Studies on the use of a novel affinity matrix, sepharose amine-succinyl-amine haloperidol hemisuccinate, ASA-HHS, for purification of canine dopamine (D2) receptor

Phosphorylation by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase modulates agonist binding to the D2 dopamine receptor

Phosphorylation of striatal membranes by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase resulted in a reduction in the affinity of the D2 dopamine receptor toward its agonist N-propylnorapomorphine while the affinity to D2-specific antagonists remained unchanted. The inhibitory effects observed by phosphorylation and guanine nucleotides on agonist binding to the D2 receptor were additive. The purified D2 dopamine receptor from bovine striatum was specifically phosphorylated by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase with an apparent stoichiometry of 0.7 mol phosphate/mol receptor. The phosphorylated purified D2 receptor also exhibited a reduced agonist binding activity with no change in antagonist binding. The action of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase on both the membrane preparation and the purified D2 receptor was inhibited by a specific inhibitor of the kinase. These data indicate that phosphorylation mediated by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase may represent a physiological pathway for modulation of the receptor binding activity.

Purification of D2 dopamine receptor by photoaffinity labelling, high-performance liquid chromatography and preparative sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

[125I]N-azidophenethylspiperone ([125I]azido-NAPS) was used as a photoaffinity ligand for bovine D2 dopamine receptor. On photolysis, [125I]azido-NAPS was covalently incorporated into a major band of 94 kDa in bovine striatal membrane as assessed by autoradiography after sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) (10% acrylamide gel). The labelled D2 receptor protein from striatal membrane was solubilized and subjected to HPLC using gel filtration (TSK G3000SW) and hydroxyapatite gel (Pentax SH2010C), followed by two steps of preparative SDS-PAGE. The D2 receptor protein could be obtained as a single major polypeptide on SDS-PAGE by either silver staining or autoradiography.

Preparation of an affinity chromatography matrix for the selective purification of the dopamine D2 receptor from bovine striatal membranes

A ligand affinity matrix has been developed and utilized to purify the dopamine D2 receptor approx. 2100 fold from bovine striatal membranes. 3-[2-Aminoethyl]-8-[3-(4-fluorobenzoyl)propyl]-4-oxo-1-phenyl-1,3,8- triazaspiro[4.5]decan-4-one (AES) was synthesized and used to prepare the affinity matrix by coupling to epoxy-activated Sepharose 6B (AES-Sepharose). AES (Ki approximately 1.7 nM) is similar in potency to the parent compound, spiperone (Ki approximately 0.8 nM), in competing for [3H]spiperone-binding activity. AES has no significant potency in competing for the dopamine D1 receptor as assessed by competition for [3H]SCH23390 binding (Ki greater than 1 microM). Covalent photoaffinity labeling of the dopamine D2 receptor in bovine striatal membranes with N-(p-azido-m-[125I]iodophenethyl)spiperone [( 125I]N3-NAPS) was prevented by AES at nanomolar concentrations. The dopamine D2 receptor was solubilized from bovine striatal membranes using 0.25% cholate in the presence of high ionic strength, followed by precipitation and subsequent treatment with 0.5% digitonin. Nearly 100% of the [3H]spiperone-binding activity in the cholate-digitonin solubilized preparation was absorbed at a receptor-to-resin ratio of 2:1 (v/v). Dopamine D2 receptor was eluted from the affinity resin using a competing dopaminergic antagonist molecule, haloperidol. Recovery of dopamine D2 receptor activity from the affinity matrix was approx. 9% of the activity adsorbed to the resin. The [3H]spiperone-binding activity in AES-Sepharose affinity purified preparations is saturable and of high affinity (0.2 nM). Affinity-purified preparations maintain the ligand-binding characteristics of a dopamine D2 receptor as assessed by agonist and antagonist competition for [3H]spiperone binding.

Affinity chromatography with the immobilized agonist N-0434 yields an active and highly purified preparation of the dopamine D-2 receptor from bovine striatum

Partial purification of the dopamine D-2 receptor from bovine striatum, solubilized in the presence of 1% digitonin, was obtained by chromatography on wheat germ lectin agarose. The preparation was purified approximately 10-fold. The stability of the receptor preparation was considerably improved and non-specific protein absorption on the affinity gel used later was decreased. Further purification was achieved on a column containing a D-2-selective agonist, N-0434. Approximately 90% of the receptor activity was bound to the gel and 20-40% of the activity could be eluted by pH shock. The total purification factor after one affinity chromatography step was estimated to be at least 1500. An active preparation of at least 20% purity was obtained after a second cycle of affinity chromatography. This corresponds to an enrichment of more than 5000 times compared to the solubilized receptor preparation.

Purification of the D-2 dopamine receptor from bovine striatum

The D-2 dopamine receptor has been purified 21500 fold from bovine striatal membranes. Solubilized receptor preparation was partially purified by affinity chromatography on a haloperidol adsorbent followed by gel filtration on a Sephacryl S-300 column. The fractions eluted from this column which contained the ligand binding activity were further chromatographed on wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to Sepharose. The resulting receptor preparation displays a major polypeptide band of an apparent molecular weight of 92 kDa, and exhibits a specific binding activity of 2490 pmol spiperone per mg protein. This purified receptor preparation can reabsorb specifically to the haloperidol affinity column indicating that the 92 kDa polypeptide represents the ligand binding unit of the D-2 dopamine receptor.

Dopamine receptors: molecular structure and function

Two distinct categories of dopamine receptors, termed D1 and D2, have been identified on the basis of pharmacological and biochemical criteria. Some of the progress made in our understanding of the subunit structure, function and signal transduction properties of these important membrane proteins are reviewed.

Characterization of binding sites for [3H]spiroperidol

Experiments were designed to investigate the biochemical properties of binding sites for [3H]spiroperidol ([3H]SPD) solubilized from canine caudate and to define the effect of detergent on the binding of the radioligand. Extraction of canine caudate with 0.75-1.0% digitonin was found to generate the maximum yield of binding sites for [3H]SPD while minimizing extraction of membrane proteins. Although binding sites were solubilized with 1.0% digitonin, a 10-fold reduction in detergent concentration was necessary to achieve maximal binding of [3H]SPD. The rank order of affinity for agonists and antagonists was consistent with the pharmacologic properties of the D2 subtype of the dopamine receptor. However, the binding of antagonists was found to be complex. Studies with some preparations of pooled canine caudate resulted in competition curves for the D2-selective antagonists domperidone and sulpiride that best fit a single-site model. Other preparations exhibited biphasic inhibition curves with these antagonists. The class of binding sites for [3H]SPD with low affinity for D2-selective antagonists constituted as much as 30-40% of the binding sites. Enrichment of solubilized binding sites for [3H]SPD was achieved by size exclusion HPLC followed by adsorption to DEAE-Sephadex and elution with buffer of increasing ionic strength. Enrichment of binding sites was accompanied by a decrease in the affinity of solubilized sites for [3H]SPD.

Dopamine receptors and the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia

The discovery of neuroleptic drugs in 1952 provided a new strategy for seeking a biological basis of schizophrenia. This entailed a search for a primary site of neuroleptic action. The Parkinsonian effects caused by neuroleptics suggested that dopamine transmission may be disrupted by these drugs. In 1963 it was proposed that neuroleptics blocked "monoamine receptors" or impeded the release of monoamine metabolites. The neuroleptic concentration in plasma water or cerebrospinal fluid was of the order of 2 nM for haloperidol in clinical therapy. A systematic research was made between 1963 and 1974 for a primary site of neuroleptic action which would be sensitive to 2 nM haloperidol and stereoselective for (+)-butaclamol. Direct evidence that neuroleptics selectively blocked dopamine receptors occurred in 1974 with the finding that nanomolar concentrations of these drugs stereoselectively inhibited the binding of [3H]-dopamine or [3H]-haloperidol. These binding sites, now termed D2 dopamine receptors (which inhibit adenylate cyclase), are blocked by neuroleptics in direct relation to the antipsychotic potencies of the neuroleptics. No such correlation exists for D1 receptors (which stimulate adenylate cyclase). Based on the fact that dopamine-mimetic drugs elicited hallucinations, and that neuroleptics caused rigidity, Van Rossum in 1966 had suggested a hypothesis that dopamine pathways may be overactive in schizophrenia. The D2-selective blockade by all neuroleptics (except the monoamine-depleting reserpine) provided strong support for the dopamine hypothesis. Further support now comes from postmortem data and in vivo positron tomographic data, both of which indicate that the density of D2 receptors are elevated in the schizophrenic brain. The postmortem data indicate a bimodal pattern with half the schizophrenics having striatal D2 densities of 14 pmol/g (control is 13 pmol/g) and the other half having 26 pmol/g. Current positron tomographic data indicate D2 densities of 14 pmol/g in control subjects, but values of 34 pmol/g in drug-naive schizophrenics. Future tests of the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia may entail an examination of the amino acid composition and genes for D2 receptors in schizophrenic tissue, an examination of the ability of the D2 receptor to become phosphorylated and to desensitize into the low-affinity state, and an examination of the interaction of D2 receptors with D1 receptors or other neurotransmitters.