Covalent and noncovalent chemical modifications of arginine residues decrease dopamine transporter activity.

Rotating disk electrode voltammetry was used to measure dopamine (DA) transport in rat striatum and in human embryonic kidney cells expressing the rat dopamine transporter (DAT). The goals of this study were to determine 1) if arginine (Arg) selective agents could alter DA transport, and 2) if DA analogs and DAT inhibitors could attenuate the effects of these agents on the DAT. Phenylglyoxal (PG), Hill coefficient 2.5, and other Arg selective agents decreased DA transport velocities. DA, Hill coefficient 1.0, and its analogs 3-hydroxyphenethylamine and 4-hydroxyphenethylamine attenuated the effects of PG on the DAT while phenethylamine did not. The tropane-based DAT inhibitors cocaine, WIN 35065-2, and WIN 35428 also attenuated the effects of PG. Benztropine, GBR 12935, and GBR 12909 did not. Thus, Arg residues are important for DAT activity and the results suggest that DA and cocaine both interact with Arg residues. Structure-activity studies suggest that DA interacts with Arg through its catechol hydroxyl groups and cocaine through the ester linkage attached to carbon 2 of the tropane ring. The results that 1). DA and cocaine may interact with the same functionally important Arg residue at the DAT, and 2). some members of the tropane and 1,4-dialkylpiperazine classes of DAT inhibitors may interact differently with DAT-derived Arg residue(s) furthers the notion that DAT activity sparing antagonists of cocaine can be designed.