Consequences of Sequential Ca2+ Occupancy for the Structure and Dynamics of CalbindinD9K: Computational Simulations and Comparison to Experimental Determinations in Solution

Abstract

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the structures of calbindin_D9K (CAB) with different occupancies of the two Ca²⁺ binding sites were carried out to gain insight into structural and energetic consequences of sequential Ca²⁺ binding. The aim of the study is to identify effects of Ca-binding site occupancy that relate to the properties and functions of Ca-binding proteins containing EF-hand motifs. Two different models of solvation were employed, one defined by a linear, distance dependent dielectric permittivity (ε = r) and inclusion only of the 36 crystallographically observed water molecules, and the other with the protein immersed in a 9Å shell of explicit waters and ε = 1. Experimental results from x-ray crystallography, and insights from NMR and from measurements of hydrogen exchange rates in these systems served as tests and guides for assessing the quality, validity and mechanistic interpretation of the results from the computational study. The results of the MD simulations agree very well with earlier experimental observations that the structure of calbindin_D9k is rather insensitive to removal of Ca²⁺, and indicate that this insensitivity is not dependent on the order in which the ions are removed. The calculated values of the electrostatic potentials at the Ca²⁺ binding sites are very similar, in agreement with the small differences in the measured microscopic binding constants. Details of the dynamic mechanisms of molecular flexibility revealed by the MD simulations are also in good agreement with experimental findings, including the local properties identified from comparisons of hydrogen exchange rates in various parts of the structures of sequentially occupied forms of CAB. Estimation of the changes in configurational entropy from the rms fluctuations in the structures of CAB at various levels of Ca²⁺ occupancy in the EF-hands, supports earlier suggestions relating the dynamic properties of the protein to the observed cooperativity in the binding of Ca²⁺. The computational approaches and the results of the MD simulations are evaluated in relation to the study of effects of Ca²⁺ occupancy in calmodulin and troponin C where ion binding determines function and is known to trigger significant changes in structural and dynamic properties.     

Isomerization and Racemization of Menthols

The isomerization and racemization of menthol isomers have been investigated with copper chromite and Raney nickel catalyst or sodium mentholates. The equilibrium concentration has been found to correspond to 55~56% of menthol with the catalytic isomerization, whereas to 74~75% of menthol with sodium mentholates. From these data, the free energy difference between equatorial and axial group in menthols is calculated to be about 0.5~0.6 Kcal./mole for hydroxyl and 1.4~1.5 Kcal./mole for methyl at 200°C.     

A novel parameterization scheme for energy equations and its use to calculate the structure of protein molecules

A novel scheme for the parameterization of a type of “potential energy” function for protein molecules is introduced. The function is parameterized based on the known conformations of previously determined protein structures and their sequence similarity to a molecule whose conformation is to be calculated. Once parameterized, minima of the potential energy function can be located using a version of simulated annealing which has been previously shown to locate global and near-global minima with the given functional form. As a test problem, the potential was parameterized based on the known structures of the rubredoxins from Desulfovibrio vulgaris, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, and Clostridium pasteurianum, which vary from 45 to 54 amino acids in length, and the sequence alignments of these molecules with the rubredoxin sequence from Desulfovibrio gigas. Since the Desulfovibrio gigas rubredeoxin conformation has also been determined, it is possible to check the accuracy of the results. Ten simulated-annealing runs from random starting conformations were performed. Seven of the 10 resultant conformations have an all-C_α rms deviation from the crystallographically determined conformation of less than 1.7 Å. For five of the structures, the rms deviation is less than 0.8 Å. Four of the structures have conformations which are virtually identical to each other except for the position of the carboxy-terminal residue. This is also the conformation which is achieved if the determined crystal structure is minimized with the same potential. The all-C_α rms difference between the crystal and minimized crystal structures is 0.6 Å. It is further observed that the “energies” of the structures according to the potential function exhibit a strong correlation with rms deviation from the native structure. The conformations of the individual model structures and the computational aspects of the modeling procedure are discussed. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Zinc finger protein binding to DNA: an energy perspective using molecular dynamics simulation and free energy calculations on mutants of both zinc finger domains and their specific DNA bases

Energy calculations based on MM-GBSA were employed to study various zinc finger protein (ZF) motifs binding to DNA. Mutants of both the DNA bound to their specific amino acids were studied. Calculated energies gave evidence for a relationship between binding energy and affinity of ZF motifs to their sites on DNA. ΔG values were ?15.82(12), ?3.66(12), and ?12.14(11.6) kcal/mol for finger one, finger two, and finger three, respectively. The mutations in the DNA bases reduced the value of the negative energies of binding (maximum value for ΔΔG = 42Kcal/mol for F1 when GCG mutated to GGG, and ΔΔG = 22 kcal/mol for F2, the loss in total energy of binding originated in the loss in electrostatic energies upon mutation (r = .98). The mutations in key amino acids in the ZF motif in positions-1, 2, 3, and 6 showed reduced binding energies to DNA with correlation coefficients between total free energy and electrostatic was .99 and with Van der Waal was .93. Results agree with experimentally found selectivity which showed that Arginine in position-1 is specific to G, while Aspartic acid (D) in position 2 plays a complicated role in binding. There is a correlation between the MD calculated free energies of binding and those obtained experimentally for prepared ZF motifs bound to triplet bases in other reports (), our results may help in the design of ZF motifs based on the established recognition codes based on energies and contributing energies to the total energy.     

Urea interactions with protein groups: A volumetric study

We determined the partial molar volumes and adiabatic compressibilities of N‐acetyl amino acid amides, N‐acetyl amino acid methylamides, N‐acetyl amino acids, and short oligoglycines as a function of urea concentration. We analyze these data within the framework of a statistical thermodynamic formalism to determine the association constants for the reaction in which urea binds to the glycyl unit and each of the naturally occurring amino acid side chains replacing two waters of hydration. Our determined association constants, k, range from 0.04 to 0.39M. We derive a general equation that links k with changes in free energy, ΔG_tr, accompanying the transfer of functional groups from water to urea. In this equation, ΔG_tr is the sum of a change in the free energy of cavity formation, ΔΔG_C, and the differential free energy of solute–solvent interactions, ΔΔG_I, in urea and water. The observed range of affinity coefficients, k, corresponds to the values of ΔΔG_I ranging from highly favorable to slightly unfavorable. Taken together, our data support a direct interaction model in which urea denatures a protein by concerted action via favorable interactions with a wide range of protein groups. Our derived equation linking k to ΔG_tr suggests that ΔΔG_I and, hence, the net transfer free energy, ΔG_tr, are both strongly influenced by the concentration of a solute used in the experiment. We emphasize the need to exercise caution when two solutes differing in solubility are compared to determine the ΔG_tr contribution of a particular functional group. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 93: 866–879, 2010.     

Crystallographic studies of azide, thiocyanate and perchlorate complexes of methemerythrin.

Difference Fourier maps of azide, thiocyanate and perchlorate complexes of methemerythrin from Themiste dyscritum have been calculated at 4 Å, 3.5 Å and 3.5 Å resolution, respectively, with phases from a refined model. N^?₃ and SCN^? bind to the Fe complex in each subunit, indicating the mode of oxygen binding and suggesting a possible route followed by the anions in reaching the complex. ClO^?₄ binds in two different locations on the non-crystallographic 2-fold axes near cysteine 9 and cysteine 50, apparently being held to the protein by peptide amides and lysine side-chains. Binding of ClO^?₄ at these locations away from the Fe complex is observed to have some effect on the active site structure.     

Variable-Target-Function and Build-up Procedures for the Calculation of Protein Conformation. Application to Bovine Pancreatic Trypsin Inhibitor Using Limited Simulated Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Data

Abstract

An implementation of the variable-target-function procedure, first introduced by Braun and Gō [W. Braun and N. Gō, J. Mol. Biol. 186, 611–626 (1985)], has been used to generate conformations of the small protein bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI), given a limited set of simulated data that could be obtained by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. A hybrid strategy was also used to calculate conformations of BPTI, given the same information. In the hybrid strategy, low-energy structures of medium-size fragments (decapeptides) of BPTI were generated using the variable-target-function method, followed by restrained energy optimization. The low-energy conformations were used as a basis to build up the complete fifty-eight-residue BPTI molecule. By using the variable-target-function approach, in which energy considerations were not introduced until full conformations of the entire BPTI molecule had been generated, it was not possible to obtain calculated structures with rms deviations from the X-ray conformation of less than 1.6 Å for the α-carbons. On the other hand, with the hybrid strategy, which involved the consideration of realistic energy terms in the early stages of the calculations, it was possible to calculate low-energy conformations of BPTI with rms deviations from the X-ray structure of 1.06 to 1.50 Å for the α-carbons. When the rms deviations were computed along the amino acid sequence, it was found that there was a good correlation between deviations among the calculated structures and deviations from the X-ray structure.     

Theoretical studies on the crystal structure, thermodynamic properties, detonation performance and thermal stability of cage-tetranitrotetraazabicyclooctane as a novel high energy density compound

The B3LYP/6-31G (d) method of density functional theory (DFT) was used to study molecular geometry, electronic structure, infrared spectrum (IR) and thermodynamic properties. The heat of formation (HOF) and calculated density were estimated to evaluate the detonation properties using Kamlet–Jacobs equations. Thermal stability of 3,5,7,10,12,14,15,16-octanitro- 3,5,7,10,12,14,15,16-octaaza-heptacyclo[7.5.1.1^2,8.0^1,11.0^2,6.0^4,13.0^6,11]hexadecane (cage-tetranitrotetraazabicyclooctane) was investigated by calculating the bond dissociation energy (BDE) at unrestricted B3LYP/6-31G (d) level. The calculated results show that the N–NO₂ bond is a trigger bond during thermolysis initiation process. The crystal structure obtained by molecular mechanics (MM) methods belongs to Pna2₁ space group, with cell parameters a?=?12.840 Å, b?=?9.129 Å, c?=?14.346 Å, Z?=?6 and ρ?=?2.292 g·cm^?3. Both the detonation velocity of 9.96 km·s^?1 and the detonation pressure of 47.47 GPa are better than those of CL-20. According to the quantitative standard of energetics and stability, as a high energy density compound (HEDC), cage-tetranitrotetraazabicyclooctane essentially satisfies this requirement.     

Activation parameters for directly determined first order rate constants for outer sphere electron transfer reactions,and crystal structure of a pertinent pentaammine of CoIII

The outer sphere reductions of Co(NH₃)₅B³⁺ by Fe(CN)₅A³⁻ have been studied. The observed pseudo first order rate constants (Co complex in excess) obey the dependence k_obs=K_osk_et[Co]/(1 +K_os[Co]), as expected for outer sphere electron transfer reactions. Values of the fundamental electron transfer rate constants k_et have been determined, along with the equilibrium constant K_os for a range of reactions in which A and B are pyridyl ligands of different sizes. The first order electron transfer rate constants vary in a manner that is consistcnt with adiabatic electron transfer. The outer sphere ion pairing equilibrium constants K_os have been calculated: K_os=8.6 ± 0.1 × 10² M⁻¹ when A and B=pyridine; K_os=1.07 ± 0.09 × 10³ M⁻¹ where A=pyridine, B=1-phenyl-3-(4-pyridyl)propane; K_os=1.86 ± 0.11 × 10³ M⁻¹ when A=4,4′-bipyridine, B=pyridine; K_os=1.27 ± 0.08 × 10³ M⁻¹ when A=4,4′-bipyridine, B=4-phenylpyridine. Distances of closest approach between the metal centers in the reactive ion pairs are compared, and it is concluded that there is a common mechanism, in which the ammonia side of the cobalt complex approaches the cyano side of the iron complex in each reactive ion pair.The distance of closest approach between the two metal centers (a) was calculated from the experimental values for the ion pairing equilibrium constant K_os at 25 °C: 5.2 Å when A=4,4′-bipyridine, B=pyridine; 5.4 Å when A=4,4′-bipyridine, B=4-phenylpyridine; 5.5 Å when A=pyridine, B=1-phenyl-3-(4-pyridyl)propane; 5.7 Å when A=B=pyridine. These relatively short metal-metal distances, when compared to the X-ray structure of the compound [Co(NH₃)₅(4-phenylpyridine)]₂[S₂O₆]₃· 4H₂O, do not support an ion pair orientation in which the two substituted pyridine ligands A and B are oriented toward each other. [P2₁/c,a=7.399(3), b=22.355(10), c=13.776(4) Å, β=92.02(3)°, R=0.070.] The crystallographic results show that if the two pseudo-octahedral coordination spheres are oriented in the reactive ion pair so that an ammonia face of the cobalt complex is at hydrogen bonding distance from a cyano face on the iron complex, the metal-metal distance is 5.3 Å, a distance which is in agreement with the kinetic results.     

Equilibrium and kinetic measurements of carbon monoxide binding to hemoglobin kansas in the presence of inositol hexaphosphate

Previous proton nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr) studies have indicated that inositol hexaphosphate (IHP) can stabilize hemoglobin (Hb) Kansas in a deoxy-like quaternary structure even when fully liganded with carbon monoxide (CO) (S. Ogawa, A. Mayer, and R. G. Shulman, 1972, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 49, 1485–1491). In the present report we have investigated both CO binding at equilibrium and the CO binding and release kinetics to determine if Hb Kansas + IHP is devoid of cooperativity, as would be suggested by the nmr studies just quoted. The equilibrium measurements show that Hb Kansas + IHP has a very low affinity for CO ($\text{P}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{= 1.2}\text{mm}$ Hg and K_eq = 5.4 × 10⁵M^?1) and almost no cooperativity (n = 1.1) at pH 7, 25 °C. The CO “on” and “off” kinetics also show no evidence for cooperativity. In addition, the equilibrium constant estimated from the kinetic rate constants (K_eq = 5.2 × 10⁵M^?1 with k_on = 1.03 × 10⁵M^?1 · S^? and k_off = 0.198 S^?1) is in excellent agreement with the equilibrium constant determined directly. Thus, both kinetic and equilibrium measurements allow us to conclude that CO binding to Hb Kansas + IHP occurs without significant cooperativity.     

X-ray structure of a mono(1-methylthyminato) complex of cisplatin,chloro-(1-methylthyminato-N3)-cis-diammineplatinum(II) monohydrate

The crystal structure of chloro-(1-methyltyminato- N3)-cis-diammineplatinum(II) monohydrate, cis- (NH₃)₂Pt(C₆H₇N₂O₂)Cl·H₂O, is reported. The compound crystallizes in space group P$\text{1}$ with a = 6.911(2) Å, b = 8.598(3) Å, c = 11.464(4) Å, α = 100.13(3)°, β = 120.03(3)°, γ = 93.16(3)°, Z = 2. The structure was refined to R = 0.048 and R_w = 0.057. The compound contains the deprotonated 1-methylthymine ligand coordinated to Pt through N3 (1.973(10) Å). This distance represents the shortest Pt-N3(pyrimidine-2.4-dione) bond reported so far. The two PtNH₃ bond lengths differ significantly: PtNH₃ (trans to Cl) is longer (2.052(10) Å) than PtNH₃ (trans to N3 of 1-MeT) (2.002(11) Å). The PtCl distance (2.326(3) Å) is normal, as is the large dihedral angle between the Pt coordination plane and the nucleobase (76.5°).     

Crystallization of intact monoclonal antibodies

Attempts were made to crystallize four monoclonal antibodies, one IgG_2ak and three IgG_1k. Using a PEG 3350 screen combined with detergents, and developed from our experiments with an IgG_2ak antibody specific for canine lymphoma cells,^1,2 crystals have now been obtained of two of these four immunoglobulins, an antiphenytoin and an antiphenobarbital antibody. A complex between the antiphenobarbital antibody and its drug antigen crystallized as well. The antibody for phenytoin has, to this point, produced only clustered microcrystals, marginally suitable for X-ray analysis. Single crystals of the IgG_1k antibody against phenobarbital, however, were characterized by X-ray diffraction to be primitive monoclinic, with unit cell dimensions a = 67 Å, b = 193 Å, c = 74 Å, and β = 110°. These crystals have an entire IgG_1k molecule as the asymmetric unit and they diffract to at least 3.2 Å resolution. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Experimental and theoretical investigation of the molecular and electronic structure of 5-(4-aminophenyl)-4-(3-methyl-3-phenylcyclobutyl)thiazol-2-amine

The title molecule, 5-(4-aminophenyl)-4-(3-methyl-3-phenylcyclobutyl)thiazol-2-amine (C₂₀H₂₁N₃S), was prepared and characterized by ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, IR and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c with a?=?9.4350(5) Å, b?=?11.2796(6) Å, c?=?18.4170(8) Å and β?=?113.378(3)°. In addition to the molecular geometry from X-ray experiment, the molecular geometry, vibrational frequencies, gauge including atomic orbital (GIAO) ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR chemical shift values and atomic charges distribution of the title compound in the ground state have been calculated using the Hartree–Fock (HF) and density functional method (DFT) (B3LYP) with 6-31G(d) basis set. To determine conformational flexibility, molecular energy profile of the title compound was obtained by semi-empirical (AM1) calculations with respect to two selected degrees of torsional freedom, which were varied from ?180° to +180° in steps of 10°. Besides, frontier molecular orbitals (FMO) analysis was performed by the B3LYP/6-31G(d) method.     

Chemical stability of prostacyclin (PGI2) in aqueous solutions

The rate constant for the hydrolysis of prostacyclin (PGI₂) to 6-keto-PGF_1α was measured by monitoring the UV spectral change, over a pH range 6 to 10 at 25°C and the total ionic strength of 0.5 M. The first-order rate constant (k_obs) extrapolated to zero buffer concentration follows an expression, k_obs = k_H+ (H+), where k_H+ is a second-order rate constant for the specific acid catalyzed hydrolysis. The value of k_H+ obtained (3.71 × 10⁴ sec⁻¹ M⁻¹) is estimated approximately 700-fold greater than a k_H+ value expected from the hydrolysis of other vinyl ethers. Such an unusually high reactivity of PGI₂ even for a vinyl ether is attributed to a possible ring strain release that would occur upon the rate controlling protonation of C₅. A Brønsted slope (α) of 0.71 was obtained for the acid (including H₃O+) catalytic constants, from which a pH independent first-order rate constant for the spontaneous hydrolysis (catalyzed by H₂O as a general acid) was estimated to be 1.3 × 10⁻⁶ sec⁻¹. An apparent activation energy (E_a) of 11.85 Kcal/mole was obtained for the hydrolysis at pH 7.48, from which a half-life of PGI₂ at 4°C was estimated to be approximately 14.5 min. when the total phosphate concentration is 0.165 M (cf. 3.5 min. at 25°C).     

The metal site of Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurin,revealed by a crystal structure determination of the co(II) derivative and co-EPR spectroscopy

The crystal structure of cobalt-substituted azurin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been determined to final crystallographic R value of 0.175 at 1.9 Å resolution. There are four molecules in the asymmetric unit in the structure, and these four molecules are packed as a dimer of dimers. The dimer packing is very similar to that of the wild-type Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurin dimer. Replacement of the native copper by the cobalt ion has only small effects on the metal binding site presumably because of the existence of an extensive network of hydrogen bonds in its immediate neighborhood. Some differences are obvious, however. In wild-type azurin the copper atom occupies a distorted trigonal bipyramidal site, while cobalt similar to zinc and nickel occupy a distorted tetrahedral site, in which the distance to the Met121,S^δ atom is increased to 3.3–3.5 Å and the distance to the carbonyl oxygen of Gly45 has decreased to 2.1–2.4 Å. The X-band EPR spectrum of the high-spin Co(II) in azurin is well resolved (apparent g values g_x′ = 5.23; g_y′ = 3.83; g_z′ = 1.995, and hyperfine splittings A_x′ = 31; A_y′ = 20–30; A_z′ = 53 G) and indicates that the ligand field is close to axial. Proteins 27:385–394, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Purification,crystallization, and preliminary X-ray diffraction analyses of the bacterial chemotaxis receptor modifying enzymes

Bacterial chemotaxis receptor modifying enzymes from Salmonella typhimurium have been crystallized using microseeding techniques. The crystals of the S-adenosyl-L -methionine-dependent methyl transferase, CheR, belong to the monoclinic space group P2₁ with cell constants a = 55.1 Å, b = 48.1 Å, c = 63.1 Å, β = 112.3°. The crystals of the catalytic domain of the methylesterase, CheB, belong to the trigonal space group P3₂21 or P3₁21 with unit cell dimensions of a = b = 63.4 Å, c = 86.8 Å. Both crystals contain one molecule per asymmetric unit and have calculated Matthews' volumes of 2.4 ų/Da. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Experimental and DFT computational studies on 5-benzyl-4-(3,4-dimethoxyphenethyl)-2H-1,2,4-triazol-3(4H)-one

The triazole compound, 5-benzyl-4-(3,4-dimethoxyphenethyl)-2H-1,2,4-triazol-3(4H)-one, has been synthesized and characterized by ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, IR, and X-ray single-crystal determination. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁ with a?=?11.8844(3) Å, b?=?17.5087(4) Å, c?=?17.3648(6) Å, β?=?99.990(2)? and Z?=?8. In addition to the molecular geometry from X-ray experiment, the molecular geometry, vibrational frequencies and gauge including atomic orbital (GIAO) ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR chemical shift values of the title compound in the ground state have been calculated using the density functional method (B3LYP) with 6-31G(d,p) basis set. The calculated results show that the optimized geometries can well reproduce the crystal structure and the theoretical vibrational frequencies and chemical shift values show good agreement with experimental ones. Besides, molecular electrostatic potential (MEP), natural bond orbital (NBO), and frontier molecular orbitals (FMO) analysis of the title compound were performed by the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) method.     

Atomic Structure of the Degraded Procapsid Particle of the Bacteriophage G4: Induced Structural Changes in the Presence of Calcium Ions and Functional Implications

Bacteriophage G4 and φX174 are members of the Microviridae family. The degree of similarity of the structural proteins ranges from 66% identity of the F protein to 40% identity of the G protein. The atomic structure of the φX174 virion had previously been determined by X-ray crystallography. Bacteriophage G4 procapsids, consisting of the structural proteins F, G, D, B, H, and small traces of J but no DNA, were set up for crystallization. However, the resultant crystals were of degraded procapsid particles, which had lost the assembly scaffolding proteins D and B, resulting in particles that resembled empty virions.The structure of the degraded G4 procapsid has been determined to 3.0 Å resolution. The particles crystallized in the hexagonal space groupP6₃22 with unit cell dimensionsa=b=414.2(5) Å andc=263.0(3) Å. The diffraction data were collected at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) on film and image plates using oscillation photography. Packing considerations indicated there were two particles per unit cell. A self-rotation function confirmed that the particles were positioned on 32 point group special positions in the unit cell. Initial phases were calculated to 6 Å resolution, based on the known φX174 virion model. Phase information was then extended in steps to 3.0 Å resolution by molecular replacement electron density modification and particle envelope generation.The resulting electron density map was readily interpretable in terms of the F and G polypeptides, as occur in the mature capsid of φX174. In a few regions of the electron density map there were inconsistencies between the density and the published amino acid sequence. Redetermining the amino acid sequence confirmed that the density was correct. The r.m.s. deviation between the C^αbackbone of the mature capsid of φX174 and the degraded G4 procapsid was 0.36 Å for the F protein and 1.38 Å for the G protein. This is consistent with the greater conservation of the F protein compared to the G protein sequences among members of the Microviridae family. Functionally important features between φX174 and G4 had greater conservation.Calcium ions (Ca^{2 +}) were shown to bind to G4 at a general site located near the icosahedral 3-fold axis on the F protein capsid, equivalent to sites found previously in φX174. Binding of Ca^{2 +}also caused the ordering of the conserved region of the DNA binding protein J, which was present in the degraded procapsid particle in the absence of DNA.     

Properties of human growth hormone binding sites solubilized from female rabbit kidney

Human growth hormone binding sites from female rabbit kidney microsomes were solubilized by treatment with the nonionic detergent Triton X-100. The binding of ¹²⁵I-labelled human growth hormone to the solubilized sites retains many of the properties observed in the particulate fraction, such as saturability, reversibility, high affinity and structural specificity. The association and the dissociation process are time- and temperature-dependent. The association rate constant, k₁, is 1.6·10⁷ mol^?1·l·min^?1 at 25°C, and the dissociation rate constant, k_?1, is 2.8·10^?4 min^?1 at 25°C. Solubilization causes an increase in affinity as well as in binding capacity. Scatchard plots from saturation curves suggest the presence of a single class of binding site with a dissociation equilibrium constant, K_d, of 1.3·10^?11 M and a binding capacity of 133 fmol/mg of protein. Similar results were obtained from competition experiments. Specificity studies revealed the lactogenic characteristics of the solubilized sites. The Stokes radii of the free binding sites and of the ¹²⁵I-labelled human growth hormone-binding site complex, determined on a Sepharose CL-6B column, are 57 and 53 Å, respectively.