@article {Novi786, author = {Francesca Novi and Marco Scarselli and Giovanni U. Corsini and Roberto Maggio}, title = {An Unusual Form of the Association Binding Kinetics ofN-[3H]Methylscopolamine to the Split Muscarinic M2trunk/M2tail Receptor}, volume = {305}, number = {2}, pages = {786--795}, year = {2003}, doi = {10.1124/jpet.102.045393}, publisher = {American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics}, abstract = {The muscarinic M2 receptor was split at the third cytoplasmic loop into two fragments: the one containing the first five transmembrane regions and the N-terminal part of the third cytoplasmic loop was named M2trunk, while the other, which contained the last two transmembrane regions and the C-terminal part of the third cytoplasmic loop, was named M2tail. As seen in many other G protein-coupled receptors, when these two fragments were transfected together in COS-7 cells they rescued the pharmacological profile and the functional activity of the wild-type M2 receptor. Conversely, N-[3H]methylscopolamine ([3H]NMS) association binding experiments showed a substantial difference between the wild-type M2 and the split M2trunk/M2tail receptors. The progression of the association binding kinetic of the M2trunk/M2tail receptor was strictly dependent upon the amount of the fragment DNA transfected. When the amount of transfected DNA was 4 μg/plate and theBmax of [3H]NMS at equilibrium was around 200 fmol/mg protein the form of the association was that of classical saturation, but when the amount of transfected DNA was lower the [3H]NMS association reached a maximum binding point and then declined to a lower equilibrium binding level. The form of the association was temperature-dependent: as the temperature was lowered, the maximum binding point tended to be higher. We suggest that this peculiar form of the [3H]NMS association binding to the muscarinic M2trunk/M2tail receptor is attributable to a less stable interaction between the trunk and the tail fragments of the split receptor. The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics}, issn = {0022-3565}, URL = {https://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/305/2/786}, eprint = {https://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/305/2/786.full.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics} }