Role of disulfides and sulfhydryl groups in agonist and antagonist binding in serotonin(1A) receptors from bovine hippocampus

1. The serotonin(1A) (5-HT(1A)) receptors are members of a superfamily of seven-transmembrane-domain receptors that couple to G-proteins. They appear to be involved in various behavioral and cognitive functions. Mutagenesis and modeling studies point out that the ligand-binding sites in serotonin receptors are located in the transmembrane domain. However, these binding sites are not very well characterized. Since disulfide bonds and sulfhydryl groups have been shown to play vital roles in the assembly, organization, and function of various G-protein-coupled receptors, we report here the effect of disulfide and sulfhydryl group modifications on the agonist and antagonist binding activity of 5-HT(1A) receptors from bovine hippocampus. 2. DTT or NEM treatment caused a concentration-dependent reduction in specific binding of the agonist and antagonist in 5-HT(1A) receptors from bovine hippocampal native and solubilized membranes. This is supported by a concomitant reduction in binding affinity. 3. Pretreatment of the receptor with unlabeled ligands prior to chemical modifications indicate that the majority of disulfides or sulfhydryl groups that undergo modification giving rise to inhibition in binding activity could be at the vicinity of the ligand-binding sites. 4. In addition, ligand-binding studies in presence of GTP-γ-S, a nonhydrolyzable analogue of GTP, indicate that sulfhydryl groups (and disulfide bonds to a lesser extent) are vital for efficient coupling between the 5-HT(1A) receptor and the G-protein. 5. Our results point out that disulfide bonds and sulfhydryl groups could play an important role in ligand binding in 5-HT(1A) receptors.