High affinity of sigma1‐binding sites for sterol isomerization inhibitors: evidence for a pharmacological relationship with the yeast sterol C8–C7 isomerase

The sigma-drug binding site of guinea-pig liver is carried by a protein which shares significant amino acid sequence similarities with the yeast sterol C8–C7 isomerase (ERG2 protein). Pharmacologically - but not structurally - the sigma1-site is also related to the emopamil binding protein, the mammalian sterol C8–C7 isomerase. We therefore investigated if sterol C8–C7 isomerase inhibitors are high affinity ligands for the (+)-[3H]-pentazocine labelled sigma1-binding site. Among the compounds which bound with high affinity to native hepatic and cerebral as well as to yeast expressed sigma1-binding sites were the agricultural fungicide fenpropimorph (Ki 0.005 nM), the antihypocholesterinaemic drugs triparanol (Ki 7.0 nM), AY-9944 (Ki 0.46 nM) and MDL28,815 (Ki 0.16 nM), the enantiomers of the ovulation inducer clomiphene (Ki 5.5 and 12 nM, respectively) and the antioestrogene tamoxifen (Ki 26 nM). Except for tamoxifen these affinities are essentially identical with those for the [3H]-ifenprodil labelled sterol C8–C7 isomerase of S. cerevisiae. This demonstrates that sigma1-binding protein and yeast isomerase are not only structurally but also pharmacologically related. Because of its affiliations with yeast and mammalian sterol isomerases we propose that the sigma1-binding site is localized on a sterol isomerase related protein, involved in postsqualene sterol biosynthesis. British Journal of Pharmacology (1997) 121, 1–6; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0701079