Interaction of a fluorescent acyldicholine with the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and acetylcholinesterase.

A fluorescent acyldicholine, bis-(choline)N-[4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-7-yl]-iminodiprop ionate (BCNI), was synthesized and its capacity to associate with acetylcholinesterase and the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor examined. The fluorescent bisquaternary diester competitively inhibits acetylcholinesterase with a Ki of 0.46 microM. Binding is accompanied by a large decrease in BCNI fluorescence and a 40% reduction in enzyme tryptophanyl fluorescence due to spectral overlap between BCNI absorption and the fluorescence emission of tryptophanyl residues on the enzyme. BCNI titrations show a stoichiometry of one site per subunit and a dissociation constant of 0.2 microM. BCNI also inhibits the initial rate of alpha-toxin binding to the membrane-associated nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and yields a protection constant (Kp) of 0.26 microM. Prior exposure of BCNI to the receptor increases the affinity of the complex, and after equilibration Kp is found to be 0.11 microM. Fluorescence titrations reveal that BCNI binds with 1:1 stoichiometry to alpha-toxin sites on the receptor with a dissociation constant of 0.22 microM. Agonists and antagonists, but not local anesthetics, compete with BCNI binding. BCNI behaves as a competitive antagonist on receptors from the snake neuromuscular junction and from BC3H-1 cells. The 4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole fluorophore in BCNI shows a hypsochromatic shift and an enhancement of quantum yield when bound to the receptor but is quenched when associated with acetylcholinesterase. Thus, despite the similarity in dissociation constants, the fluorophore exists in very different environments when bound to the two proteins.