gamma-Aminobutyric acid receptor binding in fresh mouse brain membranes at 22 degrees C: ligand-induced changes in affinity

Abstract

Binding of [3H]muscimol to mouse brain gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors has been assayed under more physiological conditions (never-frozen membranes, 22 degrees) than in previous studies (0-4 degrees on frozen-thawed membranes). Binding affinities were lower and agreed more closely with physiological dose response curves. In addition, heterogeneity in affinity was still present, apparently due to a mixture of non-interconvertible subpopulations and ligand-induced changes in kinetics. Super-high affinity sites (Kd less than 10 nM) observed in frozen membranes were not observed in fresh membranes under equilibrium binding conditions, and high affinity sites (Kd congruent to 25 nM) seen at 0 degree had lower affinity (Kd congruent to 250 nM) at 22 degrees. Despite an apparent best fit single-component Scatchard plot for the latter data, cold ligand displacement and association and dissociation rates demonstrated heterogeneity of affinities. Pentobarbital greatly increased the amount of high affinity sites at the expense of low affinity sites in equilibrium binding at 0 degree and slightly increased affinity at 22 degrees. The kinetics of [3H]muscimol association at 22 degrees (kapp = 1-2/min) were virtually independent of the ligand concentration, suggesting either negative cooperativity or an agonist binding-dependent receptor isomerization. Dissociation triggered by addition of excess cold ligand to membranes equilibrated with [3H]muscimol at different concentrations revealed two off-rates with t1/2 values of under 10 sec and 1-3 min; unexpectedly, the ratio of these two populations did not vary with ligand concentration but was constant at 50:50. Dissociation triggered by infinite dilution gave two off-rates, but the slowest component had a t1/2 of about 20 min; including cold muscimol in the dilution buffer increased the off-rate toward that observed in the excess cold ligand method (t1/2 = 1-2 min). The very slow off-rate was only observed following removal of agonist from a previously occupied receptor and suggests receptor isomerization into a high affinity state; this state is similar to that observed at 0 degree. Pentobarbital also favored the production of the receptor state showing very slow [3H]muscimol dissociation upon infinite dilution, opposing the action of high receptor occupancy with cold muscimol. Thus, [3H]muscimol-binding sites observed at 22 degrees with fresh membranes do not show artificially high affinity and have a Kd of 0.2-0.3 microM, closer to the EC50 for chloride channel activation (approximately 2-3 microM and 0.4 microM with pentobarbital).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)