Development of a scintillation proximity assay binding method for the human 5-hydroxytryptamine 6 receptor using intact cells.

We describe the first validated scintillation proximity assay (SPA) binding method for quantitation of (3)H-labeled d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) binding to recombinant human 5-hydroxytryptamine 6 (5-HT(6)) receptors expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-Dukx and HeLa cells. The assay was developed using intact cells as a receptor source because membrane fractions derived from these cells failed to discern specific binding from a high level of nonspecific binding. The pharmacological binding profile of seven 5-HT(6) agonists and antagonists using intact CHO-Dukx/5-HT(6) cells in the SPA format was similar to data obtained from a filtration binding assay using HeLa/5-HT(6) membranes. K(i) values and rank order of potencies obtained in the SPA format were consistent with published filtration data as follows: SB-271046 (K(i)=1.9 nM)>methiothepin (K(i)=6.2 nM)>mianserin (K(i)=74.3 nM)>5-methoxytryptamine (5-MeOT, K(i)=111 nM)>5-HT (K(i)=150 nM)>ritanserin (K(i)=207 nM)>5-carboxamidotryptamine (5-CT, K(i)=704 nM). Additional evaluation with four antipsychotics demonstrated strong agreement with previous literature reports. A high specific binding signal and low assay variability, as determined by Z'=0.81+/-0.017, make the SPA format amenable to automation and higher throughput; hence, this assay can be a viable alternative to the more labor-intensive filtration and centrifugation methods.