Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39806024›Full record

ArticleNature structural & molecular biology2025

Binding mechanism and antagonism of the vesicular acetylcholine transporter VAChT.

Qiao Ma, Kunpeng Ma, Yanli Dong, Yufei Meng, Jun Zhao, Renjie Li, Qinru Bai, Di Wu, Daohua Jiang, Jianyuan Sun and 1 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Nature structural & molecular biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. The Central Cholinergic Synapse: A Primer.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Qiao Ma *Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules (CAS), National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Kunpeng Ma *Interdisciplinary Center for Brain Information, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-1809-5023
Yanli Dong *Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules (CAS), National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7919-3276
Yufei Meng *Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules (CAS), National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Jun Zhao *Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Agricultural Sciences at Weifang, Weifang, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-6190-0469
Renjie LiKey Laboratory of Biomacromolecules (CAS), National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Qinru BaiKey Laboratory of Biomacromolecules (CAS), National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Di WuUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2271-4963
Daohua JiangUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4397-5807
Jianyuan SunUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Yan ZhaoKey Laboratory of Biomacromolecules (CAS), National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. zhaoy@ibp.ac.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4348-256X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) has a pivotal role in packaging and transporting acetylcholine for exocytotic release, serving as a vital component of cholinergic neurotransmission. Dysregulation of its function can result in neurological disorders. It also serves as a target for developing radiotracers to quantify cholinergic neuron deficits in neurodegenerative conditions. Here we unveil the cryo-electron microscopy structures of human VAChT in its apo state, the substrate acetylcholine-bound state and the inhibitor vesamicol-bound state. These structures assume a lumen-facing conformation, offering a clear depiction of architecture of VAChT. The acetylcholine-bound structure provides a detailed understanding of how VAChT recognizes its substrate, shedding light on the coupling mechanism of protonation and substrate binding. Meanwhile, the vesamicol-bound structure reveals the binding mode of vesamicol to VAChT, laying the structural foundation for the design of the next generation of radioligands targeting VAChT.

Indexed as

AcetylcholinePiperidinesVesicular Acetylcholine Transport ProteinsBinding SitesCryoelectron MicroscopyHumansModels, MolecularProtein BindingProtein ConformationAcetylcholinePiperidinesSLC18A3 protein, humanvesamicolVesicular Acetylcholine Transport Proteins

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.