A novel kainate receptor ligand [H]-(2S,4R)-4-methylglutamate: Pharmacological characterization in rabbit brain membranes

Since kainate evokes large non-desensitizing currents at α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors, kainate is of limited use in discriminating between AMPA and kainate receptors. Following recent reports that (2S,4R)-4-methylglutamate is a kainate receptor-selective agonist, we have radiolabelled and subsequently characterized the binding of ³H]-(2S,4R)-4-methylglutamate to rabbit whole-brain membranes. ³H]-(2S,4R)-4-methylglutamate binding was rapid, reversible and labelled two sites (KD1 = 3.67 ± 0.50 nM/B_max1 = 0.54 ± 0.03 pmol/mg protein and K_D2 = 281.66 ± 12.33 nM/ B_max2 = 1.77 ± 0.09 pmol/mg protein). ³H]-(2S,4R)-4-methylglutamate binding was displaced by several non-NMDA receptor ligands: domoate > kainate -quisqualate -glutamate > 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2, 3-dione (CNQX) (S)-AMPA = (S)-5-fluorowillardiine > NMDA. Neither the metabotropic glutamate receptor agonists (1S,3R)-ACPD or -AP4, together with the -glutamate uptake inhibitor -trans-2,4-PDC, influenced binding when tested at 100 μM. We conclude that ³H]-(2S,4R)-4-methylglutamate is a useful radioligand for labelling kainate receptors. It possesses high selectivity, and possesses a pharmacology similar to that for rat cloned low-affinity (Glu5 and 6) kainate receptor subunits.