Radioligand binding assays are a relatively simple but extremely powerful tool for studying receptors. They allow an analysis of the interactions of hormones, neurotransmitters, growth factors, and related drugs with the receptors, studies of receptor interactions with second messenger systems, and characterization of regulatory changes in receptor number, subcellular distribution, and physiological function. As a result, these assays are widely used (and often misused) by investigators in a variety of disciplines, including pharmacology, physiology, biochemistry, immunology, and cell biology. This article presents a broad overview of the radioligand binding assay technique, primarily for the investigator who has limited experience with this technique. Practical guidelines for setting up a new assay are presented, including the receptor preparation to be used, choice of appropriate radioligand, optimizing assay conditions, and appropriate methods for data analysis. Tips for avoiding some of the common pitfalls in application of these assays are also included. The primary focus is on radioligand binding assays of membrane-bound receptors studied in membrane preparations. However, similar assay techniques can be used to study receptors on intact cells. The unique advantages and disadvantages of these intact cell binding assays are also discussed. In particular, the occurrence of regulatory changes in receptors during the course of intact cell binding assays is considered, with approaches for circumventing these complications and for using intact cell assays to advantage in studying these regulatory changes.

Treating chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been challenging because of its pathogenic complexity. Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) are cytochrome P-450-dependent derivatives of arachidonic acid with antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, and profibrinolytic functions. We recently reported that genetic ablation of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), an enzyme that converts EETs to less active dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids, prevents renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis and inflammation in experimental mouse models of CKD. Here, we tested the hypothesis that pharmacological inhibition of sEH after unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) would attenuate tubulointerstitial fibrosis and inflammation in mouse kidneys and may provide a novel approach to manage the progression of CKD. Inhibition of sEH enhanced levels of EET regioisomers and abolished tubulointerstitial fibrosis, as demonstrated by reduced collagen deposition and myofibroblast formation after UUO. The inflammatory response was also attenuated, as demonstrated by decreased influx of neutrophils and macrophages and decreased expression of inflammatory cytokines keratinocyte chemoattractant, macrophage inflammatory protein-2, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, TNF-α, and ICAM-1 in kidneys after UUO. UUO upregulated transforming growth factor-β1/Smad3 signaling and induced NF-κB activation, oxidative stress, tubular injury, and apoptosis; in contrast, it downregulated antifibrotic factors, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) isoforms, especially PPAR-γ. sEH inhibition mitigated the aforementioned malevolent effects in UUO kidneys. These data demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of sEH promotes anti-inflammatory and fibroprotective effects in UUO kidneys by preventing tubular injury, downregulation of NF-κB, transforming growth factor-β1/Smad3, and inflammatory signaling pathways, and activation of PPAR isoforms. Our data suggest the potential use of sEH inhibitors in treating fibrogenesis in the UUO model of CKD.

Enhanced proliferation of airway smooth muscle is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of asthma and other obstructive airway diseases. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a simple bioactive lipid mediator that stimulates mitogenesis in fibroblasts and some other cell types. The effects of LPA on mitogenesis of cultured human airway smooth muscle cells were determined by measuring [3H]thymidine incorporation into cellular DNA. LPA induced a concentration-dependent stimulation of [3H]thymidine incorporation of a similar magnitude to that induced by serum, with the effects of 50 microM LPA being similar to those of 5% serum. Stimulation by LPA and by serum was almost completely eliminated in cells exposed to pertussis toxin, indicating involvement of a pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein in mitogenic signaling by these agents. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) induced stimulation of a similar magnitude as that with LPA, but the stimulation by EGF was insensitive to pertussis toxin. LPA and EGF, when added together, exhibited a markedly synergistic stimulation of [3H]thymidine incorporation that was typically 10-fold greater than the stimulation with either agent alone. LPA and EGF also stimulated mitogenesis assessed by cell growth, and again LPA and EGF together exhibited synergism. These results suggest the possibility that stimulation of airway smooth muscle cell proliferation by LPA, either alone or by enhancing effects of other growth factors, could play a role in normal airway remodeling or in the pathological proliferation of smooth muscle in various airway diseases.

We previously reported that truncation of the N-terminal 79 amino acids of ␣ 1D -adrenoceptors (⌬ 1-79 ␣ 1D -ARs) greatly increases binding site density. In this study, we determined whether this effect was associated with changes in ␣ 1D -AR subcellular localization. Confocal imaging of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged receptors and sucrose density gradient fractionation suggested that full-length ␣ 1D -ARs were found primarily in intracellular compartments, whereas ⌬ 1-79 ␣ 1D -ARs were translocated to the plasma membrane. This resulted in a 3-to 4-fold increase in intrinsic activity for stimulation of inositol phosphate formation by norepinephrine. We determined whether this effect was transplantable by creating N-terminal chimeras of ␣ 1 -ARs containing the body of one subtype and the N terminus of another (␣ 1A NT-D, ␣ 1B NT-D, ␣ 1D NT-A, and ␣ 1D NT-B). When expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells, radioligand binding revealed that binding densities of ␣ 1A -or ␣ 1B -ARs containing the ␣ 1D -N terminus decreased by 86 to 93%, whereas substitution of ␣ 1A -or ␣ 1B -N termini increased ␣ 1D -AR binding site density by 2-to 3-fold. Confocal microscopy showed that GFP-tagged ␣ 1D NT-B-ARs were found only on the cell surface, whereas GFP-tagged ␣ 1B NT-D-ARs were completely intracellular. Radioligand binding and confocal imaging of GFP-tagged ␣ 1D -and ⌬ 1-79␣ 1D -ARs expressed in rat aortic smooth muscle cells produced similar results, suggesting these effects are generalizable to cell types that endogenously express ␣ 1D -ARs. These findings demonstrate that the N-terminal region of ␣ 1D -ARs contain a transplantable signal that is critical for regulating formation of functional bindings, through regulating cellular localization.

Mechanisms by which beta-adrenergic receptor (beta AR) agonists inhibit proliferation of human airway smooth muscle (HASM) cells were investigated because of their potential relevance to smooth muscle hyperplasia in asthma. We hypothesized that beta AR agonists would inhibit mitogenesis in HASM cells via the beta 2AR, an increase in cAMP, and PKA activation. HASM cells were treated for 24 h with various agents and then analyzed for [3H]thymidine incorporation as a measure of cell proliferation. EGF stimulated proliferation by approximately 10-fold. The nonselective beta AR agonist isoproterenol and the beta 2AR-selective agonists albuterol and salmeterol inhibited EGF-stimulated proliferation by more than 50%, with half-maximal effects at 4.8 nM, 110 nM, and 6.7 nM, respectively. A beta 2AR-selective antagonist inhibited the isoproterenol effect with 100-fold greater potency than a beta 1AR-selective antagonist, confirming beta 2AR involvement in the inhibition of proliferation. The cAMP-elevating agents PGE2 and forskolin decreased EGF-induced proliferation, suggesting cAMP as the mediator. beta 2AR agonists and forskolin also inhibited proliferation stimulated by lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) as well as the synergistic proliferation stimulated by LPA+EGF. Importantly, PKA-selective cAMP analogs did not inhibit proliferation at concentrations that maximally activated PKA (10-100 microM), whereas a cAMP analog selective for the exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (EPAC), 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-2'-O-methyl-cAMP, maximally inhibited proliferation at a concentration that did not activate PKA (10 microM). These data show that beta 2AR agonists and other cAMP-elevating agents decrease proliferation in HASM cells via a PKA-independent mechanism, and they provide pharmacological evidence for involvement of EPAC or an EPAC-like cAMP effector protein instead.