title: Neurotensin receptors on the rat liver plasma membranes.
abstract: Neurotensin (NT) is now classified as a brain-gut peptide in the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract. In the present study, we characterized the NT receptors on the rat liver plasma membranes. The specific binding of [3H]NT was time dependent, reversible, and saturable. Scatchard analysis of the specific binding data yielded two classes of binding sites, a high affinity site and a low affinity site. The average maximum number of binding sites (Bmax) amounted to 13.3 +/- 1.1 fmol/mg protein at high affinity site and 122.3 +/- 21.5 fmol/mg protein at low affinity site, respectively. The dissociation constant (Kd) had values of 0.39 +/- 0.01 nM at high affinity site and 8.1 +/- 1.1 nM at low affinity site, respectively. The amount of specifically bound [3H]NT was significantly reduced in the presence of mono and divalent cations, EDTA, EGTA and a peptidase inhibitor bacitracin, NT1-13 competed with [3H]NT for its binding site with an IC50 of 0.19 nM at high affinity site (0.2 nM concentration of [3H]NT) and 0.7 nM at low affinity site (4.0 nM concentration of [3H]NT). Xenopsin, a NT analogue separated from the skin of Xenopus laevis, was equipotent (IC50 0.75 nM) with NT1-13 at 4.0 nM concentration of [3H]NT. C-terminal sequence of NT contains the structure necessary for interaction with NT binding sites whereas N-terminal sequence had no binding activity. Since NT has a hyperglysemic and a hypercholesterolemic effects in rats, these NT receptors on the rat liver plasma membranes may be involved in the hyperglycemia and/or hypercholesteroremia induced by NT.
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009496:Neurotensin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D018028:Receptors, Neurotensin; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018028:Receptors, Neurotensin; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter; D009496:Neurotensin