Skip to main content

Alternative Ligands at Melatonin Receptors

  • Protocol
  • First Online:
Melatonin

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2550))

  • 723 Accesses

Abstract

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is a neurohormone that possesses a wide range of biological effects. Most of the main recognized effects of this hormone in mammals are due to its interaction with two G protein-coupled receptors, MT1 and MT2. Ligand-binding studies have been based on the use of its radioligand analog, 2[125I]-iodomelatonin, a super agonist discovered in the early 1990s. This compound has been used in most of the binding studies reported in the literature. Nevertheless, more recently other possibilities arose. This chapter is a brief summary of those alternative radioligands and of their benefits one can find in using them.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Protocol
USD 49.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Lerner AB, Case JD, Takahishi Y (1960) Isolation of melatonin and 5-methoxyindole-3-acetic acid from bovine pineal glands. J Biol Chem 235:1992–1997

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Boutin JA, Ferry G (2019) Is there sufficient evidence that the melatonin binding site MT3 is quinone reductase 2? J Pharmacol Exp Ther 368:59–65. https://doi.org/10.1124/jpet.118.253260

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Klein DC, Berg GR, Weller J et al (1970) Pineal gland: dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate stimulation of labeled melatonin production. Science 167:1738–1740. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.167.3926.1738

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Browning C, Beresford I, Fraser N et al (2000) Pharmacological characterization of human recombinant melatonin mt(1) and MT(2) receptors. Br J Pharmacol 129:877–886. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bjp.0703130

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Vakkuri O, Leppäluoto J, Vuolteenaho O (1984) Development and validation of a melatonin radioimmunoassay using radioiodinated melatonin as tracer. Acta Endocrinol 106:152–157. https://doi.org/10.1530/acta.0.1060152

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Vakkuri O, Lämsä E, Rahkamaa E et al (1984) Iodinated melatonin: preparation and characterization of the molecular structure by mass and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Anal Biochem 142:284–289. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-2697(84)90466-4

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Laudon M, Zisapel N (1986) Characterization of central melatonin receptors using 125 I-melatonin. FEBS Lett 197:9–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/0014-5793(86)80287-3

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Duncan MJ, Takahashi JS, Dubocovich ML (1986) Characterization of 2-[125I]iodomelatonin binding sites in hamster brain. Eur J Pharmacol 132:333–334. https://doi.org/10.1016/0014-2999(86)90627-8

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Boutin JA, Witt-Enderby PA, Sotriffer C et al (2020) Melatonin receptor ligands: a pharmaco-chemical perspective. J Pineal Res 69:e12672. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpi.12672

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Zee PC, Wang-Weigand S, Wright KP et al (2010) Effects of ramelteon on insomnia symptoms induced by rapid, eastward travel. Sleep Med 11:525–533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2010.03.010

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Cipriani A, Furukawa TA, Salanti G et al (2018) Comparative efficacy and acceptability of 21 antidepressant drugs for the acute treatment of adults with major depressive disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Lancet 391:1357–1366. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32802-7

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  12. Slee A, Nazareth I, Bondaronek P et al (2019) Pharmacological treatments for generalised anxiety disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Lancet 393:768–777. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31793-8

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Dubocovich ML, Masana MI, Iacob S et al (1997) Melatonin receptor antagonists that differentiate between the human Mel1a and Mel1b recombinant subtypes are used to assess the pharmacological profile of the rabbit retina ML1 presynaptic heteroreceptor. Naunyn Schmiedeberg’s Arch Pharmacol 355:365–375. https://doi.org/10.1007/pl00004956

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Depreux P, Lesieur D, Mansour HA et al (1994) Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of novel naphthalenic and bioisosteric related amidic derivatives as melatonin receptor ligands. J Med Chem 37:3231–3239. https://doi.org/10.1021/jm00046a006

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Legros C, Matthey U, Grelak T et al (2013) New radioligands for describing the molecular pharmacology of MT1 and MT2 melatonin receptors. Int J Mol Sci 14:8948–8962. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms14058948

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Legros C, Dupré C, Brasseur C et al (2020) Characterization of the various functional pathways elicited by synthetic agonists or antagonists at the melatonin MT1 and MT2 receptors. Pharmacol Res Perspect 8:e00539. https://doi.org/10.1002/prp2.539

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Legros C, Devavry S, Caignard S et al (2014) Melatonin MT1 and MT2 receptors display different molecular pharmacologies only in the G-protein coupled state. Br J Pharmacol 171:186–201. https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.12457

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Pang CS, Tang PL, Pang SF et al (1995) Comparison of the pharmacological characteristics of 2-125Iiodomelatonin binding sites in the lung, spleen, brain and kidney of chicken. Biol Signals 4:311–324. https://doi.org/10.1159/000109465

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Boutin JA, Lahaye C, Pegurier C et al (2000) Screening of ligand binding on melatonin receptor using non-peptide combinatorial libraries. J Recept Signal Transduct Res 20:105–118. https://doi.org/10.3109/10799890009150040

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Yan J, Su H, Boutin JA et al (2008) High-throughput screening assay for new ligands at human melatonin receptors. Acta Pharmacol Sin 29:1515–1521. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-7254.2008.00903.x

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Boutin JA, Bonnaud A, Brasseur C et al (2017) New MT2 melatonin receptor-selective ligands: agonists and partial agonists. Int J Mol Sci 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms18071347

  22. Molinari EJ, North PC, Dubocovich ML (1996) 2-[125I]Iodo-5-methoxycarbonylamino-N-acetyltryptamine: a selective radioligand for the characterization of melatonin ML2 binding sites. Eur J Pharmacol 301:159–168. https://doi.org/10.1016/0014-2999(95)00870-5

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Nosjean O, Ferro M, Coge F et al (2000) Identification of the melatonin-binding site MT3 as the quinone reductase 2. J Biol Chem 275:31311–31317. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M005141200

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Vincent L, Cohen W, Delagrange P et al (2010) Molecular and cellular pharmacological properties of 5-methoxycarbonylamino-N-acetyltryptamine (MCA-NAT): a nonspecific MT3 ligand. J Pineal Res 48:222–229. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-079X.2010.00746.x

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Ali H, van Lier JE (1996) Synthesis of radiopharmaceuticals via organotin intermediates. Synthesis 1996:423–445. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-1996-4250

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Stauch B, Johansson LC, McCorvy JD et al (2019) Structural basis of ligand recognition at the human MT1 melatonin receptor. Nature 569:284–288. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1141-3

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Johansson LC, Stauch B, McCorvy JD et al (2019) XFEL structures of the human MT2 melatonin receptor reveal the basis of subtype selectivity. Nature 569:289–292. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1144-0

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Stein RM, Kang HJ, McCorvy JD et al (2020) Virtual discovery of melatonin receptor ligands to modulate circadian rhythms. Nature 579:609–614. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2027-0

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  29. Patel N, Huang XP, Grandner JM et al (2020) Structure-based discovery of potent and selective melatonin receptor agonists. Elife 9. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.53779

  30. Audinot V, Mailliet F, Lahaye-Brasseur C et al (2003) New selective ligands of human cloned melatonin MT1 and MT2 receptors. Naunyn Schmiedeberg’s Arch Pharmacol 367:553–561. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-003-0751-2

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Audinot V, Bonnaud A, Grandcolas L et al (2008) Molecular cloning and pharmacological characterization of rat melatonin MT1 and MT2 receptors. Biochem Pharmacol 75:2007–2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcp.2008.02.022

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Mailliet F, Audinot V, Malpaux B et al (2004) Molecular pharmacology of the ovine melatonin receptor: comparison with recombinant human MT1 and MT2 receptors. Biochem Pharmacol 67:667–677. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcp.2003.09.037

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Gautier C, Dufour E, Dupré C et al (2018) Hamster melatonin receptors: cloning and binding characterization of MT1 and attempt to clone MT2. Int J Mol Sci 19. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19071957

  34. Gautier C, Guenin S-P, Riest-Fery I et al (2018) Characterization of the Mel1c melatoninergic receptor in platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus). PLoS One 13:e0191904. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0191904

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  35. Legros C, Brasseur C, Delagrange P et al (2016) Alternative radioligands for investigating the molecular pharmacology of melatonin receptors. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 356:681–692. https://doi.org/10.1124/jpet.115.229989

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Kenakin T (2011) Functional selectivity and biased receptor signaling. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 336:296–302. https://doi.org/10.1124/jpet.110.173948

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

About this protocol

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this protocol

Legros, C., Yous, S., Boutin, J.A. (2022). Alternative Ligands at Melatonin Receptors. In: Jockers, R., Cecon, E. (eds) Melatonin. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2550. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2593-4_19

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2593-4_19

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-2592-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-2593-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

Publish with us

Policies and ethics