Sidedness and chemical and kinetic properties of the vesamicol receptor of cholinergic synaptic vesicles.

Cholinergic synaptic vesicles isolated from Torpedo electric organ contain a receptor for the compound l-2-(4-phenylpiperidino)cyclohexanol (vesamicol, formerly AH5183), which when occupied blocks storage of acetylcholine (AcCh). The inside or outside orientation of the receptor and its chemical and ligand binding kinetics characteristics were studied. Binding of [3H]vesamicol to the receptor is inhibited efficiently by the protein modification reagents 4-(chloromercuri)benzenesulfonate and N,N'-dicyclo-hexylcarbodiimide and by protease treatment of cholate-solubilized receptor. The receptor in native vesicles is resistant to irreversible inactivation by proteases, elevated temperature, or pH extremes. [3H]Vesamicol binding depends on deprotonation of a group of pKa1 = 6.26 +/- 0.03 and protonation of a group of pKa2 = 10.60 +/- 0.04, which is probably the tertiary amine of the drug molecule itself. The membrane-impermeant zwitterionic vesamicol analogue dl-trans-4-oxo-4-[5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-6-hydroxy-7-(4-phenyl-1-piperidinyl )-1- naphthalenyl]amino]butanoic acid (TPNB) is an effective inhibitor of AcCh active transport with an IC50 value of (51 +/- 8) x 10(-9) M. At 23 degrees C, [3H]vesamicol bound to the receptor at a rate of (1.74 +/- 0.06) x 10(5) M-1 s-1, and excess unlabeled vesamicol displaced a low concentration of bound [3H]vesamicol at 0.29 +/- 0.01 min-1. At 0 degrees C, 10 microM unlabeled vesamicol displaced 36 +/- 2% of a low concentration of bound [3H]vesamicol at 0.16 +/- 0.02 min-1 and 64 +/- 2% at 0.013 +/- 0.001 min-1. One micromolar unlabeled vesamicol behaved similarly.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)