Lack of beta adrenoceptor desensitization in brain following the dual noradrenaline and serotonin reuptake inhibitor venlafaxine.

Venlafaxine, a dual amine reuptake inhibitor, was utilized to delineate the role of the individual aminergic components of the 'serotonin/noradrenaline link' in modifying receptor-linked second messenger cascades. Venlafaxine (20 mg/kg i.p. bid for 10 days) failed to alter in normal animals either the density of beta adrenoceptors or the response of the beta adrenoceptor-coupled adenylate cyclase system to noradrenaline but significantly decreased the cyclic AMP response to noradrenaline in the brain of rats with selective depletion of brain serotonin by p-chlorophenylalanine. The studies provide evidence for a cross-talk between noradrenergic and serotonergic receptor cascades at the level of mechanisms involved in the desensitization of the beta adrenoceptor-coupled adenylate cyclase system.

Norepinephrine-independent regulation of GRII mRNA in vivo by a tricyclic antidepressant.

Desipramine (DMI), a tricyclic antidepressant drug used in the treatment of depression, has been shown to increase steady-state levels of glucocorticoid receptor type II (GRII) mRNA in vitro and in vivo. To determine whether this effect is secondary to norepinephrine (NE) reuptake inhibition i.e., increases in synaptic NE induced by DMI, GRII mRNA levels were assayed in rat hippocampus following neurotoxic lesioning of NE neurons with DSP4. Chronic DMI treatment significantly increased GRII mRNA levels to the same degree in lesioned and non-lesioned animals. In contrast to DMI, the non-tricyclic antidepressant fluoxetine had no effect on GRII mRNA. These results provide evidence which demonstrates that a tricyclic antidepressant can regulate steady-state mRNA levels in vivo by a mechanism which is independent of its effects on synaptic monoamine levels.

The beta-adrenoceptor-coupled adenylate cyclase system in rat C6 glioma cells. Deamplification by isoproterenol and oxaprotiline.

The beta-adrenoceptor-coupled adenylate cyclase system in rat C6 glioma cells displays many characteristics observed in brain tissue: using nonlinear regression analysis of agonist competition binding curves, we demonstrated that the bulk of beta-adrenoceptors show high nanomolar affinity for isoproterenol; like in brain tissue, Gpp(NH)p does not shift agonist competition binding curves to the right; and the agonist isoproterenol rapidly downregulates the number of beta-adrenoceptors and deamplifies the norepinephrine signal. However, unlike in brain tissue, where (-)-oxaprotiline fails to decrease the number of beta-adrenoceptors and to desensitize the cyclic adenosine monophosphate generating system, it desensitizes the beta-adrenoceptor-coupled adenylate cyclase system in C6 glioma cells. Determination of the relative steady-state levels of beta-adrenoceptor messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) by Northern blot analysis showed a twofold increase in the steady-state levels of the mRNA at 30 minutes following exposure to (-)-isoproterenol or (-)-oxaprotiline. At 48 hours, basal values of mRNA were observed at a time when beta-adrenoceptors were maximally decreased. Further experiments on transcriptional activation, and mRNA stability and translation will be required to unravel the complexity of agonist-dependent and agonist-independent regulation of beta-adrenoceptor density and function.

Ethidium bromide fluorescence of 28S ribosomal RNA can be used to normalize samples in northern or dot blots when analyzing small drug-induced changes in specific mRNA.

Quantitative analysis of Northern blots is frequently accomplished with the aid of an internal standard. Most common is probing for an additional message the steady-state levels of which do not change in response to the experimental conditions and the signal of which is sufficiently removed from that of the target gene after gel electrophoresis. However, this strategy is not always feasible. When total RNA is immobilized on nylon, 28S ribosomal RNA on the blot can be used as an internal standard and quantitated by scanning the negative photograph of the blotted RNA stained with ethidium bromide. This procedure can also be used for RNA dot blots. The method is quick, reliable, will work with laser or white-light densitometers, and can serve as a universal internal standard, eliminating the need for additional probes.

Dose-dependent down-regulation of beta-adrenoceptors by isoproterenol in rat C6 glioma cells.

Nano- and micromolar isoproterenol concentrations were compared by studying cyclic AMP, beta-adrenoceptor density and beta 1-adrenoceptor mRNA in rat C6 glioma cells. 1 microM isoproterenol significantly changed all parameters at 15-30 min. The beta 1-antagonist metoprolol attenuated the response. No effects of nanomolar isoproterenol on these early changes were observed, although the density of beta-adrenoceptors was significantly reduced beginning at 12 h. The results indicate a different process for beta-adrenoceptor desensitization in C6 cells following physiologically low agonist concentrations.

Characterization of the inducible serotonin-sensitive dihydroalprenolol binding sites with low affinity for isoproterenol.

The previous findings that the inducible [3H]-dihydroalprenolol (DHA) binding sites with low affinity for isoproterenol (RL) could be regulated by serotonin (5-HT) in vitro and by 5-hydroxytryptophan and the 5-HT uptake inhibitor fluoxetine in vivo, prompted the present pharmacologic characterization of these receptor sites, using nonlinear regression analysis of competition binding curves. If isoproterenol was used as the displacing agent, lesioning with 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine selectively increased [3H]-DHA binding sites with low micromolar affinity. By contrast, if 5-HT was used as the displacing agent, the receptor population with high agonist affinity showed a fourfold increase whereas the density of [3H]-DHA sites with low micromolar affinity for 5-HT was not altered. Neither the 5-HT1A agonist, 8-OH-DPAT, nor mianserin, a 5-HT2 and 5-HT1C antagonist, altered the induced RL receptor population, whereas the selective 5-HT1B agonist CGS-12066B reduced the increase in the RL receptor population with a potency equal to that of 5-HT. These results strengthen the notion that the [3H]-DHA sites with low agonist affinity for isoproterenol represent 5-HT1B receptors induced following a reduction of serotonergic neuronal function.

Dual aminergic regulation of central beta adrenoceptors. Effect of "atypical" antidepressants and 5-hydroxytryptophan.

Nonlinear regression analysis of agonist competition binding curves reveals that the [3H]-dihydroalprenolol-labeled receptor population with low affinity for isoproterenol is increased by p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) and this increase is abolished by 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) in vivo. Desipramine (DMI) decreased the beta adrenoceptor population with high agonist affinity to the same degree in PCPA-treated animals as in control animals, thus explaining the reported discrepancy between beta adrenoceptor number and responsiveness of the beta adrenoceptor-coupled adenylate cyclase system. Mianserin also selectively reduced the beta adrenoceptor population with high agonist affinity in membrane preparations of normal animals, whereas fluoxetine selectively abolished the upregulation of the low affinity sites in reserpinized animals and had no effect on either receptor population from brain of normal animals. The results emphasize the importance of nonlinear regression analysis of agonist competition binding for the interpretation of drug action and encourage the pursuit of the molecular neurobiology of the serotonin (5-HT)/norepinephrine (NE) link in brain.

The serotonin/norepinephrine-link in brain. II. Role of serotonin in the regulation of beta adrenoceptors in the low agonist affinity conformation.

The present studies were undertaken to characterize further the role of serotonin (5-HT) in the regulation of the norepinephrine (NE) beta adrenoceptor coupled adenylate cyclase system in the rat cortex. Although 5-HT in vitro did not influence maximum binding and Kd values of [3H]dihydroalprenolol binding or the IC50 value for isoproterenol as estimated from competition binding curves in cortical tissue from control animals, 5-HT abolished the increase in beta adrenoceptor number and the marked elevation of the IC50 value for isoproterenol in cortical membrane preparations after selective lesions with 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT). Nonlinear regression analysis of competition binding curves revealed that the increase in the maximum binding of beta adrenoceptors after 5,7-DHT is due exclusively to an increase in beta adrenoceptors in the agonist low affinity conformation and that it is this receptor population that is reduced by nanomolar concentrations of 5-HT. The increase in the density of beta adrenoceptors in the low affinity conformation occurred approximately 11 days after the lesions and remained elevated throughout the experimental period of 28 days. Ritanserin in a dose that virtually abolished 5-HT2 receptor binding in cortex did not mimic the effect of 5,7-DHT.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The serotonin/noradrenaline-link in brain. I. The role of noradrenaline and serotonin in the regulation of density and function of beta adrenoceptors and its alteration by desipramine.

The present studies were undertaken to assess the role of noradrenaline (NA) and serotonin (5HT) in the regulation of the NA receptor coupled adenylate cyclase system and its alteration by desipramine (DMI) in brain structures with or without noradrenergic neuronal projections. In contrast to cortex and limbic forebrain, where chronic DMI administration caused subsensitivity of the NA sensitive adenylate cyclase linked to a down-regulation of beta adrenoceptors, the drug failed to alter the NA receptor coupled adenylate cyclase system in the striatum. Selective lesions of serotonergic axons with 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine caused a significant increase in the density of beta adrenoceptors in cortex, limbic forebrain and striatum and prevented the down-regulation by DMI of beta adrenoceptors in cortex and limbic forebrain while the responsiveness of the NA sensitive adenylate cyclase was reduced to the same extent as in sham-lesioned control animals. The discrepancy between beta adrenoceptor number and NA responsiveness following lesions of 5HT axons was particularly profound in the striatum. The analysis of high- and low-affinity components of agonist binding demonstrated that the increase in striatal beta adrenoceptors is due to a marked increase in receptors with low affinity while the number of receptors with high affinity is unchanged. The results lend further support to the view that the synaptic availability of NA is a prerequisite for the induction of subsensitivity of the NA sensitive adenylate cyclase and for the down-regulation of its beta adrenoceptor population by DMI and that 5HT plays a pivotal role in both the regulation of the number and the function of central beta adrenoceptors.

A pivotal role for serotonin (5HT) in the regulation of beta adrenoceptors by antidepressants: reversibility of the action parachlorophenylalanine by 5-hydroxytroptophan.

An acute reduction in the synaptic availability of serotonin (5HT) by p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) nullifies the decrease in the density of cortical beta adrenoceptors caused by desipramine (DMI) but does not appreciably alter the attenuation of the norepinephrine (NE) sensitive adenylate cyclase. The analysis of competition-binding curves of [3H]-dihydroalprenolol shows that the affinity of the agonist (-)-isoproterenol for cortical beta adrenoceptors is profoundly reduced following PCPA. This reduction in agonist affinity is enhanced by DMI. Resupplying 5HT by by-passing tryptophan hydroxylase inhibition, by administering 5-hydroxytryptophan, converts a DMI non-responsive to a DMI responsive beta adrenoceptor population and shifts the markedly decreased agonist affinity towards the affinity values found in control preparations. The results demonstrate the pivotal role of 5HT in the regulation of the density and agonist affinity characteristics of cortical beta adrenoceptors and contribute to the scientific basis of the 'serotonin-norepinephrine link hypothesis' of affective disorders.

Desensitization by antidepressants of central norepinephrine receptor systems coupled to adenylate cyclase.

The experimental results discussed in this paper provide evidence that antidepressant-induced attenuation of the NE receptor-coupled adenylate cyclase system in brain and the down-regulation of its beta adrenoceptor subpopulation result in a net deamplification of the NE signal. The desensitization of the NE receptor system requires an unhindered occupancy of the receptor by the agonist NE. Following adrenalectomy, the non-beta population of NE receptors coupled to adenylate cyclase shows an enhanced response to NE without changes in the activity of adenylate cyclase or phosphodiesterase. This supersensitivity to NE can be prevented by corticosterone. The synaptic availability of 5HT is co-required for the down-regulation by DMI-like drugs of the density of beta adrenoceptors. Moreover, beta adrenoceptors from tissue deprived of serotonergic neuronal input display a marked decrease in agonist affinity as determined from competition binding of (-)-isoproterenol for [3H]dihydroalprenolol. Using NE as an agonist, competition binding curves with membrane preparations from cortical tissue lacking 5HT input show low affinity binding of the receptor for NE that cannot be further modified by guanine nucleotides. The reduction in beta adrenoceptor agonist affinity following reduction of the synaptic availability of 5HT is accentuated by chronic administration of DMI or zimelidine. The new experimental data on the biomolecular linkage between serotonergic and noradrenergic neurons, expressed functionally at the level of NE receptors, provide the scientific basis for a "serotonin-norepinephrine link hypothesis" of affective disorders. The pursuit of studies on the molecular mechanisms of the action of steroid hormones on central NE receptor systems and on mechanisms underlying the functional 5HT-NE linkage and its modification by antidepressants should generate a deeper understanding of neuronal signal processing in brain.

Effect of selective monoamine oxidase inhibition by clorgyline and deprenyl on the norepinephrine receptor-coupled adenylate cyclase system in rat cortex.

The consequences of selective monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibition on the norepinephrine(NE)-sensitive adenylate cyclase system were determined in slices of rat cerebral cortex. The chronic administration of clorgyline, which selectively inhibited the activity of MAO-A, caused a significant decrease in the responsiveness of the noradrenergic cyclic AMP-generating system. The noradrenergic subsensitivity was accompanied by a significant decrease in the density of beta-adrenoceptors, as measured by 3H-dihydroalprenolol (DHA) binding, without altering the Kd value. However, selective inhibition of MAO-B by deprenyl did not alter the sensitivity of the cyclic AMP-generating system to NE or the specific DHA binding. The basal levels of cyclic AMP in the cortex were unaltered by the drugs. Since inhibition of MAO-A, but not MAO-B, increases the availability of NE, the results support the hypothesis that a persistent NE-receptor interaction is one of the prerequisites for the in vivo densitization of the NE-sensitive adenylate cyclase and the concomitant down-regulation of the number of beta-adrenoceptors in brain.

Role of neuronal signal input in the down-regulation of central noradrenergic receptor function by antidepressant drugs.

Rats with unilateral lesions of the locus coeruleus were used to study the role of norepinephrine (NE) signal input in the down-regulation by antidepressants of the noradrenergic cyclic AMP-generating system in the cortex. Chronic administration of both desipramine (blockade of NE reuptake) and iprindole (no blockade of NE reuptake) reduced the cyclic AMP response to NE on the nonlesioned side, but had little or no effect on the lesioned side. The results indicate that NE signal input and thus the formation of the NE-receptor complex are prerequisites for inducing noradrenergic subsensitivity.

Oxaprotiline: induction of central noradrenergic subsensitivity of its (+)-enantiomer.

The effects of the tetracyclic antidepressant oxaprotiline and its two optically active enantiomers on the norepinephrine (NE) receptor coupled adenylate cyclase system were determined in slices of the rat cerebral cortex. While oxaprotiline does not change the response of the cyclic AMP generating system to NE after a single dose, chronic administration of the drug for 3 to 14 days down-regulates the receptor system. The noradrenergic subsensitivity is linked to a reduction in the Bmax value of beta-adrenergic receptors as assessed by (3H)-dihydroalprenolol binding without changes in the Kd value. The action of oxaprotiline on the NE receptor coupled adenylate cyclase system resides entirely in the (+)-enantiomer which is a potent inhibitor of the neuronal uptake of NE. The (-)-enantiomer of oxaprotiline which is a weak inhibitor of NE reuptake, failed, even in high doses, to modify the noradrenergic receptor system. Though not excluding co-regulatory factors in addition to NE, the studies support the view that an enhanced and persistent NE receptor interaction is one of the prerequisites for the in vivo down-regulation of central noradrenergic receptor function. The results also suggest that the therapeutic activity of oxaprotiline may reside in its (+)-enantiomer.

Development of and recovery from subsensitivity of the noradrenergic cyclic AMP generating system in brain. Effect of amphetamine following inhibition of its aromatic hydroxylation by iprindole.

Amphetamine given intraperitoneally (10 mg/kg b.i.d.) for 2 days did not alter either the basal level of cyclic AMP or the neurohormonal response of the cylcic AMP generating system to noradrenaline (NA). The same doses of amphetamine caused a significant reduction in the responsiveness to NA and the beta-adrenergic agonist isoprenaline following the inhibition of the aromatic hydroxylation by iprindole. The EC50 values (concentration of NA which causes half maximal cyclic AMP stimulation) were not significantly changed: 9.5 micro M (controls) and 11 micro M (iprindole + amphetamine). Following discontinuation of the drugs, the recovery from adrenergic subsensitivity to NA was complete within 1 week in the limbic forebrain while the adrenergic responsiveness in the cortex was still only 65% of its control value 3 weeks following discontinuation of the drugs. The subsensitivity in both limbic forebrain and cortex was linked to a decreased Bmax value of specific 3H-dihydroalprenolol binding without changes in the Kd values. The different rates of recovery from noradrenergic subsensitivity in limbic forebrain and cortex following withdrawal of the drugs were reflected in the density of beta-adrenergic receptors in the two brain regions. Since inhibition of the aromatic hydroxylation of amphetamine markedly prolongs the half life of the drug and prevents the accumulation of p-hydroxynorephedrine (a potential NA antagonist), the results support the view that homospecific down-regulation of the NA receptor coupled adenylate cyclase system in brain depends on a sustained and unhindered NA receptor interaction.