The Notable Articles Project

Abstract

Studies are presented of the interaction of aromatic amine noncompetitive antagonists with the receptor-rich (post-synaptic) membranes isolated from <i>Torpedo marmorata</i> electric organ. When present at micromolar concentrations, methyl iodide quaternary derivatives of the potent non-competitive antagonists proadifen and dimethisoquin increase the affinity of the membrane-bound nicotinic receptor for [³H]acetylcholine and [¹⁴C]dimethyltubocurarine. The equilibrium binding of [¹⁴C]meproadifen (2-(diethylmethylamino)ethyl-2,2-diphenyl valerate) to the receptor-rich membranes is characterized by an ultracentrifugatiom assay. When all acetylcholine binding sites are occupied by the agonist carbamylcholine or the antagonist tubocurarine, [¹⁴C]meproadifen is bound with a dissociation constant <i>K_D</i> = 0.5 µM to a number of sites equal to one-quarter the number of α-neurotoxin binding sites. That high affinity binding site is found in the receptor-rich membranes and not in other membrane fractions isolated from <i>Torpedo</i> electric organ. Other non-competitive aromatic amino antagonists including dimethisoquin, proadifen, and prilocaine displace [¹⁴C]meproadifen, as does perhydrohistrionicotoxin. It is concluded that there is a specific site of binding for the aromatic amine non-competitive antagonists in the isolated nicotinic post-synaptic membrane that is distinct from the site of binding of acetylcholine. Analysis of the interaction of [¹⁴C]meproadifen with the receptor-rich membranes in the absence of cholinergic ligands indicates that under these circumstances the ligand binds weakly to both the anesthetic binding site and the acetylcholine binding site (<i>K_D</i> = 5 µM). The functional significance of the specific binding site for the aromatic amine non-competitive antagonists is discussed in terms of its possible relation to the site of ion translocatiom and to the mechanism of receptor desensitization.