Characterization of the Substance P Receptor in Rat Brain Cortex Membranes and the Inhibition of Radioligand Binding

Rat brain cortex membranes bind to a conjugate of substance P and 12SI-labeled Bolton-Hunter reagent, and this binding can be inhibited by a low concentration of substance P ( K d = 1.2 f 0.4 X lo-* M). This binding is reversible and saturable (0.5 f 0.1 pmol of binding sites/mg of protein). Fragments of substance P as small as the carboxyl-terminal hexapeptide can inhibit the binding although their potency decreases with the decrease in the length of the peptides. The binding affinities of smaller peptides or peptides in which the carboxyl-terminal amide or amino acids are removed are drastically reduced. Biologically active analogs of substance P, physalaemin, eledoisin, substance P methyl ester, [~-~a~]hepta(5-ll)substance P, kassinin, and the eledoisin-related hexapeptide also can inhibit the binding. However, the binding is not inhibited by polypeptides structurally unrelated to substance P or by amine hormones/neurotransmitters. The binding affinities of biologically active peptides to rat brain cortex membranes are almost identical with their affinities for rat parotid cells which we previously determined. Furthermore, the recently described substance P antagonist, [ ~ ~ o ~ , D ~ ” @ ] ~ ~ b s t a n c e P, inhibits the binding of the lZSI-labeled substance P derivative to brain cortex membranes and to parotid cells equally well. These results suggest that the substance P receptors in the brain cortex and the parotid gland are similar. The brain cortex membrane binding of the 1261labeled substance P derivative can be inhibited by micromolar concentrations of GTP, GDP, and their analogs. ITP and JDP were less active. Adenine and pyridine nucleotides were inactive.