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Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) (nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR Subcommittee on Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors [53]) are activated by the endogenous agonist acetylcholine. All five (M1-M5) mAChRs are ubiquitously expressed in the human body and are therefore attractive targets for many disorders. Functionally, M1, M3, and M5 mAChRs preferentially couple to Gq/11 proteins, whilst M2 and M4 mAChRs predominantly couple to Gi/o proteins. Both agonists and antagonists of mAChRs are clinically approved drugs, including pilocarpine for the treatment of elevated intra-ocular pressure and glaucoma, and atropine for the treatment of bradycardia and poisoning by muscarinic agents such as organophosphates. Of note, it has been observed that mAChRs dimerise reversibly [134] and that dimerisation/oligomerisation can be affected by ligands [183, 196].

5-HT receptors (nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR Subcommittee on 5-HT receptors [198] and subsequently revised [180]) are, with the exception of the ionotropic 5-HT3 class, GPCRs where the endogenous agonist is 5-hydroxytryptamine. The diversity of metabotropic 5-HT receptors is increased by alternative splicing that produces isoforms of the 5-HT2A (non-functional), 5-HT2C (non-functional), 5-HT4, 5-HT6 (non-functional) and 5-HT7 receptors. Unique amongst the GPCRs, RNA editing produces 5-HT2C receptor isoforms that differ in function, such as efficiency and specificity of coupling to Gq/11 and also pharmacology [40, 491]. Most 5-HT receptors (except 5-ht1e and 5-ht5b) play specific roles mediating functional responses in different tissues (reviewed by [471, 387]).

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) (nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR Subcommittee on Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors [50]) are activated by the endogenous agonist acetylcholine. All five (M1-M5) mAChRs are ubiquitously expressed in the human body and are therefore attractive targets for many disorders. Functionally, M1, M3, and M5 mAChRs preferentially couple to Gq/11 proteins, whilst M2 and M4 mAChRs predominantly couple to Gi/o proteins. Both agonists and antagonists of mAChRs are clinically approved drugs, including pilocarpine for the treatment of elevated intra-ocular pressure and glaucoma, and atropine for the treatment of bradycardia and poisoning by muscarinic agents such as organophosphates.

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) (nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR Subcommittee on Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors [50]) are activated by the endogenous agonist acetylcholine. All five (M1-M5) mAChRs are ubiquitously expressed in the human body and are therefore attractive targets for many disorders. Functionally, M1, M3, and M5 mAChRs preferentially couple to Gq/11 proteins, whilst M2 and M4 mAChRs predominantly couple to Gi/o proteins. Both agonists and antagonists of mAChRs are clinically approved drugs, including pilocarpine for the treatment of elevated intra-ocular pressure and glaucoma, and atropine for the treatment of bradycardia and poisoning by muscarinic agents such as organophosphates. I

Muscarinic Receptor Classification, M. Caulfield Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor Signaling Pathways in Smooth Muscle, R.A.J. Challiss and J.L. Blank Muscarinic Receptors and Gastrointestinal Smooth Muscle, F.J. Ehlert, E.A. Thomas, E.H. Gerstin, and M.T. Griffin Muscarinic Receptors and Genitourinary Smooth Muscle, R.M. Eglen and S.S. Hegde Prejunctional Muscarinic Receptors and Smooth Muscle, N. Watson Index

The past decades have witnessed significant efforts toward the development of three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures as systems that better mimic in vivo physiology. Today, 3D cell cultures are emerging, not only as a new tool in early drug discovery but also as potential therapeutics to treat disease. In this review, we assess leading 3D cell culture technologies and their impact on drug discovery, including spheroids, organoids, scaffolds, hydrogels, organs-on-chips, and 3D bioprinting. We also discuss the implementation of these technologies in compound identification, screening, and development, ranging from disease modeling to assessment of efficacy and safety profiles.

5-HT receptors (nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR Subcommittee on 5-HT receptors [194] and subsequently revised [176]) are, with the exception of the ionotropic 5-HT3 class, GPCRs where the endogenous agonist is 5-hydroxytryptamine. The diversity of metabotropic 5-HT receptors is increased by alternative splicing that produces isoforms of the 5-HT2A (non-functional), 5-HT2C (non-functional), 5-HT4, 5-HT6 (non-functional) and 5-HT7 receptors. Unique amongst the GPCRs, RNA editing produces 5-HT2C receptor isoforms that differ in function, such as efficiency and specificity of coupling to Gq/11 and also pharmacology [40, 482]. Most 5-HT receptors (except 5-ht1e and 5-ht5b) play specific roles mediating functional responses in different tissues (reviewed by [463, 382]).

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR Subcommittee on Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors [45]) are GPCRs of the Class A, rhodopsin-like family where the endogenous agonist is acetylcholine. In addition to the agents listed in the table, AC-42, its structural analogues AC-260584 and 77-LH-28-1, N-desmethylclozapine, TBPB and LuAE51090 have been described as functionally selective agonists of the M1 receptor subtype via binding in a mode distinct from that utilized by non-selective agonists [243, 242, 253, 155, 154, 181, 137, 11, 230]. There are two pharmacologically characterised allosteric sites on muscarinic receptors, one defined by it binding gallamine, strychnine and brucine, and the other defined by the binding of KT 5720, WIN 62,577, WIN 51,708 and staurosporine [161, 162].

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (HiPSCs) provide several advantages for drug discovery, but principally they provide a source of clinically relevant tissue. Furthermore, the use of HiPSCs cultured in three-dimensional (3D) systems, as opposed to traditional two-dimensional (2D) culture approaches, better represents the complex tissue architecture in vivo. The use of HiPSCs in 3D spheroid and organoid culture is now growing, but particularly when using myocardial, intestinal enteric nervous system, and retinal cell lines. However, organoid cell culture is perhaps making the most notable impact in research and drug discovery, in which 3D neuronal cell cultures allow direct modeling of cortical cell layering and neuronal circuit activity. Given the specific degeneration seen in discrete neuronal circuitry in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), HiPSC culture systems are proving to be a major advance. In the present review, the second part of a two-part review, we discuss novel methods in which 3D cell culture systems (principally organoids) are now being used to provide insights into disease mechanisms. (The use of HiPSCs in target identification was reviewed in detail in Part 1.).

Epigenetic control of the transciptome is a complex and highly coordinated cellular process. One critical mechanism involves DNA methylation, mediated by distinct but related DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs). Although several DNMT inhibitors are available, most are nonselective; selective DNMT inhibitors, therefore, could be optimal as therapeutics, as well acting as chemical probes to elucidate the fundamental biology of individual DNMTs. DNA methylation is a stable chemical modification, yet posttranslational modification of histones is transitory, with reversible effects on gene expression. Histone posttranslational modifications influence access of transcription factors to DNA target sites to affect gene activity. Histones are regulated by several enzymes, including acetylases (HATs), deacetylases (HDACs), methyltransferases (HMTs), and demethylases (HDMTs). Generally, HATs activate, whereas HDACs suppress gene activity. Specifically, HMTs and HDMTs can either activate or inhibit gene expression, depending on the site and extent of the methylation pattern. There is growing interest in drugs that target enzymes involved in epigenetic control. Currently, a range of high-throughput screening (HTS) technologies are used to identify selective compounds against these enzymes. This review focuses on the rationale for drug development of these enzymes, as well the utility of HTS methods used in identifying and optimizing novel selective compounds that modulate epigenetic control of the human transcriptome.

A major new trend in drugs targeted at protein kinases is the discovery of allosteric modulators. These compounds differ from ATP-centric drugs in that they do not compete with ATP for binding to the catalytic domain, generally acting by inducing conformational changes to modulate activity. They could provide a number of advantages over more classical protein kinase drugs. For example, they are likely to be more selective, since they bind to unique regions of the kinase and may be useful in overcoming resistance that has developed to drugs that compete with ATP. They offer the ability of activating the kinases either by removing factors that inhibit kinase activity or by simply producing changes to the enzyme to foster catalytic activity. Furthermore, they provide more subtle modulation of kinase activity than simply blocking ATP access to inhibit activity. One hurdle to overcome in discovering these compounds is that allosteric modulators may need to inhibit protein-protein interactions; generally difficult to accomplish with small molecules. Despite the technical problems of identifying allosteric modulators, major gains have been made in identifying allosteric inhibitors and activators of the growth factor receptors as well as soluble tyrosine and serine/threonine kinases and some of these drugs are now in various stages of clinical trials. This review will focus on the discovery of novel allosteric modulators of protein kinases and drug discovery approaches that have been employed to identify such compounds.

GPCRs play a critical role in human physiology and are a prime target for drug discovery globally. Novel insights into the functions of GPCRs are providing unique approaches to modulate these proteins to generate unique drug candidates. Next generation ligands include those with novel pharmacologies such as allosteric regulators as well pepducins, that affect the interaction of GPCRs with G proteins, to either block selective receptor signaling pathways or mimic the actions of intracellular domains of receptors, thereby activating GPCRs to signal selectively to intracellular pathways. We will review these new concepts and then discuss how they may be exploited using modern discovery technologies to provide novel drug candidates for the future.

Protein kinases are important targets for drug discovery because they possess critical roles in many human diseases. Several protein kinase inhibitors have entered clinical development with others having already been approved for treating a host of diseases. However, many kinase inhibitors suffer from non-selectivity because they interact with the ATP binding region which has similar structures amongst the protein kinases and this non-selectivity sometimes can cause side effects. As a consequence, there is much interest in developing drugs that inhibit kinases through non-classical mechanisms with the hope of avoiding the side effects of previous kinase drugs.This review covers emerging information on kinase biology and discusses new approaches to design selective inhibitors that do not compete with ATP.The reader will gain a better understanding of the importance of the field of allosteric inhibitor drug discovery and how this has required the adoption of a new generation of high-throughput screening techniques.Discovery and development of allosteric modulators will result in a family of novel kinase therapies with greater selectivity and more varied ways to control activity of disease causing kinase targets.

For most membrane-bound molecular targets, including G protein linked receptors (GPCRs), the optimal approach in drug discovery involves the use of cell based high throughput screening (HTS) technologies to identify compounds that modulate target activity. Most GPCRs have been cloned and can therefore be routinely expressed in immortalized cell lines. These cells can be easily and rapidly grown in unlimited quantities making them ideal for use in current HTS technologies. A significant advantage of this approach is that immortalized recombinant cells provide a homogenous background for expression of the target which greatly facilitates consistency in screening, thus allowing for a better understanding of the mechanism of action of the interacting compound or drug. Nonetheless, it is now evident that numerous disparities exist between the physiological environment of screening systems using recombinant cells and natural tissues. This has lead to a problem in the validity of the pharmacological data obtained using immortalized cells in as much as such cells do not always reflect the desired clinical efficacy and safety of the compounds under examination. This brief review discusses these issues and describes how they influence the discovery of drugs using modern HTS.

AlphaScreen (Amplified Luminescent Proximity Homogeneous Assay Screen) is versatile assay technology developed to measuring analytes using a homogenous protocol. This technology is an example of a bead-based proximity assay and was developed from a diagnostic assay technology known as LOCI (Luminescent Oxygen Channeling Assay). Here, singlet oxygen molecules, generated by high energy irradiation of Donor beads, travel over a constrained distance (approx. 200 nm) to Acceptor beads. This results in excitation of a cascading series of chemical reactions, ultimately causing generation of a chemiluminescent signal. In the past decade, a wide variety of applications has been reported, ranging from detection of analytes involved in cell signaling, including protein:protein, protein:peptide, protein:small molecule or peptide:peptide interactions. Numerous homogeneous HTS-optimized assays have been reported using the approach, including generation of second messengers (such as accumulation of cyclic AMP, cyclic GMP, inositol [1, 4, 5] trisphosphate or phosphorylated ERK) from liganded GPCRs or tyrosine kinase receptors, post-translational modification of proteins (such as proteolytic cleavage, phosphorylation, ubiquination and sumoylation) as well as protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid interactions. Recently, the basic AlphaScreen technology was extended in that the chemistry of the Acceptor bead was modified such that emitted light is more intense and spectrally defined, thereby markedly reducing interference from biological fluid matrices (such as trace hemolysis in serum and plasma). In this format, referred to as AlphaLISA, it provides an alternative technology to classical ELISA assays and is suitable for high throughput automated fluid dispensing and detection systems. Collectively, AlphaScreen and AlphaLISA technologies provide a facile assay platform with which one can quantitate complex cellular processes using simple no-wash microtiter plate based assays. They provide the means by which large compound libraries can be screened in a high throughput fashion at a diverse range of therapeutically important targets, often not readily undertaken using other homogeneous assay technologies. This review assesses the current status of the technology in drug discovery, in general, and high throughput screening (HTS), in particular.

The driving need for productivity improvement in drug discovery and development has accelerated the development of advanced cellular models that better mimic the in vivo physiology of living tissues and organisms. The past decades have witnessed an increase in the number of 3D cell culture technologies for drug discovery, including 3D culture gels, scaffolds, bioprinting, organoids, and organs-on-chips. This chapter provides an overview of leading 3D cell culture and dish based organogenesis technologies, and discusses their implications, and limitations, for drug discovery.

The authors describe a novel drug strategy designed as a primary screen to discover either antagonist or agonist compounds targeting G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The incorporation of a nuclear localization sequence (NLS, a 5 amino acid substitution), in a location in helix 8 of the GPCR structure, resulted in ligand-independent receptor translocation from the cell surface to the nucleus. Blockade of the GPCR-NLS translocation from the cell surface was achieved by either antagonist or agonist treatments, each achieving their result in a sensitive concentration-dependent manner. GPCR-NLS translocation and blockade occurred regardless of the identity of the G-protein-coupling, and thus this assay is also ideally suited for identification of compounds targeting orphan GPCRs. The GPCR-NLS trafficking was visualized by fusion to fluorescent detectable proteins. Quantification of this effect was measured by determining the density of cell surface receptors, using enzyme fragment complementation in a manner suitable for high-throughput screening. Thus, the authors have developed a cellular assay for GPCRs suitable for compound screening without requiring prior identification of an agonist or knowledge of G-protein-coupling.

Many cell-based assays interrogating cell pathway activation employ protocols that require microscopic imaging techniques. However, such assays are not in general widely adopted for primary screening. Protein complementation, particularly of enzymes, provides an alternative approach for cell pathway analysis, with a principal advantage that is amenable to high throughput screening using microtiter plate protocols. Notably, α complementation of the enzyme β-galactosidase has been exploited as a technology in this regard, using substrates that generates luminescent signals. This review describes the various uses of this flexible technology to cell-based assay development.

Immortalized cells, generated from two-dimensional cell culture techniques, are widely used in compound screening, lead optimization, and drug candidate selection. However, such cells lack many characteristics of cells in vivo. This could account for the high failure rates of lead candidates in clinical evaluation. New approaches from cell biology, materials science, and bioengineering are increasing the utility of three-dimensional (3D) culture. These approaches have become more compatible with automation and, thus, provide more physiologically relevant cells for high-throughput/high-content screening, notably in oncology drug discovery. Techniques range from simple 3D spheroids, comprising one or more cell types, to complex multitissue organoids cultured in extracellular matrix gels or microfabricated chips. Furthermore, each approach can be applied to stem cells, such as induced pluripotent stem cells, thereby providing additional phenotypic relevance and the exciting potential to enable screening in disease-specific cell types.

Sitta Sittampalam: Welcome to this roundtable discussion. I am a senior scientist and senior advisor to the director of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Previously, I was a faculty member at the University of Kansas Medical Center for 4 years, where I was doing research on circulating tumor cells and their relation to cancer stem cells.

The authors describe an assay to measure the generation of adenosine 5´-diphosphate (ADP) resulting from phosphorylation of a substrate by a kinase. ADP accumulation is detected by conversion to a fluorescent signal via a coupled enzyme system. The technology has potential applications for the assessment of inhibitor potency and mode of action as well as kinetic analysis of enzyme activity. The assay has a wide dynamic range (0.25-75 µM) and has been validated with several kinases including the highly active cyclic adenosine monophosphate–dependent protein kinase (PKAα), casein kinase 1 (CK1), and the weakly active kinase Jun N-terminal kinase 2 (Jnk2α2). Kinase activity can be measured either in an end point or continuous mode. Assay performance in end point mode was compared with an adenosine 5´-triphosphate (ATP) depletion assay and in continuous mode with a pyruvate kinase/lactate dehydrogenase coupled assay. The ability to characterize kinase kinetics was demonstrated by deriving ATP/substrate affinity (Michaelis-Menten constant; K m ) values for PKAα, CK1, and Jnk2α2. The assay readily measured activity with kinase reactions using protein substrates, indicating the suitability for use with large macromolecules. A wide range of inhibitor activities could be determined even in the presence of high ATP concentrations, making the assay highly suitable to characterize the mode of action of the inhibitor in question. Collectively, this assay provides a homogenous, generic method for a number of applications in kinase drug discovery. (Journal of Biomolecular Screening 2006:390-399)

Screening technologies for G protein-coupled receptors comprise two major approaches; homogeneous assays, conducted in microtiter plate formats, and protein redistribution assays that require imaged-based analysis using automated confocal systems. Generally, the former are used in primary screening campaigns for lead identification, while the latter are used in secondary screens for lead optimization. Homogeneous assays measure changes in G protein-coupled receptor second messengers such as cAMP, Ins P3 or calcium. Protein redistribution assays assess internalization of the receptor ligand complex or translocation of G-protein coupled receptor-associated proteins, such as beta-arrestin. In the present review functional cell based approaches are discussed, emphasizing the variety of non radiometric technologies now in use for HTS.

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent the most tractable family of drug targets. Those GPCRs identified by sequence only, but lacking an endogenous ligand, are defined as orphan GPCRs (oGPCRs) and might represent the next generation of targets for GPCR drug discovery. Drug discovery at oGPCRs is a resource intensive approach and frequently taken 'at-risk' without a clear understanding of the role in a disease. Identification of oGPCRs is, therefore, a prerequisite for the initiation of a drug discovery program.

Activation of cells by the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) cytokines results in activation of the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) via proteasomal degradation of an associated IkappaB molecule. To monitor cellular IkappaB, the protein was recombinantly expressed as a fusion protein with a novel enzymatic tag, ProLabel (PL). ProLabel is a small 5.5-kDa sequence from the amino-terminal amino acids of beta-galactosidase, possesses a simple ribbon structure, and can be fused to many proteins via the amino or carboxyl terminus. Expression of this construct allows quantitative detection of the recombinant protein in crude lysates by using a method based on beta-galactosidase enzyme fragment complementation (EFC). Transient transfection of IkappaB-PL in HeLa cells generated an EFC signal that was highly correlated with a western analysis of the protein construct. ProLabel expressed alone in the cells did not show any EFC activity, due to rapid proteolytic degradation, indicating a very low background signal from the protein tag. TNF-alpha and IL-1 treatment induced a concentration-dependent degradation of IkappaB-PL, with potency values similar to those reported using other methods. IkappaBM-PL (mutant of IkappaB-PL), in contrast, did not undergo degradation for concentrations up to and including 10 ng/ml TNF-alpha or IL-1, demonstrating that degradation of IkappaB-PL was specific to the NF-kappaB pathway activation. TNF-alpha and IL-1 induced maximal IkappaB-PL degradation within 30 min of induction. This was reversed by several agents that ablate this pathway, including anti-TNF-alpha antibodies and the proteasome inhibitor, MG-132. The assay was amenable to HTS systems, with good precision and reproducibility. Z' values and coefficients of variance for IkappaB-PL degradation were 0.6 and9%, respectively.

Methanolic extracts of bovine brain and lung are capable of displacing [(3)H]-clonidine from alpha(2)-adrenoceptor binding sites, indicating the presence of a clonidine-displacing substance (CDS). We have examined alpha(2)-adrenergic responses and the extracts in three models: [(3)H]-cyclic AMP accumulation in miniprisms of guinea pig cerebral cortex, isometric tension measurements of isolated segments of the rat vas deferens, and porcine palmar lateral vein. The selective alpha(2)-adrenoceptor agonist, 5-bromo-6-2-imidazolin-2-ylamino]-quinoxaline bitartrate (UK-14304) inhibited forskolin-stimulated [(3)H]-cyclic AMP accumulation in the cerebral cortex and elicited contractions of the porcine isolated palmar lateral vein. Clonidine (0.1-30 nM) inhibited neurogenic contractions of the rat vas deferens. Responses to both agonists were inhibited by the alpha(2)-adrenoceptor antagonists, idazoxan or rauwolscine. Brain CDS (5 units/mL) reduced forskolin-stimulated [(3)H]-cyclic AMP accumulation in the guinea pig cerebral cortex, whereas lung CDS (1 unit/mL) increased the accumulation of the cyclic nucleotide. Neither response to the extracts was inhibited by 1 microM idazoxan. Low concentrations of both extracts (0.05 unit/mL) reduced electrically evoked contractions of the rat vas deferens by approximately 20%, but higher concentrations enhanced neurogenic contractions by approximately 50%. Again, the effect of the brain extract was not altered by 1 microM idazoxan. Lung CDS (0.02-1 unit/mL) induced contractions of the porcine palmar lateral vein that were also insensitive to rauwolscine. The results suggest that brain and lung CDS do not activate either central or peripheral alpha(2)-adrenoceptors.

In this review, the applications of beta galactosidase complementation are described. alpha Complementation is a naturally occurring process in bacteria and in engineered cells, and can also occur in eukaryotic cells. Two forms of alpha complementation have been used in high throughput screening (HTS), in which interacting fragments complement with either low or high affinity. Low affinity complementation is used to monitor protein protein interactions, such as those occurring in homodimerization of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and provides a robust screen for detection of EGFR inhibitors. High affinity complementation provides the basis for several HTS assays, in which analytes, such as cAMP or IP(3), are detected in crude cell lysates. A development of the latter approach is protein labeling, providing for measurement of cell protein expression and trafficking. Collectively, the use of beta galactosidase complementation provides a novel and flexible technology for highly sensitive, homogeneous HTS assay development.

Cooperation in the action of agonists suggests that there are multiple binding sites on 5-hydroxytryptamine3 (5-HT3) receptors. The purpose of this study was to characterize these binding sites and their interactions on both native and cloned 5-HT3 receptors. The affinities of competitive 5-HT3 receptor antagonists were similar regardless of whether the receptors were labeled with [3H]RS-42358, [3H]granisetron, or 1-(m-[3H]chlorophenyl)biguanide ([3H]mCPG). By contrast, the affinities of the agonists 5-HT, mCPG, and phenylbiguanide were approximately 10-fold higher when the receptors were labeled with [3H]mCPG. The dissociation of [3H]mCPG, [3H]RS-42358, and [3H]RS-25259, but not [3H]granisetron, from both cloned and native 5-HT3 receptors was markedly slower in the presence of 5-HT or 2-methyl-5-HT than in the presence of antagonists such as RS-42358. This suggests that the binding of these agonists to unoccupied sites on the receptor can increase the receptor's affinity for prebound ligands and thereby slow their dissociation. These data support previous indications of positive cooperation among multiple binding sites on both native and cloned 5-HT3 receptors, and they extend this idea by demonstrating that agonists can modify the interaction of some, but not all, antagonists with the receptor.

A cDNA clone (designated as GP2-7) encoding a novel 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor was isolated from a guinea pig hippocampal library. The receptor shares amino acid homology within the hydrophobic domains with other cloned 5-HT receptor subtypes (34–48%). The sequence of GP2-7 is homologous to that described for a novel receptor previously cloned from a rat brain cDNA library and provisionally designated as 5-HT7. mRNA for GP2-7 was detected in cortical and limbic brain regions. Transiently expressed GP2-7 showed high-affinity binding to [3H]5-HT (pKi = 9.0) with the following rank order of affinities: 5-carboxyamidotryptamine (5-CT) > 5-HT = 5-methoxytryptamine (5-MeOT) > methiothepin > 8-hydroxy-2-(dipropylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) > spiperone ≫ sumatriptan. Adenylyl cyclase activity in CHO-K1 cells transiently transfected with GP2-7 was stimulated by several analogues of 5-HT with the following order of potency: 5-CT > 5-HT = 5-MeOT > dipropyl-5-CT > 8-OH-DPAT. Methiothepin and spiperone were potent antagonists. Preliminary analysis suggests that GP2-7 closely resembles a receptor in the guinea pig hippocampus that exhibits a high affinity toward 5-CT.

The pharmacological characteristics of muscarinic receptors in the male mice urinary bladder smooth muscle were studied. (+)-Cis-dioxolane, oxotremorine-M, acetylcholine, carbachol and pilocarpine induced concentration-dependent contractions of the urinary bladder smooth muscle (pEC50=6.6±0.1, 6.9±0.1, 6.7±0.1, 5.8±0.1 and 5.8±0.1, EMax=3.2±0.8 g, 2.7±0.4 g, 1.0±0.1 g, 2.7±0.3 and 0.9±0.2 g, respectively, n=4). These contractions were competitively antagonized by a range of muscarinic receptor antagonists (pKB values): atropine (9.22±0.09), pirenzepine (6.85±0.08), 4-DAMP (8.42±0.14), methoctramine (5.96±0.05), p-F-HHSiD (7.48±0.09), tolterodine (8.89±0.13), AQ-RA 741 (7.04±0.12), s-secoverine (8.21±0.09), zamifenacin (8.30±0.17) and darifenacin (8.70±0.09). In this tissue, the pKB values correlated most favourably with pKi values for these compounds at human recombinant muscarinic M3 receptors. A significant correlation was also noted at human recombinant muscarinic m5 receptors given the poor discriminative ability of ligands between M3 and m5 receptors. In recontraction studies, in which the muscarinic M3 receptor population was decreased, and conditions optimized to study M2 receptor activation, methoctramine exhibited an affinity estimate consistent with muscarinic M3 receptors (pKB=6.23±0.14; pA2=6.16±0.03). Overall, these data study suggest that muscarinic M3 receptors are the predominant, if not the exclusive, subtype mediating contractile responses to muscarinic agonists in male mouse urinary bladder smooth muscle. British Journal of Pharmacology (2001) 133, 1035–1040; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0704165

Objectives Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are expressed by rat sensory neurons and may mediate pain associated with tissue acidosis after inflammation or injury. Our aim was to examine the molecular forms and localization of ASICs in human intestine and dorsal root ganglia using immunochemical techniques, and to measure the effects of inflammation and injury. Design and methods Inflamed Crohn's disease intestine and injured human dorsal root ganglia, with appropriate controls, were studied by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry, using specific affinity-purified ASIC antibodies. Results In the Western blot, there was a significant three-fold increase in the mean relative optical density of the ASIC-3 55-kDa band (but not ASIC-1 or ASIC-2) in full-thickness inflamed intestine, as well as in separated muscle and mucosal layers. There was a corresponding trend for an increased immunoreactive density and increased number of ASIC-3-positive neurons in the myenteric and sub-mucous plexus of inflamed intestine. In dorsal root ganglia, immunoreactivity for all ASICs was restricted to a sub-population (about 50%) of small-diameter (nociceptor) sensory neurons, and was generally less intense after injury. Conclusions Increased ASIC-3 in inflamed intestine suggests a role in pain or dysmotility, for which ASICs represent new therapeutic targets.

Muscarinic cholinoceptors (MChR) in freshly dispersed rat salivary gland (RSG) cells were characterized using microphysiometry to measure changes in acidification rates. Several non-selective and selective muscarinic antagonists were used to elucidate the nature of the subtypes mediating the response to carbachol. The effects of carbachol (pEC50=5.74±0.02 s.e.mean; n=53) were highly reproducible and most antagonists acted in a surmountable, reversible fashion. The following antagonist rank order, with apparent affinity constants in parentheses, was noted: 4-DAMP (8.9)=atropine (8.9)>tolterodine (8.5)>oxybutynin (7.9)>S-secoverine (7.2)>pirenzepine (6.9)>himbacine (6.8)>AQ-RA 741 (6.6)>methoctramine (5.9). These studies validate the use of primary isolated RSG cells in microphysiometry for pharmacological analysis. These data are consistent with, and extend, previous studies using alternative functional methods, which reported a lack of differential receptor pharmacology between bladder and salivary gland tissue. The antagonist affinity profile significantly correlated with the profile at human recombinant muscarinic M3 and M5 receptors. Given a lack of antagonists that discriminate between M3 and M5, definitive conclusion of which subtype(s) is present within RSG cells cannot be determined. British Journal of Pharmacology (2001) 132, 1606–1614; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0703971

Over the last decade, several lines of evidence have shown that both muscarinic M2 and M3 receptors are postjunctionally expressed in many smooth muscles, including the gastrointestinal tract. Although in vitro data suggests that both receptors are functional in that they inhibit adenylate cyclase activity and activate non-selective cation channels, few studies support a role in vivo. Thus, data from procedures that ablate the signaling pathway of the muscarinic M2 receptor, including receptor antagonism, pertussis toxin pretreatment reveal little effect on gastrointestinal smooth muscle responsiveness to muscarinic agonists. Recently, information from knockout mice, lacking either M2 or M3 receptor, indicate reveal a role for both subtypes. However, the contribution of the M2 receptor appears greater in the ileum than in the urinary bladder. Therapeutically, non-selective, as well as selective M3 receptor antagonists are being clinically studied, although it remains to be shown which is the optimal approach to disorders of smooth muscle motility.

The pharmacological characteristics of muscarinic receptors mediating contraction of dog isolated ciliary muscle were determined and compared to those mediating contraction of dog urinary bladder smooth muscle. (+)-Cis-dioxolane induced concentration-dependent contractions of ciliary muscle (pEC50=7.18±0.07, Emax=453±64 mg, n=19) and urinary bladder isolated smooth muscle (pEC50=6.55±0.07, Emax=11±1 g, n=19). These responses were antagonized by several muscarinic receptor antagonists (pKb values for the ciliary muscle and the bladder smooth muscle, respectively): atropine (8.25±0.14 and 9.21±0.09), pirenzepine (6.31±0.13 and 6.70±0.25), tolterodine (7.97±0.14 and 8.68±0.12), oxybutynin (7.40±0.08 and 7.88±0.12), zamifenacin (6.46±0.19 and 7.69±0.11), S-secoverine (6.66±0.14 and 8.13±0.07), AQ-RA 741 (6.16±0.15 and 7.08±0.23), p-F-HHSiD (7.10±0.27 and 7.35±0.07) and responses were not antagonized by PD 102807 (up to 100 nM). In urinary bladder smooth muscle, the profile of antagonist pKB values correlated significantly with pKi values at human recombinant m3 muscarinic receptors, suggesting that M3 muscarinic receptors mediated the response. In the ciliary muscle, a significant (P

The muscarinic acetylcholine receptors belong to the super-family of seven TM domain receptors that interact with G-proteins to initiate intracellular responses. Evidence from molecular cloning indicates that there are separate intronless human genes that encode five muscarinic receptor glycoproteins. Muscarinic receptor sequences have significant homologies with other members of this large super-family and the genes are very similar across mammalian species (Caulfield 1993; Felder 1995). Despite over a decade following their molecular identification, the therapeutic exploitation of this crucial family of receptors remains disappointing. This results from a relative inability to pharmacologically distinguish between the subtypes, markedly hindering their investigation in native mammalian tissues. In particular, this has hampered investigation of the last-identified subtype, the muscarinic M5 receptor. The inability to clearly distinguish it from the M3 receptor has, moreover, led to confusion of its physiological role. Finally, determination of the precise distribution of M5 receptors within tissues is complicated by inadequate selectivity of radioligands as well as the low sensitivity/selectivity of polyclonal antisera in immunocytochemical studies (Caulfield 1993; Reever et al., 1997). Despite these problems, this receptor has recently been assigned an upper case M5 nomenclature (Caulfield & Birdsall, 1998) presumably reflecting recognition of its presence and function in native tissues despite the current incomplete characterization. In this respect the identification of a human A2058 melanoma cell that endogenously expresses the M5 receptor (Kohn et al., 1996) should facilitate its investigation in endogenous tissues, although extensive use of these cells have not been reported to date. Consequently, the majority of the current information on the functional properties and regulation of coupling of this subtype still arises from their expression in model cells following cDNA transfection. The purpose of this short review is to critically evaluate current data on the muscarinic receptor M5 subtype from several standpoints. Hopefully, this critique will stimulate further studies on the M5 receptor that may raise it from a 'relatively ephemeral' or 'fact or fiction' status, described in recent reviews (Reever et al., 1997; Caulfield & Birdsall 1998). Identification and structural features The muscarinic M5 receptor was the last of the muscarinic receptor family to be cloned in the human and is mapped to chromosome 15q26 (Bonner et al., 1988; Liao et al., 1989). The receptor sequence conforms to a predicted seven transmembrane glycoprotein consisting of 531 residues in the human (GeneBank accession number PO8912) and 532 in the mouse (PO8911; 89% homologous to human). Structurally, the M5 receptor is the next largest muscarinic receptor to the M3 subtype with both these subtypes possessing a large third intracellular loop. Differences in this cytoplasmic loop account for the sequence diversity between muscarinic receptor subtypes and also between muscarinic receptors from different species. However, of the five muscarinic receptors, the M5 subtype demonstrates the least homology in this region when comparisons are made between human and rat sequences. Wess and colleagues (Wess et al., 1992; Pittel & Wess, 1994; Wess, 1997) have explored the nature of ligand binding and G-protein coupling by using chimeras of muscarinic M2 and M5 receptors. Most M2/M5 constructs are inactive but the presence of the M2 sequence in TMVII and M5 in TMI agonist activation of G-protein coupling is restored. Pittel & Wess (1994) argued that these data supported the bacteriorhodopsin model in which the seven transmembrane helices are arranged in a ring, such that TMI is adjacent to TMVII. A series of M2/M5 chimeras in which regions of the M5 receptors have been systemically replaced by homologous regions of the M2 receptor, indicated the higher affinity of the antagonist UH-AH 37 for the M2 over the M5 receptor was dependent upon a short stretch of 31 residues in TMVI as well as a short region of the third intracellular loop. This however contrasts to the antagonist AQ-RA 741 which also preferentially binds to the M2 receptor suggesting that different receptor epitopes may be involved in conferring different ligand specificities. In a series of studies, Brann and colleagues also attempted to identify key residues associated with agonist activation of M5 receptors. Initially using random saturation mutagenesis they identified the amino acids 439, A440, A441 towards the C-terminal end of the third intracellular loop of the M5 muscarinic receptor critical for G-protein coupling (Burstein et al., 1995). In a more recent paper, this group (Burstein et al., 1998a) constructed a further series of point mutants at each of these residues and characterized their functional phenotypes in order to find structure function relationship for G-protein coupling to the M5 receptor. Their evidence suggests that residue 439 participates in G-protein activation through an ionic mechanism and that A440 fulfils more of a structural role, perhaps forming part of the G-protein coupling pocket. Further, A441 apparently contributes to receptor affinity for G-proteins. Collectively, these data suggest that the third intracellular loop of the M5 receptor forms a G-protein coupling pocket comprised of a positively charged lip and a hydrophobic core. Brann's group (Spalding et al., 1998) also investigated a potential switch between active and inactive conformations of the M5 muscarinic receptor. There is much evidence from several G-protein coupled receptors to suggest that G-protein receptors exhibit constitutive activity (i.e. activation in the absence of agonist) and that agonists stabilize active whereas antagonists stabilise inactive conformations (Kenakin 1996; 1997). In a search for residues that participate in receptor function, several regions of the M5 receptor were randomly mutated and tested for their functional properties. Mutations spanning the face of TMVI were found to induce high levels of constitutive activity of the receptor. The same face of TMVI contained several residues crucial to receptor activation by agonists and one residue was identified as a contact site for both agonists and antagonists. These results suggest that within TMVI of the M5 receptor is a switch that defines the activation state of the receptor and the ligand interactions with TMVI stabilizing the receptor in either active or inactive conformations. In a further study (Burstein et al., 1998b) this group completed a systematic search of the intracellular loops in an attempt to identify further domains that govern G-protein coupling. A feature of the second intracellular loop was an ordered cluster of residues where substitutions also cause constitutive activation of the M5 receptor. A second group of residues in the second intracellular loop have been identified where mutations compromise receptor/G-protein coupling. The residues of each group appear to alternate and are spaced three to four positions apart, perhaps suggesting an α-helical structure where the groups form opposing faces of the helix. The authors suggest that the constitutively activating face normally constrain the receptor in the off state while the other face couples to G-proteins with the receptor being in the on state.

This study investigated the cannabinoid receptor, known to inhibit neuronally-evoked contractions of the mouse isolated urinary bladder, in bladder sections isolated from mouse, rat, dog, pig non-human primate or human. The CB(1)-like pharmacology of the cannabinoid receptor in mouse isolated bladder observed previously was confirmed in this study by the rank order of agonist potencies: CP 55940>/=WIN 55212-2>HU 210>JWH 015>anandamide, the high affinity of the CB(1) selective antagonist, SR 141716A (apparent pK(B) 8.7), and the low affinity of the CB(2) antagonist, SR 144528 (apparent pK(B) or =WIN 55212-2>JWH 015). In this tissue, the maximal inhibitory effect of all agonists was lower than in the mouse bladder. Indeed, the effects of both HU 210 and anandamide were too modest to quantify potency accurately. In the rat isolated bladder, SR 141716A (30 nM) or SR 144528 (100 nM), reversed the inhibitory effect of WIN 55212-2 (apparent pK(B) = 8.4 and 8.0, respectively) or JWH 015 (apparent pK(B) = 8.2 and 7.4, respectively). These findings may demonstrate pharmacological differences between the rat and mouse orthologues of the CB(1) receptor. Alternatively, they may be attributed to a mixed population of CB(1) and CB(2) receptors that jointly influence neurogenic contraction of the rat bladder, but cannot be differentiated without more selective ligands. WIN 55212-2 had no effect on electrically-evoked contractions of bladder sections isolated from dog, pig, cynomolgus monkey and human. These findings suggest that the effect of cannabinoid agonists to inhibit neurogenic contraction of the mouse and rat bladder is not conserved across all mammalian species.

Voltage-gated sodium channels underlie the generation of action potentials in excitable cells. Various sodium channel isoforms have been cloned, functionally expressed and distinguished on the basis of their biophysical properties or differential sensitivity to tetrodotoxin (TTX). In the present study, we have investigated the immunolocalization of the TTX-sensitive sodium channel, rPN4/NaCh6/Scn8a, in discrete areas of the rat nervous system. Thus, in naive animals, PN4 was abundantly expressed in brain, spinal cord, dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and peripheral nerve. The presence of PN4 at the nodes of Ranvier in the sciatic nerve suggests the importance of this sodium channel in peripheral nerve conduction. In addition, the pattern of PN4 immunolabeling was determined in DRG, spinal cord and sciatic nerve in rats subjected to chronic constriction nerve injury (CCI). J. Neurosci. Res. 60:37–44, 2000 © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Human α2A-adrenoceptors expressed in Chinese hamster lung (CHL) fibroblasts have been pharmacologically characterized by measuring intracellular calcium (Ca2+i) changes using the Ca2+-sensitive dye Fluo3-AM, in conjunction with a fluorometric imaging plate reader (FLIPR). Several α-adrenoceptor agonists were examined including the α2-adrenoceptor agonists UK-14304, B-HT 920, dexmedetomidine and A-54741, the selective α1-adrenoceptor agonist phenylephrine and the non-selective adrenergic agonist noradrenaline. Of these only noradrenaline (mean pEC50=6.49) and A-54741 (6.90) evoked changes in Ca2+i; A-54741 was a partial agonist relative to noradrenaline, achieving only 33% of the noradrenaline maximum. Ca2+i changes induced by noradrenaline and A-54741 were antagonized by the α2-selective antagonist rauwolscine (10 nM) and by the α1-selective antagonists prazosin (0.1 nM) and doxazosin (1.0 nM). Phenylephrine (100 μM) and UK-14304 (10 μM) alone were ineffective in causing Ca2+i increase. In the presence of a fixed concentration of UK-14304 (3.0 μM), phenylephrine induced concentration-dependent increases in Ca2+i (mean pEC50=5.33). In the presence of phenylephrine (30.0 μM) UK-14304 induced Ca2+i release (pEC50=6.92). The effects of phenylephrine were abolished by prazosin (1.0 nM) or rauwolscine (100 nM). In saturation radioligand binding experiments using membranes of parental (non-transfected) CHL cells there was a small, specific binding of [3H]-prazosin (Bmax=24 fmol mg protein−1; pKD=10.24). Collectively, these data suggest that α-adrenoceptor agonist-induced Ca2+i release in CHL fibroblasts transfected with the human α2A-adrenoceptor is dependent upon co-activation of the recombinant receptor and a native α1-adrenoceptor. British Journal of Pharmacology (2000) 129, 1339–1346; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0703184

Two tetrodotoxin-resistant voltage-gated sodium channels, SNS/PN3 and SNS2/NaN, have been described recently in small-diameter sensory neurones of the rat, and play a key role in neuropathic pain. Using region-specific antibodies raised against different peptide sequences of their α subunits, we show by Western blot evidence for the presence of these channels in human nerves and sensory ganglia. The expected fully mature 260 kDa component of SNS/PN3 was noted in all injured nerve tissues obtained from adults; however, for SNS2/NaN, smaller bands were found, most likely arising from protein degradation. There was increased intensity of the SNS/PN3 260 kDa band in nerves proximal to the site of injury, whereas it was decreased distally, suggesting accumulation at sites of injury; all adult patients had a positive Tinel’s sign at the site of nerve injury, indicating mechanical hypersensitivity. Injured nerves from human neonates showed similar results for both channels, but neonate neuromas lacked the SNS2/NaN 180 kDa molecular form, which was strongly present in adult neuromas. The distribution of SNS/PN3 and SNS2/NaN sodium channels in injured human nerves indicates that they represent targets for novel analgesics, and could account for some differences in the development of neuropathic pain in infants.

The pharmacological characteristics of muscarinic receptors in rat isolated uterus were studied in ovariectomized (ov.) and sham operated (sh.) animals. Competition radioligand binding studies, using uterine membranes and [3H]-NMS, were undertaken with several muscarinic receptor antagonists. Most of the antagonists indicated a one-site fit with apparent affinity estimates (pKi) unchanged by ovariectomy. The selective M2 antagonist, tripitramine revealed high (representing 33±8 and 38±2%) and low (67±8 and 62±2%) affinity binding sites in both sh. and ov. rat uterus, respectively. These sites likely represented muscarinic M2 and M3 receptors and the proportions were not significantly different in the two conditions. Carbachol induced concentration-dependent contractions which were surmountably antagonized by several muscarinic receptor antagonists (pKB, sh.; ov.): zamifenacin (9.19; 9.18), p-F-HHSiD (8.50; 9.06), tripitramine (7.23; 7.54), himbacine (7.21; 7.41), methoctramine (6.79; 7.49), pirenzepine (6.48; 7.21), AF DX 116 (6.26; 6.61), MTx 3 (

Ion channels form a diverse and sophisticated collection of membrane-bound proteins. They are influenced by many endogenous compounds and physiological stimuli and modulate neuronal activity. It is thus not surprising that they provide attractive targets for the design of novel therapeutics. In this article, recent ion channel research and its relevance to modulation of sensory transmission is assessed. In pain research, specific blockade or activation of ion channels has long been considered a desired route for identification of analgesics. Historically, this has proven difficult to attain due to the incidence of side-effects associated with most ion-channel modulators. The recent discovery of several novel classes of ion channels, each of which has a specific distribution and role in sensory processing and nociception, has provided a plethora of targets for pharmaceutical intervention with the promise of an improved therapeutic index.

Over the past year, the introduction of novel ligands has accelerated the classification of muscarinic receptor subtypes and has led to a better understanding of their physiological role. Important in this respect is the recent recognition of the exquisite selectivity of a series of snake toxins, enabling better definition of the muscarinic subtype 4 receptor. Moreover, several compounds, both agonists and antagonists, are progressing in advanced clinical trials for the treatment of several conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, pain, urinary incontinence and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Alterations in sodium channel expression and function have been suggested as a key molecular event underlying the abnormal processing of pain after peripheral nerve or tissue injury. Although the relative contribution of individual sodium channel subtypes to this process is unclear, the biophysical properties of the tetrodotoxin-resistant current, mediated, at least in part, by the sodium channel PN3 (SNS), suggests that it may play a specialized, pathophysiological role in the sustained, repetitive firing of the peripheral neuron after injury. Moreover, this hypothesis is supported by evidence demonstrating that selective “knock-down” of PN3 protein in the dorsal root ganglion with specific antisense oligodeoxynucleotides prevents hyperalgesia and allodynia caused by either chronic nerve or tissue injury. In contrast, knock-down of NaN/SNS2 protein, a sodium channel that may be a second possible candidate for the tetrodotoxin-resistant current, appears to have no effect on nerve injury-induced behavioral responses. These data suggest that relief from chronic inflammatory or neuropathic pain might be achieved by selective blockade or inhibition of PN3 expression. In light of the restricted distribution of PN3 to sensory neurons, such an approach might offer effective pain relief without a significant side-effect liability.

Efforts to define precisely the role of 5-HT2B receptors in normal and disease processes have been hindered by the absence of selective antagonists. To address this deficiency, we developed a series of naphthylpyrimidines as potentially useful 5-HT2B receptor antagonists. RS-127445 (2-amino-4-(4-fluoronaphth-1-yl)-6-isopropylpyrimidine) was found to have nanomolar affinity for the 5-HT2B receptor (pKi=9.5±0.1) and 1,000 fold selectivity for this receptor as compared to numerous other receptor and ion channel binding sites. In cells expressing human recombinant 5-HT2B receptors, RS-127445 potently antagonized 5-HT-evoked formation of inositol phosphates (pKB=9.5±0.1) and 5-HT-evoked increases in intracellular calcium (pIC50=10.4±0.1). RS-127445 also blocked 5-HT-evoked contraction of rat isolated stomach fundus (pA2=9.5±1.1) and (±)α-methyl-5-HT-mediated relaxation of the rat jugular vein (pA2=9.9±0.3). RS-127445 had no detectable intrinsic activity in these assays. In rats, the fraction of RS-127445 that was bioavailable via the oral or intraperitoneal routes was 14 and 60% respectively. Intraperitoneal administration of RS-127445 (5 mg kg−1) produced plasma concentrations predicted to fully saturate accessible 5-HT2B receptors for at least 4 h. In conclusion, RS-127445 is a selective, high affinity 5-HT2B receptor antagonist suitable for use in vivo. The therapeutic potential of this molecule is being further evaluated. British Journal of Pharmacology (1999) 127, 1075–1082; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0702632