The effect of conformationally restricted amino acid. Analogues on the frog spinal cord in vitro.

1 The isolated spinal cord of the frog (Rana pipiens) was used to examine the structural requirement for the activity of neutral amino acids. The potencies of the aliphatic amino acids, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), beta-alanine and glycine were compared with the potencies of conformationally restricted cyclopentane and cyclohexane amino acid analogues. Both motoneurone hyperpolarizing and primary afferent depolarizing activity were examined in this study. 2 On motoneurones beta-alanine was the most potent aliphatic amino acid and glycine the least potent. Of the substituted aminocyclopentane carboxylic acids, that compound with a separation of amino and carboxylic acid groups closest to that of the extended GABA molecule (4.74 A) had a potency similar to GABA. As the separation decreased the hyperpolarizing activity fell off rapidly. The substituted aminocyclohexane carboxylic acids were generally inactive even at a concentration of 10 mM. 3 Strychnine blocked the motoneurone hyperpolarizing responses to all compounds with a distance between the amino and carboxylic acid groups of 3.66 A or less, but did not block the response of compounds with a distance of 4.08 A or greater. Picrotoxin and bicuculline antagonized all the responses to varying degrees and therefore were of little value in characterizing the responses. 4 On the primary afferents GABA was the most potent aliphatic amino acid and glycine the least potent. The substituted aminocyclohexane carboxylic acids were generally inactive on primary afferents. The response of the substituted aminocyclopentane carboxylic acid whose separation of amino and carboxylic acid groups was closest to that of the extended GABA molecule was most similar to the GABA response. However, (+/-)-cis-3-aminocyclopentane-carboxylic acid (separation=4.08 A),which mimicked the action of GABA on motoneurones, closely mimicked the depolarizing action of beta-alanine on primary afferents. 5 The findings suggest that the hyperpolarizing GABA receptor on motoneurones will accept a molecule whose amino and carboxylic acid groups are separated by a distance of 4.08 A or greater while the glycine receptor will accept a compound with a distance of 3.66 A or less. The depolarizing GABA receptors on primary afferents appear to be more selective since they are not activated by (+/-)-cis-3-aminocyclopentane carboxylic acid (separation = 4.08 A), while the motoneurone receptors are.