title: Characterization of the high affinity [3H]nociceptin binding site in membrane preparations of rat heart: correlations with the non-opioid dynorphin binding site.
abstract: The binding parameters of [3H]nociceptin were examined in membrane preparations of rat heart and compared with those of [3H]dynorphin A-(1-13) ([3H]Dyn A-(1-13)). Scatchard analysis of [3H]nociceptin binding revealed the presence of two distinct sites: a high affinity (Kd: 583 nM) low capacity (Bmax: 132 pmol/mg protein) site and a low affinity (Kd: 10,316 nM) high capacity (1552 pmol/mg protein) site. Dyn A and related peptides were potent competitors of the binding to the high affinity site with the following rank order of potency: alpha-neo-endorphin > Dyn A-(2-13) = Dyn A-(3-13) > Dyn A-(5-13) > Dyn A-(1-13) > Dyn A > Dyn B > Dyn A-(6-10) >> Dyn A-(1-8). Nociceptin was 6.7 times less potent than Dyn A with a Ki of 4.8 microM as compared with 0.72 microM for Dyn A. The order of potency of the various peptides in inhibiting [3H]nociceptin binding correlated well (r = 0.93) with their ability to complete with the binding of [3H]Dyn A-(1-13) (Dumont and Lemaire, 1993). In addition, the high affinity [3H]nociceptin and non-opioid [3H]Dyn A-(1-13) sites were both sensitive to NaCl (120 mM) and the phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitors, U-73122 and neomycin (100 microM). The binding activities were less affected by the weak PLC inhibitor, U-73343, and no effect was observed with the non-hydrolysable GTP analogs. Gpp(NH)p and GTP-gamma-S. Nociceptin (1-50 microM) was also shown to inhibit the uptake of [3H]noradrenaline ([3H]NA) by cardiac synaptosomal preparations. In spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), the potency of nociceptin in inhibiting [3H]NA uptake was increased by 1.6-fold as compared with Wistar Kyoto (WKY) control rats and such effect was accompanied by comparable increased levels of cardiac ORL1 mRNA and [3H]nociceptin high affinity sites. These changes correlated well with the previously observed increased levels of non-opioid cardiac [3H]Dyn A-(1-13) sites in SHR (1.3 times as compared with WKY) and increased potency of Dyn A-(1-13) in inhibiting [3H]NA uptake by cardiac synaptosomes in SHR (2.2-fold as compared with WKY) (Dumont and Lemaire, 1995). The results demonstrate that in rat heart the characteristics of the high affinity, low capacity [3H]nociceptin binding site are similar to those of the non-opioid Dyn binding site. The stimulation of this site by nociceptin, Dyn A or related peptides is more likely to produce a modulation of PLC activity and [3H]NA uptake and may participate to the pathophysiology of hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dumont
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lemaire
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000502:physiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004399:Dynorphins / Q000737:chemistry*; D004963:Estrenes / Q000494:pharmacology; D016244:Guanosine 5'-O-(3-Thiotriphosphate) / Q000494:pharmacology; D006165:Guanylyl Imidodiphosphate / Q000494:pharmacology; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000737:chemistry; D009355:Neomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D018847:Opioid Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D011760:Pyrrolidinones / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000737:chemistry; D013997:Time Factors; D000097629:Nociceptin