The effect of phospholipases and proteases on the binding of gamma-aminobutyric acid to junctional complexes of rat cerebellum.

A preparation enriched in junctional complexes, as judged by marker enzymes and electron microscopy, was prepared from rat cerebellum. The junctional complexes were incubated with gamma-amino [14C]butyric acid at 25degreesC for 10 min, using [3H]sucrose as a marker for entrapped space, Total binding was determined in the absence of, and non-specific binding in the presence of, and excess of unlabelled gamma-aminobutyric acid. The difference bewteen the two binding values, i.e. the specific binding, was saturable and reversible, and showed positive cooperativity with a Hill number of about 2. The specific binding was inhibited by N-methylbicuculline, picrotoxinine and imidazole-4-acetic acid, but not by curare, strychnine or L-2,4-diaminobutyric acid. The above compounds had little effect on the non-specipic binding, but addition of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid decreased non-specific binding by 80%. Trypsin, pronase, phospholipase A2 (EC 3.1.1.4), lysolecithin and sodium dodecyl sulfate decreased binding. Phospholipase C (EC 3.1.4.3) increased the specific binding by 260%. Phospholipids competed with gamma-aminobutyric acid for binding, with phosphatidylethanolamine being more potent than phosphatidylcholine. These results lend support for Watkins' hypothesis that phosphatidylethanolamine competes with gamma-aminobutyric acid for binding to the receptor protein.