Different binding activities of A- and B-type natriuretic hormones in the heart of two Antarctic teleosts, the red-blooded Trematomus bernacchii and the hemoglobinless Chionodraco hamatus

Different binding activities of 125I-rat atrial natriuretic peptide were evaluated using in vitro quantitative autoradiography in the heart of two antarctic notothenioid teleosts, the red-blooded Trematomus bernacchii and hemoglobinless Chionodraco hamatus. Saturable and specific binding sites for rat atrial natriuretic peptide were found in the atrium, ventricular myocardium, ventricular endocardium and inner and outer layers of the bulbus arteriosus of both fishes Scatchard analysis of the saturation data showed that the atrium, ventricular endocardium and outer bulbar layer of T. bernacchii were characterized by a single class of high affinity natriuretic peptide binding sites (K(d) = 14 ± 3.2, 9.7 ± 2.3 and 6.2 ± 1.3 pM, respectively), whereas the ventricular myocardium and the inner bulbar layer contained elevated numbers of two classes of high and low affinity natriuretic peptide binding sites (1.8 ± 0.6 < K(d) < 209 ± 66 pM). In contrast, in C. hamatus, both high and low affinity binding sites were detected in all cardiac regions (2.1 ± 0.7 < K(d) < 262 ± 90 pM). In both fishes, competition experiments in the presence of either unlabeled rat atrial natriuretic peptide or porcine brain natriuretic peptide indicated different displacement capacities. Porcine brain natriuretic peptide, able to bind to natriuretic peptides sites in all the heart regions of both notothenioids, provided a higher displacement capacity with respect to that of rat atrial natriuretic peptide in the atrium of T. bernacchii.