The role of nicotinic receptors in B-lymphocyte development and activation.

We studied the binding of [(3)H]-epibatidine and [(125)I-]alpha-bungarotoxin, as well as subunit-specific antibodies with purified B lymphocytes of C57Bl/6J mice and found that these cells contained 12,200+/-3200 of alpha4(alpha5)beta2 and 3130+/-750 of alpha7(alpha5beta4) nicotinic acetylcholine receptors per cell. According to flow cytometry data, the highest expression of alpha4(alpha5)beta2 receptors was observed in immature newly generated B lymphocytes of the bone marrow, while the number of alpha7(alpha5beta4) receptors grew up along with the B cell maturation in the spleen. By using alpha4, beta2 or alpha7 knockout and chimera mice, it was shown that both receptor subtypes supported the survival of B cell precursors and increased the size of B-lymphocyte population in the bone marrow. In contrast, propagation of mature B lymphocytes in the spleen was controlled by alpha7-containing subtype only. Moreover, mature B lymphocytes became sensitive to nicotine only in the absence of beta2-containing receptors. Knockout mice had less serum IgG, IgG-producing cells and natural IgG antibodies than their wild-type counterparts, while the absence of beta2-containing receptors resulted in increased B-lymphocyte activation and antibody immune response. The data obtained indicate that nicotinic receptors are involved in regulating B-lymphocyte development and activation, possibly, by affecting expression and/or signaling of CD40, the two subtypes playing different roles.

The role of nicotinic receptor beta-2 subunits in nicotine discrimination and conditioned taste aversion.

The subtypes of nicotinic receptors at which the behavioural effects of nicotine originate are not fully understood. These experiments use mice lacking the beta2 subunit of nicotinic receptors to investigate its role in nicotine discrimination and conditioned taste aversion (CTA). Wild-type and mutant mice were trained either in a two-lever nicotine discrimination procedure using a tandem schedule of food reinforcement, or in a counterbalanced two-flavour CTA procedure. Rates of lever-pressing of wild-type and mutant mice did not differ. Wild-type mice acquired discrimination of nicotine (0.4 or 0.8 mg/kg) rapidly and exhibited steep dose-response curves. Mutant mice failed to acquire these nicotine discriminations and exhibited flat dose-response curves. Both wild-type and mutant mice acquired discrimination of nicotine (1.6 mg/kg) although discrimination performance was weak in the mutants. Nicotine initially reduced response rates in wild-type and mutant mice, and tolerance developed to this effect in each genotype. Both genotypes acquired discrimination of morphine (3 mg/kg) with similar degrees of accuracy, and dose-response curves for morphine discrimination in the two genotypes were indistinguishable. Nicotine produced dose-related CTA in both genotypes, but the magnitude of the effect was less in the mutants than in the wild-type controls. It is concluded that nicotinic receptors containing the beta2 subunit play a major role in the discriminative stimulus and taste aversion effects of nicotine that may reflect psychological aspects of tobacco dependence. Such receptors appear to have a less crucial role in the response-rate, reducing effects of nicotine and in nicotine tolerance.

Human 5-HT(5) receptors: the 5-HT(5A) receptor is functional but the 5-HT(5B) receptor was lost during mammalian evolution.

We have isolated from a human genomic library the human 5-hydroxytryptamine 5-HT(5A) and 5-HT(5B) genes. The human 5-HT(5A) gene encodes a protein with similar characteristics to its mouse homologue. When expressed in monkey COS-7 cells, the human 5-HT(5A) receptor displayed a high affinity for tritiated 5-carbamidotryptamine ([3H]5-CT; K(D)=2.8 nM) and iodinated lysergic acid diethylamide ([125I]LSD; K(D)=187 pM). These binding sites displayed the following displacement profile: Ergotamine>Methiothepin>5-CT, Ritanserin>5-HT. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) experiments revealed the presence of human 5-HT(5A) mRNA in the central nervous system but not in peripheral organs. When expressed in Xenopus oocytes, the 5-HT(5A) receptor was able to couple to the inwardly rectifying K(+) channel, GIRK(1). In contrast to the human 5-HT(5A) gene and the mouse 5-HT(5B) gene, the human 5-HT(5B) gene does not encode a functional protein because its coding sequence is interrupted by stop codons. Our results suggest, therefore, that the 5-HT(5B) receptor has been lost during evolution after the divergence between rodents and primates. The 5-HT(5B) receptor is the first example of a brain-specific protein that is absent in human.

Relationship of psychopathology to the human serotonin1B genotype and receptor binding kinetics in postmortem brain tissue.

Knockout of the 5-HT1B gene in mice results in increased aggression, as well as alcohol and cocaine consumption. Given the clinical association of aggression, suicide, alcoholism, and substance abuse, we studied relationship of psychopathology to the human 5-HT1B receptor gene (N = 178) and postmortem human 5-HT1B receptor binding (N = 96) in the brain. The sample comprised: 71 suicide victims, 107 nonsuicides, 45 with a history of major depression and 79 without, 64 with a history of a alcoholism or substance abuse and 60 without, as well as 36 with a history of pathological aggression and 42 without. Single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis and DNA sequencing techniques were used to screen the coding region of the human 5-HT1B receptor gene in genomic DNA isolated from postmortem human brain tissue. Two common polymorphisms were identified in the 5-HT1B receptor gene, involving a silent C to T substitution at nucleotide 129 and a silent G to C substitution at nucleotide 861 of the coding region. These polymorphisms were found with the same frequency in the suicide and the nonsuicide groups and in those with and without a history of major depression, alcoholism, or pathological aggression. The binding indices (Bmax and KD of the 5-HT1B receptor in prefrontal cortex also did not differ in suicides and controls, major depression, alcoholism, and cases with a history of pathological aggression. The C129 or G861 allele had 20% fewer 5-HT1B receptor compared to the 129T or 861C allele. We did not identify a relationship between suicide, major depression, alcoholism, or pathological aggression with 5-HT1B receptor binding indices or genotype.

Increased exploratory activity and altered response to LSD in mice lacking the 5-HT(5A) receptor.

In order to determine the distribution and function of the 5-HT5A serotonin receptor subtype, we generated knockout mice lacking the 5-HT5A gene. Comparative autoradiography studies of brains of wild-type (wt) and 5-HT5A knockout (5A-KO) mice revealed the existence of binding sites with high affinity for [125I]LSD that correspond to 5-HT5A receptors and that are concentrated in the olfactory bulb, neocortex, and medial habenula. When exposed to novel environments, the 5A-KO mice displayed increased exploratory activity but no change in anxiety-related behaviors. In addition, the stimulatory effect of LSD on exploratory activity was attenuated in 5A-KO mice. These results suggest that 5-HT5A receptors modulate the activity of neural circuits involved specifically in exploratory behavior and suggest that some of the psychotropic effects of LSD may be mediated by 5-HT5A receptors.

Putative 5-ht5 receptors: localization in the mouse CNS and lack of effect in the inhibition of dural protein extravasation.

Putative 5-ht5 receptor binding sites were visualized by in vitro autoradiography using [125I]LSD (in the presence of clozapine and spiperone) or [3H]5-carboxamidotryptamine (in the presence 8-OH-DPAT, GR127935 and spiperone). Under these conditions, no [3H]5-carboxamidotryptamine labeling was detected in the brain of mice lacking the gene encoding the putative 5-ht5a receptor (knockout mice), whereas intermediate densities of binding sites were seen in the olfactory bulb and neocortex of wild-type mice. [125I]LSD labeled the same areas as [3H]5-carboxamidotryptamine in wild-type mice. High densities of [125I]LSD binding sites were observed in the medial habenula of wild type and knockout mice. 5-CT competed for [125I]LSD binding sites with an affinity of 2 nM in the olfactory bulb and neocortex of wild-type mice and an affinity of 30 nM in the habenula of knockout mice, suggesting that habenular labeling might be accounted for by putative 5-ht5b receptors. In the presence of 5'-guanylylimidodiphosphate, 5-CT displaced [125I]LSD from putative 5-ht5a and 5-ht5b sites with a 6-times and 3-times lower affinity, respectively, suggesting that both receptor subtypes are coupled to G proteins in brain. We also studied the inhibitory effect of 5-CT on dural neurogenic inflammation in knockout mice. In wild type mice, 3 ng/kg 5-CT inhibited dural protein extravasation by 60%. A similar effect was observed in knockout mice, even in the presence of the 5-HT1B receptor antagonist GR127935. These results suggest that the inhibitory effects of 5-CT are not mediated by a site with the characteristics of the putative 5-ht5 receptor.

Mouse 5-hydroxytryptamine5A and 5-hydroxytryptamine5B receptors define a new family of serotonin receptors: cloning, functional expression, and chromosomal localization.

Serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] is a neuromodulator that mediates a wide range of physiological functions by activating multiple receptors. Using a strategy based on amino acid sequence homology between 5-HT receptors that interact with guanine nucleotide-binding proteins, we have isolated from a mouse brain library a cDNA encoding a new serotonin receptor. Amino acid sequence comparisons revealed that this receptor was a close relative of the previously identified 5-HT5 receptor but was distant from all other 5-HT receptor subtypes; we therefore named it 5-HT5B. When expressed in COS-7 cells, the 5-HT5B receptor displayed a high affinity for the serotonergic radioligand 125I-lysergic acid diethylamide. Its pharmacological profile was distinct from that of all classic 5-HT receptor subtypes. However, the high affinity of the 5-HT5B receptor for 5-carboxamidotryptamine and its low affinity for sumatriptan indicated that it might correspond to recently described 5-HT1D-like binding sites that were labeled with [3H]5-carboxamidotryptamine and insensitive to sumatriptan. In situ hybridization experiments revealed that the 5-HT5B mRNA was expressed predominantly in the habenula and in the CA1 field of the hippocampus. We also determined the chromosomal localization of the 5-HT5A and 5-HT5B genes and of their human counterparts. The 5-HT5A gene colocalized with the mouse mutation reeler and the human mutation holoprosencephaly type 3, which both result in abnormal brain development, raising the possibility that the 5-HT5A receptor plays a role in brain development.