Dye-labeled benzodiazepines: development of small ligands for receptor binding studies using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy.

To investigate benzodiazepine receptor binding studies by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), the four fluorophores fluorescein, tetramethylrhodamine, Oregon Green 488, and Alexa 532 were coupled to the benzodiazepine Ro 07-1986/602 (Ro). Binding assays to polyclonal antibodies to benzodiazepines and at the native benzodiazepine receptor on the membrane of rat hippocampal neurons were established to examine the dye-labeled ligands for their benzodiazepine character and their binding behavior. Both the fluorescein and the Oregon Green488 moiety led to a loss of the benzodiazepine receptor binding of the corresponding Ro derivatives. Antibody recognition and interactions to the receptor were observed for the tetramethylrhodamine derivative (K(D) = 96.0 +/- 9.5 nM) but with a high amount of nonspecific binding at the cell membrane of about 50%. In saturation experiments a K(D) value of 97.2 +/- 8.5 nM was found for the Alexa Fluor 532 derivative-antibody interaction. Investigation of the binding of this ligand to the benzodiazepine receptor in FCS cell measurements led to confirmation of high specific binding behavior with a K(D) value of 9.9 +/- 1.9 nM. A nonspecific binding of <10% was observed after coincubation with 1 microM of midazolam. The different properties of the labeled benzodiazepine derivatives and the requirements of the fluorophore in small dye-labeled ligands in FCS binding studies, at the membrane of living cells, are discussed.