Subtype Identity Research Articles

Cocaine-sensitive sigma-receptor and its interaction with steroid hormones in the human placental syncytiotrophoblast and in choriocarcinoma cells.

The expression and ligand binding characteristics of sigma-receptors in human placental syncytiotrophoblast and choriocarcinoma cells were investigated using haloperidol as a ligand. Haloperidol bound to purified placental brush border membranes with high affinity; the apparent dissociation constant for the process was about 3 nM. These binding sites were not related to dopamine (D2) and serotonin (5-HT2) receptors nor to serotonin and norepinephrine transporters. The ligands of sigma-receptors [3.g. (+)-3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)N-(1-propyl)piperidine, 1,3-di-(2-tolyl)guanidine, clorgyline, rimcazole, and dexromethorphan] were very potent in competing with haloperidol for the binding sites. The binding sites were detected not only in the brush border membrane, but also in intracellular membranes. The rank order of potency of various sigma-receptor ligands to inhibit haloperidol binding indicated that placental sigma-receptors belong to the sigma 1 subtype. Cocaine and its analog RTI-55 [2 beta-carbomethoxy-3 beta-(4-iodophenyl-) tropane] inhibited the binding of haloperidol to placental membranes with appreciable potency. The steroid hormones, progesterone and testosterone, were also potent inhibitors, and the inhibition constant for progesterone was 0.3 microM, a concentration much smaller than that found in plasma during pregnancy. The inhibition was competitive. beta-Estradiol and a number of other steroids were relatively much weaker inhibitors than progesterone and testosterone. Phenytoin and neuropeptide-Y did not interact with sigma-receptors in placenta. The choriocarcinoma cell line JAR was also found to express sigma-receptors in the plasma membrane as well as in intracellular membranes. The characteristics of the receptors in this cell were qualitatively similar to those of the receptors in normal placenta, including subtype identity and interaction with cocaine and progesterone. Interestingly, however, all sigma-receptor ligands interacted with the receptors in the JAR cell with much higher affinity than with the receptors in normal placenta. It is concluded that the placental syncytiotrophoblast and choriocarcinoma cells express cocaine-sensitive sigma-receptors and that progesterone is most likely an endogenous ligand for these receptors.

Developmental regulation of Islet‐1 mRNA expression during neuronal differentiation in embryonic zebrafish

Islet-1 (Isl-1) is a LIM domain/homeodomain-type transcription regulator that has been originally identified as an insulin gene enhancer binding protein. Isl-1 is also expressed by subsets of neurons in the central nervous system of rat and chick embryos. We have cloned the Isl-1 cDNA from zebrafish and examined its expression pattern using in situ hybridization to whole-mount embryos. Isl-1 mRNA first appears immediately after gastrulation in the polster, the cranial ganglia, and in Rohon-Beard neurons and ventromedial cells of the spinal cord. The expression by the ventromedial cells is segmentally repeated and becomes restricted to the one or two cells slightly anterior to the segment borders. Double staining by in situ hybridization and an antibody which stains most axons suggested that these segmentally distributed cells may be either the rostral primary motoneuron (RoP) or middle primary motoneuron (MiP). This raises a possibility that Isl-1 may be involved during determination of subtype identities of the primary motoneurons. Furthermore, the specific Isl-1 mRNA expression in the spinal cord is under the control of the somites, since mutant embryo with defective somite failed to maintain this pattern.

Stereoselective inhibition of muscarinic receptor subtypes by the enantiomers of hexahydro‐difenidol and acetylenic analogues

1. The affinities of the (R)- and (S)-enantiomers of hexahydro-difenidol (1) and its acetylenic analogues hexbutinol (2), hexbutinol methiodide (3) and p-fluoro-hexbutinol (4) (stereochemical purity greater than 99.8%) for muscarinic receptors in rabbit vas deferens (M1), guinea-pig atria (M2) and guinea-pig ileum (M3) were measured by dose-ratio experiments. 2. The (R)-enantiomers consistently showed higher affinities than the (S)-isomers. The stereoselectivity ratios [(R)/(S)] were greatest with the enantiomers of 1 (vas deferens: 550; ileum: 191; atria: 17) and least with those of the p-Fluoro-analogue 4 (vas deferens: 34; ileum: 8.5; atria: 1.7). 3. The enantiomeric potency ratios for compounds 1-4 were highest in rabbit vas deferens, intermediate in guinea-pig ileum and much less in guinea-pig atria. Thus, these ratios may serve as a predictor of muscarinic receptor subtype identity. 4. (S)-p-Fluoro-hexbutinol [(S)-4] showed a novel receptor selectivity profile with preference for M3 receptors: M3 greater than M2 greater than or equal to M1. 5. These results do not conform to Pfeiffer's rule that activity differences between enantiomers are greater with more potent compounds.