IDENTIFICATION OF THE POLYPEPTIDE-CHAINS IN TORPEDO-CALIFORNICA ELECTROPLAX MEMBRANES THAT INTERACT WITH A LOCAL-ANESTHETIC ANALOG

Procaine amide azide, a derivative of the local anesthetic procaine amide, was prepared and its interactions with acetylcholine receptor-rich membrane fragments from Torpedo californica electroplax were studied. Procaine amide azide was radiolabeled by a method that may be of general use for the preparation of other radioactive tertiary amines. When low concentrations of 3H-labeled procaine amide azide were photolyzed in the presence of receptor-rich membrane preparations, a simple pattern of incorporated radioactivity was seen after electrophoresis on sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gels. Only 2 major labeled bands were seen, corresponding to apparent Mr [molecular weight relative to 1/12 weight of 1 atom of 12C] of about 43,000 and 90,000. When the length of the gels was increased, the labeled band of lower Mr was resolved into 2 labeled proteins, 1 major and 1 minor, with apparent Mr of 43,000 and 40,000, respectively. The radioactivity incorporated into the protein of Mr 40,000 could be attributed to interaction of [3H]procaine amide azide with cholinergic ligand-binding sites, whereas labeling of the polypeptide of Mr 43,000 appears to represent interaction of the photolabile derivative with another class of sites. The labeling component of 90,000 Mr could be removed by preparation of membrane fragments in iodoacetamide-containing buffer and therefore appeared unrelated to the acetylcholine receptor.