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Solubilisation of the Benzodiazepine Receptor from Rat Cerebellum by the Detergent n ‐Octylpentaoxyethylene
Author(s) -
Bristow David R.,
Martin Ian L.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1987.tb05697.x
Subject(s) - cerebellum , benzodiazepine , gabaa receptor , chemistry , receptor , neuroscience , pharmacology , biochemistry , chromatography , biology
The detergent n ‐octylpentaoxyethylene is one in the series of tenside detergents developed for membrane solubilisation. We have used this detergent to solubilise benzodiazepine receptors from rat cerebellum. The soluble receptor has an affinity (K D ) for [ 3 H]flunitrazepam of 1.8 n M ± 0.2, which is not significantly different from that observed in synaptic membranes. Under optimal conditions (0.6% wt/vol), the number of soluble flunitrazepam binding sites ( B max ) of 0.35 pmol/mg protein suggests an apparent solubilisation of 40% of sites from the membrane. However, the absence of the characteristic facilitation of [ 3 H]flunitrazepam binding by γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA), cartazolate, and pentobarbital in this soluble receptor preparation suggests that such a preparation is unlikely to be a useful preparation for further studies on the molecular mechanisms underlying GABA A receptor function.