High levels of histamine H3 receptors (H3Rs) are found in the globus pallidus (GP), a neuronal nucleus in the basal ganglia involved in the control of motor behavior. By using rat GP isolated nerve terminals (synaptosomes), we studied whether H3R activation modified the previously reported enhancing action of adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) stimulation on depolarization-evoked [(3)H]-GABA release. At 3 and 10 nM, the A2AR agonist CGS-21680 enhanced [(3)H]-GABA release induced by high K(+) (20 mM) and the effect of 3 nM CGS-21680 was prevented by the A2AR antagonist ZM-241385 (100 nM). The presence of presynaptic H3Rs was confirmed by the specific binding of N-α-[methyl-(3)H]-histamine to membranes from GP synaptosomes (maximum binding, Bmax, 1327 ± 79 fmol/mg protein; dissociation constant, Kd, 0.74 nM), which was inhibited by the H3R ligands immepip, clobenpropit, and A-331440 (inhibition constants, Ki, 0.28, 8.53, and 316 nM, respectively). Perfusion of synaptosomes with the H3R agonist immepip (100 nM) had no effect on K(+)-evoked [(3)H]-GABA release, but inhibited the stimulatory action of A2AR activation. In turn, the effect of immepip was blocked by the H3R antagonist clobenpropit, which had no significant effect of its own on K(+)-induced [(3)H]-GABA release. These data indicate that H3R activation selectively counteracts the facilitatory action of A2AR stimulation on GABA release from striato-pallidal projections.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSEAn alanine to valine exchange at amino acid position 280 (A280V) in the third intracellular loop of the human histamine H3 receptor was first identified in a patient suffering from Shy-Drager syndrome and later reported as a risk factor for migraine. Here, we have compared the pharmacological and signalling properties of wild-type (hH3RWT) and A280V mutant (hH3RA280V) receptors stably expressed in CHO-K1 cells. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHThe hH3RA280V cDNA was created by overlapping extension PCR amplification. Receptor expression and affinity were assessed by radioligand (N-α-[methyl- KEY RESULTSBoth receptors were expressed at similar levels with no significant differences in their affinities for H3 receptor ligands. Upon activation the hH3RWT was significantly more efficacious to inhibit forskolin-induced cAMP accumulation and to stimulate [ 35 S]-GTPγS binding, with no difference in pEC50 estimates. The hH3RWT was also more efficacious to stimulate ERK1/2 phosphorylation, but this difference was not significant. The inverse agonist ciproxifan was more efficacious at hH3RWT to reduce [ 35 S]-GTPγS binding but, for both receptors, failed to enhance forskolin-induced cAMP accumulation. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONSThe A280V mutation reduces the signalling efficacy of the human H3 receptor. This effect may be relevant to the pathophysiology of disorders associated with the mutation.

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