Coexpression of alpha 1A- and alpha 1B-adrenoceptors in the liver of the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta)

Hepatocytes from alpha1B-adrenoceptor knockout mice reveal compensatory adrenoceptor subtype substitution

1 Alpha1-adrenoceptors (ARs) play an important functional role in the liver; yet little is known about their cellular location. We identified the subtypes present in wild-type (WT) and alpha1B-AR knockout (KO) mice livers at 3 and 4 months of age, and investigated their distribution in hepatocytes. 2 The fluorescent alpha1-AR antagonist quinazolinyl piperazine borate-dipyrromethene (QAPB) was used to visualise hepatic alpha1-ARs and radioligand binding with [3H]-prazosin was used to quantify the alpha1-AR population. 3 QAPB and [3H]-prazosin bound specifically to hepatic alpha1-ARs with nanomolar affinity. The cellular distribution of alpha1-ARs was similar in WT and alpha1B-AR KO hepatocytes; QAPB binding was distributed diffusely throughout the cell with no binding evident on the plasma membrane. Radioligand binding produced Bmax values as follows: 3-month WT - 76+/-3.3 fmol mg(-1); 4-month WT - 50+/-3.1 fmol mg(-1); 3-month alpha1B-AR KO - 7.4+/-0.73 fmol mg(-1); 4-month alpha1B-AR KO - 30+/-2.0 fmol mg(-1). 4 In 3- and 4-month WT liver, all antagonists acted competitively. RS100329 (alpha1A-selective) and BMY7378 (alpha1D-selective) bound with low affinities, indicating the presence of alpha1B-ARs. In 4-month alpha1B-AR KO liver prazosin produced a biphasic curve, whereas RS100329 and BMY7378 produced monophasic curves of high and low affinity, respectively, indicating the presence of alpha1A-ARs. 5 In conclusion, we have made the novel observation that alpha1-ARs can compensate for one another in the absence of the endogenously expressed receptor; yet there appears to be no subtype-specific subcellular location of alpha1-ARs; the WT livers express alpha1B-ARs, while alpha1B-AR KO livers express alpha1A-ARs. This study provides new insights into both hepatocyte and alpha1-AR biology.

Inverse alpha(1A) and alpha(1D) adrenoceptor mRNA expression during isolation of hepatocytes

It is now well documented that changes in gene expression take place during cell isolation and culture. Here, we report the change in the expression of the mRNAs for alpha(1)-adrenoceptor subtypes, during dissociation of guinea pig liver cells with collagenase. Using Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) assays, it was observed that during the isolation procedure, the mRNA for the alpha(1A)-adrenoceptor, normally expressed in whole liver, was degraded and the mRNA for alpha(1D) subtype, barely expressed in whole liver, increased in an actinomycin D-sensitive manner. When the isolation procedure was performed in the presence of cycloheximide, the mRNA for the alpha(1A)-adrenoceptor did not diminish and the induction of the alpha(1D)-adrenoceptor mRNA was even more evident. Our data indicate that cell isolation alters alpha(1)-adrenoceptor mRNA expression.