Cutting edge: a natural P451L mutation in the cytoplasmic domain impairs the function of the mouse P2X7 receptor.

The P2X7 receptor (P2X(7)R) is an ATP-gated channel that mediates apoptosis of cells of the immune system. The capacity of P2X(7)R to form large pores depends on its large cytoplasmic tail, which harbors a putative TNFR-related death domain. Previous transfection studies indicated that mouse P2X(7)R forms pores much less efficiently than its counterparts from humans and rats. In this study, we demonstrate that an allelic mutation (P451L) in the predicted death domain of P2X(7)R confers a drastically reduced sensitivity to ATP-induced pore formation in cells from some commonly used strains of mice, i.e., C57BL/6 and DBA/2. In contrast, most other strains of mice, including strains derived from wild mice, carry P451 at this position as do rats and humans. The effects of the P451L mutation resemble those of the E496A mutation in human P2X(7)R. These P2X(7)R mutants may provide useful tools to decipher the molecular mechanisms leading to pore formation.