Characterization of Xylamine Binding to Proteins of PC12 Pheochromocytoma Cells

PC12 pheochromocytoma cells take up 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine (dopamine) and norepinephrine by a Na+-dependent, cocaine-sensitive system. The kinetics suggest that the same transporter functions for both substrates. Xylamine, a nitrogen mustard that blocks catecholamine uptake into neurons, irreversibly inhibited norepinephrine uptake into PC12 (IC50 = 15 microM). Pretreatment with 10 microM xylamine did not inhibit norepinephrine transport if 10 microM cocaine or 100 microM norepinephrine was also present during the pretreatment period or if Na+ was absent. These results indicate that xylamine must interact with the norepinephrine transporter to inhibit norepinephrine uptake. PC12 accumulated [3H]xylamine; this uptake had Na+-dependent and Na+-independent components. The Na+-dependent uptake was saturable (Km = 13 microM), and it was inhibited by cocaine (IC50 = 0.6 microM), desipramine (IC50 less than 1 nM), and norepinephrine (IC50 = 1 microM). Several proteins became prominently labeled when intact PC12 cells were incubated with [3H]xylamine; these proteins were enriched in a plasma membrane fraction and have molecular weights of 17,000, 24,000, 31,000, 33,000, 41,000, 42,000, 52,000, and 80,000. Other proteins were labeled less prominently. The labeling of all proteins was markedly decreased when the incubation with [3H]xylamine occurred in the presence of cocaine, desipramine, gramicidin D, or in a Na+-free buffer. These results indicate that xylamine must be transported into the cells for covalent binding to proteins to occur. [3H]Xylamine labeled essentially the same proteins when incubated with cell homogenates, but competition experiments with bretylium, desipramine, and cocaine failed to reveal which of the [3H]xylamine-labeled proteins is associated with the norepinephrine transporter.     

Transport of dopamine and levodopa and their interaction in COS-7 cells heterologously expressing monoamine neurotransmitter transporters and in monoaminergic cell lines PC12 and SK-N-SH

The present study investigated the effects of levodopa, a precursor of dopamine (DA) therapeutically used for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, on DA transport in the two different systems, COS-7 cells heterologously expressing rat monoamine transporter cDNA and in monoaminergic cell lines PC12 and SK-N-SH. Levodopa enhanced uptake of [3H]DA and [3H]norepinephrine (NE) but not [3H]serotonin in the transfected COS-7 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. On the other hand, in PC12 and SK-N-SH cells where NET is functionally expressed, levodopa enhanced [3H]DA and [3H]NE uptake at low concentrations and inhibited the uptake at higher concentrations. The effects of levodopa on catecholamine transporters in the opposite direction suggest a different mechanism at the intra- and extracellular sites in a levodopa transport-dependent and independent manner.     

Uptake and Incorporation of Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) into Neuronal Cell Body and Neurite/Nerve Growth Cone Lipids: Evidence of Compartmental DHA Metabolism in Nerve Growth Factor-Differentiated PC12 Cells

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) accumulates in nerve endings of the brain during development. It is released from the membrane during ischemia and electroconvulsive shock. DHA optimizes neurologic development, it is neuroprotective, and rat adrenopheochromocytoma (PC12) cells have decreased PLA₂ activity when DHA is present. To characterize DHA metabolism in PC12 cells, media were supplemented with [³H]DHA or [³H]glycerol. Fractions of nerve growth cone particles (NGC) and cell bodies were prepared and the metabolism of the radiolabeled substrates was determined by thin-layer chromatography. [³H]glycerol incorporation into phospholipids indicated de novo lipid synthesis. [³H]DHA uptake was more rapid in the cell bodies than in the NGC. [³H]DHA first esterified in neutral lipids and later in phospholipids (phosphatidylethanolamine). [³H]glycerol primarily labeled phosphatidylcholine. DHA uptake was compartmentalized between the cell body and the NGC. With metabolism similar to that seen in vivo, PC12 cells are an appropriate model to study DHA in neurons.     

Correlation of unstable multidrug cross resistance in Chinese hamster ovary cells with a homogeneously staining region on chromosome 1.

An enrichment selection method using repeated pulses of low drug concentration (1 microgram/ml) was used to isolate CHO (AK412) variants that are 20-fold more resistant to cytochalasin D (CD). CD-resistant (CydR) variants possess a unique unstable phenotype, including a longer doubling time in nonselective medium, a higher frequency of multinucleate cells in the population (probably due to a defect in cytokinesis), an altered morphology, and increased resistance or sensitivity to a number of unrelated drugs. In each of two variant lines examined cytologically, this multiple phenotype is associated with a small homogeneously staining region on chromosome 1. The homogeneously staining region is present in the CydR variants, but absent both in the CD-sensitive parent and in a CD-sensitive revertant subpopulation. Studies of CD-displaceable binding of [3H]cytochalasin B show a fourfold reduction in CD binding or uptake when whole cells of the variant line were examined. Lactoperoxidase-catalyzed iodination and metabolic labeling with [H3]fucose of cell surface proteins of the CydR variants showed multiple differences in electrophoretic band migration when compared with parental proteins.     

Characterization of [3H]Dopamine Uptake Sites and [3H]Cocaine Recognition Sites in Primary Cultures of Mesencephalic Neurons During In Vitro Development

[3H]Dopamine uptake and [3H]cocaine binding sites were studied in primary cultures of ventral mesencephalon from 14-day-old rat embryos. Specific binding sites for [3H]cocaine and [3H]mazindol were detected only in intact cell cultures of ventral mesencephalon, and were absent in sonicated, washed membranes prepared from these cell cultures. [3H]Cocaine was not taken up by the cells through an active transport process because [3H]cocaine binding occurred also at 4 degrees C. Moreover, the possibility of [3H]cocaine entering the cells by passive diffusion and ion trapping was also excluded because extensive washing failed to remove [3H]cocaine from the cells. [3H]Cocaine binding was reduced to 6% of control when cells were permeabilized with streptolysin O (0.2 U/ml, 5 min). Taken together, these results suggest that in cultured mesencephalic neurons, [3H]cocaine may enter the cell by passive diffusion and then be sequestered by a cytosolic compartment that is lost in the process of permeabilization or sonication and washing of membrane preparations. Permeabilization of cultured neurons failed to alter the storage of [3H]dopamine. When cells were permeabilized with streptolysin O (0.2 U/ml; 5 min) after [3H]dopamine was taken up, [3H]dopamine was retained by the cells and did not leak into the incubation medium, indicating that [3H]dopamine was stored in sites that could not pass through the perforated membranes. In contrast, [3H]dopamine uptake into already permeabilized cells was reduced by 33%, suggesting that a cytosolic protein that had leaked out may play a functional role in the uptake process. In contrast to striatal membrane preparations of adult rats, [3H]cocaine binding in intact mesencephalic cell cultures was Na+ independent.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Comparison of the expression of cell surface poly-N-acetyllactosamine-type oligosaccharides in PC12 cells with those in its variant PC12D.

To explore the biological role of carbohydrate chains in the process of nerve cell differentiation, we carried out a characterization of the carbohydrate structure of glycoproteins by comparing conventional PC12 cells with variant cells (PC12D). In vitro metabolic labeling of cells with either [(3)H] glucosamine or [(3)H] threonine, together with tomato lectin staining, revealed that nerve growth factor (NGF) stimulation caused a decrease in the poly-N-acetyllactosamine synthesis of high-molecular-weight glycopeptides from PC12 cells. By comparison, the amount of glycopeptides with poly-N-acetyllactosamine from PC12D cells was already significantly low and it was not changed by NGF stimulation. By assaying the glycosyltransferases that participate in poly-N-acetyllactosamine synthesis, the decrease in the amount of the poly-N-acetyllactosamine in PC12D cells as well as NGF-stimulated PC12 cells could be accounted for by a reduction in the activity of poly-N-acetyllactosamine extension enzyme (GnT-i), because the amount of poly-N-acetyllactosamine in both cells precisely correlated with changes in GnT-i activity, whereas the activities of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (GnT-V) and beta 1-4 galactosyltransferase remained unchanged. These results demonstrate that the decrease in poly-N-acetyllactosamine synthesis in PC12 cells occurred prior to neurite formation, whereas PC12D cells were insensitive to this effect. Next, we showed that GnT-i but not GnT-V catalyzed a rate-limiting reaction in the expression of poly-N-acetyllactosamine chains, especially in pheochromocytoma.     

Effects of docosahexaenoic and arachidonic acids on the synthesis and distribution of aminophospholipids during neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells

We have shown previously that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) promotes and arachidonic acid (AA) suppresses neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells induced by nerve growth factor (NGF) and that incorporation of [3H]ethanolamine into phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) is suppressed in PC12 cells by AA while DHA has no effect. In the present study, the effects of these fatty acids on PE synthesis via decarboxylation of phosphatidylserine (PS), another pathway of PE synthesis, and distribution of aminophospholipids were examined. Incorporation of [3H]serine into PS and PE was elevated in the course of NGF-induced differentiation and was further stimulated significantly by DHA, but not by AA. [3H]Ethanolamine uptake by PC12 cells was significantly suppressed by AA but not by DHA while these fatty acids did not affect [3H]serine uptake, indicating that the suppression by AA of [3H]ethanolamine incorporation into phosphatidylethanolamine is attributable, at least in part, to a reduction in [3H]ethanolamine uptake. The distribution of PE in the outer leaflet of plasma membrane decreased during differentiation, which is known to be accompanied by an increase in the surface area of plasma membrane. Supplementation of PC12 cells with DHA or AA did not affect the distribution of aminophospholipids. Thus, DHA and AA affected aminophospholipid synthesis and neurite outgrowth differently, but not the transport and distribution of aminophospholipids, while the PE concentration in the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane decreased in association with morphological changes in PC12 cells induced by NGF.     

Further Characterization of Dopamine Release by Permeabilized PC 12 Cells

Rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12) permeabilized with staphylococcal alpha-toxin release [3H]dopamine after addition of micromolar Ca2+. This does not require additional Mg2+-ATP (in contrast to bovine adrenal medullary chromaffin cells). We also observed Ca2+-dependent [3H]-dopamine release from digitonin-permeabilized PC12 cells. Permeabilization with alpha-toxin or digitonin and stimulation of the cells were done consecutively to wash out endogenous Mg2+-ATP. During permeabilization, ATP was removed effectively from the cytoplasm by both agents but the cells released [3H]dopamine in response to micromolar Ca2+ alone. Replacement by chloride of glutamate, which could sustain mitochondrial ATP production in permeabilized cells, does not significantly alter catecholamine release induced by Ca2+. However, Mg2+ without ATP augments the Ca2+-induced release. The release was unaltered by thiol-, hydroxyl-, or calmodulin-interfering substances. Thus Mg2+-ATP, calmodulin, or proteins containing -SH or -OH groups are not necessary for exocytosis in permeabilized PC12 cells.     

Further studies on a novel class of genetic variants of the L1210 cell with increased folate analogue transport inward. Transport properties of a new variant, evidence for increased levels of a specific transport protein, and its partial characterization following affinity labeling

Studies are reported on the characterization of a new isolate within a novel class of variants of the L1210 cell exhibiting markedly increased transport inward of folate analogues. This variant (L1210/R83), which was selected in the presence of the antifolate metoprine, exhibited a 40-fold increase in [3H]aminopterin influx compared to parental cells and a modest (4-5-fold) increase in [3H]aminopterin efflux. The increase in influx was associated with a comparable increase in influx Vmax for the one-carbon, reduced folate transport system and the same increase in the amount of specific binding of [3H]aminopterin on the cell surface. Values for influx Km for [3H]aminopterin and specificity for various folate structures were unchanged. The alteration in influx Vmax and more rapid efflux accounted for the different level of intracellular exchangeable level of drug at steady state in this variant compared with parental L1210 cells. Otherwise, membrane potential was unchanged. The N-hydroxysuccinimide ester of [3H]aminopterin was used to covalently label the specific binding protein for folate compounds in the plasma membrane of variant and parental L1210 cells. Incorporation of label into this protein was stable under a variety of conditions and accounted for 97 and 52% of total cellular labeling, respectively, for membrane derived from R83 and parental L1210 cells at a reagent concentration of 20 nM. Specific affinity labeling on the surface of parental and variant cells was decreased in the presence of aminopterin, methotrexate, or 5-formyltetrahydrofolate, but not in the presence of folic acid. Also, [3H]aminopterin influx in these cells was inhibited by the N-hydroxysuccinimide ester of aminopterin or methotrexate, but not the N-hydroxysuccinimide ester of folic acid. These findings, in addition to the increased affinity labeling of this variant, which corresponds to the increase in influx of [3H] aminopterin also seen, appears to identify the affinity labeled protein as a component of the "classical" one-carbon, reduced folate transport system in these cells. The affinity labeled protein from each cell type was solubilized in sodium dodecyl sulfate or extracted in detergent in the presence of proteinase inhibitors and was found to elute from Sephacryl S-300 and migrate during sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis as a single peak of Mr = 45,000-48,000. Recovery of labeled binding protein in these fractions from R83 variant cells was approximately 40 times greater than that from parental cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

GM1 Ganglioside Treatment of PC 12 Cells Stimulates Ganglioside, Glycolipid, and Lipid, but Not Glycoprotein Synthesis Independently from the Effects of Nerve Growth Factor

The incorporation of radioactive precursors into gangliosides and other glycolipids, glycoproteins, and total lipids has been studied in rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. Starting with the same PC12 cell pool, cultures displaying different degrees of neuritic expression in response to nerve growth factor (NGF) and combinations of serum ganglioside GM1 were produced. Attempts were then made to correlate neuritic regulation with biochemical performances of these cells. NGF stimulates the incorporation of [3H]galactose into gangliosides and other glycolipids and glycoproteins and [14C]acetate into total lipids, regardless of the serum concentration. NGF both increased their initial labeling rates and promoted additional and more extensive labeling from culture day 4 onward. Unexpectedly, exogenous GM1 also elicited an increase in ganglioside labeling as well as that of the other lipid classes, but not of glycoproteins. The GM1-induced increase was evident at higher serum concentrations (1%) regardless of the presence or absence of NGF, but not apparent in low (0.15%) serum. Serum levels themselves did not affect labeling patterns in the absence of NGF and GM1. GM1-induced stimulation of labeling reflects an increase in the synthetic activities of the cells, and not increased precursor uptake or reduced product degradation. For all constituents stimulated by GM1, concurrent treatment with NGF produces cumulative effects, suggesting independent mechanisms of action by the two molecules.     

SHORT-TERM REGULATION OF CATECHOLAMINE BIOSYNTHESIS IN A NERVE GROWTH FACTOR RESPONSIVE CLONAL LINE OF RAT PHEOCHROMOCYTOMA CELLS

Abstract— A clonal cell line (designated PC12) has been previously established from a transplantable rat adrenal medullary pheochromocytoma. Tissue cultures of PC12 cells synthesize, store, release and take up catecholamines. PC12 cells also respond to nerve growth factor (NGF) protein by cessation of mitosis and extension of neurites. The present studies concern the comparison of several aspects of catecholamine metabolism in PC12 cultures with that in normal noradrenergic tissues. One question was why the ratio of dopamine to norepinephrine in PC12 cultures (in contrast to that in normal noradrenergic tissue) is considerably more than one. The presence of exogenous reduced ascorbate (a cofactor for dopamine-β-monooxygenase) enhanced by 5–10-fold the rate at which PC12 cultures converted [³H]tyrosine to [³H]norepinephrine. Under such conditions, the rate of synthesis of [³H]do-pamine was unchanged. It was also found that the ratio of norepinephrine to dopamine increased by 10-fold when the cells were grown in vivo as tumors. Since tissue culture medium is essentially free of reduced ascorbate, it is likely that the absence of this cofactor is responsible for the low norepinephrine to dopamine ratio in PC12 cultures. Experiments were also carried out on short-term regulation of catecholamine synthesis in PC12 cultures. These studies revealed the following: (1) The rate of conversion of [³H]tyrosine to [³H]catechols was increased 2–3-fold (as compared with controls) in the presence of depolarizing levels of K⁺ (51.5 mM), and by 2-fold in the presence of 0.5–2 mM-dibutyryl cyclic adenosine 3′, 5’monophosphoric acid (db-cAMP). (2) Similar increases occurred in cultures which had been treated with (and had responded to) nerve growth factor. (3) The stimulatory effects of 51.5 mM-K⁺ rapidly returned toward control levels when the cultures were returned to control medium and (4) required the presence of Ca²⁺ in the extracellular medium. (5) Stimulation of catechol synthesis by 51.5 mM-K⁺ and db-cAMP also occurred in the presence of an inhibitor of DOPA decar-boxylase. Thus, the ultimate effects of these agents were probably at the level of conversion of tyrosine to dopa by tyrosine 3-monooxygenase. (6) Simultaneous exposure of cultures to 51.5 mM-K⁺ and mM-db-cAMP gave additive levels of stimulation. Such findings demonstrate that catecholamine synthesis in cultures of PC12 cells undergoes short-term regulation which is similar to that previously demonstrated in normal monoaminergic tissues. As a homogeneous tissue culture line, the PC12 bears certain advantages for studying the primary mechanisms of such effects.     

Localization of the lipid intermediate pathway of protein glycosylation in oviduct cell types

Oviduct tissue slices were incubated with [3H]-leucine or [3H]-mannose in the presence and absence of tunicamycin, a specific inhibitor of lipid-mediated protein glycosylation. Conditions were established where tunicamycin had maximal effect on [3H]-mannose incorporation (greater than 90% inhibition) but a minimal effect on [3H]-leucine incorporation (less than 10% inhibition) into total TCA-insoluble products. Analysis of incubated tissues by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that in the absence of tunicamycin, [3H]-mannose was incorporated into only a few proteins, of which ovalbumin represented the major radiolabeled component. Tunicamycin markedly reduced the incorporation of [3H]-mannose into ovalbumin and other oviduct glycoproteins. In contrast, analysis by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that [3H]-leucine was incorporated into a variety of proteins in the absence of tunicamycin. The radioactivity profile of some of these proteins was shifted toward lower Mr when oviduct slices were incubated in the presence of tunicamycin, with only a minimal decrease in protein labeling. Light microscopic autoradiograms of tissue incubated with [3H]-leucine in either the presence or absence of tunicamycin exhibited extensive labeling of tubular gland and epithelial cells. In the absence of tunicamycin, these cell types also become markedly labeled with [3H]-mannose; however, incorporation of label in both cell types was substantially reduced in the presence of tunicamycin. Qualitatively, labeling of tubular gland cells appeared greater than that of epithelial cells, largely due to the concentration of silver grains over the dense population of secretory vesicles in the tubular gland cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Association of Serotonin, Dopamine, or Noradrenaline with an Actin-Like Component in Pheochromocytoma (PC12) Cells

A rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cell line was used to examine the possibility that 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine (dopamine), or noradrenaline may be associated with cytoplasmic actin, as was suggested by previous in vitro binding studies on an actin-like protein from rat brain synaptosomes. When PC12 cells were incubated with [3H]serotonin. [3H]dopamine, or [3H]noradrenaline for 30 min at 37 degrees C, approximately 2-4% of the radioactivity present in the cells was found to be associated with a high-molecular-weight (actin-like) component in supernatant fractions. Evidence relating this monoamine binding component to actin filaments includes: (a) its strong absorption by myosin filaments at low ionic strength: (b) a decrease in its affinity for myosin in the presence of 1 mM ATP, which lowers the affinity of authentic actin for myosin: (c) displacement of bound [3H]serotonin from it by DNase I, which binds strongly to actin and which inhibits [3H]serotonin binding to actin in vitro; (d) an increase in its binding of each monoamine (by 25-40%) after PC12 cells were preincubated with 10 microM cytochalasin B (a drug that induces depolymerization of F-actin). These findings suggest that serotonin, dopamine, or noradrenaline may associate with actin filaments in vivo.     

The metabolic pattern of spontaneously released [3H]norepinephrine in the presence of uptake inhibitors

The effect of uptake inhibitors on the spontaneous release of [3H]norepinephrine was studied using rat isolated vas deferens. Cocaine, desmethylimipramine, phenoxybenzamine, and guanethidine caused an increase in the spontaneous outflow of tritium, but did not alter the metabolic pattern of released [3H]norepinephrine. Bretylium caused an increase of both total tritium outflow and norepinephrine content. It is suggested that these drugs caused release of norepinephrine from storage sites and that norepinephrine was metabolized within the nerve terminals before reaching the biophase.     

Reserpine-induced reduction in norepinephrine transporter function requires catecholamine storage vesicles

Treatment of rats with reserpine, an inhibitor of the vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT), depletes norepinephrine (NE) and regulates NE transporter (NET) expression. The present study examined the molecular mechanisms involved in regulation of the NET by reserpine using cultured cells. Exposure of rat PC12 cells to reserpine for a period as short as 5 min decreased [³H]NE uptake capacity, an effect characterized by a robust decrease in the V_max of the transport of [³H]NE. As expected, reserpine did not displace the binding of [³H]nisoxetine from the NET in membrane homogenates. The potency of reserpine for reducing [³H]NE uptake was dramatically lower in SK-N-SH cells that have reduced storage capacity for catecholamines. Reserpine had no effect on [³H]NE uptake in HEK-293 cells transfected with the rat NET (293-hNET), cells that lack catecholamine storage vesicles. NET regulation by reserpine was independent of trafficking of the NET from the cell surface. Pre-exposure of cells to inhibitors of several intracellular signaling cascades known to regulate the NET, including Ca²⁺/Ca²⁺–calmodulin dependent kinase and protein kinases A, C and G, did not affect the ability of reserpine to reduce [³H]NE uptake. Treatment of PC12 cells with the catecholamine depleting agent, α-methyl-p-tyrosine, increased [³H]NE uptake and eliminated the inhibitory effects of reserpine on [³H]NE uptake. Reserpine non-competitively inhibits NET activity through a Ca²⁺-independent process that requires catecholamine storage vesicles, revealing a novel pharmacological method to modify NET function. Further characterization of the molecular nature of reserpine's action could lead to the development of alternative therapeutic strategies for treating disorders known to be benefitted by treatment with traditional competitive NET inhibitors.     

Neuronotypic Differentiation Results in Reduced Levels and Altered Distribution of Synaptophysin in PC 12 Cells

Abstract: Several synaptic vesicle proteins including synap-tophysin and p65/synaptotagmin are expressed by the pheochromocytoma cell line PC12. Stimulation of these cells with nerve growth factor for 7 days induces morphologic neuronotypic differentiation, but the levels of synaptophysin are markedly reduced. Stimulation with cyclic AMP analogs also produces neuronotypic differentiation of PC12 cells, and the degree of morphologic differentiation induced by these agents parallels their ability to effect reduction in synaptophysin levels. By contrast, levels of p65/synaptotagmin are increased following neuronotypic differentiation. The contrasting effects of neuronotypic differentiation on levels of synaptophysin and p65/synaptotagmin indicate potential differences in the regulation of these proteins in PC12 cells. Immunocytochemical labeling of undifferentiated PC12 cells reveals concentrations of synaptophysin in the perinuclear region. After neuronotypic differentiation, there is reduction in perinuclear labeling and concentration of label in swellings along PC12 cell processes. At the ultra-structural level, synaptophysin labeling is found on similar organelles in both undifferentiated and nerve growth factor-stimulated PC12 cells. Although the highest labeling densities were seen on small clear vesicles, specific labeling was also seen on dense core vesicles. The presence of synaptophysin on both small clear vesicles and dense core vesicles indicates potential functional similarities in these vesicle types. The changes in the levels and immunocytochemical distribution of synaptophysin after neuronotypic differentiation suggest possible functional heterogeneity among morphologically similar populations of small clear vesicles.     

GBR-12909 and fluspirilene potently inhibited binding of [3H] (+)3-PPP to sigma receptors in rat brain

Fluspirilene and GBR-12909, two compounds structurally similar to BMY-14802 and haloperidol, were assessed for their ability to interact with sigma receptors. Fluspirilene, an antipsychotic agent that interacts potently with dopamine receptors, inhibited the binding of [3H]-(+) 3-PPP (IC50 = 380 nM) more potently than rimcazole, a putative sigma antagonist that was tested clinically for antipsychotic activity. GBR-12909, a potent dopamine uptake blocker, also inhibited the binding of [3H]-(+) 3-PPP with an IC50 of 48 nM. However, other compounds that block the re-uptake of catecholamines, such as nomifensine, desipramine, imipramine, xylamine, benztropine and cocaine, were much weaker than GBR-12909 as sigma ligands. Thus, GBR-12909 and fluspirilene, compounds structurally similar to BMY-14802, are potent sigma ligands.     

Nerve Growth Factor Stimulation of Arachidonic Acid Release from PC12 Cells: Independence from Phosphoinositide Turnover

The effect of nerve growth factor on the metabolism of arachidonic acid and the hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol in PC12 cells was examined. Addition of nerve growth factor to PC12 cells isotopically labeled with [3H]arachidonic acid caused an increased release of radioactivity. In a similar manner, treatment of PC12 cells prelabeled with [3H]inositol increased inositol monophosphate accumulation in the presence of LiCl. Stimulation of [3H]arachidonic acid release by nerve growth factor was concentration dependent, attaining a maximum at 0.5 nM. Concentrations of nerve growth factor above 0.5 nM caused less than maximal stimulation. In contrast, nerve growth factor-stimulated accumulation of [3H]inositol monophosphate exhibited a sigmoidal dose-response curve with an apparent maximum at 8 nM. Increased accumulation of [3H]inositol monophosphate could be detected as early as 60 s after nerve growth factor addition, whereas nerve growth factor-stimulated release of [3H]arachidonic acid was not observed until 5 min after nerve growth factor treatment. The nerve growth factor-stimulated release of [3H]arachidonic acid was independent of extracellular calcium concentration. Increased [3H]inositol monophosphate accumulation elicited by nerve growth factor was dependent on the presence of extracellular calcium. These results suggest that the increased metabolism of arachidonic acid and the enhanced hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol are separately regulated by nerve growth factor.     

Lack of Selectivity Between the Uptake of [3H] Adrenaline and [3H]Noradrenaline into Rat Hypothalamic Slices

The uptake of [3H]adrenaline and [3H]noradrenaline into rat hypothalamic slices was compared for determination of whether adrenaline uptake was independent of uptake into noradrenergic neurones. Kinetic analysis revealed a similar high-affinity uptake process for both adrenaline and noradrenaline, with Km and Vmax values within similar ranges. These uptakes were inhibited by desipramine and maprotiline in a dose-dependent manner, but the selective dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine uptake inhibitors benztropine and fluoxetine, respectively, were without effect. Competition for uptake sites by unlabelled adrenaline with [3H]adrenaline and [3H]-noradrenaline and by unlabelled noradrenaline with [3H]-adrenaline and [3H]noradrenaline was very similar. Lesioning of the major adrenaline-containing cell group (C1 cell group) decreased the hypothalamic adrenaline concentration but had no effect on hypothalamic [3H]adrenaline or [3H]noradrenaline uptake. The results suggest that exogenous adrenaline is largely taken up by high-affinity sites on noradrenergic nerve terminals.     

Uptake of (3H)catecholamines by chick embryo sympathetic ganglia in tissue culture

Abstract— Chick embryo sympathetic chains were grown in tissue culture and pulse labelled with tritiated catecholamines. The uptake was restricted to sympathetic nerve cells. The capability of these cells to take up radioactive dopamine and norepinephrine from the culture media was retained after one month in tissue culture. The uptakes of both [³H]norepinephrine and [³H]dopamine were inhibited when nonradioactive DOPA, dopamine, norepinephrine or epinephrine were present in the pulse media.