Preclinical studies characterizing the anti-migraine and cardiovascular effects of the selective 5-HT1D receptor agonist PNU-142633.

The present study describes the preclinical pharmacology of a highly selective 5-HT1D receptor agonist PNU-142633. PNU-142633 binds with a Ki of 6 nm at the human 5-HT1D receptor and a Ki of> 18 000 nm at the human 5-HT1B receptor. The intrinsic activity of PNU-142633 at the human 5-HT1D receptor was determined to be 70% that of 5-HT in a cytosensor cell-based assay compared with 84% for that of sumatriptan. PNU-142633 was equally effective as sumatriptan and a half-log more potent than sumatriptan in preventing plasma protein extravasation induced by electrical stimulation of the trigeminal ganglion. Like sumatriptan, PNU-142633 reduced the increase in cat nucleus trigeminal caudalis blood flow elicited by electrical stimulation of the trigeminal ganglion compared with the vehicle control. The direct vasoconstrictor potential of PNU-142633 was evaluated in vascular beds. Sumatriptan increased vascular resistance in carotid, meningeal and coronary arteries while PNU-142633 failed to alter resistance in these vascular beds. These data are discussed in relation to the clinical findings of PNU-142633 in a phase II acute migraine study.

Allosteric modulation of the human 5-HT(7A) receptor by lipidic amphipathic compounds.

Human 5-HT7A receptors positively modulated adenylyl cyclases via Gs subtypes of G proteins in human embryonic kidney 293 cells, and bound 5-hydroxytryptamine (HT) with high and low affinity (K(I) values of 1.5 +/- 0.3 and 93 +/- 4 nM). More than 60% of 5-HT7A receptors, however, displayed the high-affinity 5-HT binding with no sensitivity to 5'-guanylylimidodiphosphate. In this study, we found that select amphipathic agents affected the high-affinity 5-HT binding to 5-HT7A. Oleic acid at low concentrations (<15 microM), but not palmitic, stearic, and arachidonic acids, increased maximal [3H]5-HT binding without affecting its K(D) value and [3H]mesulergine (antagonist) binding. Fatty acid-free bovine serum albumin (FF-BSA), a scavenger of fatty acids and lipid metabolites, substantially reduced maximal [3H]5-HT binding (no change in K(D) value and antagonist binding) but lost its action upon treatment with inactive stearic acid. FF-BSA and oleic acid produced no appreciable effects on [3H]5-HT binding to analogous 5-HT receptors 5-HT1D and 5-HT2C. Among various lysophospholipids, lysophosphatidyl choline (50 microM) decreased maximal [3H]5-HT binding, and a similar zwitterion, 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS; 0.1%), increased it (no change in K(D)). Functionally, 5-HT-induced guanosine-5'-O-(3-[35S]thio)triphosphate (GTPgamma35S) binding was enhanced by oleic acid and CHAPS, but reduced by FF-BSA and lysophosphatidyl choline; the amphipathic agents and FF-BSA did not affect dopamine-induced GTPgamma35S binding at D1, a prototypic Gs-coupled receptor. At 5-HT7A, oleic acid, FF-BSA, CHAPS, and lysophosphatidyl choline also brought about corresponding changes in the half-maximal 5-HT concentration for cAMP production, without affecting the maximal and basal levels. We propose that endogenous, amphipathic lipid metabolites may modulate 5-HT7A receptors allosterically to promote high-affinity 5-HT binding and to enable receptors to couple more efficiently to Gs subtypes of G proteins.

Pramipexole binding and activation of cloned and expressed dopamine D2, D3 and D4 receptors.

Pramipexole (SND 919; 2-amino-4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-6-propylamino-benzthiazole-dihydrochlor ide) is a potent dopamine autoreceptor agonist. We have carried out an analysis of the binding affinities of dopamine D2L, D2S, D3, and D4 receptors for pramipexole using both [3H]pramipexole and [3H]spiperone as radioligands at cloned and heterologously expressed receptors. Studies were carried out using rat and human D2L, D2S and D3 receptors with equivalent results. When the binding of pramipexole to the high affinity, guanine nucleotide-sensitive state of each receptor was analyzed, pramipexole is most selective for D3 compared to D2 and D4 receptors. These results indicate a 5-fold selectivity of pramipexole for D3 receptors, while quinpirole and bromocriptine are non-selective or more D2/D4 receptor selective. Two measurements of receptor activation for dopamine D2, D3, and D4 receptors also show that pramipexole is most potent for activation of D3 receptors. The dopamine D3 receptor selectivity of pramipexole may explain the previously described properties of this drug, including its potent autoreceptor preference.

D4 dopamine receptor-mediated signaling events determined in transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells.

A Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line stably expressing a recombinant human D4 dopamine receptor made from a synthetic gene has been used to determine potential D4-mediated signaling events. We designed and synthesized a modified gene coding for a human D4 receptor with reduced G + C content but unaltered encoded amino acids. Stable expression of this gene was obtained in two cell lines, inducible expression in CHO lacI cells and constitutive expression in HEK293 cells. In CHO lacI cells induced to express D4 receptors but not in uninduced cells, dopamine and quinpirole inhibit forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation and potentiate ATP-stimulated [3H]arachidonic acid release through a mechanism that requires protein kinase C but is unaffected by membrane-soluble cAMP analogs. In addition, D4 receptor activation causes an increase in the rate of extracellular acidification measured by microphysiometry. This response is unaffected by protein kinase C down-regulation but is inhibited by removal of extracellular sodium and inhibitors of NaH-1 exchange, suggesting the involvement of a Na+/H+ exchanger. All responses are blocked by clozapine and are sensitive to pertussis toxin. D4 receptors, like other G(i)/G(o)-linked receptors, mediate multiple signaling events, and the pathways activated are similar to those used by D2 and D3 receptors expressed in similar cells.

Activation of heterologously expressed D3 dopamine receptors: comparison with D2 dopamine receptors.

Recombinant rat D3 dopamine receptors heterologously expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are functionally coupled to endogenous G proteins. The affinity of the receptors for agonists is regulated by guanine nucleotides in the same manner as that of other G protein-linked receptors. The magnitude of the change in affinity induced by GTP is much less, however, than what is observed for recombinant rat D2 receptors expressed in CHO cells at similar densities. The striking difference is that the low affinity state (uncoupled D3 receptors) has a much higher affinity for agonists than does the low affinity state (uncoupled) of D2 receptors. Both receptors in the high affinity state (G protein coupled) have similar affinities for dopamine. Three functional responses result from activation of D3 or D2 receptors expressed in CHO cells. Both receptor subtypes mediate inhibition of adenylyl cyclase activity, increases in extracellular acidification rates that are prevented by removal of external Na+ and by amiloride analogs, and stimulation of cell division. However, these three functional results of D3 and D2 receptor activation are both quantitatively and qualitatively different. Dopamine activation of D3 receptors is always 2-5-fold less efficacious than dopamine activation of D2 receptors, despite similar densities of receptors. Both D3 and D2 receptor-mediated increases in extracellular acidification rates are blocked by pertussis toxin; however, the D3 response and not the D2 response is partially attenuated by membrane-soluble cAMP analogs. D3 and D2 receptor-mediated stimulation of mitogenesis is blocked by pertussis toxin and unaffected by cAMP analogs. The results show that D2 and D3 dopamine receptors mediate similar signaling events and are additional examples of G protein-linked receptors that can activate more than one pathway. Having functionally coupled D2 and D3 receptors expressed in the same cell type enabled determinations of agonist potencies at both D2 and D3 receptors. Comparison of the potencies at the two receptors reveals that none of the agonists is as selective for D3 receptors as was previously thought based on radioligand binding data.

D2 dopamine receptor stimulation of mitogenesis in transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells: relationship to dopamine stimulation of tyrosine phosphorylations.

Several neurotransmitters that act through G protein-linked receptors have been shown to affect the growth rate of dividing cells. An analysis of the early signaling events that mediate this response revealed some novel activities for G protein-linked receptors. Activation of D2 receptors heterologously expressed in CHO cells also stimulates the synthesis of DNA, which results in increased proliferation. Pertussis toxin pretreatment abolishes D2 agonist-stimulated mitogenesis, which indicates the need for a G protein. D2 receptor-stimulated mitogenesis occurs in the presence of a membrane-soluble cyclic AMP analog and, in Chinese hamster ovary cells with a mutated protein kinase A, which is resistant to the growth effects of cyclic AMP. Therefore, the proliferative response is independent of changes in cyclic AMP. It was determined that a number of other signaling pathways commonly used by Gi-linked receptors are not involved in the D2-mediated mitogenic response. These include arachidonic acid release, stimulation of protein kinase C, stimulation of inositol phosphates, opening of K+ channels and activation of amiloride sensitive Na+/H+ exchange. D2 receptor-stimulated mitogenesis is blocked by genistein, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, at the same concentrations that block thrombin-stimulated mitogenesis. In fact, dopamine and thrombin stimulate a rapid increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of a number of substrates in the transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells. These results reveal a novel signaling event for D2 dopamine receptors, activation of tyrosine phosphorylations. They suggest the importance of these events for D2 dopamine receptor-stimulated mitogenesis.

A second molecular form of D2 dopamine receptor in rat and bovine caudate nucleus.

Overexpression of the D2 dopamine receptor has been proposed to be part of the pathology of schizophrenia. The isolation of a D2 dopamine receptor clone has assisted the molecular characterization of D2 receptor. We have now isolated an identical rat clone along with two other clones--a second related rat clone (RD-2in) and a homologous bovine clone (BD-2in), both of which contain an insert encoding an additional 29 amino acids relative to the original rat clone (RD-2o). All three clones encode D2 receptor binding sites when expressed in COS-7 cells. The amino-acid insert encoded by D-2in lies in the domain of the receptor believed to interact with the GTP-binding proteins (G proteins) of various signal transduction pathways. By using oligonucleotide probes specific for either D-2o or D-2in RNA transcripts, we have found that the level of expression of the D-2in-encoded form of the receptor is seven times that of the D-2o form in the caudate nucleus, the richest brain source of D2 receptors.