title: Characterization and localization of glutathione binding sites on cultured astrocytes.
abstract: Glutathione (GSH) binding sites found in brain white matter in a previous study using biotinylated GSH (Third IBRO World Congress Neurosci. Abstr., 1991, P59.17) suggested that there might GSH receptors on glial cells. In the present study, radioligand receptor assays were performed on cultured astrocytes using [35S]GSH. Scatchard analyses of saturation binding of [35S]GSH revealed two binding sites: Kd1 = 2.0 +/- 0.1 nM, Bmax1 = 89.5 +/- 1.5 fmole/2.2 x 10(5) cells and Kd2 = 12.8 +/- 0.4 nM, Bmax2 = 187.7 +/- 2.4 fmol/2.2 x 10(5) cells. The saturable and displacible high affinity [35S]GSH binding we have observed suggests that this binding is not due to GSH sequestration by uptake sites or to the association of GSH with GSH S-transferases or GSH peroxidases which have Kds in the microM range. Colloidal gold and immunofluorescence double labelling were used to visualize the binding sites at the cellular level. Positive colloidal gold decoration further suggests that these labelled binding sites are membrane receptors on astrocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shaw
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D001667:Binding, Competitive / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007700:Kinetics; D011869:Radioligand Assay; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000032:analysis*; D018000:Receptors, Peptide
chemical_list: D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D018000:Receptors, Peptide; C035560:glutathione receptor