Lateral mobility and specific binding to GABAA receptors on hippocampal neurons monitored by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

The binding behavior of a fluorescently labeled muscimol derivative to the GABA(A) receptor was analyzed at rat hippocampal neurons by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. After muscimol had been labeled with the fluorophore Alexa Fluor 532, specific binding constants for binding of the dye-labeled ligand (Mu-Alexa) to the GABAA receptor were determined. We found a high specific binding affinity of Mu-Alexa with a K-D value of 3.4 +/- 0.5 nM and a rate constant of ligand-receptor dissociation (k(diss)) of (5.37 +/- 0.95) x 10(-2) s(-1). A rate constant of ligand-receptor association (k(ass)) of (1.57 +/- 0.28) x 10(7) L mol(-1) s(-1) was calculated. The following diffusion coefficients were observed: D-free = 233 +/- 20 mum(2)/s (n = 66) for free diffusing Mu-Alexa, D-bound1 = 2.8 +/- 0.9 mum(2)/s (n = 64) for the lateral mobility, and D-bound2 = 0.14 +/- 0.05 mum(2)/s (n = 56) for the hindered mobility of the GABAA receptor-ligand complex in the cell membrane. Saturation of Mu-Alexa binding was observed at a concentration of 50 nM. A maximum number of binding sites [B-max = 18.4 +/- 0.4 nM (n = 5)] was found. Similar K-i values, of 4.5 +/- 1.0 nM for nonlabeled muscimol and 8.8 +/- 1.8 nM for Mu-Alexa were found by RRAs using [H-3]muscimol as a radioligand. A concentration-dependent increase in the level of specific Mu-Alexa binding was demonstrated by the positive cooperative activity of co-incubated midazolam, which was selectively found in GABAA receptor-ligand complexes with hindered mobility.