Expanded molecular pathomechanisms of GlyR α2 subunit variants in neurodevelopmental disorders and epileptic encephalopathy

Abstract

Rare genetic variants in the glycine receptor (GlyR) α2 subunit gene ( GLRA2 ) are associated with autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, and intellectual disability, often accompanied by microcephaly, language delay or epilepsy. We report detailed structure-function analyses of nine previously uncharacterised GlyR α2 missense variants, including a novel de novo change (p.S285P) linked to epileptic encephalopathy. Using molecular modelling/dynamics simulations, electrophysiology, and immunocytochemistry, we assessed effects of GlyR α2 variants on agonist potency, efficacy, channel gating, and cell-surface trafficking. Five missense variants caused a partial loss-of-function via reduced glycine potency (p.F20S, p.A261T, p.R418Q), reduced glycine efficacy (p.F20S), or faster channel deactivation (p.R323C, p.P369T). By contrast, p.R225C abolished cell-surface expression resulting in a complete loss-of-function . The p.A261T variant also significantly reduced picrotoxin binding, resolving ambiguity in GlyR-PTX interaction models. Additional variants showed an alteration-of-function (p.I232M) or a gain-of-function (p.S285P), combining reduced glycine efficacy with increased potency and spontaneous leak currents. Two variants within the intracellular M3-M4 domain (p.R323C and p.P369T) had enhanced channel deactivation consistent with a loss-of-function , while p.P373L showed no detectable functional deficit. These findings expand the clinical and mechanistic spectrum of GlyR α2 variants, identify a key determinant of picrotoxin binding, and highlight unresolved roles of intracellular protein-protein interaction motifs in GlyR α2 function.