Receptors on smooth muscle cells: characterization by contraction and specific antagonists

Smooth muscle cells were isolated from the stomach of the guinea pig, and the kinetics, stoichiometry, and specificity of contraction in response to the C-terminal octapeptides of cholecystokinin (CCK-OP), gastrin-17, and acetylcholine were examined. All three agonists elicited dose-dependent peak contraction that did not depend on the presence of extra-cellular calcium. The potencies of CCK-OP and gastrin-17 were equal (D50, 10(-11) M) and 10 times greater than the potency of acetylcholine (D50, 10(-10) M). A combination of low doses of acetylcholine and CCK-OP was synergistic; however, its effect did not exceed the maximal responses to either agonists alone or to high extracellular concentrations of calcium. The specificity of the receptors was established by the use of atropine and the two CCK-receptor antagonists dibutyryl cGMP and proglumide. The span of the dose-response curves was wide, suggesting the existence of receptor heterogeneity. It is concluded that gastric smooth muscle cells of the guinea pig possess distinct, high-affinity receptors for CCK-gastrin and acetylcholine; the receptors mediate contraction that is not immediately dependent on the presence of extracellular calcium.