Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 8, 2406-2413, Copyright © 1988 by Society for Neuroscience
Non-neuronal cell-conditioned medium regulates muscarinic receptor expression in cultured sympathetic neurons
KE Smith and JA Kessler
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Bronx, New York 10461.
Regulation of muscarinic receptor expression was examined in cultured
sympathetic neurons of the neonatal rat superior cervical ganglion.
Receptor concentration was determined by measuring binding of the
muscarinic antagonist 1-quinuclidinyl[phenyl-4-3H] benzilate (3H-QNB).
3H-QNB bound to one apparent class of noninteracting sites on sympathetic
neuron membranes with a Kd of 28.9 pM and a Bmax of 2.91 pmol/mg protein.
Binding increased as a linear function of tissue protein and was saturable.
The number of receptors per milligram protein increased approximately
6-fold during 16 d of culture, and receptor numbers were down-regulated by
treatment with the agonist carbachol. These observations suggested that
measurement of 3H-QNB binding would provide a reliable estimate of
muscarinic receptor number on cultured sympathetic neurons. To determine
whether nonneuronal cells produce soluble factors that influence muscarinic
receptor expression, the effects of treatment with rat
fibroblast-conditioned medium (RFCM) were examined. Exposure of sympathetic
neurons to 50% RFCM resulted in a 57% decrease in muscarinic receptor
numbers without a change in the apparent Kd. The decrease in 3H-QNB binding
in response to RFCM was dose-related, with a minimum dose of 15% RFCM
required to observe a significant effect. In contrast to the
carbachol-induced down- regulation, the reduction in binding after RFCM
treatment was not prevented by atropine, indicating that the effect was not
mediated by acetylcholine stimulation of muscarinic receptors. Binding of
125I- alpha-bungarotoxin, which labels a nonfunctional membrane site
distinct from nicotinic receptors, was not altered by treatment with RFCM,
indicating the selectivity of the change in membrane muscarinic
receptors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)