Interactions between histamine H3 and dopamine D2 receptors and the implications for striatal function

The striatum contains a high density of histamine H3 receptors, but their role in striatal function is poorly understood. Previous studies have demonstrated antagonistic interactions between striatal H3 and dopamine D1 receptors at the biochemical level, while contradictory results have been reported about interactions between striatal H3 and dopamine D2 receptors. In this study, by using reserpinized mice, we demonstrate the existence of behaviorally significant antagonistic postsynaptic interactions between H3 and D1 and also between H3 and dopamine D2 receptors. The selective H3 receptor agonist imetit inhibited, while the H3 receptor antagonist thioperamide potentiated locomotor activation induced by either the D1 receptor agonist SKF 38393 or the D2 receptor agonist quinpirole. High scores of locomotor activity were obtained with H3 receptor blockade plus D1 and D2 receptor co-activation, i.e., when thioperamide was co-administered with both SKF 38393 and quinpirole. Radioligand binding experiments in striatal membrane preparations showed the existence of a strong and selective H3–D2 receptor interaction at the membrane level. In agonist/antagonist competition experiments, stimulation of H3 receptors with several H3 receptor agonists significantly decreased the affinity of D2 receptors for the agonist. This kind of intramembrane receptor–receptor interactions are a common biochemical property of receptor heteromers. In fact, by using Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer techniques in co-transfected HEK-293 cells, H3 (but not H4) receptors were found to form heteromers with D2 receptors. This study demonstrates an important role of postsynaptic H3 receptors in the modulation of dopaminergic transmission by means of a negative modulation of D2 receptor function.