[3H]GBR-12935 binding to dopamine uptake sites in rat striatum.

The binding of the selective dopamine uptake inhibitor [3H]GBR-12935 to rat striatum was studied. Competition by mazindol and dopamine against [3H]GBR-12935 binding revealed monophasic binding curves. The addition of 100 microM dopamine to the mazindol competition inhibited only 80% of the binding, indicating more than one [3H]GBR-12935 binding site in rat striatum. When a binding fraction that could be discriminated by 1 microM mazindol or 1 mM dopamine was defined as specific binding, a single site binding model was obtained. The [3H]GBR-12935 binding was of protein nature, since it was abolished after protease treatment. Drug inhibition studies with the addition of low concentrations of mazindol and dopamine resulted in alterations in apparent Kd values only, suggesting competitive inhibition by these compounds against [3H]GBR-12935 binding. It is concluded that the [3H]GBR-12935 binding to rat striatum discriminated by 1 microM mazindol reflects binding to the substrate recognition site for the dopamine uptake.