful for the evaluation of properties of IP3R ligands, including potency, efficacy, and subtype selectivity.