Binding of [3H]flunitrazepam to the LM cell, a transformed murine fibroblast

LM cells have a saturable, high affinity binding site for [3H]flunitrazepam with a KD of 13 nM and a Bmax of 19 pmoles/mg protein. The IC50 values for Ro 5-4864, flunitrazepam and clonazepam against [3H]flunitrazepam were 6, 23 and 2800 nM, respectively, indicating that this receptor is of the peripheral type. A decrease of 37, 26 and 26% in Bmax was associated with substituting dimethylethanolamine, monomethylethanolamine or ethanolamine, respectively, for choline in the cell culture medium. These treatments did not change either the KD of [3H]flunitrazepam binding or the IC50 values of the different benzodiazepine drugs. Metastatic cell lines of the LM cell obtained from either athymic or C3H/Hef mice exhibited alterations in the binding parameters of [3H]flunitrazepam. There was a reduction in the Bmax values of the athymic (34%) and the C3H/Hef (44%) cell lines compared to the LM cell. In both groups there was a 90% increase in the KD. In the C6 astrocytoma, the peripheral type receptor appears to regulate plasma membrane mediated synthesis of phosphatidylcholine from phosphatidylethanolamine. However, this was not observed in the LM cell. Nor did it modulate cyclic AMP metabolism as assessed by measurement of cyclic AMP levels in whole cells after drug treatment.