Desensitization of histamine H1 receptor-mediated inositol phosphate production in HeLa cells

Two C-terminal isoforms of Aplysia tachykinin-related peptide receptors exhibit phosphorylation-dependent and phosphorylation-independent desensitization mechanisms

Diversity, a hallmark of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling, partly stems from alternative splicing of a single gene generating more than one isoform for a receptor. Additionally, receptor responses to ligands can be attenuated by desensitization upon prolonged or repeated ligand exposure. Both phenomena have been demonstrated and exemplified by the deuterostome tachykinin signaling system, although the role of phosphorylation in desensitization remains a subject of debate. Here, we describe the signaling system for tachykinin-related peptides (TKRPs) in a protostome, mollusk Aplysia. We cloned the Aplysia TKRP precursor, which encodes three TKRPs (apTKRP-1, apTKRP-2a, and apTKRP-2b) containing the FXGXR-amide motif. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry showed predominant expression of TKRP mRNA and peptide in the cerebral ganglia. TKRPs and their posttranslational modifications were observed in extracts of central nervous system ganglia using mass spectrometry. We identified two Aplysia TKRP receptors (apTKRPRs), named apTKRPR-A and apTKRPR-B. These receptors are two isoforms generated through alternative splicing of the same gene and differ only in their intracellular C termini. Structure-activity relationship analysis of apTKRP-2b revealed that both C-terminal amidation and conserved residues of the ligand are critical for receptor activation. C-terminal truncates and mutants of apTKRPRs suggested that there is a C-terminal phosphorylation-independent desensitization for both receptors. Moreover, apTKRPR-B also exhibits phosphorylation-dependent desensitization through the phosphorylation of C-terminal Ser/Thr residues. This comprehensive characterization of the Aplysia TKRP signaling system underscores the evolutionary conservation of the TKRP and TK signaling systems, while highlighting the intricacies of receptor regulation through alternative splicing and differential desensitization mechanisms.

Semiconducting Carbon Nanotube-Based Nanodevices for Monitoring the Effects of Chlorphenamine on the Activities of Intracellular Ca2+ Stores

We report a flexible and noninvasive method based on field-effect transistors hybridizing semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes for monitoring the effects of histamine on Ca²⁺ release from the intracellular stores of a nonexcitable cell. These nanodevices allowed us to evaluate the real-time electrophysiological activities of HeLa cells under the stimulation of histamine via the recording of the conductance changes of the devices. These changes resulted from the binding of histamine to its receptor type 1 on the HeLa cell membrane. Moreover, the effects of chlorphenamine, an antihistamine, on the electrophysiological activities of a single HeLa cell were also evaluated, indicating that the pretreatment of the cell with chlorpheniramine decreased intracellular Ca²⁺ release. Significantly, we only utilized a single nanodevice to perform the measurements for multiple cells pretreated with various concentrations of chlorphenamine. This enabled the statistically meaningful analysis of drug effects on cells without errors from device variations. Obtained results indicated the novel advantages of our method such as real-time monitoring and quantitative capability. Our devices, therefore, can be efficient tools for biomedical applications such as electrophysiology research and drug screening.

Label-Free Imaging of Histamine Mediated G Protein-Coupled Receptors Activation in Live Cells

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest protein family for cell signal transduction, and most of them are crucial drug targets. Conventional label-free assays lack the spatial information to address the heterogeneous response from single cells after GPCRs activation. Here, we reported a GPCRs study in live cells using plasmonic-based electrochemical impedance microscopy. This label-free optical imaging platform is able to resolve responses from individual cells with subcellular resolution. Using this platform, we studied the histamine mediated GPCRs activation and revealed spatiotemporal heterogeneity of cellular downstream responses. Triphasic responses were observed from individual HeLa cells upon histamine stimulation. A quick peak P1 in less than 10 s was attributed to the GPCRs triggered calcium release. An inverted P2 phase within 1 min was attributed to the alternations of cell-matrix adhesion after the activation of Protein Kinase C (PKC). The main peak (P3) around 3-6 min after the histamine treatment was due to dynamic mass redistribution and showed a dose-dependent response with a half-maximal effective concentration (EC₅₀) of 3.9 ± 1.2 μM. Heterogeneous P3 responses among individual cells were observed, particularly at high histamine concentration, indicating diverse histamine H1 receptor expression level in the cell population.

Olanzapine-activated AMPK signaling in the dorsal vagal complex is attenuated by histamine H1 receptor agonist in female rats

Weight gain and its related metabolic disorders are major side effects associated with second generation antipsychotic drug treatment. The dorsal vagal complex (DVC) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) are implicated in the regulation of food intake and body weight. Blocking the histamine H1 receptor contributes to antipsychotic-induced weight gain. The present study investigated the time-dependent effect of olanzapine treatment (8, 16, and 36 d) on DVC AMPK signaling in olanzapine-induced weight gain and whether these changes are associated with olanzapine-induced H1 receptor antagonism. During the 8-day olanzapine treatment, the rats were hyperphagic and rapidly gained weight. The phosphorylation of AMPK (pAMPK) (activated AMPK) as well as its directly downstream phospho-acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase was significantly increased. The pAMPK/AMPK ratio, an indicator of AMPK activity, was significantly positively correlated with feeding efficiency and weight gain. As treatment was prolonged (16 and 36 d of olanzapine treatment), the rats were no longer hyperphagic, and there were no longer any changes in DVC AMPK signaling. Although the DVC H1 receptor protein expression was not significantly altered by olanzapine, the pAMPK expression was significantly positively correlated with the H1 receptor level after the 8-, 16-, and 36-day olanzapine treatments. Moreover, we showed that an H1 receptor agonist, 2-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl) histamine, significantly inhibited the olanzapine-induced hyperphagia and DVC AMPK activation in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest a time-dependent role of DVC AMPK in olanzapine-induced obesity. Thus, olanzapine-induced DVC AMPK activation may be at least partially related to olanzapine's antagonistic effect on the H1 receptor.

Histamine-induced Ca2+ entry in human astrocytoma U373 MG cells: evidence for involvement of store-operated channels

Glial and glia-derived cells express a variety of receptors for neurotransmitters and hormones, the majority of which evoke both Ca(2+) release from intracellular stores and Ca(2+) entry across the plasma membrane. We investigated the links between histamine H(1) receptor activation, Ca(2+) release from intracellular stores and Ca(2+) influx in human astrocytoma U373 MG cells. Histamine, through a H(1) receptor-mediated effect, evoked an increase in cytoplasmic free calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) that occurred in two phases: an initial, transient, increase owing to Ca(2+) mobilization from intracellular pools, and a second, sustained increase dependent on both Ca(2+) influx and continuous receptor occupancy. The characteristics of histamine-induced increases in [Ca(2+)](i) were similar to the capacitative entry evoked by emptying of the Ca(2+) stores with thapsigargine, and different from that observed when Ca(2+) influx was activated with OAG (1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol), a diacylglycerol (DAG) analog. OAG application or increased endogenous DAG, resulting from DAG kinase inhibition, reduced the histamine-induced response. Furthermore, activation of the DAG target, protein kinase C (PKC), by TPA (12-O-tetradecanoyl 4beta-phorbol 13alpha-acetate) resulted in inhibition of the histamine-induced Ca(2+) response, an action prevented by PKC inhibitors. By using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis, mRNAs for transient receptor potential channels (TRPCs) 1, 4, and 6 as well as for STIM1 (stromal-interacting molecule) and Orai1 were found to be expressed in the U373 MG cells, and confocal microscopy using specific antibodies revealed the presence of the corresponding proteins. Therefore, TRPCs may be candidate proteins forming store-operated channels in the U373 MG cell line. Further, our results confirm the involvement of PKC in the regulation of H(1) receptor-induced responses and point out to the existence of a feedback mechanism acting via PKC to limit the increase in [Ca(2+)](i).

TRP-independent inhibition of the phospholipase C pathway by natural sensory ligands

Menthol, cinnamaldehyde, and camphor are activators for temperature-sensitive transient receptor potential ion channels (thermoTRPs). Here we found that these three compounds inhibit the phospholipase C (PLC) signaling. P2Y purinoceptor-mediated or histamine receptor-mediated cytosolic calcium mobilization through the PLC pathway was significantly suppressed by menthol, cinnamaldehyde, and camphor. Experiments using a fluorescent pleckstrin homology domain of PLCdelta1 and IP1 accumulation assays demonstrated that direct inhibition of PLC activity occurred upon the addition of the sensory compounds. P2Y receptor-mediated PLC activation is part of the mechanism of platelet aggregation. The three compounds inhibited ADP-induced platelet aggregation. Calcium influx studies showed that thermoTRPs do not function in platelets, suggesting that the anti-aggregation effect is independent of thermoTRP activity. These results suggest that menthol, cinnamaldehyde, and camphor are able to modify PLC signaling and that those effects may lead to changes in cellular functions. This study also identifies new types of compounds that could potentially modulate platelet-related pathological events.

Recent advances in molecular pharmacology of the histamine systems: regulation of histamine H1 receptor signaling by changing its expression level

Histamine H1 receptor (H1R) signaling is regulated by changing its expression level. Two mechanisms are involved in this regulation. One is down-regulation through receptor desensitization. Receptor phosphorylation seemed crucial because stimulation of the mutant H1R lacking five putative phosphorylation sites did not show down-regulation. The phosphorylation level of the mutant receptor was much smaller than that of the wild type ones by several protein kinases. The other is up-regulation through activation of receptor gene expression. Protein kinase C (PKC) signaling was suggested to be involved in this up-regulation. Regulation of H1R expression level was mediated not only through H1R but also autonomic nerve receptors. Stimulation of M3 muscarinic receptors (M3R) induced both down-regulation and up-regulation of H1R. Down-regulation of M3R-mediated H1R seemed not to be mediated by PKC activation, although PKC activation induced H1R phosphorylation. Elevation of H1R expression was induced by the stimulation of M3Rs. PKC was suggested to be involved in this up-regulation. Stimulation of beta2-adrenergic receptors induced H1R down-regulation through several mechanisms. One of them is enhanced receptor degradation after desensitization and another is suppression of receptor synthesis that includes the suppression of receptor gene expression and enhanced degradation of the receptor mRNA. Protein kinase A was suggested to be involved in enhanced degradation and the activation of the receptor gene expression. Elevation of both H1R expression and its mRNA was observed in nasal mucosa of nasal hypersensitivity allergy model rat after toluene diisocyanate provocation. These results suggest that activation of H1R gene expression plays an important patho-physiological role in allergy. Elevation of the mRNA was partially but significantly suppressed by antihistamines.

Ca2+-mediated Potentiation of the Swelling-induced Taurine Efflux from HeLa Cells: On the Role of Calmodulin and Novel Protein Kinase C Isoforms

The present work sets out to investigate how Ca(2+) regulates the volume-sensitive taurine-release pathway in HeLa cells. Addition of Ca(2+)-mobilizing agonists at the time of exposure to hypotonic NaCl medium augments the swelling-induced taurine release and subsequently accelerates the inactivation of the release pathway. The accelerated inactivation is not observed in hypotonic Ca(2+)-free or high-K(+) media. Addition of Ca(2+)-mobilizing agonists also accelerates the regulatory volume decrease, which probably reflects activation of Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels. The taurine release from control cells and cells exposed to Ca(2+) agonists is equally affected by changes in cell volume, application of DIDS and arachidonic acid, indicating that the volume-sensitive taurine leak pathway mediates the Ca(2+)-augmented taurine release. Exposure to Ca(2+)-mobilizing agonists prior to a hypotonic challenge also augments a subsequent swelling-induced taurine release even though the intracellular Ca(2+)-concentration has returned to the unstimulated level. The Ca(2+)-induced augmentation of the swelling-induced taurine release is abolished by inhibition of calmodulin, but unaffected by inhibition of calmodulin-dependent kinase II, myosin light chain kinase and calcineurin. The effect of Ca(2+)-mobilizing agonists is mimicked by protein kinase C (PKC) activation and abolished in the presence of the PKC inhibitor Gö6850 and following downregulation of phorbol ester-sensitive PKC isoforms. It is suggested that Ca(2+) regulates the volume-sensitive taurine-release pathway through activation of calmodulin and PKC isoforms belonging to the novel subclass (nPKC).

Structure of the human histamine H1 receptor gene

Histamine H1 receptor expression has been reported to change in disorders such as allergic rhinitis, autoimmune myocarditis, rheumatoid arthritis and atherosclerosis. Here we report the isolation and characterization of genomic clones containing the 5' flanking (regulatory) region of the human histamine H1 receptor gene. An intron of approx. 5.8 kb was identified in the 5' untranslated region, which suggests that an entire subfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors may contain an intron immediately upstream of the start codon. The transcription initiation site was mapped by 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends to a region 6.2 kb upstream of the start codon. Immediately upstream of the transcription start site a fragment of 1.85 kb was identified that showed promoter activity when placed upstream of a luciferase reporter gene and transiently transfected into cells expressing the histamine H1 receptor. The promoter sequence shares a number of characteristics with the promoter sequences of other G-protein-coupled receptor encoding genes, including binding sites for several transcription factors, and the absence of TATA and CAAT sequences at the appropriate locations. The promoter sequence described here differs from that reported previously [Fukui, Fujimoto, Mizuguchi, Sakamoto, Horio, Takai, Yamada and Ito (1994) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 201, 894-901] because the reported genomic clone was chimaeric. Furthermore our study provides evidence that the 3' untranslated region of the H1 receptor mRNA is much longer than previously accepted. Together, these findings provide a complete view of the structure of the human histamine H1 receptor gene. Both the coding region of the H1 receptor gene and its promoter region were independently mapped to chromosome 3p25.

The histamine H1 receptor in GT1-7 neuronal cells is regulated by calcium influx and KN-62, a putative inhibitor of calcium/calmodulin protein kinase II

1. In GT1-7 cells, histamine stimulated the initial [Ca2+]i transient in a dose-dependent manner with a best-fit EC50 value of 4.2 +/- 4.2 microM (mean +/- s.e.mean, n = 4) and a best-fit maximal effect of 138 +/- 56 nM (n = 4) increase above basal calcium levels. 2. Pretreatment of cells with 30 microM histamine for 30 min desensitized the population mean peak calcium signal by 53% to 75 +/- 9 nM, (n = 3, P < 0.04). Analysis of the individual cells revealed that 39 +/- 7% (n = 94 cells from 8 experiments) of pretreated cells exhibited desensitized histamine-stimulated [Ca2+]i transients of < or = 1 standard deviation below the control cells mean calcium transient level. 3. The desensitization induced by histamine was prevented (P < 0.01) by KN-62 (10 microM), a putative inhibitor of the calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). KN-62 (10 microM) alone did not induce [Ca2+]i mobilization, nor did it antagonize the histamine-stimulated [Ca2+]i signal. In addition, KN-62 did not appear to have its effect by hastening the rate of recovery from desensitization. 4. Histamine pretreatment in nominal (zero calcium + 0.2 mM EGTA) or in low (0.3 mM) extracellular calcium did not induce histamine receptor desensitization, supporting a role for extracellular calcium in the homologous H1 receptor desensitization process. 5. Histamine (30 microM) stimulated at least four different types of [Ca2+]i signals in GT1-7 cells. The majority (61%) were of single spikes with the remaining cells showing some form of calcium oscillatory behaviour. The proportion of GT1-7 cells showing histamine-induced calcium oscillations was histamine concentration-dependent and significantly reduced after acute desensitization. KN-62, when present during histamine pretreatment, prevented this fall in calcium oscillation. Under the conditions of nominal or 0.3 mM extracellular calcium the proportion of cells exhibiting histamine-stimulated calcium oscillations was not significantly different from the controls. 6. Bradykinin stimulated a [Ca2+]i transient in GT1-7 cells with a population mean peak response of 147 +/- 8 nM (n = 5) over basal levels. The bradykinin-induced [Ca2+]i signal was without any calcium oscillatory activity. Histamine pretreatment caused the heterologous desensitization of the bradykinin [Ca2+]i signal (44% reduction, P < 0.007), which was unaffected by KN-62. 7. The results presented here suggest that the histamine-mediated homologous H1 receptor desensitization process involves extracellular calcium and can be blocked by KN-62, a putative inhibitor of CaMKII. In contrast, KN-62 does not appear to prevent the histamine-mediated heterologous desensitization cascade. These findings suggest fundamental differences in the mechanisms underlying homologous and heterologous H1 receptor desensitization pathways in GT1-7 neuronal cells.

Increased desensitization by picomolar phorbol ester of the endothelium-mediated effect of histamine in the perfused rat mesenteric bed

The vasodilatatory, endothelium-mediated, effect of histamine (H), through H1 receptor, in the isolated and perfused mesenteric bed of the rat, undergoes strong desensitization during perfusion or repetitive injections of noradrenaline (NA) and H. The mesenteric bed completely desensitized to H is responsive to carbachol (C) and this latter compound does not affect the H desensitization. The homologous desensitization to C effect is very small, attaining less than 10% after 30 min of continuous perfusion. In this work the effect of inhibitors or activators of protein-kinase(s)-C (PKC) are studied during continuous perfusion of H or C in preparations preconstricted by NA. Staurosporine antagonizes the onset of the H desensitization, while the rate of desensitization in increased by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA). PMA, at a concentration from 10(-12) to 10(-10)M, selectively enhances the homologous desensitization of H, while at 10(-8)M it also produces a desensitization to C. At least two different PKC isoenzymes might be involved in the desensitization of the vasodilatatory effect of H and C in the isolated and perfused rat mesenteric bed.

Regulation of the human histamine H1 receptor stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells

1. The human H1 receptor gene expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHOhumH1) encodes a classical histamine H1 receptor with a pharmacology similar to that of the H1 receptor found in guinea-pig cerebellum and the endogenously expressed human H1 receptor in 1321N1 astrocytoma cells as determined by [3H]-mepyramine binding studies. 2. In CHOhumH1 cells, histamine induced a concentration-dependent rise in inositol phosphates (EC50 2.23 +/- 0.97 microM) and a rapid increase of [Ca2+]i, followed by a sustained increase of [Ca2+]i upon addition of 100 microM histamine. 3. Short-term exposure of CHOhumH1 cells to histamine (100 microM) resulted in a decrease of subsequent histamine-induced Ca2+ responses. The histamine-induced desensitization appeared to be heterologous as the ATP-induced Ca2+ response was also found to be affected. 4. The process of heterologous histamine-induced desensitization of the Ca2+ response in CHOhumH1 cells can be ascribed to an alteration at the level of the intracellular Ca2+ pool, as the Ca2+ response of caffeine (10 mM), which releases Ca2+ from intracellular Ca2+ stores was also attenuated upon short-term histamine exposure. 5. In CHOhumH1 cells the PKC activator, PMA, was found to inhibit the histamine (100 microM)-induced Ca2+ response concentration-dependently (IC50 0.2 +/- 0.03 microM) as well as the ATP (100 microM)-induced Ca2+ response. However, this inhibition was only partial and less effective than histamine-pretreatment. Moreover, in CHOhumH1 cells PKC downregulation induced by long-term exposure to PMA (1 microM) did not affect the histamine-induced desensitization nor did pretreatment with the specific PKC inhibitor Ro-31-8220 (10 microM), indicating that in CHOhumH1 cells PKC is probably not involved in the heterologous desensitization. 6. Long-term treatment of CHOhumH1 cells with histamine or other H1 agonists resulted in a time- and concentration-dependent decrease in the number of H1 receptor binding sites (maximal reduction: 47 +/- 5%). 7. Long-term exposure of CHOhumH1 cells to ATP or PMA did not affect H1 receptor density. 8. Both histamine (100 microM)- and ATP (100 microM)-induced Ca2+ responses were affected upon long-term exposure of cells to histamine (100 microM), which might be explained by an alteration at a level distant from the receptor. 9. These results show that in CHOhumH1 cells the human histamine H1 receptor is susceptible to short-term and long-term receptor regulation in which PKC does not seem to play a role. The CHOhumH1 cells therefore provide an excellent model system for studying the mechanism(s) of PKC-independent H1 receptor regulation.

Characteristics of the binding of [3H]-mepyramine to intact human U373 MG astrocytoma cells: evidence for histamine-induced H1-receptor internalisation

1. The kinetics of the binding of 5 nM [3H]-mepyramine to sites on intact human U373 MG astrocytoma cells, sensitive to inhibition by 2 microM pirdonium, were temperature-dependent. At 37 degrees C the half-time for association was 0.9 +/- 0.4 min and at 4 degrees C 19 +/- 3 min. Dissociation of bound [3H]-mepyramine was fast at 37 degrees C, t0.5 1.5 +/- 0.3 min, but at 6 degrees C dissociation initiated by dilution or addition of unlabelled mepyramine was negligible over 120 min. The very slow dissociation at 6 degrees C made it possible to reduce the level of pirdonium-insensitive binding from 56 +/- 5% to 39 +/- 5% by washing the cells in ice-cold medium before filtration. 2. The binding of [3H]-mepyramine sensitive to 2 microM temelastine, measured after 10 min equilibration at 37 degrees C, failed to saturate and was resolved into an hyperbola and an apparently linear component, whereas the fit to the binding of [3H]-mepyramine sensitive to 2 microM pirdonium was not significantly improved over that to an hyperbola. The mean Kd for the binding of [3H]-mepyramine to the saturable component, 2.5 +/- 0.4 nM, was in close agreement with the value of 3.5 nM for mepyramine derived from inhibition of histamine H1-receptor-mediated inositol phosphate formation in U373 MG cells. 3. Curves for the inhibition of the binding of 5 nM [3H]-mepyramine to U373 MG cells by histamine H1-receptor antagonists were biphasic and were fitted to a two site-model. Affinities calculated from the best-fit IC50 values for the high-affinity site correlated well with those expected for binding to H1-receptors. 4. The percentages of the high-affinity site in curves of the inhibition of [3H]-mepyramine binding to intact U373 MG cells by two tertiary amine antagonists, norpirdonium and 4-methyldiphenhydramine, 68 +/- 3 and 63 +/- 4%, were significantly greater than the percentages of the high-affinity site in the inhibition curves of their quaternary derivatives, 50 +/- 1 and 45 +/- 3%, respectively. Similarly, the percentage of the high-affinity site for unlabelled mepyramine, 65 +/- 7%, was greater than for the non-cell penetrant H1-antagonist temelastine, 42 +/- 5%. 5. Incubation of U373 MG cells with 100 microM histamine at 37 degrees C, followed by washing twice in ice-cold medium and then incubation with 1-15 nM [3H]-mepyramine for 120 min at 4 degrees C, resulted in a decrease in the binding of [3H]-mepyramine sensitive to 2 microM pirdonium, compared to control cells not exposed to histamine. The binding of [3H]-mepyramine in the absence of pirdonium was not altered by histamine pretreatment, whereas the level of the pirdonium-insensitive binding was significantly increased, except after 1 min exposure to histamine. The decreases in the pirdonium-sensitive binding after 5, 10 and 60 min incubation with 100 microM histamine were 41 +/- 6, 56 +/- 6 and 67 +/- 8%, respectively, but the decrease after 1 min incubation with histamine, 16 +/- 8%, was not statistically significant. 6. The results are consistent with the binding of [3H]-mepyramine to intact U373 MG cells being to both plasma membrane and intracellular histamine H1-receptors. The high-affinity binding sensitive to the non-cell penetrant quaternary compounds and to temelastine is thus to plasma membrane H1-receptors. On exposure to 100 microM histamine receptors are translocated to the intracellular pool, since the change in the high-affinity binding of [3H]-mepyramine is primarily in the level of the pirdonium-insensitive binding, rather than in the total binding.

Agonist-induced desensitization of histamine H1 receptor-mediated inositol phospholipid hydrolysis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells

1. The regulation of histamine-induced [3H]-inositol phosphate formation was studied in human cultured umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). 2. Histamine (EC50 4.8 microM) produced a 12.7 fold increase in [3H]-inositol phosphate formation over basal levels. Prior exposure to 0.1 mM histamine (2 h) produced a 78% reduction in the response to subsequent histamine (0.1 mM) challenge. The IC50 for this histamine-induced desensitization was 0.9 microM. 3. The inositol phosphate response to histamine (0.1 mM) was inhibited by phorbol dibutyrate (IC50 40 nM; maximal reduction 64%). This effect was antagonized by both staurosporine (100 nM) and Ro 31-8220 (10 microM). However, the histamine-induced desensitization of the H1-receptor-mediated inositol phosphate response was insensitive to the protein kinase inhibitors, staurosporine, Ro 31-8220, K252a and KN62. 4. Prior exposure to sodium nitroprusside (100 microM), forskolin (10 microM) or dibutyryl cyclic AMP (1 mM) had no effect upon histamine-induced [3H]-inositol phosphate formation. 5. NaF (20 mM) and thrombin (EC50 0.4 u ml-1) also induced inositol phosphate formation in HUVEC. Histamine pretreatment (0.1 mM, 10-120 min) failed to modify the inositol phosphate response to a subsequent NaF or thrombin challenge. 6. We conclude that the desensitization of histamine H1-receptor-mediated [3H]-inositol phosphate formation occurs at the level of the receptor and involves a mechanism independent of activation of protein kinase A, G, or C, or calcium calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II.

An immortalised murine hypothalamic neuronal cell, GT1-7, expresses functional histamine H1 receptors

Histamine, acting via H1 receptors, dose-dependently stimulated [3H]inositol phosphate production in GT1-7 neuronal cells. GT1-7 cells also responded to Substance P but not to other neuroactive drugs tested. Acute histamine pretreatment desensitised the histamine-induced response, resulting in a reduction in the maximal response and a slower time-course of [3H]-inositol phosphate production. The desensitisation phenomenon was reversible, with full recovery by 2 h.

Desensitization of prostaglandin F2 alpha receptor-mediated phosphoinositide hydrolysis in cultured rat astrocytes

Desensitization of prostaglandin (PG) F2 alpha receptor-mediated phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis was investigated in cultured rat astrocytes. Prolonged exposure of astrocytes differentiated by dibutyryl cyclic AMP-treatment to PGF2 alpha caused the desensitization of subsequent PGF2 alpha-induced PI hydrolysis. The desensitization was time- and PGF2 alpha dose-dependent; maximal decrease in the PI hydrolysis was observed after exposure to 10 microM PGF2 alpha for 4 h and the degree of the desensitization was 31.7 +/- 2.7% of control. Pretreatment with either PGD2 or PGE2 also induced the desensitization of subsequent PGF2 alpha-stimulated PI hydrolysis and conversely pretreatment of PGF2 alpha decreased the PI responses to PGD2 and PGE2. The desensitization prevented by phloretin and was reversible upon removal of the agonist. Protein synthesis inhibitors blocked the recovery of the desensitization. Treatment of the cells with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate had no effect on the desensitization. These results suggest that prolonged exposure of the astrocytes to PGF2 alpha caused the desensitization of the receptors.