Download MendeleyPharmacological inhibition of Kir4.1 evokes rapid-onset antidepressant responses.
Zhou, X., Zhao, C., Xu, H., Xu, Y., Zhan, L., Wang, P., He, J., Lu, T., Gu, Y., Yang, Y., Xu, C., Chen, Y., Liu, Y., Zeng, Y., Tian, F., Chen, Q., Xie, X., Liu, J., Hu, H., Li, J., Zheng, Y., Guo, J., Gao, Z.(2024) Nat Chem Biol 20: 857-866
- PubMed: 38355723
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-024-01555-y
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
8I5M, 8I5N - PubMed Abstract:
Major depressive disorder, a prevalent and severe psychiatric condition, necessitates development of new and fast-acting antidepressants. Genetic suppression of astrocytic inwardly rectifying potassium channel 4.1 (Kir4.1) in the lateral habenula ameliorates depression-like phenotypes in mice. However, Kir4.1 remains an elusive drug target for depression. Here, we discovered a series of Kir4.1 inhibitors through high-throughput screening. Lys05, the most potent one thus far, effectively suppressed native Kir4.1 channels while displaying high selectivity against established targets for rapid-onset antidepressants. Cryogenic-electron microscopy structures combined with electrophysiological characterizations revealed Lys05 directly binds in the central cavity of Kir4.1. Notably, a single dose of Lys05 reversed the Kir4.1-driven depression-like phenotype and exerted rapid-onset (as early as 1 hour) antidepressant actions in multiple canonical depression rodent models with efficacy comparable to that of (S)-ketamine. Overall, we provided a proof of concept that Kir4.1 is a promising target for rapid-onset antidepressant effects.
Organizational Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
