Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 6, 94-101, Copyright © 1986 by Society for Neuroscience
Autoradiographic localization of tryptamine binding sites in the rat and dog central nervous system
JK McCormack, AJ Beitz and AA Larson
Tryptamine, an endogenous trace amine, is currently postulated to be a
neuromodulator or neurotransmitter in the mammalian CNS. High-affinity
binding sites have been described for tryptamine in rat brain homogenate
preparations. The present study further characterizes tryptamine binding
throughout the CNS and delineates its distribution using in vitro receptor
binding in conjunction with autoradiographic techniques. Saturation studies
on 20-micron-thick brain sections suggest a single class of binding sites
(Hill coefficient = 0.97 +/- 0.04) with a high affinity (KD = 4.79 +/- 1.55
nM). In competition studies, kynuramine and tetrahydrobetacarboline
significantly inhibited H3-tryptamine binding while serotonin, dopamine,
and phenylethylamine failed to significantly inhibit it. The most potent
inhibitor of H3- tryptamine binding was tryptamine (KI = 4.19 +/- 2.13 nM).
In rat brain sections processed for in vitro autoradiography, highest
binding occurred in the following limbic structures: the accumbens nucleus,
the amygdalohippocampal area, the lateral septal nucleus, the entorhinal
cortex, and the anterior olfactory nucleus. At diencephalic levels, the
highest binding was observed in the reuniens thalamic nucleus, the
paraventricular thalamic nucleus, the medial habenular nucleus, the central
medial thalamic nucleus, and the arcuate hypothalamic nucleus. In the
midbrain of the rat, binding was most notable in the interpeduncular
nucleus, the superficial layer of the superior colliculus, the
periaqueductal gray, and the paranigral nucleus. In the lower brain stem of
the dog, binding was evident in the external cuneate nucleus, the spinal
trigeminal nucleus, and in the region of the solitary nucleus. Binding was
also present in both the ventral and dorsal horns of the canine spinal
cord.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)