The influence of substrate structure on organic cation transport

Abstract

Using epifluorescence microscopy I have characterized the transport of the fluorescent organic cation NBD-TMA⁺, [2-(4-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiaxol-7-yl)aminoethyl]trimethylammonium. NBD-TMA⁺ has structural characteristics common to other secreted organic cations and it is fluorescent (λₑₓ = 458 nm; λ(em) = 530 nm). Transport of NBD-TMA⁺ by rabbit renal proximal tubules was time dependent, saturable, and inhibited by TEA⁺, cimetidine, and procainamide. These results provide strong evidence that the fluorescent organic cation, NBD-TMA⁺, is transported by the classical organic cation transporter and can be used to monitor organic cation transport in renal proximal tubules or cells expressing organic cation transporters. Additionally, a stable line of HeLa cells expressing hOCT1 was used to investigate the structural and chemical characteristics influencing substrate binding to the transporter. I found that the systematic rotation of a planar hydrophobic mass about a vertical axis aligned with the positively charged nitrogen reduced the binding affinity of substrate for hOCT1 suggesting that hOCT1 possesses a lateral steric limitation not seen in the apical organic cation transporter. Furthermore, the addition of supraplanar hydrophobic mass to a planar chemical structure was found to increase the binding affinity for a substrate substantially more that expected for the increased hydrophobicity suggesting that the binding site for hOCT1 is not simply planar in nature, but may be better described as a pocket.