Uptake inhibitors but not substrates induce protease resistance in extracellular loop two of the dopamine transporter

Changes in protease sensitivity of extracellular loop two (EL2) of the dopamine transporter (DAT) during inhibitor and substrate binding were examined using trypsin proteolysis and epitope-specific immunoblotting. In control rat striatal membranes, proteolysis of DAT in a restricted region of EL2 was produced by 0.001 to 10 mug/ml trypsin. However, in the presence of the dopamine uptake blockers [2-(diphenylmethoxyl) ethyl]-4-(3phenylpropyl) piperazine (GBR 12909), mazindol, 2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-(4-flourophenyl) tropane (beta-CFT), nomifensine, benztropine, or (-)-cocaine, 100- to 1000-fold higher concentrations of trypsin were required to produce comparable levels of proteolysis. Protease resistance induced by ligands was correlated with their affinity for DAT binding, was not observed with Zn2+, (-)- cocaine, or inhibitors of norepinephrine or serotonin transporters, and was not caused by altered catalytic activity of trypsin. Together, these results support the hypothesis that the interaction of uptake inhibitors with DAT induces a protease-resistant conformation in EL2. In contrast, binding of substrates did not induce protease resistance in EL2, suggesting that substrates and inhibitors interact with DAT differently during binding. To assess the effects of EL2 proteolysis on DAT function, the binding and transport properties of trypsin-digested DAT were assayed with [H-3] CFT and [H-3] dopamine. Digestion decreased the B-max for binding and the V-max for uptake in amounts that were proportional to the extent of proteolysis, indicating that the structural integrity of EL2 is required for maintenance of both DAT binding and transport functions. Together this data provides novel information about inhibitor and substrate interactions at EL2, possibly relating the protease resistant DAT conformation to a mechanism of transport inhibition.