A receptor in pituitary and hypothalamus that functions in growth hormone release.

Small synthetic molecules termed growth hormone secretagogues (GHSs) act on the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus to stimulate and amplify pulsatile growth hormone (GH) release. A heterotrimeric GTP-binding protein (G protein)-coupled receptor (GPC-R) of the pituitary and arcuate ventro-medial and infundibular hypothalamus of swine and humans was cloned and was shown to be the target of the GHSs. On the basis of its pharmacological and molecular characterization, this GPC-R defines a neuroendocrine pathway for the control of pulsatile GH release and supports the notion that the GHSs mimic an undiscovered hormone.

Influence of pHo on calcium channel block by amlodipine, a charged dihydropyridine compound. Implications for location of the dihydropyridine receptor.

We have investigated the modulation of L-type calcium channel currents in isolated ventricular cells by the dihydropyridine derivative amlodipine, a weak base with a pKa of 8.6. Under conditions that favor neutral drug molecules, amlodipine block resembles other, previously described, neutral dihydropyridine derivatives: block is more pronounced at depolarized voltages, repetitive pulsing is not needed to promote block, and recovery is complete at hyperpolarized voltages. When the drug is ionized, depolarized voltages still enhance block, however, the time course is slow and speeded by repetitive pulses that open channels. Recovery from block by ionized drug molecules is very slow and incomplete, but can be rapidly modified by changes in external hydrogen ion concentration. We conclude from these observations that the degree of ionization of the drug molecule can affect access to the dihydropyridine receptor and that external protons can interact with the drug-receptor complex even if channels are blocked and closed. These observations place limitations on the location of this receptor in the ventricular cell membrane.

Block of L-type calcium channels by charged dihydropyridines. Sensitivity to side of application and calcium.

We have studied block of L-type calcium channels by intracellular and extracellular application of the ionized dihydropyridine derivatives amlodipine and SDZ 207-180. We find that extracellular application of either drug causes voltage-dependent block of calcium channels. However, neither drug is effective when applied intracellularly. The insensitivity of calcium channels to intracellular drug is not due to the low concentrations of cytosolic calcium, because voltage-dependent block by ionized amlodipine, SDZ 207-180, and the neutral drug nisoldipine persists under conditions in which Ca0 is buffered by EGTA. In fact, the time course of the development of block by the ionized but not neutral drug molecules studied, is slower in the presence than in the absence of calcium. Our results indicate that the DHP binding site of the L-type calcium channel is close to the extracellular surface of the cell membrane and that ionized DHP molecules may interact with the receptor in a manner that is uniquely affected by calcium.

Functional expression of Drosophila para sodium channels. Modulation by the membrane protein TipE and toxin pharmacology.

The Drosophila para sodium channel alpha subunit was expressed in Xenopus oocytes alone and in combination with tipE, a putative Drosophila sodium channel accessory subunit. Coexpression of tipE with para results in elevated levels of sodium currents and accelerated current decay. Para/TipE sodium channels have biophysical and pharmacological properties similar to those of native channels. However, the pharmacology of these channels differs from that of vertebrate sodium channels: (a) toxin II from Anemonia sulcata, which slows inactivation, binds to Para and some mammalian sodium channels with similar affinity (Kd congruent with 10 nM), but this toxin causes a 100-fold greater decrease in the rate of inactivation of Para/TipE than of mammalian channels; (b) Para sodium channels are >10-fold more sensitive to block by tetrodotoxin; and (c) modification by the pyrethroid insecticide permethrin is >100-fold more potent for Para than for rat brain type IIA sodium channels. Our results suggest that the selective toxicity of pyrethroid insecticides is due at least in part to the greater affinity of pyrethroids for insect sodium channels than for mammalian sodium channels.

Cellular electrophysiology of amlodipine: probing the cardiac L-type calcium channel.

The electrophysiologic properties of amlodipine in single guinea-pig ventricular cells were investigated. The degree of ionization of the drug molecule was found to affect both the development of and the recovery from block of L-type calcium channels. Under alkaline conditions, when most of the drug is in a neutral form, the actions of amlodipine resemble previously described neutral dihydropyridine (DHP) compounds. Under these conditions, calcium channel block by amlodipine is reversibly regulated by cell membrane potential, i.e., block is more pronounced at voltages positive to -50 mV and completely relieved at voltages negative to -80 mV. When the drug molecule is ionized, block develops very slowly at positive membrane potentials and is very difficult to relieve on returning the membrane potential to more negative voltages. It is concluded that the degree of ionization of the drug molecule limits access to the DHP receptor and that the drug-bound receptor can be titrated by extracellular hydrogen ions. These results place limitations on the location of the DHP receptor within the cardiac sarcolemmal membrane.

Identification of neuron-specific ivermectin binding sites in Drosophila melanogaster and Schistocerca americana.

High affinity avermectin binding sites have been identified and partially characterized in membranes from two insect species, Drosophila melanogaster and the locus Schistocerca americana. There is a 10-fold increase in the density of ivermectin binding sites associated with membranes isolated from Drosophila heads (a neuronally enriched tissue source) compared to the bodies (Bmax values were 3.5 and 0.22 pmol/mg, respectively) with only a small difference in the apparent dissociation constant (Kd values of 0.20 and 0.34 nM for heads and bodies, respectively). Membranes prepared from metathoracic ganglia of the locust, Schistocerca americana, were highly enriched in high affinity avermectin binding sites (Kd = 0.2 nM and Bmax = 42 pmol/mg). Using an [125I]arylazido-avermectin analog as a photoaffinity probe, a 45 kDa protein was identified in both the Drosophila head and body tissue preparations. A 45 kDa protein was also specifically labeled with [125I]azido-avermectin in the locust neuronal membranes.

Expression of a glutamate-activated chloride current in Xenopus oocytes injected with Caenorhabditis elegans RNA: evidence for modulation by avermectin.

Membrane currents were recorded from Xenopus laevis oocytes injected with C. elegans poly(A)+ RNA. In such oocytes glutamate activated an inward membrane current that desensitized in the continued presence of glutamate. Glutamate-receptor agonists quisqualate, kainate, and N-methyl-D-aspartate were inactive. The reversal potential of the glutamate-sensitive current was -22 mV, and exhibited a strong dependence on external chloride with a 48 mV change for a 10-fold change in chloride. The chloride channel blockers flufenamate and picrotoxin inhibited the glutamate-sensitive current. Ibotenate, a structural analog of glutamate, also activated a picrotoxin-sensitive chloride current. Ibotenate was inactive when current was partially desensitized with glutamate, and the responses to low concentrations of glutamate and ibotenate were additive. The anthelmintic/insecticide compound avermectin directly activated the glutamate-sensitive current. In addition, avermectin increased the response to submaximal concentrations of glutamate, shifted the glutamate concentration-response curve to lower concentrations, and slowed the desensitization of glutamate-sensitive current. We propose that the glutamate-sensitive chloride current and the avermectin-sensitive chloride current are mediated via the same channel.

Detection of intracellular calcium elevations in Xenopus laevis oocytes: aequorin luminescence versus electrophysiology.

Detection of receptor expression in Xenopus oocytes often relies upon functional coupling to second messengers such as Ca2+ or cyclic adenosine monophosphate. To detect intracellular Ca2+, electrophysiological measurement of the endogenous Ca(2+)-activated chloride current (ICl(Ca)) is often used (Dascal, 1987). An alternative utilizes the Ca2+ sensing, bioluminescent protein aequorin (Parker and Miledi(1986) Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B, 228: 307-315; Giladi and Spindel (1991) BioTechniques, 10: 744-747). In the present study the sensitivities of aequorin and electrophysiology for detecting receptor-mediated Ca2+ transients were compared. Assays were performed on the same batches of oocytes using either animal serum or ligands of exogenous receptors to generate inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3) and ultimately elevate intracellular Ca2+. Signal amplitudes were controlled by titrating the concentration of animal serum, or titrating the amount of receptor mRNA injected. Both assays detected signals with high concentrations of animal serum, or with high receptor density. However, aequorin signals were not detected in experiments with average ICl(Ca) current amplitudes below 200 nA. To further evaluate the differences between these two techniques, membrane current and bioluminescence were measured simultaneously. Results of these studies suggest that the signals differ due to the spatial distribution of aequorin, the chloride channels, and the calcium release sites.

The mechanism of action of avermectins in Caenorhabditis elegans: correlation between activation of glutamate-sensitive chloride current, membrane binding, and biological activity.

Xenopus laevis oocytes were injected with mRNA isolated from the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the activation and potentiation of a glutamate-sensitive chloride current by a series of avermectin analogs and milbemycin D were determined. There was a strong correlation between the EC50 value determined for current activation in oocytes, the LD95 value for nematocidal activity, and also for the Ki value determined in a [3H]ivermectin competition binding assay. Four of the analogs were tested for potentiation of glutamate-sensitive current and the rank order for potentiation correlated with the EC50 for direct activation of current. We conclude that avermectins and milbemycins mediate their nematocidal effects on C. elegans via an interaction with a common receptor molecule, glutamate-gated chloride channels.

Expression of Caenorhabditis elegans mRNA in n Xenopus oocytes: a model system to study the mechanism of action of avermectins.

It has recently been shown that Xenopus oocytes injected with mRNA from the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans express avermectin-sensitive chloride channels. Joseph Arena here reviews what is known about the mechanism of action of avermectin and how these recent results relate to the mechanism in nematodes.

Activation of ATP-sensitive K channels in heart cells by pinacidil: dependence on ATP.

We have investigated the effects of pinacidil on channel activity recorded from inside-out patches of membrane excised from guinea pig ventricular cells. If the cytosolic ATP concentration is greater than 0 but less than 500 microM, pinacidil increases the activity of a channel identified as the ATP-sensitive K channel (IKATP) by its single-channel conductance, its inhibition by ATP, and its sensitivity to glybenclamide. When ATP is greater than 3.0 mM the effects of pinacidil are inhibited. Our experiments show that pinacidil enhances the activity of IKATP in heart cells, but that the action of the drug depends on the ATP concentration of the cytosolic solutions. The results suggest that pinacidil acts indirectly, perhaps at an ATP-binding site that regulates this channel.

Block of heart potassium channels by clofilium and its tertiary analogs: relationship between drug structure and type of channel blocked.

The whole-cell arrangement of the patch clamp was used to study delayed rectifier and inward rectifier K channels in isolated guinea pig ventricular cells. Block of these channels by an externally applied quaternary nitrogen compound, clofilium, and two of its tertiary nitrogen structural analogs (LY97241 and LY97119) were investigated. Clofilium reduced delayed rectifier current but had little effect on inward rectifier currents in concentrations as high as 100 microM. The block of delayed rectifier did not reverse upon washout. In contrast, lower concentrations of the tertiary analogs blocked both delayed rectifier and inward rectifier K currents. Onset of block of delayed rectifier was fast and block was reversible. The onset of block of inward rectifier by the tertiary compounds was slower than for delayed rectifier current and more difficult to reverse. We conclude from this work that tertiary, but not quaternary, clofilium blocks inward as well as delayed rectifier channels in these cells. Block of inward rectifier current is presumably caused by access to a receptor for the molecule that is gained by the tertiary, but not the quaternary, forms of the drug.

Enhancement of potassium-sensitive current in heart cells by pinacidil. Evidence for modulation of the ATP-sensitive potassium channel.

Pinacidil belongs to a novel group of compounds that enhance the potassium permeability of vascular smooth muscle. Evidence also exists that this drug enhances the potassium permeability of cardiac tissue. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine if pinacidil alters potassium-channel activity in heart and, if so, which potassium channel is the target. We used the whole-cell arrangement of the patch voltage clamp to record membrane currents from isolated guinea pig ventricular cells. In solutions designed to isolate potassium currents, pinacidil enhances a time-independent current positive to the potassium equilibrium potential. Current measured at voltages negative to the potassium equilibrium potential are essentially unaltered by the drug. The potassium sensitivity of outward current indicates that the target for the drug is a potassium channel. Experiments designed to test for voltage-dependent channel gating strongly suggest that the pinacidil-sensitive current is not voltage gated. Pinacidil-sensitive current is blocked by externally applied Ba2+, Cs+, and tetraethylammonium ion. In addition, it is potently blocked after external application of 100 nM glibenclamide. Taken along with the time- and voltage-independent properties of pinacidil-sensitive current, this pharmacology strongly suggests that the target for pinacidil in heart is the ATP-sensitive potassium channel.

Antiarrhythmic-like actions of the smooth muscle spasmolytic agent, cinnamedrine, on action potentials of mammalian ventricular tissue.

Cinnamedrine is an active ingredient in preparations used to relieve dysmenorrhea. It has been reported to have local anesthetic properties in nerve. This property prompted us to evaluate the effects of cinnamedrine on the cardiac action potential. Cinnamedrine (10-35 microM) significantly reduced the overshoot and maximum rate of rise, and also prolonged the duration of action potentials recorded from rat and guinea pig ventricular tissues. The action of cinnamedrine to depress upstroke velocity in guinea pig papillary muscle was dependent on the rate of stimulation. In addition, the refractory period of rat ventricular muscle was prolonged markedly. Finally, cinnamedrine (10 microM) significantly reduced, or totally abolished, epinephrine-induced automatic activity in both dog and rat myocardium in vitro. Prolongation of action potential duration and refractory period, and depression of upstroke velocity are characteristics which cinnamedrine shares with antiarrhythmic drugs.

Block of heart calcium channels by amlodipine: influence of drug charge on blocking activity.

Changes in pH0 were used to to vary the ratio of neutral to ionized amlodipine (acid dissociation constant = 10(-8.6). The behavior of neutral and charged drug blockade of calcium channel current (ICa) was tested in the context of the modulated receptor hypothesis. ICa was recorded at room temperature from enzymatically isolated guinea pig ventricular cells using the whole-cell arrangement of the patch-clamp technique. When amlodipine was predominantly charged (pH0 = 7.4), trains of pulses that induced multiple channel openings enhanced block, but inhibition of ICa was also promoted by depolarizing changes in holding potential. Neutral amlodipine (pH0 = 10.0), blocked ICa at depolarized membrane potentials without channel openings. This form of the drug resembled other previously described neutral dihydropyridine (DHP) blockers in its voltage dependence. Recovery from block by ionized drug molecules was very slow and incomplete, whereas block by neutral molecules was always reversible at hyperpolarized membrane potentials. We conclude that amlodipine, like other DHP calcium channel blockers, preferentially blocks calcium channels in depolarized cells. At pH0 7.4 amlodipine molecules gain access to the DHP receptor more readily when channels open, but channel openings are not required for this interaction. Recovery from block by ionized drug is almost irreversible, suggesting that channel openings are needed for this process or that the ionized drug stabilizes the calcium channel in a nonconducting state.

Characterization of the class I antiarrhythmic activity of cibenzoline succinate in guinea pig papillary muscle.

The effects of cibenzoline on transmembrane action potentials were examined in guinea pig papillary muscle. Cibenzoline (1-128 microM) did not alter the action potential durations at 50 and 90% of repolarization, the effective refractory period or the ratio of effective refractory period to action potential duration at 90% of repolarization. Likewise, the maximum diastolic potential was virtually unaffected. Cibenzoline depressed the maximum rate of rise of phase 0 (dV/dtmax). This effect was dependent on the rate of stimulation and occurred at a relatively low concentration (2 microM). The onset of use-dependent depression was monoexponential and dependent on the drug concentration, as well as the rate of stimulation. The rate of recovery from use-dependent depression also followed a single exponential time course but was independent of drug concentration and stimulation rate. When cibenzoline and lidocaine were combined in the tissue bath, dV/dtmax recovered with a double exponential time course. The first and second components of this recovery corresponded to the time course observed with lidocaine (first) and cibenzoline (second) alone. Also, the magnitude of the second component was less with the combination than with cibenzoline alone, indicating an interaction between the two drugs. In addition, cibenzoline shifted the curve relating normalized dV/dtmax to membrane potential in the hyperpolarizing direction. Finally, cibenzoline did not alter slow-response action potentials induced by elevated [K]o and isoproterenol. The authors conclude that cibenzoline acts as a class la antiarrhythmic agent in guinea pig papillary muscle.

Measurement, block, and modulation of potassium channel currents in the heart.

The results with the K+ channel blocking compounds are encouraging because they show a slight structural change in a parent blocking compound can dramatically alter the type of K+ channel blocked by a drug. Our work continues in an effort to determine a more detailed relationship between structural features of a blocker and the type of K+ channel effected. We hope to be able to reveal the requirements for potent and specific blockers of each of these channel types. Selective blockade of these, and other, K+ channels in heart and smooth muscle cells, a goal suggested by the preliminary results presented here, may provide useful tools for more detailed studies of K+ channels. Our experiments also show that temperature can be used to separate the beta-adrenergic regulation of ICa and IDR suggesting different modulatory mechanisms. The results with forskolin show this separation exists at the level of elevated cAMP. This suggests that the K+ and Ca++ channel proteins may be phosphorylated by the same cAMP-dependent protein kinase but with different temperature-sensitive kinetics. It will be interesting to see if this temperature-sensitivity extends to phosphorylation of the channel during intracellular application of cAMP-dependent protein kinase.

Molecular biology and electrophysiology of glutamate-gated chloride channels of invertebrates.

In this chapter we summarize the available data on a novel class of ligand-gated anion channels that are gated by the neurotransmitter glutamate. Glutamate is classically thought to be a stimulatory neurotransmitter, however, studies in invertebrates have proven that glutamate also functions as an inhibitory ligand. The bulk of studies conducted in vivo have been on insects and crustaceans, where glutamate was first postulated to act on H-receptors resulting in a hyperpolarizing response to glutamate. Recently, glutamate-gated chloride channels have been cloned from several nematodes and Drosophila. The pharmacology and electrophysiological properties of these channels have been studied by expression in Xenopus oocytes. Studies on the cloned channels demonstrate that the invertebrate glutamate-gated chloride channels are the H-receptors and represent important targets for the antiparasitic avermectins.

An amino acid substitution in the pore region of a glutamate-gated chloride channel enables the coupling of ligand binding to channel gating.

Many of the subunits of ligand-gated ion channels respond poorly, if at all, when expressed as homomeric channels in Xenopus oocytes. This lack of a ligand response has been thought to result from poor surface expression, poor assembly, or lack of an agonist binding domain. The Caenorhabditis elegans glutamate-gated chloride channel subunit GluClbeta responds to glutamate as a homomeric channel while the GluClalpha subunit is insensitive. A chimera between GluClalpha and GluClbeta was used to suggest that major determinants for glutamate binding are present on the GluClalpha N terminus. Amino acid substitutions in the presumed pore of GluClalpha conferred direct glutamate gating indicating that GluClalpha is deficient in coupling of ligand binding to channel gating. Heteromeric channels of GluClalpha+beta may differ from the prototypic muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in that they have the potential to bind ligand to all of the subunits forming the channel.