Generation of mice expressing the human glucagon receptor with a direct replacement vector.

The process of evaluating the in vivo efficacy of non-peptidyl receptor antagonists in animal models is frequently complicated by failure of compounds displaying high affinity against the human receptors to show measurable affinity at the corresponding rodent receptors. In order to generate a suitable animal model in which to evaluate the in vivo activity of non-peptidyl glucagon receptor antagonists, we have utilized a direct targeting approach to replace the murine glucagon receptor with the human glucagon receptor gene by homologous recombination. Specific expression of the human glucagon receptor (GR) in the livers of transgenic mice was confirmed with an RNase protection assay, and the pharmacology of the human GRs expressed in the livers of these mice parallels that of human GR in a recombinant CHO cell line with respect to both binding of 125I-glucagon and the ability of glucagon to stimulate cAMP production. L-168,049, a non-peptidyl GR antagonist selective for the human GR shows a 3.5 fold higher affinity for liver membrane preparations of human GR expressing mice (IC50 = 172 +/- 98 nM) in the presence of MgCl2 in marked contrast to the measured affinity of the murine receptor (IC50 = 611 +/- 197 nM) for this non-peptidyl antagonist. The human receptors expressed are functional as measured by the ability of glucagon to stimulate cAMP production and the selectivity of this antagonist for the human receptor is further verified by its ability to block glucagon-stimulated cyclase activity with 5 fold higher potency (IC50 = 97.2 +/- 13.9 nM) than for the murine receptor (IC50 = 504 +/- 247 nM). Thus we have developed a novel animal model for evaluating GR antagonists in vivo. These mice offer the advantage that the regulatory sequences which direct tissue specific and temporal expression of the GR have been unaltered and thus expression of the human gene in these mice remains in the normal chromosomal context.

Molecular characterization and expression of cloned human galanin receptors GALR2 and GALR3.

Galanin is a 29- or 30-amino acid peptide with wide-ranging effects on hormone release, feeding behavior, smooth muscle contractility, and somatosensory neuronal function. Three distinct galanin receptor (GALR) subtypes, designated GALR1, 2, and 3, have been cloned from the rat. We report here the cloning of the human GALR2 and GALR3 genes, an initial characterization of their pharmacology with respect to radioligand binding and signal transduction pathways, and a profile of their expression in brain and peripheral tissues. Human GALR2 and GALR3 show, respectively, 92 and 89% amino acid sequence identity with their rat homologues. Radioligand binding studies with 125I-galanin show that recombinant human GALR2 binds with high affinity to human galanin (K(D) = 0.3 nM). Human GALR3 binds galanin with less affinity (IC50 of 12 nM for porcine galanin and 75 nM for human galanin). Human GALR2 was shown to couple to phospholipase C and elevation of intracellular calcium levels as assessed by aequorin luminescence in HEK-293 cells and by Xenopus melanophore pigment aggregation and dispersion assays, in contrast to human GALR1 and human GALR3, which signal predominantly through inhibition of adenylate cyclase. GALR2 mRNA shows a wide distribution in the brain (mammillary nuclei, dentate gyrus, cingulate gyrus, and posterior hypothalamic, supraoptic, and arcuate nuclei), and restricted peripheral tissue distribution with highest mRNA levels detected in human small intestine. In comparison, whereas GALR3 mRNA was expressed in many areas of the rat brain, there was abundant expression in the primary olfactory cortex, olfactory tubercle, the islands of Calleja, the hippocampal CA regions of Ammon's horn, and the dentate gyrus. GALR3 mRNA was highly expressed in human testis and was detectable in adrenal gland and pancreas. The genes for human GALR2 and 3 were localized to chromosomes 17q25 and 22q12.2-13.1, respectively.

Characterization of the binding and activity of a high affinity, pseudoirreversible morpholino tachykinin NK1 receptor antagonist.

2(S)-((3,5-Bis(trifluoromethyl)benzyl)-oxy)-3(S)-phenyl-4-((3-oxo-1,2,4- triazol-5-yl)methyl)morpholine (L-742,694) is a selective morpholino tachykinin NK1 receptor antagonist that inhibits the binding of 125I-substance P to the human tachykinin NK1 receptor with a Kd = 37 pM. Increasing concentrations of L-742,694 added to cells 15 min prior to agonist progressively increase the apparent EC50 of substance P for inducing the synthesis of inositol phosphate in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing human tachykinin NK1 receptor and decrease the maximal level of stimulation observed. In contrast, addition of substance P and L-742,694 to the cells at the same time results in an increase in the EC50 for substance P with no decrease in the maximal level of stimulation. The compound also decreases the apparent number of binding sites for 125I-substance P observed by Scatchard analysis. Analysis of the binding of [3H]L-742,694 to the tachykinin NK1 receptor shows that it associates with the receptor with k(a) = 3.98 x 10(8) M(-1) min(-1), and dissociates with k(d) = 0.026 min(-1) and t1/2 = 27 min at 22 degrees C. The slow rate of dissociation of L-742,694 from the tachykinin NK1 receptor and the observation that altering the order of addition of antagonist and substance P attenuates the effect of the antagonist on the maximal activation suggest that L-742,694 is a competitive antagonist that can behave as a pseudoirreversible antagonist under some experimental conditions. L-742,694 has reduced affinity for tachykinin NK1 receptors in which alanine has been substituted for Gln165, His197 or His265 in transmembrane helices 4, 5 and 6, respectively. These three residues have previously been shown to be present in the binding site of tachykinin NK1 receptor antagonists of several structural classes. In addition, L-742,694 inhibits binding of the quinuclidine antagonist (2S,3S)-cis-2-(diphenyl methyl)-N-[(2-iodophenyl)-methyl]-1-azabicyclo[2.2.2]octane 3-amine ([125I]L-703,606) with the same affinity as it inhibits binding of 125I-substance P. These data indicate that L-742,694 binds to the same site within the transmembrane domain of the receptor as previously described competitive antagonists.

Pharmacological characterization and tissue distribution of the human and rat GALR1 receptors.

The diverse biological functions of galanin are mediated via membrane bound high-affinity receptors. In order to identify and characterize potential galanin receptor subtypes, we have examined the specific 125I-galanin binding to the CHP-212 human neuroblastoma cell line. The galanin receptors expressed in CHP-212 cells, like GALR1 have high affinity for galanin (Kd = 0.07 nM) and the potency for inhibition of 125I-galanin binding by galanin peptides parallels that of hGALR1 expressed in a stable CHO cell line. We confirmed that GALR1 is expressed in these cells by RT-PCR. We further determined the tissue expression patterns of hGALR1 which is expressed in a variety of human tissues at a very low level, with the highest levels seen in heart, small intestine and prostate. A species of approximately 70 kDa is recognized by antisera specific for hGALR1 by Western blot analysis and should allow future measurements of receptor protein expression.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a new receptor for galanin.

Galanin (GAL) is a widely distributed neuropeptide with diverse biological effects including modulation of hormone release, antinociception and modification of feeding behavior. Its effects are mediated through G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) for which only a single type has been cloned, GAL receptor 1 (GALR1). We describe the cloning of a second galanin receptor type, GALR2, from rat hypothalamus. The GALR2 amino acid sequence is 38% identical to GALR1 and is pharmacologically similar to GALR1 when expressed in COS-7 cells. GALR2 is encoded by a single gene containing at least one intron and expressed in a diverse range of tissues.

Cloning and expression of a novel neuropeptide Y receptor.

The neuropeptide Y family of peptides, which includes neuropeptide Y (NPY), peptide YY (PYY), and pancreatic polypeptide (PP), are found in the central and peripheral nervous system and display a wide array of biological activities. These actions are believed to be mediated through pharmacologically distinct G protein-coupled receptors, and, to date, three members of the NPY receptor family have been cloned. In this study we describe the cloning and expression of a novel NPY receptor from mouse genomic DNA. This receptor, designated NPY Y5, shares 60% amino acid identity to the murine NPY Y1 receptor. The pharmacology of this novel receptor resembles that of the NPY Y1 receptor and is distinct from that described for the NPY Y2, Y3, and Y4 receptors. In situ hybridization of mouse brain sections reveals expression of this receptor within discrete regions of the hypothalamus including the suprachiasmatic nucleus, anterior hypothalamus, bed nucleus stria terminalis, and the ventromedial nucleus with no localization apparent elsewhere in the brain.

Characterization of the interaction of diacylpiperazine antagonists with the human neurokinin-1 receptor: identification of a common binding site for structurally dissimilar antagonists.

We recently described a novel series of diacylpiperazine antagonists of the human neurokinin (NK)-1 receptor. The diacylpiperazine compounds are structurally dissimilar from previously described NK-1 antagonists. L-161,664 [1-(N,N-diphenylaminocarbonyl)-4-(N',N'-di-n-pentylaminocarbony l) piperazine-2-diethylaminopropylcarboxamide] inhibits 125I-substance P binding to the human NK-1 receptor with an IC50 of 43 +/- 21 nM but has 50-fold and 200-fold lower affinity for the human NK-2 and NK-3 receptors, respectively. L-161,664 inhibits substance P-stimulated inositol monophosphate accumulation in Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing the human NK-1 receptor by increasing the EC50 for substance P but not its maximal effect. The compound decreases the apparent affinity of the NK-1 receptor for 125I-substance P and does not alter the rate of dissociation of 125I-substance P from the receptor. These data indicate that L-161,664 is a potent and selective competitive antagonist of the human NK-1 receptor. L-161,664 has reduced affinity for mutants of the NK-1 receptor in which alanine has replaced Gln-165 in transmembrane helix 4, His-197 in helix 5, His-265 in helix 6, or Tyr-287 in helix 7. Similarly, a novel series of acyclic 2-benzhydryl-2-aminoethyl ethers that we have recently shown to be competitive NK-1 receptor antagonists have reduced affinity for the Q165A. H197A, and H265A mutant receptors. These residues have been shown to be important for binding of quinuclidine, tryptophan benzyl ester, and perhydroisoindole antagonists to the receptor. Analysis of the interaction of structural analogs of L-161,664 with the Q165A mutant receptor suggests that this residue interacts with the 2-diethylaminopropylcarboxamide side chain of L-161,664. Thus, even though the diacylpiperazine antagonists are structurally dissimilar from other classes of antagonists described to date, these data suggest that a common antagonist binding site that accomodates much structural diversity is present in the human NK-1 receptor. Furthermore, these data, combined with those obtained from medicinal chemistry approaches, suggest a minimum pharmacophore map for the interaction of these diverse ligands with the NK-1 binding site.

Characterization of the interaction of N-acyl-L-tryptophan benzyl ester neurokinin antagonists with the human neurokinin-1 receptor.

We have recently shown that a series of N-acyl-L-tryptophan benzyl esters are potent substance P antagonists (Macleod, A. M., Merchant, K. J., Cascieri, M. A., Sadowski, S., Ber, E., Swain, C. J., and Baker, R. (1993) J. Med Chem. 14, 2044-2045). We now report the detailed characterization of the interaction of N-acetyl-L-tryptophan-3,5-bistrifluoromethyl benzyl ester (L-732,138) with the human neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor. L-732,138 inhibits the binding of 125I-substance P to the cloned human NK1 receptor expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells with an IC50 of 2.3 +/- 0.7 nM. In contrast, it has 200-fold lower affinity for the cloned rat NK-1 receptor and has > 1000-fold lower affinity for the human NK-2 and NK-3 receptors. L-732,138 acts as a competitive antagonist of substance P, as shown by functional Schild analysis of the inhibition of substance P-induced inositol phosphate synthesis, by kinetic analysis of the dissociation rate, and by thermodynamic analysis of the equilibrium binding of 125I-substance P to the NK-1 receptor. L-732,138 also competitively inhibits the binding of the quinuclidine amine antagonist, [125I]L-703,606, to the receptor. The compound has 230- and 10-fold reduced affinity for mutant NK-1 receptors in which histidine 265 or histidine 197, respectively, are replaced with alanine. We have previously shown that these residues play key roles in the binding of quinuclidine antagonists to the NK-1 receptor. These results suggest that the tryptophan and quinuclidine series of NK-1 antagonists bind to similar binding sites on the human NK-1 receptor.