Regulation of low density lipoprotein receptors by adrenocorticotropin in the adrenal gland of mice and rats in vivo

Membranes prepared from the adrenal gland of mice and rats possess high affinity binding sites that recognize 125I-labeled human low density lipoprotein (LDL). These binding sites resemble the functional LDL receptors that mediate the uptake of LDL by cultured mouse and bovine adrenal cells. The number of LDL binding sites per mg of membrane protein increased 2- to 5-fold over 24 h when mice or rats were treated with adrenocorticotropin (ACTH). In rats, this increase was accompanied by a similar ACTH-induced increase in the adrenal uptake of intravenously administered 125I-LDL, suggesting that the LDL binding sites mediate the uptake of LDL by the adrenal in the intact animal. The number of LDL binding sites on adrenal membranes rose by 5-fold when animals were rendered lipoprotein-deficient, either by treatment of mice with 4-aminopyrazolopyrimidine or by treatment of rats with 17 alpha-ethinyl estradiol. This increase was prevented when endogenous ACTH secretion was blocked by administration of dexamethasone, suggesting that ACTH was required. The current experiments suggest that LDL receptors provide one source of cholesterol for the mouse and rat adrenal in vivo and that the number of LDL receptors of this organ is regulated by ACTH.     

LDL receptors in bovine tissues assayed as the heparin-sensitive binding of 125I-labeled LDL in homogenates: relation between liver LDL receptors and serum cholesterol in the fetus and post term

The heparin-sensitive binding of 125I-labeled LDL in homogenates of bovine tissues was determined using a membrane filter assay. The binding fulfilled several criteria which have been established for the binding of LDL to its receptor, namely: saturability, dependence on Ca2+, sensitivity to proteolytic destruction and heat sensitivity. The adrenal cortex and the active corpus luteum exhibited the highest binding activity of the 22 different tissues assayed. Tissues from the central nervous system had low binding activity. Livers from fetal animals had higher binding than livers from young and adult animals and the binding of 125I-LDL to fetal liver homogenates showed an inverse correlation to the serum cholesterol levels, indicating that the LDL receptors in fetal liver may play a role in the regulation of the serum cholesterol level in the fetus during gestation. After birth, the binding of 125I-LDL to calf liver homogenates decreased to levels found in adult animals and this was paralleled by an increase of total serum cholesterol, suggesting that the rapid rise in serum cholesterol in mammals observed soon after birth may be caused by a decrease of the receptor-mediated catabolism of LDL in the liver.     

Coated vesicles from rat liver and calf brain contain cryptic mannose 6-phosphate receptors

Highly purified clathrin-coated vesicles, isolated from rat liver and calf brain, contain mannose 6-phosphate receptors. The coated vesicle receptors appear to have the same subunit molecular weight and similar binding affinity as the receptor previously purified from bovine liver and rat chondrosarcoma microsomes (Sahagian, G. G., Distler, J. J., and Jourdian, G. W. (1981) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 78, 4289-4293 and Steiner, A. W., and Rome, L. H. (1982) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 214, 681-687). There is a considerable (greater than 60-fold) enrichment of receptors in liver coated vesicles as compared to liver microsomes. Experiments carried out with intact and detergent-disrupted coated vesicles indicated that the receptors face toward the inside of the coated vesicles. The data suggest that coated vesicles are involved in the intracellular transport of the mannose 6-phosphate receptor.     

Reconstitution of the low density lipoprotein receptor

The receptor for low density lipoprotein was purified from bovine adrenal cortex in the presence of the nonionic detergent octylglucoside. Receptors were incorporated into the bilayer of egg phosphatidylcholine vesicles by a detergent-dialysis method. Reconstituted receptors were functional in that they bound low density lipoprotein as well as a monoclonal antibody directed against the receptor in a specific, saturable fashion. Binding activity of reconstituted receptors was measured by a gel chromatography assay. The orientation of the receptor molecule within the phospholipid bilayer was investigated by binding assays following proteolytic digestion. Reconstituted receptors showed an orientation that was functionally indistinguishable from that of low density lipoprotein receptors in the plasma membrane of intact human fibroblasts.     

Self-association of the low density lipoprotein receptor mediated by the cytoplasmic domain

When the low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor was solubilized from bovine adrenal cortex membranes and subjected to electrophoresis in the absence of reducing agents, a disulfide-bonded dimeric species was demonstrated. Formation of these covalent bonds was blocked when the tissue was homogenized in the presence of sulfhydryl alkylating agents, indicating that the native receptor was self-associated noncovalently and that the disulfide bond formation occurred only after homogenization. The disulfide-linked dimers were disrupted and the receptor was restored to a monomeric form when inside-out adrenal vesicles were treated with trypsin, suggesting that the disulfide bond formation involved the 50-amino acid cytoplasmic domain of the receptor. When the receptor was solubilized from bovine adrenal cortex membranes and then purified by ion exchange and affinity chromatography, it could be covalently coupled into dimers and trimers in the presence of bivalent cross-linking agents. Receptor dimers could also be demonstrated by chemical cross-linking of intact cells that were transfected with an expressible cDNA encoding the normal human LDL receptor. Dimer formation was markedly reduced in transfected cells expressing mutated cDNAs that had premature termination codons at positions 792, 807, and 812, which produced shortened receptors that retained 2, 17, and 22 of the original 50 amino acids of the cytoplasmic domain, respectively. The first two mutant receptors, which did not form oligomers, did not enter coated pits and were not rapidly internalized by cells. However, the mutant receptor that terminates at position 812 was internalized normally even though oligomer formation was greatly reduced. Moreover, a mutant receptor with a cysteine substituted for a tyrosine at position 807, which internalized very slowly, showed a normal susceptibility to chemical cross-linking. Deletion of external domains of the LDL receptor, including the epidermal growth factor homology region and the O-linked sugar domain, did not alter susceptibility to chemical cross-linking. We conclude that the cytoplasmic domain of the LDL receptor is responsible both for self-association into oligomers and for clustering in coated pits, but the available data do not establish a causal connection between these two events.     

Characterization and Regulation of Insulin Receptors in Rat Brain

An in vitro receptor binding assay, using filtration to separate bound from free [125I]insulin, was developed and used to characterize insulin receptors on membranes isolated from specific areas of rat brain. The kinetic and equilibrium binding properties of central receptors were similar to those of hepatic receptors. The binding profiles in all tissues were complex and were consistent with binding in multiple steps or to multiple sites. Similar binding properties were found among receptors in olfactory tubercle/bulb, cerebral cortex, hippocampus, striatum, hypothalamus, and cerebellum. High affinity [125I]insulin binding sites (KD = 3-11 nM) were distributed evenly between membranes isolated from P1 and P2 fractions of these brain areas, with the exception of the olfactory tubercle in which binding to P2 membranes was four-fold greater (Bmax = 150 fmol/mg protein). One difference between insulin receptors in brain and peripheral target tissues, however, was observed. Following exposure to 0.17 microM insulin for 3 h at 37 degrees C, the number of specific [125I]insulin binding sites on adipocytes decreased by 40%, while the number of binding sites on minces of cerebral cortex/olfactory tubercle remained constant. The results suggest that although the binding characteristics of central and peripheral insulin receptors are similar, these receptors do not appear to be regulated in the same manner.     

Co-localization of 125I-epidermal growth factor and ferritin-low density lipoprotein in coated pits: a quantitative electron microscopic study in normal and mutant human fibroblasts

Low density lipoprotein (LDL) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) bind to receptors on the surface of human fibroblasts and are internalized in coated vesicles. Each of the ligands has been studied separately by electron microscopy in human fibroblasts using ferritin-LDL as one visual probe and 125I-EGF as a second visual probe. A mutant strain of human fibroblasts (J.D.) has been described in which LDL does not localize to coated pits and hence is not internalized. Because LDL and EGF do not compete with each other for binding, in the current studies we coincubated the two ligands with normal and mutant cells to visualize their cellular fates. In normal fibroblasts ferritin-LDL and 125I-EGF both bound preferentially to coated pits at 4 degrees C and both ligands were internalized into endocytotic vesicles and lysosomes. Quantitative studies in normal cells showed that 75% of the coated pits and vesicles that contained 125I-EGF also contained ferritin-LDL, indicating that both ligands enter the cell through the same endocytotic vesicles. In the LDL internalization-mutant J.D. cells, ferritin-LDL did not localize in coated pits and was not internalized, but 125I-EGF bound to coated pits and was internalized just as in normal fibroblasts.     

Characterisation of heterologous and homologous low-density lipoprotein binding to apolipoprotein B,E receptors on porcine adrenal cortex membranes: enhanced binding of trypsin-modified human low-density lipoprotein

The characteristics of the binding of homologous and heterologous (human) LDL to membrane preparations from porcine adrenal cortex have been determined. The membranes displayed a single class of high-affinity, saturable binding site for both 125I-labelled porcine and human LDL, which was dependent on divalent cations, in addition to a low-affinity, non-saturable component(s). Porcine LDL displaced both 125I-labelled porcine and 125I-labelled human LDLs from the high-affinity binding site more effectively than human LDL, reflecting the lower Kd, (13.2 micrograms/ml) for porcine than human (Kd 19.2 micrograms/ml) LDL. These values are comparable to those obtained for half-maximal binding of human and bovine LDLs in a bovine adrenocortical membrane system (Kovanen, P.T., Basu, S.K., Goldstein, J.L. and Brown, M.S. (1979) Endocrinology 104, 610-616). Tryptic modification of porcine LDL (T-LDL) diminished its ability to compete with 125I-labelled native LDL for the high-affinity binding site; in contrast, 125I-labelled porcine T-LDL showed an elevated receptor affinity (Kd 9.7 micrograms/ml) and was more efficiently displaced by its unlabelled counterpart than by native porcine LDL. Tryptic treatment of human LDL similarly increased its binding affinity (Kd 8.3 micrograms/ml), although in this case, the unlabelled T-LDL displaced not only 125I-labelled human T-LDL but also 125I-labelled human LDL from the high-affinity site more effectively than native LDL. We conclude that (i) porcine adrenocortical membranes possess binding sites specific for LDL and resembling the apolipoprotein B,E receptors already demonstrated in murine, bovine and human adrenal cortex; (ii) tryptic modification of porcine LDL may remove or destroy segments of apolipoprotein B100 which contribute to receptor recognition sites on the surface of the particle; (iii) trypsinised porcine LDL may interact with the membrane binding site by a mechanism differing from that by which native LDL binds, and (iv) trypsinisation of human LDL may cleave or remove species-specific segments of the B100 protein at or close to the receptor recognition site(s) on the particle, thus decreasing structural differences between porcine and human LDL, and thereby enhancing its binding affinity for the porcine receptor.     

Immunocytochemical visualization of coated pits and vesicles in human fibroblasts: relation to low density lipoprotein receptor distribution.

The coated pit-coated vesicle system has a key role in the uptake of plasma low density lipoprotein (LDL) and other receptor-bound proteins in human fibroblasts. To study the distribution of coated pits and coated vesicles in fibroblasts by immunochemical techniques at both the light and electron microscopic levels, we immunized rabbits with coat protein extracted from bovine brain-coated vesicles. The resulting anti-coat protein antibody was directed predominantly against clathrin, the 180,ooo dalton protein that constitutes the major component of coat protein. By indirect immunoperoxidase electron microscopy, the anti-coat protein antibody was observed to bind specifically to coated pits on the surface of human fibroblasts and to coated vesicles within the cell. Indirect immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase staining techniques at the light microscopic level revealed that the coat protein was distributed in fibroblasts in two distinctive patterns: as discrete foci on or near the cell surface that were linearly aligned in association with phase-dense cellular fibers (first pattern), and as intracellular foci that were randomly arranged around the cell nucleus (second pattern). The distribution of coat protein in fibroblasts was compared with the distribution of ferritin-labeled LDL, which was studied with the use of similar electron microscopic and immunofluorescence techniques. As previously reported, electron microscopic studies revealed that the LDL-ferritin binding sites at 4 degrees C were clustered in coated pits. By immunofluorescence microscopy, the LDL-ferritin that was bound to receptors within coated pits was shown to be arranged linearly over the cell surface in a pattern that was similar to the linear arrangement of coat protein (first pattern). Considered together, the current data indicate that coated pits in human fibroblasts contain a protein analogous to clathrin, and that those coated pits which contain receptors for LDL are located over intracellular fibers most likely corresponding to stress fibers. These observationa may have relevance to the mechanisms by which the coated pit-coated vesicle system efficiently delivers recptor-bound ligands to lysosomes.     

Characterization of the low density lipoprotein receptor in membranes prepared from human fibroblasts.

An ultracentrifugation assay has been developed to measure low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor activity in membranes prepared from cultured human fibroblasts. The binding site for 125I-labeled LDL in isolated membranes reflected the properties of the LDL receptor previously demonstrated in intact fibroblasts. It exhibited high affinity (Kd approximately 4 microgram of LDL protein/ml), specificity (LDL approximately 400-fold more effective than high density lipoprotein in competing with 125I-LDL for the binding site), dependence on calcium, and susceptibility to destruction by pronase. The number of LDL receptors detected in the in vitro membrane binding assay was similar to the number detected in intact cells. The number of receptors was reduced in membranes from fibroblasts that were grown in the presence of 25-hydroxycholesterol plus cholesterol and in fibroblast membranes from a subject with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, two situations in which the number of LDL receptors in intact fibroblasts is known to be reduced. The availability of a membrane binding assay that faithfully reflects the properties of the physiologic LDL receptor of intact cells should permit the characterization of this receptor in organs from intact humans and animals.     

The effects of human low and high density lipoproteins on the binding of rat intermediate density lipoproteins to rat liver membranes

Upon incubation with rat liver membranes, radioiodinated rat intermediate density lipoproteins (IDL) interacted with at least two binding sites having a low and a high affinity as demonstrated by the curvilinear Scatchard plots obtained from the specific binding data. The purpose of our work was to identify the nature of these binding sites. Human low density lipoproteins (LDL), contain apolipoprotein B only, and human high density lipoproteins (HDL3), containing neither apolipoprotein B nor E, were both capable of decreasing the specific binding of rat 125I-IDL. The Scatchard analysis clearly revealed that only the low affinity component was affected by the addition of these human lipoproteins. In fact, the low affinity binding component gradually decreased as the amount of human LDL or HDL3 increased in the binding assay. At a 200-fold excess of human LDL or HDL3, the low affinity binding was totally masked, and the Scatchard plot of the specific 125I-IDL binding became linear. Only the high affinity binding component was left, enabling a precise measurement of its binding parameters. In a series of competitive displacement experiments in which the binding assay contained a 200-fold excess of human LDL or HDL3, only unlabeled rat IDL effectively displaced the binding of rat 125I-IDL. We conclude that the low affinity binding of rat IDL to rat liver membranes is due to weak interactions with unspecified lipoprotein binding sites. The camouflage of these sites by human lipoproteins makes possible the study of IDL binding to the high affinity component which likely represents the combined effect of IDL binding to both the remnant and the LDL receptors.     

High-density lipoprotein binding to bovine adrenal cortex membranes

Binding studies were performed with bovine adrenal cortex membranes, human 125I-labelled high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and modified photoactivable derivatives of 125I-labelled HDL, namely 125I-labelled HDL-amidinophenylazide and 125I-labelled HDL-amidopropionyldithiophenylazide. The purity of the apolipoprotein composition of the 125I-labelled HDL and photoactivable 125I-labelled HDL used in the binding studies was determined by Coomassie blue and silver staining, and by measuring 125I-labelled cpm after SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. About 45% of the 125I-labelled HDL binding to the membranes occurred in the presence of excess EDTA and only unlabelled HDL competed for the binding site. The 125I-labelled interaction with this binding site on the membranes did not require calcium. In addition, 40% of the 125I-labelled HDL binding was to an EDTA-sensitive site, and unlabelled HDL and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) competed for the binding site. Consequently, adrenal cortex membranes have binding sites which show cross reactivity for both HDL and LDL. Modification of 58% of the apolipoprotein lysine residues of 125I-labelled HDL with methylazidophenylimidate, a reagent which maintains the positive charge at lysine residues, had little affect on binding to EDTA-sensitive and insensitive sites. In contrast, modification of 35% of apolipoprotein lysine residues of 125I-labelled HDL with N-succinimidyl(4-azidophenyldithio)propionate, a reagent which converts charged amino lysines to amide bonds, showed binding properties which were almost totally inhibited by EDTA.     

Visualization of lipoprotein receptors by ligand blotting

This paper describes the visualization of the low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor by ligand blotting. Preparations of detergent-solubilized membranes are subjected to one- or two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, after which the proteins are transferred to nitrocellulose paper. The paper is incubated with native LDL and then with an 125I-labeled antibody against LDL, and the bound antibody is visualized by autoradiography. The success of LDL blotting depends on the omission of sulfhydryl reducing agents from the electrophoresis system. Intrachain disulfide bonds allow the receptor to retain its binding activity even after electrophoresis in the presence of SDS. In identifying LDL receptors, the ligand blotting technique is as sensitive as immunoblotting with a monoclonal antibody against the LDL receptor; it can therefore be used to identify receptors when no anti-receptor antibodies are available. We use this technique to show that the LDL receptor of the rabbit adrenal gland has the same molecular weight as the LDL receptor of the bovine adrenal cortex and human fibroblasts. The ligand blotting technique may be generally applicable for visualization of other plasma membrane receptors after SDS-gel electrophoresis.     

125I-[Tyr0,D-Trp8]somatostatin-14 binding sites in the locus coeruleus of the rat are located on both ascending and descending projecting noradrenergic cells

Radioautographic determinations of 125I-[Tyr0,D-Trp8]somatostatin-14 (125I-SRIF) binding sites were performed on frozen serial sections of the locus coeruleus (LC) of control rats and of rats subjected to either bilateral microinjections of 6 hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the LC or unilateral microinjection into the ascending noradrenergic bundles. These experiments were performed in order to determine whether 125I-SRIF binding was localized to noradrenergic-containing cells and in which regions the cells which contain the binding sites are projecting. The extent of the lesions was assessed by measuring norepinephrine (NE) levels in the hippocampus (88% decrease as compared to sham-operated animals) for bilateral LC lesions and in the frontal cortex (87% reduction vs. contralateral side) for unilateral bundle lesions. In control rats, 125I-SRIF binding sites were restricted to the boundaries of the LC and followed closely the distribution of tyrosine hydroxylase-labeled cells. Three weeks after bilateral injections of 6-OHDA, 125I-SRIF binding decreased by 79% in all regions of the LC. In contrast, unilateral destruction of the ascending noradrenergic bundles resulted in a moderate decrease only in the middle part of the LC with a more important effect in the dorsal (55%) than in the ventral (24%) portion of the nucleus. These data demonstrate that: 1) most SRIF receptors in the LC are located in the vicinity of NE-containing cell bodies and 2) NE-containing cells bearing SRIF receptors project to the forebrain as well as to other terminal areas located more caudally in the brain. These data suggest a general role for SRIF in the control of the multiple functions of the LC.     

Evidence that coated vesicles transport acetylcholine receptors to the surface membrane of chick myotubes

Coated vesicles are present in the myoplasm of embryonic chick myotubes grown in vitro. They are most numerous beneath regions of the surface membrane that contain a high density of acetylcholine receptors (AChR). Prolonged exposure of myotubes to saline extract of chick brain increases the number of intracellular AChR and the number of coated vesicles. This suggests that coated vesicles contain AChR, and this hypothesis was tested with horseradish peroxidase-alpha-bungarotoxin (HRP-alpha BTX) conjugates. The conjugates enter saponin-permeabilized cells and, as judged by the inhibition of [125I] alpha BTX binding, they label the entire intracellular AChR pool. Approximately 50% of the coated vesicles contained HRP-alpha BTX reaction product. In addition, reaction product was detected in Golgi cisternae and along membranes that bound a subsurface tubulovesicular network. The majority of labeled vesicles are probably involved in exocytosis rather than endocytosis of AChR because very few coated vesicles were labeled when HRP-alpha BTX was added to the medium bathing intact cells. Moreover, inhibition of protein synthesis with puromycin resulted in a large decrease in the number of labeled vesicles. These results suggest that a subpopulation of coated vesicles ferry newly synthesized AChR to the cell surface.     

G-protein-coupled A1 adenosine receptors in coated vesicles of mammalian brain: Characterization by radioligand binding and photoaffinity labelling

A₁ adenosine receptors in coated vesicles have been characterized by radioligand binding and photoaffinity labelling. Saturation experiments with the antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-[³H]dipropyl-xanthine ([³H]DPCPX) gave a K_d value of 0.7 nM and a B_max value of 82 ± 13 fmol/mg protein. For the highly A₁-selective agonist 2-chloro-N⁶-[³H]cyclopentyladenosine ([³H]CCPA) a K_d value of 1.7 nM and a B_max value of 72 ± 29 fmol/mg protein was estimated. Competition of agonists for [³H]DPCPX binding gave a pharmacological profile with R-N⁶-phenylisopropyladenosine (R-PIA) > CCPA > S-PIA > 5′-N-ethylcarboxamido-adenosine (NECA), which is identical to brain membranes. The competition curves were best fitted according to a two-site model, suggesting the existence of two affinity states. GTP shifted the competition curve for CCPA to the right and only one affinity state similar to the low affinity state in the absence of GTP was detected. The photoreactive agonist 2-azido-N⁶-¹²⁵I-p-hydroxyphenylisopropyladenosine ([¹²⁵I]AHPIA) specifically labelled a single protein with an apparent molecular weight of 35,000 in coated vesicles, which is identical to A₁ receptors labelled in brain membranes. Therefore, coated vesicles contain A₁ adenosine receptors with similar binding characteristics as membrane-bound receptors, including GTP-sensitive high-affinity agonist binding. Photoaffinity labelling data suggest that A₁ receptors in these vesicles are not a processed receptor form. These results confirm that A₁ receptors in coated vesicles are coupled to a G-protein, and it appears that the A₁ receptor systems in coated vesicles and in plasma membranes are identical.     

Characterization of insulin receptors in the bovine adrenal cortex and medulla.

In order to identify insulin receptors in the bovine adrenal cortex and medulla, we have studied 125I-porcine insulin binding to the membrane preparations from the bovine adrenal cortex and medulla. 125I-porcine insulin bound not only to the bovine adrenal cortex but to the medulla in time-, temperature-, and pH-dependent manners. The maximum levels of 125I-porcine insulin binding in the two tissues were observed at 4 degrees C for 24 h of incubation, and its optimum pH ranged from 7.6 to 8.0. Under these conditions, at tracer concentration of porcine insulin (200 pg/ml), 10.4% and 6.6% of 125I-porcine insulin added to each reaction tube bound specifically to 10(5) x g-pellet fractions (microsomal membrane) from the cortical tissue (0.3 mg of protein) and from the medullary tissue (2 mg of protein), respectively. 125I-porcine insulin binding was observed predominantly in the microsomal membrane from the bovine adrenal cortex, and in a 15,000 x g- pellet fraction (synaptosomal membrane) from the bovine adrenal medulla. Scatchard analysis of binding data yielded curvilinear plots in each tissue. Analysis of curvilinear plots based on two sites model revealed similar affinity constant between the cortex and medulla. Receptor concentration of the cortex was several times higher than that of the medulla. In the two bovine adrenal tissues, human proinsulin and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) had about 1/100 potency compared to porcine insulin in displacing 125I-porcine insulin binding. Porcine glucagon added with concentration up to 10(-6) M did not inhibit 125I-porcine insulin binding to both the cortex and the medulla.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

牛肾上腺皮质LDL受体的纯化和抗体的制备

牛肾上腺皮质LDL受体经Triton X-100增溶,DEAE_(32)离子交换柱和LpB Sepharose亲和柱层析,在SDS-PAGE中有三条区带,分别在原点;Mr 160kD;Mr125kD处。进一步用8％SDS-PAGE纯化三个区带的蛋白质分别免疫新西兰大白兔所得的抗体,应用免疫印迹和ECL非同位素标记法可对牛肾上腺皮质和人皮肤纤维细胞膜上的LDL受体进行测定。     

Receptors for insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I in the human adrenal gland

Human adrenal glands contain high-affinity receptors for insulin and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I). Comparative studies with rat, hamster and human adrenal membranes confirmed that IGF-I receptors are most abundant in rat and hamster adrenals, whereas insulin and IGF-I receptors are present in equivalent numbers in human adrenal glands. Covalent crosslinking studies revealed that the human adrenal gland IGF-I receptor binding subunit migrated on dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels with Mr = 135,000, which is identical to the migration of IGF-I receptor binding subunits isolated from other tissues. Autoradiography of frozen human adrenal slices incubated with [125I]insulin showed prominent, displaceable binding of this radioligand to the zona reticularis, zona glomerulosa, vasculature and medulla; in contrast, [125I]IGF-I binding to human adrenal tissue was most prominent in the zona reticularis and negligible in the medullary region.     

Interactions of high-density lipoprotein 3 with brain capillary endothelial cells

High-density lipoprotein 3 (HDL3) binds to capillary endothelial cells when their lumen surfaces are exposed to 125I-HDL3 by post-mortem perfusion of whole brain. Kinetic studies of binding of HDL3 to isolated membranes show that HDL3 binds only to endothelial membranes with high affinity (Kd = 7 micrograms/ml). Trypsin treatment of membranes abolishes HDL3 binding. High-affinity binding sites for HDL3 were recovered when endothelial cells from bovine brain capillaries were maintained in culture (Kd = 13 micrograms/ml HDL3 protein). The characteristics of the binding were preserved up to the 6th passage. Competition experiments using isolated luminal membranes or cultured endothelial cells indicate that only HDL3 and not LDL or methylated LDL, are able to compete binding of 125I-HDL3. Furthermore, the inhibition of 125I-HDL3 binding by lipoprotein A-I and lipoprotein A-I:A-II strongly suggests that apolipoprotein A-I is implicated in the formation of HDL3-receptor complexes. The binding is increased by loading cells with free cholesterol or LDL cholesterol. In addition, surface-bound 125I-HDL3 remains sensitive to mild trypsin treatment after subsequent incubation of BBCE at 37 degrees C. HDL3 bound to the cell surface is not endocytosed, but rather rapidly released into the medium after binding (t1/2 = 5 min).