Peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptors in human glioblastomas: pharmacologic characterization and photoaffinity labeling of ligand recognition site

Abstract

Peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptors (PBR), unlike central-type benzodiazepine receptors, are found in low concentrations in normal brain. Because PBR have been described in neoplastic cells of neuroglial origin, they have been suggested for imaging human glial tumors and for directing cytotoxic therapy at these tumors. Little information exists, however, on the presence or pharmacology of PBR in human glial tumors. Using radioligand binding techniques, we have demonstrated that 6 out of 6 glioblastoma (GBM) specimens had high concentrations of PBR ([3H]PK 11195 binding sites) which were significantly greater than in 5 normal human frontal cortex samples. The pharmacologic specificity of these sites differed significantly from that of PBR in human and rat kidney specimens. Saturation binding experiments revealed a small number of high affinity sites and a substantial number of sites of intermediate affinity. Under in vitro binding conditions the more numerous lower affinity site is the major contributor to specific binding measurements. The ligand recognition site of the PBR in human GBM tissue was photoaffinity labeled using [3H]PK 14105, a nitrophenyl analogue of PK 11195. Subsequent SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed specific incorporation of label into a 17,300 molecular weight component. There was no specific incorporation into normal human frontal cortex, but a component of very similar molecular weight was demonstrated in human kidney. We conclude that human glioblastomas consistently express PBR sites that are present in greater density than in normal human brain. Imaging of human glial tumors with analogues of PK 11195 thus appears feasible. Further molecular characterization of the photoaffinity-labeled PBR may also provide new information on the biology of these tumors.