High-affinity [3H]octopamine-binding sites in Drosophila melanogaster: interaction with ligands and relationship to octopamine receptors.

[3H]Octopamine binds to a particulate preparation from heads of Drosophila melanogaster at a level of 0.5 +/- 0.1 pmol/mg protein, with an apparent dissociation constant of 6.0 +/- 0.9 x 10(-9) M at 26 degrees C. The binding is reduced or abolished by heat, trypsin, detergents, sulfhydryl reagents and EDTA. Low concentrations of MgCl2 or CaCl2 increase binding but high ionic strength is inhibitory. Low concentrations of dihydroergotamine, phentolamine, clonidine, chlorimipramine and chlorpromazine, but not of serotonin and propranolol, displace the labeled biogenic amine from its binding sites. The stable GTP analogue, guanosine-5'-(beta-gamma-imido)triphosphate (Gpp(NH)p), at the microM range, decreases the maximal number of the high-affinity [3H]octopamine-binding sites. The properties of the [3H]octopamine-binding sites are compared to the properties of octopamine receptors as revealed by stimulation of adenylate cyclase in insects, including Drosophila.