Faculty Bibliography

An opioid binding protein (OBP) purified to homogeneity from bovine striatal membranes has been reconstituted in liposomes. The liposomes were produced by PEG-precipitation of OBP in the presence of a CHAPS extract of bovine striatum, devoid of opioid binding. High affinity mu-agonist binding was restored. The binding was selective for mu-agonists, stereospecific and inhibited by GTP gamma S. These results demonstrate that there is recoupling of OBP with G-protein and confirm our earlier evidence that the purified OBP is a mu-opioid binding site

Opioid receptor binding was investigated in rat brain following lesioning of the nucleus basalis of Meynert (nbM). The nbM, which provides cholinergic input to the cortex, was lesioned unilaterally using ibotenic acid. The efficacy of lesioning was confirmed by the observation of a significant decrease in choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity in the ipsilateral prefrontal cortex. The specific laminar and regional distribution of mu, delta and kappa opioid receptor binding was quantitated in various cortical and limbic structures in the rat using autoradiography. Distinct medial to lateral gradients of mu and kappa opioid binding were observed in regions of the cerebral cortex. In the lesioned hemisphere the levels of mu, delta and kappa opioid binding were altered in localized areas of the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus. The direction of these binding changes varied with the opioid receptor type being assessed. Delta opioid binding was increased in the lateral portions of the frontal, occipital, perirhinal and retrosplenial granular cortices. Kappa opioid binding was increased in the lateral portion of the occipital cortex and in the CA3 region of the hippocampus. In contrast, mu opioid binding was decreased in the lateral portions of the frontal, entorhinal and forelimb cortices. These opioid receptor changes are discussed with respect to the interactions between the cholinergic and opioid systems, and relevance of the nbM lesion model to Alzheimer's disease

Opioid receptors were solubilized from bovine striatal membranes with the zwitterionic detergent 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate-(CHAPS). High concentrations of NaCl (0.5-1.0 M) were necessary to ensure optimal yields, which ranged from 40 to 50% of membrane-bound receptors. This requirement was found to be specific for sodium, with only lithium able to substitute partially, as previously reported for solubilization with digitonin. Opioid antagonists, but not agonists, were able to bind to soluble receptors with high affinity. High-affinity binding of mu, delta, and kappa agonists was reconstituted following polyethylene glycol precipitation and resuspension of CHAPS extract. Evidence is presented suggesting that this is the result of inclusion of receptors in liposomes. Competition and saturation studies indicate that the three opioid receptor types retain their selectivity and that they exist in the reconstituted CHAPS extract in a ratio (50:15:35) identical to that in the membranes. In reconstituted CHAPS extract, as in membranes, mu-agonist binding was found to be coupled to a guanine nucleotide binding protein (G protein), as demonstrated by the sensitivity of [3H][D-Ala2,N-methyl-Phe4,Gly5-ol]-enkephalin ([3H]DAGO) binding to guanosine 5'-O-(thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S). In the reconstituted CHAPS extract, complete and irreversible uncoupling by GTP gamma S was observed, whereas membrane-bound receptors were uncoupled only partially. Treatment with GTP gamma S, at concentrations that uncoupled the mu receptors almost completely, resulted in a fourfold decrease in the Bmax of [3H]DAGO binding with a relatively small change in the KD. Competition experiments showed that the Ki of DAGO against [3H]bremazocine was increased 200-fold.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Sulfhydryl groups were studied in opioid receptors solubilized from bovine striatal membranes and reconstituted into liposomes. This system has the advantage of permitting the complete uncoupling of tightly coupled opioid binding sites from guanine nucleotide binding proteins. Sensitivity of opioid receptors to N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) inactivation, as measured by [3H]bremazocine binding, was similar whether coupled or uncoupled from the G protein. Moreover, the binding of uncoupled receptors could be protected from NEM inactivation by preincubation with a ligand, as previously observed in coupled, membrane-bound receptors. These findings provide strong support of earlier results suggesting the presence of sulfhydryl groups on opioid binding sites. An examination of the major receptor types provided the following decreasing order of sensitivity to NEM: mu > delta > kappa. Mu agonist binding was found to be much more sensitive to NEM than antagonist binding, especially in the presence of NaCl, which affects the binding of the two types of ligands in opposite directions, as previously reported for membrane-bound receptors. At 100 microM NEM in the presence of 100 mM NaCl, [3H] (D-Ala2,N-methyl-Phe4,Gly-ol)-enkephalin (DAGO) binding is essentially eliminated, whereas [3H]bremazocine or [3H]naloxone binding is virtually unaffected. These results are most readily explained by the hypothesis that there are two sulfhydryl groups at or near the mu binding site; one essential for agonist (but not antagonist) binding, the other essential for antagonist and perhaps, also agonist binding. The sodium effect on NEM inactivation of antagonist binding was maintained in the uncoupled state indicating that this effect occurs at the level of the receptor protein

A chimeric inhibitor of cysteine proteinases, YGGFLQVVAGK.amide, was synthesized for use in examining SAR of its cystatin and opioid domains. Analogs were prepared by solid-phase syntheses and evaluated for inhibition of rat brain cathepsin L (E.C. 3.4.22.15) and papain (E.C.3.4.22.2), or binding to rat brain opioid receptors using tritiated DSLET (delta), DAGO (mu) and U69593 (kappa) in competitive binding assays. Cystatin consensus analogs QVVAGK- or N-Ac.QVVK.amide were weakly active as inhibitors, but were enhanced 10-fold to 20-fold with N-terminal L-, FL-, GFL-, GGFL-, or YGGFL, yielding Ki 3 microM and 26 microM for cathepsin L and papain, respectively. YGGFL itself was inactive, but expressed inhibition with N-terminal Q-, QV-, QVV-, etc. Highest activity was found with YGGFLQVK.amide (Ki, 2 microM). N-Dns analogs differentially increased inhibition for papain, whereas an N-Ac-cyclic peptide, N-Ac-CKYGGFLQVVKC.amide, was 2-fold to 10-fold less potent than the two-domain inhibitor. Chimeric peptides containing YGGFL were equipotent as delta-ligands (Ki, 1.7-3.7 nM), but were 2-fold to 10-fold more potent as mu ligands (3.7-11 nM) versus YGGFL itself (37 nM). Two analogs with -QVVAK- and -QVK.amide expressed kappa-binding properties. These data demonstrate the feasibility of using chimeric peptides as probes for exploring enzyme catalysis, and the potential for targeting inhibitors to endosomal or lysosomal compartments via receptor-mediated uptake in cells

Three peptide neuromodulators that are found in high concentration in the substantia nigra: dynorphin A 1-8, met5-enkephalin-arg6-gly7-leu8 and substance P, were measured by specific radioimmunoassays in nigral tissue from normals and schizophrenics postmortem. Substance P and dynorphin were unchanged between the two groups. However, the proenkephalin-derived peptide was significantly elevated in the schizophrenic group. The immunoreactivity was identified as authentic met5-enkephalin-arg6-gly7-leu8 by high pressure liquid chromatography. The data suggest that a different set of regulatory controls exists for nigral enkephalin peptides as compared to dynorphin and substance P, and that the former system may be disordered in schizophrenia

In a modified Krebs buffer at 37 degrees C, the selective mu agonist [3H] D-Ala2,MePhe4,Gly-ol5]enkephalin [( 3H]DAMGO) and the nonselective mu/delta agonist human [125I]beta-endorphin [( 125I]beta-endH) bound to rat striatal membranes with a Kd of about 7 and 5 nM and a Bmax of about 95 and 260 fmol/mg of protein, respectively, consistent with labeling of mu receptors by the former ligand and labeling of both mu and delta receptors by the latter. The binding of 2 nM [125I]beta-endH was displaced by unlabeled DAMGO (IC50 30 nM), [D-Ala2-D-Leu5]enkephalin (IC50 60 nM) as well as by the selective delta agonists [D-Ser2(O-tert-butyl),Leu5]enkephalyl-Thr6 (DSTBULET, IC50 500 nM) and Tyr-Ala-Phe-Asp-Val-Val-Gly-NH2 (IC50 700 nM) in a monophasic manner within 2 to 3 log concentration units, suggesting an allosteric interaction between mu and delta sites labeled by [125I]beta-endH under these conditions. Accordingly, 500 nM DSTBULET caused almost 40% inhibition of the apparent Bmax without changing the apparent Kd of [3H] DAMGO. The kappa agonist U 50,488 was ineffective as competing ligand even at a concentration of 10 microM. Upon affinity cross-linking of [125I]beta-endH (2 nM) to rat striatal mu- and delta-opioid receptors, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the solubilized tissue under reducing conditions followed by autoradiography of the dried gels revealed a major broad band of covalently labeled protein with an apparent molecular weight of 80 kDa.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Most radiolabeled ligands used to label opiate receptors bind to multiple binding sites. Subtype-selective ligands make possible the labeling of single sites by virtue of their ability to 'block' binding of the radiolabeled ligand to selected subtypes. This study compares the selectivity of several ligands for the higher and lower affinity [3H]D-Ala2-D-Leu-5-enkephalin binding sites. The results demonstrated that while morphine and D-ala2-MePhe4,Gly-ol5-enkephalin were 80- and 256-fold selective for the lower affinity [3H]D-Ala2-D-Leu-5-enkephalin binding site, LY164929 was 1,986-fold selective. Additional experiments indicated that whereas morphine was a noncompetitive inhibitor at the lower affinity [3H]D-Ala2-D-Leu-5-enkephalin binding site, LY164929 was a competitive inhibitor, suggesting that this peptide might exhibit different properties in vivo than other mu-like ligands