Ovine placental lactogen specifically binds to endometrial glands of the ovine uterus

A hormonal servomechanism has been proposed to regulate differentiation and function of the endometrial glandular epithelium (GE) in the ovine uterus during pregnancy. This mechanism involves sequential actions of estrogen, progesterone, ovine interferon tau (IFNtau), placental lactogen (oPL), and placental growth hormone (oGH). The biological actions of oPL in vitro are mediated by homodimerization of the prolactin receptor (oPRLR) and heterodimerization of the oPRLR and oGH receptor. The objectives of the study were to determine the effects of intrauterine oPL, oGH, and their combination on endometrial histoarchitecture and gene expression and to localize and characterize binding sites for oPL in the ovine uterus in vivo using an in situ ligand binding assay. Intrauterine infusion of oPL and/or oGH following IFNtau into ovariectomized ewes treated with progesterone daily differentially affected endometrial gland number and expression of uterine milk proteins and osteopontin. However, neither hormone affected PRLR, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, or IGF-II mRNA levels in the endometrium. A chimeric protein of placental secretory alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) and oPL was used to identify and characterize binding sites for oPL in frozen sections of interplacentomal endometrium from pregnant ewes. Specific binding of SEAP-oPL was detected in the endometrial GE on Days 30, 60, 90, and 120 of pregnancy. In Day 90 endometrium, SEAP-oPL binding to the endometrial GE was displaced completely by oPL and prolactin (oPRL) but only partially by oGH. Binding experiments using the extracellular domain of the oPRLR also showed that iodinated oPL binding sites could be competed for by oPRL and oPL but not by oGH. Collectively, results indicate that oPL binds to receptors in the endometrial glands and that oPRL is more effective than oGH in competing for these binding sites. Thus, effects of oPL on the endometrial glands may be mediated by receptors for oPRL and oGH.     

Obligate Ordered Binding of Human Lactogenic Cytokines

Class 1 cytokines bind two receptors to create an active heterotrimeric complex. It has been argued that ligand binding to their receptors is an ordered process, but a structural mechanism describing this process has not been determined. We have previously described an obligate ordered binding mechanism for the human prolactin/prolactin receptor heterotrimeric complex. In this work we expand this conceptual understanding of ordered binding to include three human lactogenic hormones: prolactin, growth hormone, and placental lactogen. We independently blocked either of the two receptor binding sites of each hormone and used surface plasmon resonance to measure human prolactin receptor binding kinetics and stoichiometries to the remaining binding surface. When site 1 of any of the three hormones was blocked, site 2 could not bind the receptor. But blocking site 2 did not affect receptor binding at site 1, indicating a requirement for receptor binding to site 1 before site 2 binding. In addition we noted variable responses to the presence of zinc in hormone-receptor interaction. Finally, we performed Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) analyses where receptor binding at subsaturating stoichiometries induced changes in FRET signaling, indicative of binding-induced changes in hormone conformation, whereas at receptor:hormone ratios in excess of 2:1 no additional changes in FRET signaling were observed. These results strongly support a conformationally mediated obligate-ordered receptor binding for each of the three lactogenic hormones.     

The regulation of ovine placental lactogen the role of the fetal hypothalamic-pituitary axis

The possible r?le of the fetal hypothalamic-pituitary axis in regulating the secretion of ovine placental lactogen (oPL) was investigated in chronically-catheterised ewes and fetuses in late pregnancy. Intravascular administration of agents to fetuses that significantly increased fetal prolactin concentrations (chlorpromazine 6.25 mg;thyrotrophin releasing hormone, 10 micrograms), significantly reduced fetal prolactin concentrations (bromocriptine, 0.033 mg/h), or significantly reduced fetal growth hormone (GH) concentrations (somatostatin, 2.5 micrograms/min), had no effect on maternal or fetal oPL concentrations. Mean fetal levels of prolactin or GH in late gestation could not be correlated with oPL concentrations, although fetal hypophysectomy prevented the normal prepartum fall in oPL concentrations.     

Cloning and expression of ovine placental lactogen

Ovine placental lactogen (oPL) is active in a wide range of GH and PRL assays, a property that it shares with human GH (hGH). In addition, oPL is one of a small number of hormones that bind the human GH receptor with high affinity. In order to compare the sequence of oPL to the sequences of other members of the GH family, full-length cDNA clones have been isolated. These clones predict that the full sequence of oPL contains 198 amino acids preceded by a 38 amino acid signal sequence. The mature oPL sequence includes six cysteine and two tryptophan residues and shows substantially more identity to bovine PL (67%) and oPL (49%) than to mouse (31%) or human (25%) PL or to oGH (28%) or (26%) hGH. Like the natural hormone, oPL expressed in mammalian tissue cells binds with high affinity to a soluble form of the recombinant hGH receptor. Thus, oPL binds to the human receptor in spite of having a sequence that is considerably divergent from hGH. Interestingly, the sequence of oPL differs from hGH at most of the amino acids recently found by mutagenesis studies to be important residues in the binding of hGH to the human receptor.     

Studies with anti-growth hormone receptor antibodies.

Antisera against a partially purified growth hormone receptor derived from rabbit liver were generated in guinea pigs. The antisera specifically inhibited the binding of 125I-ovine growth hormone (oGH) to liver membranes but had no effect on the binding of 125I-ovine prolactin to rabbit mammary gland receptors. These antisera did not bind or destroy 125I-oGH. Moreover, the binding of labeled growth hormone to membrane particles derived from liver of several species was also inhibited by the antisera, thus suggesting that immunological determinants of the growth hormone receptor of several species are similar. gamma-Globulin fractions derived from the antisera were responsible for the inhibition. In addition 125I-gamma-globulin derived from one antiserum bound to membrane pellets with a corresponding decline in 125I-oGH binding. Kinetic analysis of inhibition of 125I-oGH binding suggested a hyperbolic competitive inhibition, a point of view which is favored by the demonstration of a hormone receptor . antibody complex. The availability of the antireceptor sera confirmed previous data that differential affinity chromatography separated growth hormone and prolactin receptors in solubilized rabbit liver membrane preparations. The antireceptor sera will be useful probes in further characterization of the growth hormone receptor.     

Purification and protein sequence analysis of rat liver prolactin receptor

Prolactin receptors were purified from rat liver membranes by single-step immunoaffinity chromatography using a specific monoclonal antibody to the rat liver prolactin receptor. Scatchard analysis of 125I-human growth hormone binding to the purified receptor revealed two classes of specific binding sites with Ka = 18.5 x 10(9) and 1.2 x 10(9) M-1. Considering that both classes of binding sites are responsible for high affinity prolactin binding, the partially purified receptor preparation had a binding activity of 1.69 nmol/mg protein, representing 1000-fold purification over microsomal receptors with a recovery of 52%. From three separate purifications, 6 mg of partially purified prolactin receptor were obtained with a purity of approximately 4 to 6.5%. Thus, the use of monoclonal antibody for affinity chromatography resulted in a large improvement of prolactin receptor purification compared to previous hormone affinity chromatography (300-fold purification, 15% recovery). The purified receptor was run on preparative sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and a homogeneous preparation of prolactin receptor was obtained by electroelution from gel slices corresponding to Mr 38,000-43,000. Immunoblot analysis using a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody revealed two separate but closely located bands of Mr 42,000 and 40,000 in microsomal, partially purified, and electroeluted preparations. The homogeneous receptor protein was extensively digested with L-1-tosylamido-2-phenylethyl chloromethyl ketone trypsin, and 10 internal amino acid sequences of the rat liver prolactin receptor were determined by gas-phase sequence analysis. Oligonucleotide probes were prepared against two of these internal sequences, and a prolactin receptor cDNA was isolated from a rat liver library using one of these probes (Boutin, J. M., Jolicoeur, C., Okamura, H., Gagnon, J., Edery, M., Shirota, M., Banville, D., Dusanter-Fourt, I., Djiane, J., and Kelly, P. A. (1988) Cell 53, 69-77). The amino acid sequence deduced from the cDNA reveals three potential sites of N-linked glycosylation, two of which were confirmed during protein sequencing. The prolactin receptor was characterized by affinity labeling with 125I-human growth hormone. Cross-linking of microsomes revealed a single band for the hormone-receptor complex with Mr 62,000. On the other hand, cross-linking of Triton X-100-solubilized or partially purified receptor with labeled hormone resulted in the appearance of two bands with Mr 62,000 and 102,000, suggesting the existence of a subunit structure of the prolactin receptor, or alternatively, the existence of two types of prolactin receptor.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Growth hormone and insulin binding to isolated hepatocytes in the genetically dwarf mouse

The interaction of growth hormone with its specific receptors in dwarf mice was investigated. (1) The interaction of 125I-labeled human growth hormone with isolated mouse liver cells is a specific, time-dependent and saturable process. Hepataocytes of male and female dw/dw mice bound only 10-20% as much growth hormone per unit of cell surface area as those of their litter mates. Scatchard analysis suggested that this decrease in binding was due to a decreased number of receptor sites in th liver cell of the dwarf mouse. (2) In contrast to the marked decrease in growth hormone receptors, the binding of insulin is higher in dwarf mice than in litter mates, at low hormone concentration. (3) Competition and stoichiometric studies indicate that growth hormone and prolactin bind to the same type of binding site in female and male mouse hepatocytes. These results indicate that dwarfism in this animal was associated with a loss in the number of growth hormone binding sites. The decrease in growth hormone receptors and the increase in insulin receptors correlate well with the respective biological activity of these two hormones.     

Placental lactogen not growth hormone and prolactin regulates secretion of progesterone in vitro by the 40-45 day ovine corpus luteum of pregnancy

The study was designed to compare the direct effect of three prolactin-like hormones on steroidogenesis of ovine luteal cells collected at day 40-45 of pregnancy. 100 ng/ml of ovine placental lactogen or 100 ng/ml of ovine growth hormone or 100 ng/ml of ovine prolactin were added to the media of luteal cell cultures. After 48 h incubation, all cultures were terminated and the media were frozen until further steroid analysis. To determine to what extent growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL) and lactogen (PL) regulate the activity of 3 beta-HSD, an enzyme involved in progesterone synthesis, the classical steroidal competitive inhibitor of 3 beta-HSD trilostane, was investigated for its effects on basal and GH-, PRL-, and PL-stimulated progesterone biosynthesis since there is a possibility that the luteotropic effect of these hormones are mediated via 3 beta-HSD. oPL resulted in an increase of progesterone secretion in a statistically significant manner, while GH or PRL had no effect on progesterone secretion. A decrease in progesterone secretion as an effect of 100 mM trilostane was observed in all culture types. An explanation for the luteotropic effect of PL and the lack of this effect for GH is that the GH receptor associates with a different molecule within the ovarian tissue and forms a heterodimeric receptor for PL, and the possibility that physiological effects of native oPL may be mediated through its binding to specific PL receptors, which have low affinities for oGH and oPRL.     

Binding inhibition by monoclonal antibodies of ovine placental lactogen to growth hormone receptors in human liver

In the radioreceptor assay for growth hormone (RRA-GH) using [125I]iodo-hGH, hGH and human liver membrane particulate fractions as tracer, hormone standard and receptors, respectively, ovine placental lactogen (oPL) is capable of inhibiting the binding of [125I]iodo-hGH in a parallel manner with hGH and in equipotency. Similarly, in the RRA-GH by employing [125I]iodo-oPL, oPL and human liver membrane particulate fractions as tracer, hormone standard and receptors, respectively, hGH is also equipotent as oPL in inhibiting the binding of [125I]iodo-oPL in a parallel fashion. The addition of monoclonal antibodies against oPL in the assay was effective in inhibiting the binding of [125I] iodo-oPL to human liver, but could not, however, inhibit the binding of [125I]iodo-hGH to human liver. Furthermore, the addition of the monoclonal antibodies in the RRA-GH did not affect the parallelism of the oPL standard but lowered the total binding of oPL. Our studies indicate that the structure of the binding sequence in oPL which binds to the GH receptor of human liver is not identical to the equivalent sequence of hGH and that the monoclonal antibodies compete with GH receptors in human liver for the binding of oPL.     

Solution structure of human prolactin

We report the solution structure of human prolactin determined by NMR spectroscopy. Our result is a significant improvement over a previous structure in terms of number and distribution of distance restraints, regularity of secondary structure, and potential energy. More significantly, the structure is sufficiently different that it leads to different conclusions regarding the mechanism of receptor activation and initiation of signal transduction. Here, we compare the structure of unbound prolactin to structures of both the homologue ovine placental lactogen and growth hormone. The structures of unbound and receptor bound prolactin/placental lactogen are similar and no noteworthy structural changes occur upon receptor binding. The observation of enhanced binding at the second receptor site when the first site is occupied has been widely interpreted to indicate conformational change induced by binding the first receptor. However, our results indicate that this enhanced binding at the second site could be due to receptor-receptor interactions or some other free energy sources rather than conformational change in the hormone. Titration of human prolactin with the extracellular domain of the human prolactin receptor was followed by NMR, gel filtration and electrophoresis. Both binary and ternary hormone-receptor complexes are clearly detectable by gel filtration and electrophoresis. The binary complex is not observable by NMR, possibly due to a dynamic equilibrium in intermediate exchange within the complex. The ternary complex of one hormone molecule bound to two receptor molecules is on the contrary readily detectable by NMR. This is in stark contrast to the widely held view that the ternary prolactin-receptor complex is only transiently formed. Thus, our results lead to improved understanding of the prolactin-prolactin receptor interaction.     

Reaction of the histidines of prolactin with ethoxyformic anhydride. A binding site modification.

The seven histidines of bovine prolactin were modified with ethoxyformic anhydride and two classes of reactivity were apparent: 5 histidines were in the more reactive class (k = 0.097 min-1) and 2 histidines were less reactive (k = 0.011 min-1). The activity of the modified prolactins was determined by measuring their ability to bind to prolactin receptors from rabbit mammary glands. This assay showed that prolactin was fully active when 0 to 5 histidines were modified. If all 7 residues were modified, the hormone was unable to bind to its receptor. Circular dichroism studies indicated no significant differences in conformation for prolactins which had 2 to 7 histidines modified. Modification of human growth hormone and human placental lactogen with ethoxyformic anhydride resulted in a loss of the ability of these lactogenic hormones to bind to the prolactin receptor. For all three hormones, essentially full activity was recovered when the modifying group was removed by treatment with hydroxylamine. Sequence comparisons indicate that only 2 of the 3 growth hormone histidines and 2 of 7 placental lactogen histidines were homologous with histidines in bovine prolactin and that, in each case, they correspond to His-27 and His-30 in bovine prolactin. It is postulated that these residues serve to identify a portion of the binding domain of bovine prolactin.     

Study of goldfish (Carassius auratus) growth hormone structure-function relationship by domain swapping

Using goldfish as a model, the structure-function relationship of goldfish growth hormone was studied using the strategy of homologous domain swapping. Chimeric mutants were constructed by exchanging homologous regions between goldfish growth hormone (gfGH II) and goldfish prolactin (gfPRL) with their cloned complementary DNAs. Six mutants, with their domain-swapped, were generated to have different combinations of three target regions, including the helix a, helix d and the large section in between these helices (possess the helices b, c and other random coiled regions). After expression in E. coli and refolding, these mutants were characterized by using competitive receptor binding assay (RRA) and growth hormone responding promoter activation assay. The different activity profiles of mutants in Spi 2.1 gene promoter assays from that in RRA shows that, for gfGH, receptor binding dose not confer receptor signal activations. When either helices a or d of gfGH was maintained with other helices replaced by their gfPRL counterparts, both receptor binding and hence gene activation activities are reduced. In mutants with helices b and c in gfGH maintained, containing the gfGH middle section, and helices a and d swapped with gfPRL, the had reduced RRA activities but the promoter activation activities retained. In conclusion, as in the case of human GH, the gfGH molecule possesses two functional sites: one of them is composed of discontinuous epitopes located on the target regions of this study and is for receptor binding; another site is located on the middle section of the molecule that helices a and d are not involved, and it is for activation of GH receptor and intracellular signals.     

Differential effects of placental lactogen,growth hormone and prolactin on rat liver ornithine decarboxylase activity in the perinatal period

Ovine placental lactogen, (oPL), ovine growth hormone, (oGH), and ovine prolactin, (oPRL) are present in high concentrations in the fetal circulation late in gestation. To determine if these hormones stimulate the activity of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), an enzyme widely implicated in the control of cellular growth, rat fetuses were injected $\text{in utero}$ with 100 μg of oPL, oGH, oPRL, rat growth hormone (rGH) or rat prolactin (rPRL) and ODC activity in the livers, hearts, and brains of the fetuses was measured 2, 4, and 6 hours after injection. OPL stimulated fetal liver ODC activity by 282 ± 45% (mean ± SEM) as compared to litter mates injected with buffer alone but oGH, oPRL, rGH and rPRL had no effect on fetal liver ODC activity. However, in neonatal rats 24–48 hours old all five hormones significantly increased liver ODC activity. ODC activities in the hearts and brains of the fetuses and neonates were unaffected by any of the five hormones. In other experiments 50 μg of oPL significantly stimulated fetal liver ODC activity while 250 μg of oGH were without effect. However 25 μg of oGH significantly stimulated liver ODC activity in rat pups 1–2 days after birth. These results suggest that oPL, by its stimulation of ODC activity, has somatotropic effects in the fetus and that rat liver ODC activity becomes responsive to growth hormone and prolactin in the perinatal period.     

Placental growth hormone and lactogen production by perifused ovine placental explants: regulation by growth hormone-releasing hormone and glucose

The factors controlling normal placental development are poorly understood. We have previously reported the presence of ovine placental growth hormone (oPGH) and growth hormone receptors in ovine placenta, and oPGH production by the trophectoderm and syncitium during the second month of pregnancy. To identify factors regulating oPGH production, we developed a perifusion system to measure oPGH and ovine placental lactogen (oPL) production by Day 45 ovine placental explants. The mRNAs for both hormones were quantitated by real-time polymerase chain reaction in explants collected after perifusion periods of up to 8 h. Ovine PGH and oPL were released into the medium at mean rates of 2.45 +/- 0.2 and 353.6 +/- 13.6 ng/g/h, respectively. Ovine placenta produces growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), but addition of GHRH to the perifusion medium did not modify either oPGH or oPL production. In vivo, oPGH production occurs between Days 30 and 60 of pregnancy. Because modulation of the maternal diet during this period affects placental development, the potential regulation of oPGH and oPL production by glucose was evaluated. Glucose supplementation of the perifusion medium resulted in a concentration-dependent decrease in oPGH release after 4 h, but oPGH mRNA levels were not affected. Production of oPL was not affected by glucose. Thus, oPGH and oPL belong to the same growth hormone/prolactin family but are differentially regulated by glucose. Ovine PGH modulations should be taken into account in metabolic experiments performed during the first trimester of pregnancy in sheep.     

Functional epitopes for site 1 of human prolactin

Human prolactin (hPRL) binds two human prolactin receptor molecules, creating active heterotrimeric complexes. Receptors bind dissimilar hormone surfaces termed site 1 and site 2 in an obligate ordered process. We sought to map the functional epitopes in site 1 of hPRL. Extensive alanine mutagenesis (102 of the 199 residues) showed approximately 40% of these mutant hPRLs changed the ΔG for site 1 receptor binding. Six of these residues are within 3.5 ? of the receptor and form the site 1 functional epitopes. We identified a set of noncovalent interactions between these six residues and the receptor. We identified a second group of site 1 residues that are between 3.5 and 5 ? from the receptor where alanine mutations reduced the affinity. This second group has noncovalent interactions with other hormone residues and stabilized the topology of the functional epitopes by linking these to the body of the protein. Finally, we identified a third group of residues that are outside site 1 (>5 ?) and extend to site 2 and whose mutation to alanine significantly weakened receptor binding at site 1 of prolactin. These three groups of residues form a contiguous structural motif between sites 1 and 2 of human prolactin and may constitute structural features that functionally couple sites 1 and 2. This work identifies the residues that form the functional epitopes for site 1 of human prolactin and also identifies a set of residues that support the concept that sites 1 and 2 are functionally coupled by an allosteric mechanism.     

Ovine placental lactogen stimulation of ornithine decarboxylase activity in brain and liver of neonatal rats

Ovine placental lactogen (oPL), growth hormone (oGH), prolactin (oPRL) and human placental lactogen (hPL) were administered intracisternally (ic) or intraperitoneally (ip) to 17 day old rats and brain and liver ODC activities determined four hours later. When given ic, oPL, oGH and oPRL caused significant increases in brain ODC activity, while hPL had no significant effect. After ip administration, oPL and oGH also caused a significant increase in brain as well as liver ODC activity but oPRL and hPL were without significant effect. The stimulation of polyamine metabolism by oPL together with earlier reports of its potent somatotropic effects and its high concentration in the fetus supports the hypothesis that oPL may be important in the regulation of fetal growth.     

Prolactin binding in the developing rat fetal liver

The binding of prolactin by fetal rat liver cell membrane fractions from 17 to 21 days gestation was studied. Particulate liver membranes were prepared in Dulbecco's Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS) by ultracentrifugation and incubated at 22 degrees C for 16 hours with [125I] iodo-human growth hormone (hGH). Non-specific binding was assessed by parallel incubations in the presence of a 2000-fold excess ovine prolactin. Specific prolactin binding sites were detected only at 21 days gestation (2932 +/- 401 cpm/mg protein) in freshly prepared membranes. On freezing at -20 degrees C for 24 to 48 hours, the membranes of 20 days gestation animals were able to specifically bind prolactin (1295 +/- 239 cpm/mg protein). Freezing led to a 45 +/- 7% increase (4270 +/- 701 cpm/mg protein) in prolactin binding at 21 days gestation. No hormonal binding was detected from 17 through 19 days gestation in either fresh or freeze-thawed membranes. Scatchard analysis revealed a high affinity binding site with a Ka of approximately 1.4 X 10(8)M-1 in both fresh and freeze-thawed membrane preparations. The data show that 1) prolactin receptors appear in liver only during late fetal life and that 2) freezing of membranes may unmask binding sites that are initially unavailable to specifically bind prolactin.     

Water Soluble Receptors for Human Growth Hormone from Rabbit Liver

Abstract

Soluble receptors that bind human growth hormone have been prepared by incubation of liver membranes from pregnant female rabbits in 1 mM Tris buffer (pH 7.5 or 9.0) at 4°C. Up to 29% of the growth hormone binding sites could be solubilized within 48 hours. The kinetics of binding of human growth hormone to the soluble receptor, the hormonal specificity and the binding parameters calculated by Scatchard analysis (K_a 2.2 × 10⁹ M^-1, capacity 409 fmole/mg) were essentially unchanged compared with those for the parent membrane-associated (particulate) receptor. Gel filtration on Ultrogel AcA22 indicated that the major binding peak eluted at a molecular weight of 300,000 daltons. Specificity studies showed that the soluble binding sites had a moderately high affinity for ovine prolactin (K_a ～1 × 10⁸ M^-1), but negligible affinity for insulin. Although aqueous extraction gives a lower yield of binding sites for human growth hormone than detergent extraction, it nevertheless avoids some of the problems associated with use of detergents and should facilitate the subsequent purification of the receptor in a relatively unaltered state. It may also have applicability for solubilization of other hormone receptor systems.