SummaryThe muscarinic agonist oxotremorine and the tricyclic muscarinic antagonists pirenzepine and telenzepine have been derivatized using a functionalized congener approach for the purpose of synthesizing high affinity ligand probes that are suitable for conjugation with prosthetic groups, for receptor cross-linking, fluorescent and radioactive detection, etc. A novel fluorescent conjugate of TAC (telenzepine amine congener), an n-decylamino derivative of the ml-selective antagonist, with the fluorescent trisulfonated pyrene dye Cascade Blue may be useful for assaying the receptor as an alternative to radiotracers. In a rat m3 receptor mutant containing a single amino acid substitution in the sixth transmembrane domain (Asn507 to Ala) the parent telenzepine lost 636-fold in affinity, while TAC lost only 27-fold. Thus, the decylamino group of TAC stabilizes the bound state and thus enhances potency by acting as a distal anchor in the receptor binding site. We have built a computer-assisted molecular model of the transmembrane regions of muscarinic receptors based on homology with the G-protein coupled receptor rhodopsin, for which a low resolution structure is known. We have coordinated the antagonist pharmacophore (tricyclic and piperazine moieties) with residues of the third and seventh helices of the rat m3 receptor. Although the decylamino chain of TAC is likely to be highly flexible and may adopt many conformations, we located one possible site for a salt bridge formation with the positively charged −NH 3 + group, i.e. Asp113 in helix II.
Keywordstelenzepine; molecular modeling; fluorescence; G-protein coupled receptors An important strategy in our investigation of the structure and function of G-protein coupled receptors has been the synthesis of new ligands using a functionalized congener approach (1). By this approach, positions for attachment of chains on a pharmacophore are empirically probed, leading to knowledge of structure activity relationships at distal sites on a ligand. The site of attachment must correspond to a region of relaxed steric requirements for the ligand at or near the receptor binding site. This strategy has allowed us to target accessory sites of favorable interaction on the receptor, and actually enhance the affinity of the ligands (2). Potential applications include therapeutic agents (1) as well as ligand probes.By analogy, this design approach has been extensively explored by our laboratory at NIH for adenosine and ATP receptor ligands (1,(3)(4)(5) demonstrating that adenosine receptor subtypes are distinct molecular entities was accomplished using this methodology (6). Trifunctional affinity labels that direct a reporter group to the receptor binding site and then cause it to be covalently cross-linked to the protein have also been developed (3). It appears that the functionalized congener approach is a generally applicable approach, potentially useful with many receptors.
Functionalized congener approach to muscarinic ligandsFunctionalized congeners related to the murcarinic...