Altered norepinephrine uptake in neuronal cultures from spontaneously hypertensive rat brain

Uptake of [3H]norepinephrine (NE) has been characterized and compared in neuronal cultures prepared from the brains of 1-day-old normotensive (Wistar-Kyoto, WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rats. In cultures from both strains total [3H]NE uptake consisted of a sodium-dependent portion and a sodium-independent portion. The sodium-dependent [3H]NE uptake was inhibited by NE uptake blockers such as maprotiline or desmethylimipramine (both at 0.5-100 microM). This sodium-dependent, NE uptake blocker-sensitive portion of the uptake was also stereospecific, preferring the l-isomer of NE. In contrast, the sodium-independent uptake was not sensitive to maprotiline or desmethylimipramine. Autoradiograms of cultures incubated with [3H]NE showed label concentrated in certain, but not all, neurites and in a few neuronal cell bodies. Cultures incubated with label in sodium-free buffer did not show any such localization of grains but instead showed a diffuse pattern. Incubation of neuronal WKY or SH brain cultures with various concentrations of l-[3H]NE and unlabeled l-NE in the presence or absence of sodium enabled the construction of saturation curves for sodium-dependent uptake in each culture type. In WKY cultures, Km and maximal velocity of uptake (Vmax) values of 0.37-0.45 microM and 0.58-0.69 pmol X mg protein-1 X min-1, respectively, were obtained for sodium-dependent uptake. In contrast, the Km and Vmax values for [3H]NE uptake in SH neuronal cultures were 1.4 microM and 1.31 pmol X mg protein-1 X min-1, respectively. Kinetic analyses of the results show that in SH neuronal cultures the [3H]NE uptake sites are of lower affinity but higher capacity compared with those in WKY neuronal cultures.