Molecular characterization of a functional cDNA encoding the rat substance P receptor

Mechanism of action of somatostatin: an overview of receptor function and studies of the molecular characterization and purification of somatostatin receptor proteins

To determine whether somatostatin receptor subtypes arise from molecular heterogeneity of the receptor protein, we have cross-linked the putative receptor in normal rat tissues and in AtT-20 and GH3 cells, both chemically with SS-14, SS-28 and Tyr3 SMS ligands, as well as by photoaffinity labeling with an azido derivative of Tyr3 SMS (EE 581). Three prominent somatostatin receptor proteins of 58-kDa, 32-kDa, and 27-kDa size have been identified. These proteins exhibit a tissue-specific distribution, ligand selectivity, and relative preference for SS-14 and SS-28 binding, and thus qualify as somatostatin receptor subtypes. Using EE 581 as a photoaffinity probe, the 58-kDa and 32-kDa proteins have been purified to homogeneity from brain and AtT-20 cells by successive SDS-PAGE. The 58-kDa form has been trypsinized and amino acid sequence data obtained from four tryptic fragments. With the help of synthetic oligonucleotides derived from these sequences, work is currently in progress to clone the 58-kDa protein to elucidate its complete sequence, its expression, and its functional relationship to the somatostatin receptor and its pharmacological subtypes.

[Leu9 psi(CH2NH)Leu10]-neurokinin A (4-10) (MDL 28,564) distinguishes tissue tachykinin peptide NK2 receptors

The neurokinin A analogue, MDL 28,564 (Asp-Ser-Phe-Val-Gly-Leu-CH2NH-Leu-NH2), inhibited 125I-NKA binding to hamster urinary bladder NK2 receptors with a KI of 130 nM. For rat submaxillary gland NK1 receptors and cerebral cortical NK3 receptors, the KI's for MDL 28,564 were greater than 250 microM and greater than 500 microM, respectively. MDL 28,564 did not relax dog carotid artery (NK1 tissue) or contract rat portal vein (NK3 tissue). In guinea-pig trachea tissues, MDL 28,564 stimulated phosphatidylinositol turnover and induced contraction with maximum effects similar to those of neurokinin A. In hamster urinary bladder tissue, MDL 28,564 stimulated phosphatidylinositol turnover with maximum effect only 10% of that of neurokinin A, did not produce sustained contraction itself and antagonized NKA-induced contraction. MDL 28,564 also produced full contraction in rabbit pulmonary artery (NK2 tissue) but was inactive in rat vas deferens (NK2 tissue). These data with MDL 28,564 are consistent with the NK2 receptors in guinea-pig trachea and rabbit pulmonary artery being different from those in hamster urinary bladder and rat vas deferens.