Solubilization and characterization of 3H-spiroperidol binding sites of calf caudate

The effectiveness of several extraction procedures in solubilizing ³H-spiroperidol receptor sites was examined. Of the solubilizing agents tested, digitonin and lysolecithin were both effective in solubilization of the receptor. Lysolecithin, however, yielded four times as many receptor sites as that obtained with digitonin. The soluble receptor retained the essential characteristics of the membrane bound sites. Butaclamol stereospecificity inhibited the uptake of 2 × 10^?9M, ³H-spiroperidol solubilized receptor at an IC₅₀ value similar to that of intact membrane. Stereospecifically of butaclamol antagonism was not maintained, however, when a cerebellum, or heat inactivated caudate preparation was used. The solubilized preparations were sensitive to the effects of the specific dopamine agonist 6,7-dihydroxy-2-aminotetralin (ADTN) which inhibited ³H-spiroperidol binding with low IC₅₀ values similar to those obtained with intact membrane receptor. Displacement of ³H-spiroperidol from ³H-spiroperidol receptor complex was produced by butaclamol stereospecifically, and for other competitive antagonists including haloperidol, spiroperidol and R 1187 in a manner similar to that of the intact membrane receptor. Both microsomes and synaptosomes could be similarly solubilized with digitonin and retained stereospecific reversibility of binding in the presence of butaclamol. Chromatography of solubilized lysolecithin calf caudate, ³H-spiroperidol receptor complex reveals a single peak of radioactivity which was eluted just prior to rabbit gamma globulin, suggesting an estimated molecular weight of 150,000 to 200,000 daltons.