scholarly journals A Continuous, Fluorescence-based Assay of µ-Opioid Receptor Activation in AtT-20 Cells

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alisa Knapman ◽  
Marina Santiago ◽  
Yan Ping Du ◽  
Philip R. Bennallack ◽  
Macdonald J. Christie ◽  
...  

Opioids are widely prescribed analgesics, but their use is limited due to development of tolerance and addiction, as well as high variability in individual response. The development of improved opioid analgesics requires high-throughput functional assays to assess large numbers of potential opioid ligands. In this study, we assessed the ability of a proprietary “no-wash” fluorescent membrane potential dye to act as a reporter of µ–opioid receptor (MOR) activation and desensitization via activation of G-protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium channels. AtT-20 cells stably expressing mouse MOR were assayed in 96-well plates using the Molecular Devices FLIPR membrane potential dye. Dye emission intensity decreased upon membrane hyperpolarization. Fluorescence decreased in a concentration-dependent manner upon application of a range of opioid ligands to the cells, with high-efficacy agonists producing a decrease of 35% to 40% in total fluorescence. The maximum effect of morphine faded in the continued presence of agonist, reflecting receptor desensitization. The effects of opioids were prevented by prior treatment with pertussis toxin and blocked by naloxone. We have demonstrated this assay to be an effective method for assessing ligand signaling at MOR, which may potentially be scaled up as an additional high-throughput screening technique for characterizing novel opioid ligands.

1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (6) ◽  
pp. 3000-3005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing-Song Liu ◽  
Sheng Han ◽  
You-Sheng Jia ◽  
Gong Ju

Opioid peptides have profound inhibitory effects on the production of oxytocin and vasopressin, but their direct effects on magnocellular neuroendocrine neurons appear to be relatively weak. We tested whether a presynaptic mechanism is involved in this inhibition. The effects of μ-opioid receptor agonist d-Ala2, N-CH3-Phe4, Gly5-ol-enkephalin (DAGO) on excitatory and inhibitory transmission were studied in supraoptic nucleus (SON) neurons from rat hypothalamic slices using whole cell recording. DAGO reduced the amplitude of evoked glutamatergic excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in a dose-dependent manner. In the presence of tetrodotoxin (TTX) to block spike activity, DAGO also reduced the frequency of spontaneous miniature EPSCs without altering their amplitude distribution, rising time, or decaying time constant. The above effects of DAGO were reversed by wash out, or by addition of opioid receptor antagonist naloxone or selective μ-antagonist Cys2-Tyr3-Orn5-Pen7-NH2(CTOP). In contrast, DAGO had no significant effect on the evoked and spontaneous miniature GABAergic inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) in most SON neurons. A direct membrane hyperpolarization of SON neurons was not detected in the presence of DAGO. These results indicate that μ-opioid receptor activation selectively inhibits excitatory activity in SON neurons via a presynaptic mechanism.


1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 414-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bianca B. Ruzicka ◽  
Khem Jhamandas

Previous investigations have shown that the activation of δ-opioid receptors depresses the release of acetylcholine (ACh) in the rat caudate putamen. This finding raised the possibility that the release of ACh is similarly modulated in the globus pallidus, a region containing a distinct population of cholinergic neurons and enriched in enkephalinergic nerve terminals. In the present study the pallidal release of ACh was characterized and the effects of δ-opioid receptor activation on this release were examined. The results show that this release is stimulated by high K+ in a concentration- and Ca2+-dependent manner. D-Pen2,L-Pen5-enkephalin (0.1 – 10 μM), a selective δ-opioid receptor agonist, produced a dose-related inhibition of the 25 mM K+-evoked tritium release. The maximal inhibitory effect, representing a 34% decrease in the K+-induced tritium release, was observed at a concentration of 1 μM. This opioid effect was attenuated by the selective δ-opioid receptor antagonist, ICI 174864 (1 μM). These findings support the role of a δ-opioid receptor in the modulation of ACh release in the rat globus pallidus.Key words: globus pallidus, acetylcholine, enkephalin, release.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuerdi Subati ◽  
Zhenjiang Yang ◽  
Isis L Christopher ◽  
Joseph C Van Amburg ◽  
Matthew B Murphy ◽  
...  

Background: Hypertension is one of the most common risk factors for atrial fibrillation (AF), although the precise cellular and molecular mechanism(s) by which hypertension leads to AF are not well understood. Isolevuglandins (IsoLGs) are highly reactive dicarbonyl products of lipid peroxidation responsible for a major component of oxidative stress-related injury. In a mouse model of hypertension, we recently demonstrated that IsoLGs are elevated in hypertensive mouse atria and that an IsoLG scavenger reduced both IsoLG burden and AF susceptibility. Hypothesis: In this study, we hypothesized that IsoLGs can promote AF by inducing proarrhythmic metabolic and electrophysiologic (EP) changes in atrial cardiomyocytes. Methods and Results: Using standard patch clamp methods, we found significant changes in action potential properties of isolated mouse atrial cardiomyocytes exposed to IsoLGs (1μM, n=15 cells), including elevation of resting membrane potential, shortening of APD and reduction of V max . Acute IsoLG treatment led to a reduction of intracellular ATP production in atrial HL-1 cardiomyocytes, as measured by using a luminescence assay. Employing TMRM and Mitotracker Green staining for confocal and high-throughput screening (HTS) live-cell imaging assays, we also found that IsoLGs decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (compared to control, TMRM fluorescence decreased by 23%, 28%, 36% and 42%, respectively, when exposed to 0.01, 0.1, 0.5 and 1μM concentrations of IsoLG) accompanied by increased apoptosis (Cell Event Caspase-3/7 Green Detection Reagent) in a concentration-dependent manner, suggesting a prolonged mitochondrial transition pore opening. Moreover, cell metabolism assays performed using Agilent’s Seahorse XF96 extracellular flux analyzer revealed that IsoLGs exert a concentration dependent decrease in basal oxygen consumption rate and ATP production in HL-1 atrial cardiomyocytes. Conclusion: Together, these findings indicate that IsoLGs promote proarrhythmic EP and mitochondrial effects in atrial cells and thus may provide a novel therapeutic target for AF.


2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 1119-1128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dmitry V. Vasilyev ◽  
Qin J. Shan ◽  
Yan T. Lee ◽  
Veronica Soloveva ◽  
Stanley P. Nawoschik ◽  
...  

Hyperpolarization-activated cation nonselective (HCN) channels represent an interesting group of targets for drug development. In this study, the authors report the development of a novel membrane potential-sensitive dye (MPSD) assay for HCN channel modulators that has been miniaturized into 384-well fluorescent imaging plate reader (FLIPR) high-throughput screening (HTS) format. When optimized (by cell plating density, plate type, cell recovery from cryopreservation), the wellto-well signal variability was low, with a Z' = 0.73 and coefficient of variation = 6.4%, whereas the MPSD fluorescence signal amplitude was -23,700 ± 1500 FLIPR3 relative fluorescence units (a linear relationship was found between HCN1 MPSD fluorescence signal and the cell plating density) and was completely blocked by 30 µM ZD7288. The assay tolerated up to 1% DMSO, inclusion of which did not significantly change the signal kinetics or amplitude. A single-concentration screening of an ion channel-focused library composed of 4855 compounds resulted in 89 HCN1 blocker hits, 51 of which were subsequently analyzed with an 8-point concentration-response analysis on the IonWorks HT electrophysiology platform. The correlation between MPSD and the electrophysiology assay was moderate, as shown by the linear regression analysis (r2 = 0.56) between the respective IC50s obtained using these 2 assays. The reported HTS-compatible HCN channel blocker assay can serve as a tool in drug discovery in the pursuit of HCN channel isoform-selective small molecules that could be used in the development of clinically relevant compounds. (Journal of Biomolecular Screening 2009:1119-1128)


2002 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 383-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu-Gui Huang

The mitochondrion plays a pivotal role in energy metabolism in eukaryotic cells. The electrochemical potential across the mitochondrial inner membrane is regulated to cope with cellular energy needs and thus reflects the bioenergetic state of the cell. Traditional assays for mitochondrial membrane potential are not amenable to high-throughput drug screening. In this paper, I describe a high-throughput assay that measures the mitochondrial membrane potential of living cells in 96- or 384-well plates. Cells were first treated with test compounds and then with a fluorescent potentiometric probe, the cationic-lipophilic dye tetramethylrhodamine methyl ester (TMRM). The cells were then washed to remove free compounds and probe. The amount of TMRM retained in the mitochondria, which is proportional to the mitochondrial membrane potential, was measured on an LJL Analyst fluorescence reader. Under optimal conditions, the assay measured only the mitochondrial membrane potential. The chemical uncouplers carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone and dinitrophenol decreased fluorescence intensity, with IC50 values (concentration at 50% inhibition) similar to those reported in the literature. A Z' factor of greater than 0.5 suggests that this cell-based assay can be adapted for high-throughput screening of chemical libraries. This assay may be used in screens for drugs to treat metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes, as well as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.


2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 687-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoonsuk Lee ◽  
Dong-Ku Kang ◽  
Soo-Ik Chang ◽  
Moon Hi Han ◽  
In-Cheol Kang

Protein microarray is an emerging technology that makes high-throughput analysis possible for protein-protein interactions and analysis of proteome and biomarkers in parallel. The authors investigated the application of a novel protein microarray chip, Proteo Chip, in new drug discovery. Integrin αvβ3 microarray immobilized on the Proteo Chip was employed to screen new active peptides against the integrin from multiple hexapeptide sublibraries of a positional scanning synthetic peptide combinatorial library (PS-SPCL). The integrin αvβ3-vitronectin interaction was successfully demonstrated on the integrin microarray in a dose-dependent manner andwas inhibited not only by the syntheticRGDpeptide but also by various integrin antagonists on the integrin microarray chip. Novel peptide ligands with high affinity to the integrin were also identified from the peptide libraries with this chip-based screening system by a competitive inhibition assay in a simultaneous and highthroughput fashion. The authors have confirmed antiangiogenic functions of the novel peptides thus screened through an in vitro and in vivo angiogenesis assay. These results provide evidence that the Proteo Chip is a promising tool for highthroughput screening of lead molecules in new drug development.


1993 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 2745-2749 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Delbono ◽  
B. A. Kotsias

We studied the antagonism between aminophylline and two calcium channel blockers, nifedipine and verapamil, and its effect on the resting membrane potential of rat diaphragm fibers in vitro at 25 degrees C. Aminophylline hyperpolarizes the fibers in a dose-dependent manner, and the maximum effect is reached with 1 mM of the drug, approximately 9 mV compared with normal values. Both nifedipine and verapamil (1–5 microM) decreased the amount of hyperpolarization induced by aminophylline, and this is partially reversed when the xanthine concentration in the bath is increased. From the Hill equation we obtained a value of 2 for the slope, suggesting that two molecules of aminophylline bind to the receptor. Nifedipine modifies the affinity and the intrinsic activity of aminophylline, whereas verapamil reduces its intrinsic activity. The effect of nifedipine and verapamil is explained on the basis of the changed action of aminophylline on its site as a result of the interaction of the calcium channel blockers with their interdependent receptors.


2000 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 239-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony C. Chiulli ◽  
Karen Trompeter ◽  
Michelle Palmer

The second messenger 3′, 5′-cyclic AMP (cAMP) is a highly regulated molecule that is governed by G protein-coupled receptor activation and other cellular processes. Measurement of cAMP levels in cells is widely used as an indicator of receptor function in drug discovery applications. We have developed a nonradioactive ELISA for the accurate quantitation of cAMP levels produced in cell-based assays. This novel competitive assay utilizes chemiluminescent detection that affords both a sensitivity and a dynamic assay range that have not been previously reported with any other assay methodologies. The assay has been automated in 96- and 384-well formats, providing assay data that are equivalent to, if not better than, data generated by hand. This report demonstrates the application of this novel assay technology to the functional analysis of a specific G protein-coupled receptor, neuropeptide receptor Y1, on SK-N-MC cells. Our data indicate the feasibility of utilizing this assay methodology for monitoring cAMP levels in a wide range of functional cell-based assays for high throughput screening.


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