Ontogeny of PCP and sigma receptors in rat brain.

Phencyclidine (PCP) binds with high affinity to two receptors in rat brain--the PCP receptor and the Sigma receptor. Although both receptors are present prenatally, and their number increases postnatally, their rate of increase, compared to the increase in brain protein, is quite different, yielding distinct ontogenic profiles. Thus, PCP receptors are present on prenatal day 2 and show a further 15-fold increase by postnatal day 28. In contrast, Sigma receptors are present at their highest density during the perinatal period, and decline thereafter. The Kd of the PCP receptor for TCP remains constant throughout development, whereas the Kd of the Sigma receptor for (+)-3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-N-(1-propyl)piperidine decreases 40% postnatally. On postnatal day 6, both PCP and Sigma receptors display a pharmacological profile similar to that observed in adult animals.