Pharmacological characterisation of the GlyT-1 glycine transporter using two novel radioligands.

Inhibitors of the glycine transporter GlyT-1 are being developed as potential treatments for schizophrenia. Here we report on the use of two novel radioligands, [(3)H]-SB-733993 and [(3)H]-GSK931145, for the characterisation of GlyT-1 in both cells and native tissue. Binding was evaluated in membranes either from HEK293 cells expressing recombinant human GlyT-1 (hGlyT-1) or from rat cerebral cortex. Specific binding of both [(3)H]-SB-733993 and [(3)H]-GSK931145 to hGlyT-1 HEK293 cell membranes and rat cerebral cortex membranes was saturable and comprised >90% of total binding. K(d) and B(max) values for the two radioligands were fairly similar, with K(d) values of 1-2 nM and B(max) values of around 7000 fmol/mg protein in hGlyT-1 membranes and 3000 fmol/mg protein in rat cortex membranes. Association of [(3)H]-SB-733993 was faster, with binding reaching equilibrium within 30 min compared with 90 min for [(3)H]-GSK931145. Dissociation was also much slower for [(3)H]-GSK931145 than for [(3)H]-SB-733993, with 50% of specific binding being dissociated by approximately 40 min and 5 min, respectively. Autoradiography studies with [(3)H]-GSK931145 showed widespread distribution of binding in rat brain, with generally higher binding in caudal compared with rostral areas. Initial studies in human frontal cortex membranes showed clear specific binding of [(3)H]-GSK931145, though with much lower density (B(max) 570 fmol/mg protein) and slightly lower affinity (K(d) 4.5 nM) compared with rat cortex. A human brain autoradiography study showed higher specific binding in cerebellum compared with frontal cortex. All GlyT-1 inhibitors tested, as well as glycine itself, competed fully for the binding of both [(3)H]-SB-733993 and [(3)H]-GSK931145 in both hGlyT-1 and rat cortex membranes. Studies on the effect of varying NaCl concentration showed that [(3)H]-SB-733993 binding was reduced by >90% in the absence of added Na(+) ions, whilst [(3)H]-GSK931145 binding was unaffected. Glycine produced concentration-dependent decreases in binding affinity of both radioligands without major changes in B(max) values, suggesting that both [(3)H]-SB-733993 and [(3)H]-GSK931145 bind to sites on GlyT-1 that are orthosteric to the site at which glycine itself binds. Overall, these results show that both [(3)H]-SB-733993 and [(3)H]-GSK931145 are useful radioligands for studies on GlyT-1 in both cell lines and native tissues, with [(3)H]-GSK931145 being the radioligand of choice for further studies on GlyT-1 expression and pharmacology.

Orthosteric and allosteric modes of interaction of novel selective agonists of the M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor.

Recent years have witnessed the discovery of novel selective agonists of the M(1) muscarinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptor (mAChR). One mechanism invoked to account for the selectivity of such agents is that they interact with allosteric sites. We investigated the molecular pharmacology of two such agonists, 1-[3-(4-butyl-1-piperidinyl)propyl]-3,4-dihydro-2(1H)-quinolinone (77-LH-28-1) and 4-n-butyl-1-[4-(2-methylphenyl)-4-oxo-1-butyl] piperidine hydrogen chloride (AC-42), at the wild-type M(1) mAChR and three mutant M(1) mAChRs. Both agonists inhibited the binding of the orthosteric antagonist [(3)H]N-methyl scopolamine ([(3)H]NMS) in a manner consistent with orthosteric competition or high negative cooperativity. Functional interaction studies between 77-LH-28-1 and ACh also indicated a competitive mechanism. Dissociation kinetics assays revealed that the agonists could bind allosterically when the orthosteric site was prelabeled with [(3)H]NMS and that 77-LH-28-1 competed with the prototypical allosteric modulator heptane-1,7-bis-[dimethyl-3'-phthalimidopropyl]-ammonium bromide under these conditions. Mutation of the key orthosteric site residues Y(381)A (transmembrane helix 6) and W(101)A (transmembrane helix 3) reduced the affinity of prototypical orthosteric agonists but increased the affinity of the novel agonists. Divergent effects were also noted on agonist signaling efficacies at these mutants. We identified a novel mutation, F(77)I (transmembrane helix 2), which selectively reduced the efficacy of the novel agonists in mediating intracellular Ca(2+) elevation and phosphorylation of extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2. Molecular modeling suggested a possible "bitopic" binding mode, whereby the agonists extend down into the orthosteric site as well as up toward extracellular receptor regions associated with an allosteric site. It is possible that this bitopic mode may explain the pharmacology of other selective mAChR agonists.

Glycine transporter 1 (GlyT1) inhibitors exhibit anticonvulsant properties in the rat maximal electroshock threshold (MEST) test.

Glycine can act as either an inhibitory neurotransmitter or as a potentiator of NMDA-dependent excitatory neurotransmission. There is some evidence that glycine can have both pro- and anticonvulsant properties in various rodent models of epilepsy. In the present study we tested several glycine transporter 1 (GlyT1) inhibitors including NFPS, SSR 504734, Lu AA21279, Org 25935, SB-710622, GSK931145, as well as the glycine agonist d-serine, in the maximal electroshock threshold (MEST) test in the rat. In a series of experiments, male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=12/group) were pre-treated with a compound of interest and then received an electric shock delivered via corneal electrodes. A cohort of satellite animals (n=3/group) was also used to measure blood and brain levels of Org 25935. All GlyT1 inhibitors increased seizure thresholds dose-dependently, indicative of anticonvulsant activity. SB-710622 and GSK931145 had lower minimum effective doses (MEDs) in the MEST test than other GlyT1 inhibitors. At estimated t(max), increases in dose administered were paralleled by increases in blood and brain concentrations of Org 25935. Thus, increasing extracellular concentration of glycine via inhibition of its uptake protects from electroshock-induced seizures in the rat. Whether strychnine-sensitive or strychnine-insensitive glycine binding sites are involved in this effect remains to be determined.

Structure-function studies of allosteric agonism at M2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors.

The M2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) possesses at least one binding site for allosteric modulators that is dependent on the residues (172)EDGE(175), Tyr(177), and Thr(423). However, the contribution of these residues to actions of allosteric agonists, as opposed to modulators, is unknown. We created mutant M2 mAChRs in which the charge of the (172)EDGE(175) sequence had been neutralized and each Tyr(177) and Thr(423) was substituted with alanine. Radioligand binding experiments revealed that these mutations had a profound inhibitory effect on the prototypical modulators gallamine, alcuronium, and heptane-1,7-bis-[dimethyl-3'-phthalimidopropyl]-ammonium bromide (C7/3-phth) but minimal effects on the orthosteric antagonist [3H]N-methyl scopolamine. In contrast, the allosteric agonists 4-I-[3-chlorophenyl]carbamoyloxy)-2-butynyltrimethylammnonium chloride (McN-A-343), 4-n-butyl-1-[4-(2-methylphenyl)-4-oxo-1-butyl] piperidine hydrogen chloride (AC-42), and the novel AC-42 derivative 1-[3-(4-butyl-1-piperidinyl)propyl]-3,4-dihydro-2(1H)-quinolinone (77-LH-28-1) demonstrated an increased affinity or proportion of high-affinity sites at the combined EDGE-YT mutation, indicating a different mode of binding to the prototypical modulators. Subsequent functional assays of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 phosphorylation and guanosine 5'-(gamma-[(35)S]thio)triphosphate ([(35)S]GTPgammaS) binding revealed minimal effects of the mutations on the orthosteric agonists acetylcholine (ACh) and pilocarpine but a significant increase in the efficacy of McN-A-343 and potency of 77-LH-28-1. Additional mutagenesis experiments found that these effects were predominantly mediated by Tyr(177) and Thr(423), rather than the (172)EDGE(175) sequence. The functional interaction between each of the allosteric agonists and ACh was characterized by high negative cooperativity but was consistent with an increased allosteric agonist affinity at the combined EDGE-YT mutant M2 mAChR. This study has thus revealed a differential role of critical allosteric site residues on the binding and function of allosteric agonists versus allosteric modulators of M2 mAChRs.

1,3-diaminopropan-2-ol sulfonamides as potent and selective inhibitors of the glycine transporter type 1.

High throughput screening led to the discovery of a novel series of 1,3-diaminopropan-2-ol sulfonamides as selective GlyT-1 inhibitors. Structure-activity relationships of this novel series and optimisation of the initial hit that led to the identification of (2), a potent and selective GlyT-1 inhibitor, are also presented.

Probing the molecular mechanism of interaction between 4-n-butyl-1-[4-(2-methylphenyl)-4-oxo-1-butyl]-piperidine (AC-42) and the muscarinic M(1) receptor: direct pharmacological evidence that AC-42 is an allosteric agonist.

4-n-Butyl-1-[4-(2-methylphenyl)-4-oxo-1-butyl]-piperidine hydrogen chloride (AC-42) is a selective agonist of the muscarinic M(1) receptor previously suggested to interact with an "ectopic" site on this receptor. However, the pharmacological properties of this site (i.e., whether it overlaps to any extent with the classic orthosteric site or represents a novel allosteric site) remain undetermined. In the present study, atropine or pirenzepine significantly inhibited the ability of either carbachol or AC-42 to stimulate inositol phosphate accumulation or intracellular calcium mobilization in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells stably expressing the human M(1) receptor. However, the interaction between either of these antagonists and AC-42 was characterized by Schild slopes significantly less than unity. Increasing the concentrations of atropine revealed that the Schild regression was curvilinear, consistent with a negative allosteric interaction. More direct evidence for an allosteric mode of action of AC-42 was obtained in [(3)H]N-methylscopolamine ([(3)H]NMS) binding studies, in that both AC-42 and the prototypical modulator gallamine failed to fully inhibit specific [(3)H]NMS binding in a manner that was quantitatively described by an allosteric model applied to both modulator data sets. Furthermore, AC-42 and gallamine significantly retarded the rate of [(3)H]NMS dissociation from CHO-hM(1) cell membranes, conclusively demonstrating their ability to bind to a topographically distinct site to change M(1) receptor conformation. These data provide the first direct evidence that AC-42 is an allosteric agonist that activates M(1) receptors in the absence of the orthosteric agonist.

Characterisation of the binding of [3H]-SB-674042, a novel nonpeptide antagonist, to the human orexin-1 receptor.

1. This study characterises the binding of a novel nonpeptide antagonist radioligand, [(3)H]SB-674042 (1-(5-(2-fluoro-phenyl)-2-methyl-thiazol-4-yl)-1-((S)-2-(5-phenyl-(1,3,4)oxadiazol-2-ylmethyl)-pyrrolidin-1-yl)-methanone), to the human orexin-1 (OX(1)) receptor stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells in both a whole cell assay and in a cell membrane-based scintillation proximity assay (SPA) format. 2. Specific binding of [(3)H]SB-674042 was saturable in both whole cell and membrane formats. Analyses suggested a single high-affinity site, with K(d) values of 3.76+/-0.45 and 5.03+/-0.31 nm, and corresponding B(max) values of 30.8+/-1.8 and 34.4+/-2.0 pmol mg protein(-1), in whole cell and membrane formats, respectively. Kinetic studies yielded similar K(d) values. 3. Competition studies in whole cells revealed that the native orexin peptides display a low affinity for the OX(1) receptor, with orexin-A displaying a approximately five-fold higher affinity than orexin-B (K(i) values of 318+/-158 and 1516+/-597 nm, respectively). 4. SB-334867, SB-408124 (1-(6,8-difluoro-2-methyl-quinolin-4-yl)-3-(4-dimethylamino-phenyl)-urea) and SB-410220 (1-(5,8-difluoro-quinolin-4-yl)-3-(4-dimethylamino-phenyl)-urea) all displayed high affinity for the OX(1) receptor in both whole cell (K(i) values 99+/-18, 57+/-8.3 and 19+/-4.5 nm, respectively) and membrane (K(i) values 38+/-3.6, 27+/-4.1 and 4.5+/-0.2 nm, respectively) formats. 5. Calcium mobilisation studies showed that SB-334867, SB-408124 and SB-410220 are all functional antagonists of the OX(1) receptor, with potencies in line with their affinities, as measured in the radioligand binding assays, and with approximately 50-fold selectivity over the orexin-2 receptor. 6. These studies indicate that [(3)H]SB-674042 is a specific, high-affinity radioligand for the OX(1) receptor. The availability of this radioligand will be a valuable tool with which to investigate the physiological functions of OX(1) receptors.