Defining the polycystin pharmacophore through high-throughput screening and computational biophysics.

Background and purpose: Polycystins (PKD2, PKD2L1) are voltage-gated and Ca²⁺-modulated members of the TRP family of ion channels. Loss of PKD2L1 results in seizure-susceptibility and autism-like features in mice, whereas variants in PKD2 cause autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Despite decades of evidence demonstrating their physiological importance in the brain and kidneys and linking their dysfunction to human disease, the polycystin pharmacophore remains undefined. Contributing to this knowledge gap is their resistance to drug screening campaigns, which are hindered by the unique subcellular trafficking of these channels to organelles such as the primary cilium. PKD2L1 is the only member of the polycystin family to form constitutively active ion channels in the plasma membrane when overexpressed.

Experimental approach: HEK293 cells stably expressing PKD2L1 F514A were screened pharmacologically via high-throughput electrophysiology to identify potent polycystin channel modulators. In silico docking analysis and mutagenesis were used to define the receptor sites of screen hits. Inhibition by membrane-impermeable QX-314 was used to evaluate PKD2L1-binding site accessibility.

Key results: Screen results identify potent PKD2L1 inhibitors with divergent chemical core structures and highlight striking similarities between the molecular pharmacology of PKD2L1 and voltage-gated sodium channels. Docking analysis, channel mutagenesis and electrophysiological recordings identify an open-state accessible lateral fenestration receptor within the pore and a mechanism of inhibition that stabilises the PKD2L1 inactivated state.

Conclusions and implications: Outcomes establish the suitability of our approach to expand our chemical knowledge of polycystins and delineate novel receptor moieties for the development of channel-specific inhibitors in TRP channel research.