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L C Mahan

Publications and source records attributed to L C Mahan.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Molecular cloning and expression of a D1 dopamine receptor linked to adenylyl cyclase activation.

In order to clone the D1 dopamine receptor linked to adenylyl cyclase activation, the polymerase chain reaction was used with highly degenerate primers to selectively amplify a cDNA sequence from NS20Y neuroblastoma cell mRNA. This amplification produced a cDNA fragment exhibiting considerable sequence homology to guanine nucleotide-binding (G)-protein-coupled receptors that have been cloned previously. To characterize this cDNA further, a full-length clone was isolated from a rat striatal library by using the cDNA fragment as a probe. Sequence analysis of this cDNA clone indicated that it is indeed a member of the G-protein-coupled receptor family and exhibits greatest homology with the previously cloned catecholamine receptors. Northern blot analysis of various neural tissues revealed a transcript of approximately 4 kb that was predominantly located in the striatum with lesser amounts in the cortex and retina. In contrast, no mRNA was detected in the cerebellum, hippocampus, olfactory bulb, mesencephalon, or pituitary. In situ hybridization analysis also revealed a high abundance of mRNA in the striatum as well as in the olfactory tubercle. To establish the identity of this cDNA, we performed transient expression experiments in COS-7 cells. [3H]SCH-23390, a D1-selective radioligand, exhibited specific, saturable binding only in cells that were transfected with this cDNA. Competition binding analysis with a variety of dopaminergic ligands demonstrated a D1 dopaminergic pharmacology. In addition, dopamine as well as other D1-selective agonists stimulated cAMP accumulation in transfected COS-7 cells. We conclude that we have cloned a cDNA encoding the D1 dopamine receptor linked to the activation of adenylyl cyclase activity.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Expression of striatal D1 dopamine receptors coupled to inositol phosphate production and Ca2+ mobilization in Xenopus oocytes.

Expression of central nervous system receptors for dopamine was examined by injection of poly(A)+ RNA (mRNA) from rat striatum into oocytes from Xenopus laevis. Electrophysiological measurements in mRNA-injected oocytes indicated that addition of 100 microM dopamine induced an inward current (40-100 nA) that was consistent with the activation of endogenous Ca2(+)-dependent Cl- channels. This current was also elicited by addition of the selective D1 agonist SKF 38393 but not by the selective D2 agonist quinpirole. Prior addition of the dopaminergic antagonist cis-piflutixol completely abolished dopamine-induced currents but had no effect on currents produced by serotonin. Using 45Ca2+ efflux assays, addition of 100 microM dopamine to injected oocytes stimulated efflux 2- to 3-fold. This increase was mimicked by SKF 38393 and was blocked by the D1-selective antagonist (+)SCH 23390 but not by the D2-selective antagonist domperidone. No increase in 45Ca2+ efflux was seen with 100 microM quinpirole. Size fractionation of striatal mRNA yielded a single peak (2.5-3.0 kilobases) of D1 receptor-mediated 45Ca2+ efflux activity in injected oocytes. In addition, dopamine stimulation of oocytes injected with peak fractions and prelabeled with myo-[3H]inositol caused a 3-fold increase in [3H]inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate [( 3H]InsP3) formation. No effect on [3H]InsP3 production or 45Ca2+ efflux was observed, however, in injected oocytes incubated with 1 mM N6,O2'-dibutyryladenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate. Thus, in addition to D1 receptors that stimulate adenylyl cyclase, rat striatum contains D1 receptors that can couple to InsP3 formation and mobilization of intracellular Ca2+.

Animals↗

Beta-adrenoceptor metabolism in wild-type, Gs, and protein kinase A-variant S49 cells.

To determine the role of the stimulatory guanine nucleotide-binding protein, Gs, and adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase in the basal metabolism of beta-adrenergic receptors in S49 lymphoma cells, we measured the return of receptor number and function after irreversible blockade of receptors. After inactivation of receptors with the irreversible ligand N8-(bromoacetyl)-N'-[3-(4-indolyoxy)-2-hydroxypropyl]-(2)-1,8-diam ino-p- methane (BIM), beta-adrenergic receptors (defined as [125I]iodocyanopindolol binding sites) reappeared in a biphasic manner, the faster phase having a half-time (t 1/2) of 3-8 h (approximately 50% of the sites) and the slower phase greater than 40 h. Although the slow phase is not readily explained, recovery of binding sites during the first 10 h matched recovery of receptor function after BIM treatment (as measured by stimulation of cAMP accumulation) and recovery of receptor sites after downregulation induced by the agonist isoproterenol. Thus quantifying receptor recovery during the first 10 h after BIM treatment appears to be a reasonable method for examining basal receptor metabolism in S49 cells. Measured in this way, metabolism of beta-adrenergic receptors is very similar in wild-type S49 and the following variant clones: cyc- (absent Gs alpha), UNC and H21a (defective Gs alpha), and kin- (lacking cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity). Although previous data have demonstrated that agonist-promoted downregulation of beta-adrenergic receptors requires functional receptor-Gs coupling, the current data suggest that neither Gs nor cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity plays an important role in the regulation of basal metabolism of beta-adrenergic receptors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

Functional expression of B2 bradykinin receptors from Balb/c cell mRNA in Xenopus oocytes.

The murine BALB/c 3T3 fibroblast clone SV-T2 (3T3 cells) expresses receptors for the nonapeptide bradykinin. In these cells, bradykinin stimulates both inositol phosphate (InsP) formation and arachidonic acid release by independently activating phospholipase C and phospholipase A2, respectively. These actions of bradykinin are mediated by a receptor(s) coupled to pertussis toxin-insensitive guanine nucleotide-binding proteins. Bradykinin-stimulated increases in InsP lead to the mobilization of intracellular Ca2+. We examined the expression of 3T3 receptors for bradykinin in oocytes from Xenopus laevis, cells capable of in vitro expression of foreign mRNA for receptors coupled to the mobilization of Ca2+. Poly(A)+ mRNA was prepared from 3T3 cells and expression of receptors for bradykinin was demonstrated by agonist-mediated stimulation of 45Ca2+ efflux from oocytes injected with 50 ng of poly(A)+ RNA. Bradykinin-stimulated efflux of 45Ca2+ was dose dependent (EC50 = 15 nM) and blocked by the specific mixed B1,B2 bradykinin antagonist NPC 567 but not by the B1 antagonist desArg9[Leu8]bradykinin. Size fractionation of 3T3 poly(A)+ RNA on a sucrose gradient demonstrated a single peak of bradykinin-stimulated 45Ca2+ efflux, with an approximate mRNA size of 4.5 kilobases. Bradykinin-stimulated 45Ca2+ efflux in size-fractionated mRNA was clearly separable from response to [Arg]vasopressin at another receptor linked to InsP formation and Ca2+ mobilization in 3T3 cells.

Animals↗

Pharmacological characterization and region-specific expression in brain of the beta 2- and beta 3-subunits of the rat GABAA receptor.

The cDNA for a third beta-subunit of the rat GABAA receptor has been cloned using another beta-subunit, which we had previously cloned [(1989) FEBS Lett. 246, 145-148], as a probe. The approximately 8-kb cDNA for this beta-subunit (termed beta 2) encodes a protein of 474 amino acid residues that shares approximately 80% sequence identity with the rat and bovine beta 1- and beta 3-subunits. Coexpression of the cloned beta-subunit cDNA with the alpha 1-subunit cDNA of the rat GABAA receptor in Xenopus oocytes produced a functional receptor and Cl- channel with pharmacological characteristics of a GABAA receptor. In contrast to interchanging alpha-subunits [(1988) Nature 335, 76-79], exchange of beta 2- or beta 3-subunits in an alpha 1/beta receptor complex did not markedly alter the pharmacological properties of expressed receptors. In situ hybridization histochemistry with synthetic subunit-specific oligo-deoxynucleotide probes revealed a region-specific expression of alpha 1-, beta 2- and beta 3-subunit mRNAs in the rat central nervous system. These observations provide an additional molecular basis for the functional heterogeneity in the GABAA receptor complex.

Animals↗

Multiple GABAA receptor alpha subunit mRNAs revealed by developmental and regional expression in rat, chicken and human brain.

GABAA receptor alpha subunit transcripts were detected by Northern analysis of rat, chicken and human brain mRNA using a series of 32P-labelled antisense RNA probes derived from human alpha 1 subunit cDNAs. These alpha subunit mRNAs differ in their distribution among various brain regions in the rat and at least one species is detected primarily in fetal brain. GABAA receptor alpha 1 subunit probes encoding the putative extracellular domain detect at least five alpha subunit transcripts in rat brain, whereas probes encoding the putative intracellular domain detect only two mRNAs. These data suggest the presence in brain of multiple GABAA receptor alpha subunits having homologous extracellular domains and whose expression is regionally and developmentally regulated. These alpha subunit transcripts may encode proteins that comprise GABAA isoreceptors differing in their pharmacological and physiological properties.

Animals↗

Cloning and expression of a novel rat GABAA receptor.

Two full-length cDNA clones encoding alpha- and beta-subunits of a GABAA receptor have been isolated from a rat cerebral cortex cDNA library. The mature alpha-subunit protein consists of 428 amino acids with a calculated Mr of 48,680. This protein is highly homologous (approximately 99% amino acid identity) with the bovine brain alpha 1-subunit receptor [(1988) Nature 335, 76-79]. The mature rat beta-subunit receptor is a 448 amino acid polypeptide and shares approximately 80% amino acid identity with the previously characterized bovine GABAA receptor beta-subunit [(1987) Nature 328, 221-227]. Co-expression of the cloned DNA in Xenopus oocytes produces a functional receptor and ion channel with pharmacological characteristics of a GABAA receptor. GABAA alpha- and beta-subunit mRNA is detectable in the cortex, cerebellum and hippocampus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Certain beta-blockers can decrease beta-adrenergic receptor number: II. Down-regulation of receptor number by alprenolol and propranolol in cultured lymphoma and muscle cells.

We have used two different cultured cell lines--S49 lymphoma cells and BC3H-1 muscle cells--to examine the regulation of beta-adrenergic receptors by receptor antagonists. Rather than an increase ("up-regulation") of receptor number that such antagonists often produce, we found that certain beta-blockers elicit a decrease ("down-regulation") of beta-adrenergic receptors. Alprenolol and propranolol, but not sotalol or ICI 118,551, at concentrations of 10-100 nM down-regulated beta-adrenergic receptors 20-70% following 16-20 hours of treatment of S49 or BC3H-1 cells. Several observations suggest that this phenomenon depends upon beta-receptor interaction, including stereoselectivity [(-)-enantiomers more potent than (+)-enantiomers], blockade of the effect by ICI 118,551, absence of down-regulation of alpha-adrenergic receptors in BC3H-1 cells, and lack of a decrease in beta-adrenergic receptor-independent (forskolin-stimulated) cyclic AMP accumulation in S49 cells. The possibility of retained antagonist interfering with receptor measurement was precluded by the fact that the antagonist-induced decrease in receptor number required several hours incubation and occurred without a prominent change in receptor affinity. The ability of the beta-blockers to elicit down-regulation did not correlate with hydrophobicity of the drugs. Antagonist-induced down regulation of beta-adrenergic receptors did not occur in S49 lymphoma cells that lack the alpha-subunit of Gs, the guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein, thus implying a requirement for receptor-alpha s interaction in eliciting beta-receptor down-regulation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

Translocation of protein kinase C in anterior pituitary tumor cells.

Previous studies have shown that phorbol esters and lithium each stimulate the secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) by the anterior pituitary tumor cell line AtT20/D16-16. Pretreatment with either lithium or phorbol ester desensitizes the cells to subsequent stimulation by phorbol ester. An early consequence of phorbol ester action in other systems is the translocation of protein kinase C from cytosol to membranes. We have assayed protein kinase C activity in cytosol and membranes of AtT20 cells after treatment with phorbol dibutyrate, lithium, or other agents that stimulate secretion of ACTH in these cells. Phorbol dibutyrate clearly induced translocation of protein kinase C, but lithium treatment did not cause translocation itself, nor did pretreatment with lithium affect the translocation induced by phorbol dibutyrate. These results are consistent with a role for translocation of protein kinase C in the stimulatory and desensitizing effects of phorbol esters but fail to implicate translocation in the actions of lithium on AtT20 cells.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗

Metabolism of alpha- and beta-adrenergic receptors in vitro and in vivo.

Despite considerable evidence that changes in number of adrenergic receptors can occur under various conditions, knowledge of the mechanisms mediating these changes is still rudimentary. As discussed, indirect approaches emphasizing the kinetics of receptor turnover have been the principal means of investigation. These indirect methods, which depend on the ability of a radioligand to detect the receptors, are limited by several factors. Even so, the data obtained using indirect approaches, in particular on various model systems in cell culture, lead to several conclusions: Both alpha 1- and beta-adrenergic receptors are metabolized rather slowly in vitro under basal conditions, in the absence of exposure to agonists. Typical half-lives are greater than 20 hr, a turnover that is slower than that of several other classes of neurotransmitter and hormone receptors (9, 10, 12, 16). Moreover, alpha 1-adrenergic receptors and beta-adrenergic receptors can have substantially different half-lives, even when expressed on the same cell. In view of the relatively slow rate of disappearance of adrenergic receptors under basal conditions, settings in which receptor number increases are almost certainly to result from increases in one or more of the factors that contribute to the rate of receptor appearance on the plasma membrane. Treatment of cells with agonists markedly shortens the half-life of alpha 1- and beta-adrenergic receptors. This shortened half-life results primarily from an enhanced loss of receptors from the plasma membrane, and not from agonist-induced attenuation of receptor appearance. In fact, data acquired from studies of receptor recovery after agonist-induced down-regulation suggest that rates of receptor reappearance are markedly enhanced through either receptor recycling or an increase in receptor synthesis. Limited studies conducted in vivo yield qualitatively similar results to those observed in in vitro studies of the metabolism of adrenergic receptors. In general, adrenergic receptors in the CNS turn over more slowly than those in peripheral tissues. These conclusions help to highlight the many aspects of metabolism of adrenergic receptors that are as yet unknown, including identification and characterization of the cellular machinery responsible for receptor metabolism, elucidation of the molecular events that control metabolism, and assessment of how drugs and other factors influence these events. Future studies are likely to be based on the development of new methodology with antireceptor antibodies, receptor cDNA's, and improved morphological methods (autoradiography, immunohistochemistry, etc).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗

Expression of beta-adrenergic receptors in synchronous and asynchronous S49 lymphoma cells. I. Receptor metabolism after irreversible blockade of receptors and in cells traversing the cell division cycle.

We have examined the metabolism of beta-adrenergic receptors in intact S49 lymphoma cells. Centrifugal elutriation was used to prepare synchronized cells enriched in particular phases of the cell division cycle. In these synchronized cells, the rate of appearance of beta-adrenergic receptors (i.e., [125I]iodocyanopindolol binding sites) was continuous, approximately 75 sites/cell/hr, and receptor number per cell increased in proportion to the increase in cell size. Thus, receptor number, normalized for cell size, remains constant throughout the cell cycle. Receptors on cells in G1, S, and G2/M phases of the cell cycle displayed similar affinities for the radiolabeled antagonist [125I]iodocyanopindolol and apparent affinities for the agonist isoproterenol. We examined rates of receptor turnover in asynchronous cells by following receptor recovery after inactivation of beta-adrenergic receptors with bromoacetylalprenololmenthane (BAAM), an irreversible beta-adrenergic antagonist. The beta-adrenergic receptors on S49 cells demonstrated an average "half-life" of 28-30 hr. Since the population doubling time for S49 cells is 16-17 hr, this would indicate that receptor protein is conserved through successive cell generations. Moreover, receptor reappearance after blockade by BAAM was a function of newly appearing receptors during the S49 cell cycle and not loss of BAAM from receptors. The rate of receptor metabolism indicates that, under basal conditions (i.e., in the absence of agonist), beta-adrenergic receptors on S49 cells are metabolized more slowly than are other classes of receptors that bind peptides and cholinergic agonists in several other cell types.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

Expression of beta-adrenergic receptors in synchronous and asynchronous S49 lymphoma cells. II. Relationship between receptor number and response.

We have used two experimental approaches--receptor inactivation with an irreversible antagonist and changes in receptor expression during passage of cells through the cell cycle--to explore the relationship between beta-adrenergic receptor number and response in intact S49 lymphoma cells. beta-Receptors in asynchronous cultures of S49 cells were blocked to varying degrees with the irreversible antagonist bromoacetylalprenololmenthane (BAAM). Blockade by BAAM was noncompetitive and did not alter the affinity of receptors for the agonist isoproterenol. Intracellular accumulation of cAMP in response to 1 microM isoproterenol was proportional to receptor number both at times of initial and maximal accumulation. In contrast, when intracellular accumulation of cAMP in response to isoproterenol was measured in synchronized cultures of S49 cells (obtained by centrifugal elutriation), a notably different relationship was observed. Cells were least responsive, that is, receptors appeared "uncoupled," during S phase of the cell cycle. This attenuation of response was not due to alterations of receptor number, receptor affinity for agonist, or expression of the catalytic unit of adenylate cyclase. Use of the antibiotic mycophenolic acid, a selective inhibitor of the synthesis of GTP, elicited response patterns in asynchronous cells similar to those seen in synchronized cells. These results confirm that wild-type S49 cells do not possess spare receptors. In addition to the importance of total receptor number in determining maximal response to isoproterenol, receptors may show differential efficacy in promoting cAMP accumulation as cells traverse the cell cycle. Changes in cellular levels or utilization of GTP during the cell cycle may serve to regulate the coupling of receptors to the stimulation of adenylate cyclase.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Genetic analysis of beta-adrenergic receptor internalization and down-regulation.

We have used wild-type and variants of the T-lymphoma cell line S49 to explore internalization and down-regulation of adenylate cyclase-linked beta-adrenergic receptors. Internalization was defined by the loss in "surface receptors" detected at 4 degrees C on intact cells by the antagonists [3H]CGP-12177 or [125I]iodocyanopindolol, whereas down-regulation was defined as the loss in total cellular content of receptors [( 125I]iodocyanopindolol binding assayed at 37 degrees C). In wild-type cells, the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol induced a rapid (t 1/2, approximately equal to 1 min) and reversible loss in surface receptors. The surface sites were lost at a rate similar to the rate of desensitization of beta-adrenergic receptor-mediated cyclic AMP generation of S49 cells. A series of S49 variants (cyc-, UNC, H21a) having lesions in NS (the guanine nucleotide binding protein that couples beta-receptors to adenylate cyclase) or with absent cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity (kin-), had a loss in surface sites that was equivalent to that of wild-type cells. By contrast, S49 variant cells having lesions in NS showed variable rates and extents of down-regulation of beta-adrenergic receptors. In wild-type and kin- S49 cells, beta-receptors down-regulated with a t 1/2 of approximately equal to 4 hr. Down-regulation was blunted in the cyc- and UNC variants that have altered coupling of receptors to NS, but it was faster in the H21a variant that retains receptor-NS interaction. Recovery of receptors after down-regulation occurred at a similar rate (t 1/2, approximately equal to 6 hr) in wild-type, UNC, and H21a cells. These results demonstrate that internalization of beta-adrenergic receptors may be necessary, but is not sufficient, to explain agonist-induced receptor down-regulation in S49 cells. The variable expression in the development of down-regulation in S49 variants implies that receptor-NS interaction regulates the fate of receptors linked to the stimulation of adenylate cyclase.

Animals↗

Do agonists promote rapid internalization of beta-adrenergic receptors?

We used elution of radioligands at low pH to quantitate intracellular beta-adrenergic receptors on intact S49 lymphoma cells. We validated this method with respect to cell viability, beta-adrenergic receptor integrity, and transferrin receptors on these cells. On control cells, about 15% of the radiolabeled beta-adrenergic antagonists [3H]dihydroalprenolol and [125I]iodocyanopindolol specifically bound at 37 degrees C could not be eluted at low pH; these binding sites appear to be intracellular receptors that are inaccessible to the surface-restricted antagonist [3H]CGP-12177 [tritiated (+/-)-4-(3-t-butylamino-2-hydroxypropoxy)benzimidazole-2-one hydrochloride]. Incubation of cells with the agonist isoproterenol at 37 degrees C for 15 min did not change the number of [3H]dihydroalprenolol binding sites but reduced [3H]CGP-12177 binding sites by 50% or more. However, all specifically bound [3H]CGP-12177 and [3H]dihydroalprenolol were eluted by acid. In addition, the number of acid-elution-resistant [125I]iodocyanopindolol binding sites was not increased in cells coincubated with 1 microM isoproterenol and [125I]iodocyanopindolol for 15 min at 37 degrees C, even though those sites show a loss in apparent affinity for isoproterenol of about 2 orders of magnitude, a loss previously attributed to internalization. We conclude that the early phase of agonist-mediated desensitization of beta-adrenergic receptors in S49 cells does not coincide with the movement of receptors to intracellular sites; instead, agonist-modified receptors remain in association with the plasma membrane and are accessible to the extracellular environment. These "redistributed" receptors together with "cell-surface" and "intracellular" receptors represent three classes of beta-adrenergic receptors that can be selectively identified in intact target cells.

Adrenergic beta-Agonists↗

Regulation of cyclic AMP accumulation in lymphoid cells.

We have examined several features of the regulation of cyclic AMP accumulation in lymphoid cells isolated from peripheral blood of human subjects and in the murine T-lymphoma cell line, S49, S49 cells are unique because of the availability of variant clones with lesions in the pathway of cyclic AMP generation and response. We found that human lymphoid cells prepared at 4 degrees C showed substantially greater cyclic AMP accumulation in response to histamine and the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol than did cells prepared at ambient temperature. The muscarinic cholinergic agonist carbamylcholine and peptide hormone somatostatin failed to inhibit cyclic AMP accumulation in human lymphoid cells and treatment with pertussis toxin (which blocks function of Gi, the guanine nucleotide binding protein that mediates inhibition of adenylate cyclase) only minimally increased cyclic AMP levels in these cells. Thus the Gi component of adenylate cyclase appears to play only a small role in modulating cyclic AMP levels in this mixed population of lymphoid cells. Incubation of whole blood with isoproterenol desensitized human lymphocytes to subsequent stimulation with beta agonist. This desensitization was associated with a redistribution of beta-adrenergic receptors such that a substantial portion of the receptors in intact cells could no longer bind a hydrophilic antagonist. Wild-type S49 lymphoma cells showed a similar redistribution of beta-adrenergic receptors after a few minutes' incubation with agonist. Based on studies in S49 variants, this redistribution is independent of components distal to receptors in the adenylate cyclase/cyclic AMP pathway. By contrast, a more slowly developing, agonist-mediated down-regulation of beta-adrenergic receptors was blunted in variants with defective interaction between receptors and Gs, the guanine nucleotide binding protein that mediates stimulation of adenylate cyclase. Unlike results in human lymphoid cells, S49 cells show a prominent inhibition of cyclic AMP accumulation mediated by Gi; this inhibition is promoted by somatostatin and blocked by pertussis toxin. Inhibition by Gi is unable to account for the marked decrease in ability of the diterpene forskolin to maximally stimulate adenylate cyclase in S49 variants having defective Gs. These results emphasize that both Gs and Gi component are important in modulating cyclic AMP accumulation and receptors linked to adenylate cyclase in S49 lymphoma cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Use of superoxide dismutase and catalase to protect catecholamines from oxidation in tissue culture studies.

A new enzymatic approach for the prevention of catecholamine oxidation that is particularly useful for studies with cultured cells is described. Catecholamine oxidation was assayed by acid alumina chromatography using a modified procedure that yields greater than or equal to 90% column recovery of catecholamine concentrations as low as 1.0 nM. Addition of superoxide dismutase and catalase (10-25 micrograms/ml each) results in virtually complete inhibition of catecholamine oxidation under a variety of experimental conditions. Although superoxide dismutase could prevent catecholamine oxidation, addition of catalase helped prevent the cytotoxicity of oxidative products. When used together, these enzymes have no effect on cell growth, hormonal response, or radioligand binding to membrane beta-adrenergic receptors in the murine S49 lymphoma cell, a widely used model system for studying catecholamine action. Combined use of superoxide dismutase and catalase offers nonperturbing, long-lasting protection of catecholamines in studies with cells in vitro. This method provides a useful alternative to ascorbic acid, chelators, or reducing agents which have previously been used to prevent catecholamine oxidation but which may have other effects on cultured cells and on membrane proteins.

Animals↗

The kinetics of competitive radioligand binding predicted by the law of mass action.

Although equilibrium competitive radioligand binding studies are often used to characterize hormone and neurotransmitter receptors, the kinetics of such experiments have not been extensively explored. The interactions of the radioligand and competitor with the receptors can be described by two differential equations which can be solved to yield a single equation describing the binding of the radioligand as a function of time. This equation has several applications: First, it can be used to simulate competitive binding reactions under defined conditions. Second, fitting experimental data to this equation allows one to determine the association and dissociation rate constants of the competing ligand, parameters that cannot be derived from equilibrium experiments. Furthermore, this method can be used to determine the KI of the competing drug from data acquired before equilibrium is reached. Third, mathematical analysis of the binding equation allowed us to answer two specific questions regarding the kinetics of competitive radioligand binding: how long such an incubation takes to equilibrate, and how the IC50 varies over time. The answers to these questions depended, to a large extent, on the relative values of the dissociation rate constants of the radioligand and competitor, which can be determined as noted above. When the competitor dissociates from the receptors more rapidly than the radioligand, the IC50 first decreases and then increases, but never has a value less than the KI. At low radioligand concentrations, equilibrium is reached in the same amount of time required of the radioligand to dissociate completely from the receptors as determined in an "off-rate experiment." At higher concentrations of radioligand this time is halved. When the competitor dissociates from the receptor more slowly than does the radioligand, then the time required to equilibrate depends only on the dissociation rate constant of the competitor, and the IC50 decreases over time.

Animals↗

Time-dependent decreases in binding affinity of agonists for beta-adrenergic receptors of intact S49 lymphoma cells. A mechanism of desensitization.

Studies of beta-adrenergic receptors on several types of intact target cells indicate that agonists, but not antagonists, show prominent KD/Kact discrepancies--lower affinities (KD) in equilibrium binding studies (i.e. in competition with antagonist radioligands) than in functional assays (Kact). In this report we show that intact S49 lymphoma cells initially bind beta-adrenergic agonists in a high affinity manner but that this high affinity binding rapidly converts to a low affinity state. This time course is similar to that of agonist-mediated desensitization in S49 cells. In competitive binding studies conducted with [125I]iodocyanopindolol or [125I]iodohydroxybenzylpindolol, IC50 values for beta-adrenergic agonists increased 13-200-fold between 1 and 60 min, whereas antagonists yielded similar IC50 values at the two time points. The binding of antagonists, but not agonists, could be simulated by a computer model based on the law of mass action. In contrast with results in intact S49 cells, crude membrane fractions yielded similar IC50 values for agonists in 1- and 60-min incubations with [125I]iodocyanopindolol. Moreover, time-dependent decreases in apparent affinity of the agonist (-)-isoproterenol were observed not only in wild type S49 cells but also in several S49 variants (UNC, cyc-, H21a) having defects in Ns, the guanine nucleotide binding protein that couples receptors to activation of adenylate cyclase, and in Kin-, an S49 variant with absent cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity. These results show that beta-adrenergic receptors of intact S49 cells demonstrate a prominent time-dependent decrease in apparent affinity for agonists and that this decrease in affinity does not require cAMP generation, the Ns components defective in several S49 variants or cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The rapid conversion of agonist binding from high to low affinity can account for the rapid desensitization of intact cells to catecholamines and probably explains previously reported KD/Kact discrepancies of intact cells.

Animals↗