Photoaffinity labelling of a 33-35,000 dalton protein in cardiac, skeletal and smooth muscle membranes using a new 125I-labelled 1,4-dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonist.

The binding sites for Ca2+ channel antagonists were probed using Bay P 8857 [2-iodoethyl isopropyl 1,4-dihydropyridine-2,6-dimethyl-4-(3-nitrophenyl)-pyridine-3,5-dicarbox ylate] that has been radiolabelled with 125I. This drug was shown to bind with high affinity to cardiac, smooth, and skeletal muscle membranes, with a KD approximately equal to 0.3 nM. A protein of molecular weight 33-35,000 daltons was specifically and irreversibly radiolabelled after irradiation of cardiac, skeletal and aortic smooth muscle membranes, incubated with the [125I]-Bay P 8857. The peptide labelled by 1,4-dihydropyridine binding therefore appears similar in size for cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscle. This data suggests that of the three peptide subunits which reportedly comprise the skeletal and cardiac muscle 1,4-dihydropyridine receptor complex, the 33-35,000 dalton peptide contains the dihydropyridine binding site.