The mobile receptor hypothesis and "cooperativity" of hormone binding. Application to insulin

[New aspects of catecholamin-receptor interactions. Pathophysiological and clinical implications (author's transl)]

The molecular aspects of catecholamine-receptor interactions are reviewed with respect to their clinical implications. Beta- and in some tissues alpha-adrenergic receptors are coupled to the membrane-bound adenylate cyclase. The adrenergic receptor sites are distinct membrane constituents. Their number and the ratio alpha-to beta-receptor site depend on the plasma concentration of catecholamines and are affected by diet and endocrinological factors. Recent clinical studies suggest that long-term treatment with beta-adrenergic agonists may induces desensitization of target tissues due to changes in the adrenergic receptor moieties.

Effect of the association time of in vivo bound prolactin on the [125I]prolactin receptor assays of female rat livers

Significantly (P less than 0.01) reduced 125I-labeled ovine prolactin binding (mean, --22%), as a result of an ether anesthesia-reduced rise in serum prolactin, was observed in plasma membrane preparations of liver samples of female rats taken after 5 min of etherization when compared to samples taken from the same animals during the first minute of etherization. This reduction in assayable receptors occurred after 1 h but not 2 h of assay incubation time. Significantly (P less than 0.05) reduced 125I-labeled ovine prolactin binding (mean, --16%) was also observed in liver samples exposed to a 30-min ether-induced rise in serum prolactin when compared to liver samples taken during the first minute of etherization. In contrast, this reduction was apparent at assay incubation times of 1, 2 and 4 h but not at 10 h. These results suggest that serum prolactin can bind to prolactin receptors in vivo and partially block subsequent 125I-labeled ovine prolactin receptor assay. In addition, these data provide evidence that a complex time-dependent binding of prolactin may occur in the plasma of the female rat liver.

Mechanisms of the ability of insulin to activate the glucose-transport system in rat adipocytes

Isolated rat adipocytes were used to assess the mechanisms of the ability of insulin to accelerate glucose transport. Glucose transport was determined by measuring the initial rates of 2-deoxyglucose uptake, and at 24 degrees C insulin increased the Vmax. of transport from 7.3 +/- 1 to 23.1 +/- 2 nmol/min per 10(6) cells, but the Km value remained unchanged (2.5, cf. 2.4 mM). When the Vmax. of basal and insulin-stimulated transport was measured as a function of temperature (15-37 degrees C), parallel Arrhenius plots were obtained yielding equal activation energies of approx. 59kJ/mol. Since both processes have equal activation energies the data indicate that insulin increases Vmax. by increasing the number of available carriers rather than enhancing intrinsic activity of already functioning carriers. Since the ability of insulin to activate glucose transport did not decrease with temperature (whereas plasma-membrane fluidity declines), it is suggested that lateral diffusion of insulin receptors within the plasma-membrane bilayer is not a rat-determining step in insulin action.

Studies on muscarinic acetylcholine receptors from mouse brain: characterization of the interaction with antagonists

The binding of tritium labeled N-methyl-4-piperidyl benzilate (4-NMPB) and scopolamine to the muscarinic receptor from mouse brain was investigated at 10, 25 and 37 degrees C. Approach to equilibrium experiments indicated that association involved a single population of binding sites. The formation of at least two types of ligand-receptor complexes had however to be assumed to explain the data obtained at 25 and 37 degrees C by equilibrium and dissociation experiments. In contradistinction, at 10 degrees C a single population of ligand-receptor complexes could be detected. The simplest model which fits the experimental findings consists of a fast binding step followed by a slow isomerization process of the receptor-ligand complex.

Beta-adrenergic receptors and adenylate cyclase in hypertrophic and hyperplastic rat salivary glands

Isoproterenol induces both the secretion of protein and the stimulation of DNA synthesis and growth in rat salivary glands. The specific binding of the labelled beta-adrenergic antagonist [3H]dihydroalprenolol has been used to measure the number of beta-adrenergic receptors in rat parotid glands during isoproterenol-induced growth. Isoproterenol-enlarged glands display no change in the specific binding capacity per gland for [3H]-dihydroalprenolol compared with normal tissue. Catecholamine sensitive adenylate cyclase activity varies independently of the number of specific [3H]dihydroalprenolol binding sites during isoproterenol-induced growth. Previously-described di-ferences in optimal isoproterenol doses which produce protein secretion and stimulation of DNA synthesis may reflect different responses to various rates of receptor occupancy, or may be due to the presence of more than one type of beta-adrenergic receptor.

Insulin-induced dissociation of its receptor into subunits: Possible molecular concomitant of negative cooperativity

The detergent-solubilized avian insulin receptor retains negative cooperativity and other binding properties of the membrane bound form. On gel filtration the receptor elutes as a single peak with a Stokes radius of 72 A. Preincubation of the receptor with low levels of insulin leads to the formation of a second, smaller form with a Stokes radius of 40 A. The percent of receptor in this second peak is proportional to the insulin concentration and correlates well with the insulin-induced increase in dissociation rate (negative cooperativity). Both the isolated high molecular weight and the isolated low-molecular-weight forms of the receptor re-equilibrate in the presence of insulin and, upon refiltration of either isolated peak, both forms of the receptor are obtained. These results are compatible with a model of the insulin receptor in which a tetrameric form can dissociate to a monomeric form as a concomitant of negative cooperativity.

Receptor mobility and its cooperative restriction by ligands

The functional significance of membrane fluidity and receptor mobility in lymphoid cells has been studied in the recent literature. Although far from clarified, the role of membrane fluidity in achieving control over cell activity is probably important; it allows cooperative interactions over long distances. Here, the emphasis is put on the phenomenon of restriction of receptor mobility by ligands such as Concanavalin A, a phenomenon discovered in recent years using morphological techniques. We discuss in some detail our own approach for studying this phenomenon. This consists of quantitatively measuring the active sites on cell-bound lectin molecules by subsequent fixation of horse-radish peroxidase. This study has shown a cooperative binding of Concanavalin A to cells which corresponds to a modification of the membrane, leading to the recruitment of new receptors. The existence of a post-binding event, that we have called micro-redistribution, has been shown at 4 degrees C, through the use of peroxidase binding to cell-bound lectin. A cooperative restriction of receptor microredistribution is observed when the cooperative recruitment of receptors induced by increasing concentrations of Concanavalin A occurs. Both phenomena were shown to be modulated by drugs such as colchicine and cytochalasin B. The characteristics of this modulation suggest that density and distribution of receptors are dependent upon the state of a multimeric submembrane structure which is still functional at 4 degrees C.