Solubilization of spermidine-sensitive (+)-[3H]5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine ([3H]MK-801) binding activity from rat brain.

The receptor-ionophore complex of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-sensitive receptor was solubilized by deoxycholic acid from rat brain using (+)-[3H]5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5,10-imi ne ([3H]MK-801) binding as a marker for the receptor. Gel filtration of the solubilized preparations on a Sephadex G-25 column revealed significant [3H]MK-801 binding sensitive to potentiation by glutamate and glutamate/glycine, which was prevented by competitive antagonists for the NMDA and strychnine-insensitive glycine (GlyB) sites. In contrast to NMDA and glycine, spermidine markedly potentiated the amount of [3H]MK-801 binding in solubilized preparations by increasing the apparent affinity of the ligand. In the presence of all three stimulants, the solubilized preparations exhibited pharmacological profiles similar to those in the membrane preparations. These results clearly indicate that the whole macromolecular NMDA receptor-ionophore complex is solubilized under the experimental conditions used.