Development of binding and functional assays for the neuropeptide Y Y 2 and Y 4 receptors

For the discovery and pharmacological characterization of new ligands of G-protein coupled receptors, simple, robust and reliable assays are required. This thesis was aimed at the development of new binding and functional assays for the neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptor subtypes hY2, hY4 and rY4. CHO cells were stably transfected with the hY2 receptor gene and used in a flow cytometric binding assay. Binding of unlabeled receptor ligands in competition with cy5-labeled pNPY was determined at equilibrium. Binding of the fluorescent ligand could be visualized by confocal microscopy. A radioligand binding assay was established and the determined binding constants were in good agreement with the ones obtained from the flow cytometric binding assay and with data from literature, respectively. The existence of a large fraction of spare receptors described in the literature was confirmed. The Y2 receptor expressing cells were further stably transfected with the gene encoding the chimeric G-protein Gqi5, allowing the redirection of the signal transduction pathway towards the PLCβ, resulting in a large increase in intracellular calcium concentration after receptor activation. NPY receptor binding properties of the transfected cells remained unaffected. The calcium signal was quantitated in a flow cytometric and a spectrofluorimetric calcium assay. Functional data of agonists as well as antagonists were determined. Additional stable transfection of the cells with the gene encoding for apoaequorin targeted to the mitochondrium converted the calcium mobilization into a luminescence signal. Assay parameters were optimized and an aequorin assay was established in the 96-well format of a luminescence plate reader. Functional data of selected peptides and nonpeptidic compounds were determined and compared with the fluorescence-based calcium assays. The calcium responses could be visualized by means of confocal microscopy and a CCD camera. New fluorescent ligands for the Y4 receptor were synthesized by coupling the fluorescent dyes cy5 and S0586 to the peptide [K4]-hPP. A flow cytometric binding assay was established for the rat Y4 receptor using stably transfected CHO cells. Using a retroviral approach, the hY4 gene was transduced into P388-D1 cells. After enrichment of receptor expressing cells by sorting with the flow cytometer a cell clone with high receptor expression was isolated. Competition binding of known peptide ligands in the presence of the fluorescent ligands was measured by flow cytometry. Furthermore, CHO cells were co-transfected with the hY4 (containing a Kozak sequence for enhanced protein translation), Gqi5 and mtAEQ (aequorin) gene. Stable cell clones were isolated and flow cytometric binding as well as fluorescence- and luminescence-based functional assays were established. It turned out that the peptide GW1229 behaved as a partial agonist in the spectrofluorimetric as well as in the aequorin assay. The calcium signal could be detected by confocal microscopy and by a CCD camera, indicating that the aequorin assay is applicable to HTS-instruments equipped with a CCD camera. The screening of a small compound library revealed a small molecule with micromolar antagonistic activity at the hY4 receptor, which may be a starting point for the search for new Y4 receptor antagonists. The main advantage of the established aequorin assay is the automation of the injection and recording process. Thereby, it is possible to perform more than 400 single calcium assays per day compared to about 40 assays performed with the spectrofluorimetric or flow cytometric calcium assay. Unlike the use of fluorescence dyes, after addition of the cofactor, washing steps are not required. Dye leakage is not an issue of the aequorin assay. The injection speed, which turned out to be an important parameter, is constant, and because the assay volume is very small (200 µl) costs are low and only small amounts of test compounds are required. The fact that the aequorin assay measures an event more distal in the GPCR signal transduction pathway seems not to affect the determined functional data. Taken together, the established flow cytometric binding assays using fluorescence labeled ligands and stably transfected cells are an innovative alternative to radioligand binding assays. The principle of stable co-expression of receptor, chimeric G-protein and mitochondrially targeted aequorin gene for the development of functional fluorescence- and luminescence-based assays has proven to be an efficient approach. This methodology is transferable to other GPCRs, and will facilitate the search for new GPCR ligands as well as their functional characterization.