Equivalent affinity of aldosterone and corticosterone for type I receptors in kidney and hippocampus: direct binding studies

In studies from several laboratories evidence has been adduced that renal Type I (mineralocorticoid) receptors and hippocampal "corticosterone-preferring" high affinity glucocorticoid receptors have similar high affinity for both aldosterone and corticosterone. In all these studies the evidence for renal mineralocorticoid receptors is indirect, inasmuch as the high concentrations of transcortin (CBG) in renal cytosol make studies with [3H]corticosterone as a probe difficult to interpret, given its high affinity for CBG. We here report direct binding studies, with [3H]aldosterone and [3H]corticosterone as probes, on hippocampal and renal cytosols from adrenalectomized rats, in which tracer was excluded from Type II dexamethasone binding glucocorticoid receptors with excess RU26988, and from CBG by excess cortisol 17 beta acid. In addition, we have compared the binding of [3H]aldosterone and [3H]corticosterone in renal cytosols from 10-day old rats, in which CBG levels in plasma and kidney are extremely low. Under conditions where neither tracer binds to type II sites or CBG, they label an equal number of sites (kidney 30-50 fmol/mg protein, hippocampus approximately 200 fmol/mg protein) with equal, high affinity (Kd 4 degrees C 0.3-0.5 nM). Thus direct tracer binding studies support the identity of renal Type I mineralocorticoid receptors and hippocampal Type I (high affinity, corticosterone preferring) glucocorticoid receptors.     

The distribution and properties of the glucocorticoid receptor from rat brain and pituitary

The distribution and properties of cytoplasmic binding sites for the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone and the natural glucocorticoid corticosterone in the brain and the pituitary were studied in detail. Cortisol-17 beta acid, a derivative which does not bind to the glucocorticoid receptor but is a competitor of corticosterone binding to plasma, was used to overcome plasma interference. In vitro competition assays in the presence of excess cortisol acid reveal that dexamethasone is as effective a competitor for [3H]corticosterone binding as corticosterone itself. Scatchard analysis of equilibrium experiments with both steroids, using cytosol from various brain areas and from the pituitary yielded linear plots, suggesting one class of binding sites. The quantitative distribution of the sites follows the pattern: cortex greater than hippocampus greater than or equal to pituitary greater than hypothalamus greater than brain stem white matter. Furthermore, kinetic analysis of corticosterone dissociation showed a first order reaction, thus indicating the presence of one type of receptor in all brain areas examined. Rat brain cytosolic receptors for corticosterone and dexamethasone elute from DEAE-Sephadex A-50 anion exchange columns at 0.3 M NaCl in the presence of stabilizing sodium molybdate and at 0.15 M NaCl and/or in the buffer wash when heat-activated, thus exhibiting the characteristic activation pattern of rat liver cytosolic glucocorticoid receptor. The ratio of the buffer wash to the 0.15 M NaCl form is low for dexamethasone and very high for corticosterone. Receptor complexes from various brain parts showed the same activation pattern. In our experiments, brain corticosterone and dexamethasone receptors stabilized by sodium molybdate are indistinguishable by a number of techniques, thus indicating that it is unnecessary to evoke specific binding sites for each glucocorticoid.     

Cortisol binding in rat skeletal muscle.

Studies of the reversible binding of [3H]cortisol by rat gastrocnemius muscle cytoplasm in vitro reveal specific binding in the 27,000 times g supernatant fraction at 0 degrees. The [3H]cortisol-binding molecule had an apparant Kd value of 1.7 times 10-7 M and the number of binding sites was 0.99 pmol per mg of cytosol protein. Only a single class of [3H]cortisol-binding sites could be detected, whose protein nature was suggested by its susceptibility to nagarse. The [3H]cortisol-protein complex sedimented at similar to 4 S in a 5 to 20% sucrose gradient either in the presence or absence of 0.3 M KCl. Binding increased more than 2-fold in adrenalectomized rats and was markedly reduced in the muscle of rats pretreated with cortisol. In contrast to the binding of [3H]dexamethasone and [3H]triamcinolone acetonide to receptor proteins in muscle, no correlation was found between the ability of various steroids to complete wtth [3H]cortisol binding and their glucocorticoid potency: [3H]cortisol binding was inhibited by a 1000-fold higher concentration of unlabeled cortisol and progesterone but not by dexamethasone or triamcinolone acetonide. It is therefore suggested that the [3H]cortisol-binding reaction is not directly involved in the biological effects of all potent glucocorticoids in skeletal muscle. The [3H]cortisol-binding protein in muscle cytosol could not be unequivocally distinguished from rat plasma corticosteroid-binding globulin, because both had similar steroid specificity and temperature stability, were not markedly affected by--SH reagents, and displayed similar sedimentation properties.     

Do catecholestrogens interact with the in vitro binding of radioligands to catecholamine receptors?

Using a competitive binding assay the effects of 2-hydroxyestradiol-17 beta, 4-hydroxyestradiol-17 beta, estradiol-17 beta and progesterone on the binding of tritiated catecholaminergic ligands to membrane preparations from rat brain and pituitary gland were studied. Up to a concentration of 10(-5) M none of the steroids tested was able to displace [3H]spiroperidol, [3H]dihydroergocryptine or [3H]dihydroalprenolol. The data suggest that the catecholestrogens do not interfere directly with the binding of catecholaminergic ligands to dopaminergic, alpha-adrenergic or beta-adrenergic receptors in the central nervous system. The view that a catechol structure is not essential for the interaction with dopaminergic receptors was further supported by the results obtained from additional studies on the competition of O-methylated and deaminated dopamine metabolites with [3H]spiroperidol binding.     

Chemical differentiation of type I and type II receptors for adrenal steroids in brain cytosol

Studies outlined here compare the properties of mineralocorticoid (Type I) and glucocorticoid (Type II) receptors in cytosol from adrenalectomized mouse brain. Pretreating cytosol with dextran-coated charcoal (DCC) produced a 4.7-fold increase in the subsequent macromolecular binding of the mineralocorticoid, [3H]aldosterone (20 nM ALDO, in the presence of a 50-fold molar excess of the highly specific synthetic glucocorticoid, RU 26988), whereas it produced a 55% decrease in the binding of the glucocorticoid, [3H]triamcinolone acetonide (20 nM TA). Scatchard analyses revealed that DCC pretreatment had no effect on the affinity or maximal binding of Type I receptors for [3H]ALDO (in the presence of a 0-, 50- or 500-fold excess of RU 26988), whereas it produced a 3- to 6-fold increase in the Kd, and an 8-43% decrease in the maximal binding, of Type II receptors for [3H]TA and [3H]dexamethasone. Optimal stability of unoccupied Type I receptors at 0 degree C was found to be achieved in buffers containing glycerol, but lacking molybdate. Although the addition of molybdate was found to reduce the loss in Type I receptor binding observed after incubating unlabelled cytosol at 12 or 22 degrees C, this stabilization was accompanied by a concentration-dependent reduction in the binding of [3H]ALDO at 0 degree C. Scatchard analyses showed that this reduction was due to a shift in the maximal binding, and not the affinity, of the Type I receptors for [3H]ALDO. The presence or absence of dithiothreitol in cytosol appeared to have little effect on the stability of Type I receptors. In contrast to our finding for Type I receptors, it was possible to stabilize the binding capacity of unoccupied Type II receptors, even after 2-4 h at 12 or 22 degrees C, if the glycerol containing buffers were supplemented with both molybdate and dithiothreitol. In summary, these results indicate distinct chemical differences between Type I and Type II receptors for adrenal steroids.     

Characterization of an antiserum against the glucocorticoid receptor

An immunoglobulin (IgG) fraction from serum of a rabbit immunized with a highly purified preparation of glucocorticoid receptor from rat liver cytosol contained specific antibodies to glucocorticoid receptor. This was shown following incubation of the [³H]triamcinolone acetonide-glucocorticoid receptor (TA-GR) complex with the IgG fraction by (I) adsorption of the [³H]TA-GR-antibody complex to protein A linked to Sepharose, (II) an increased sedimentation rate of the [³H]TA-GR-antibody complex compared to that of the [³H]TA-GR complex, and (III) an increased molecular size of the [³H]TA-GR-antibody complex when compared to that of the [³H]TA-GR complex as judged from gel filtration. The antibody fraction was characterized with regard to titer, cross-reactivity and specificity. The antibodies cross-reacted with the glucocorticoid receptor from various rat tissues (liver, thymus and hippocampus), as well as with the glucocorticoid receptor from human normal lymphocytes, chronic lymphatic leukemia cells and human hippocampus. In the rat liver, the antibody bound to both the nuclear and the cytosolic glucocorticoid receptor (Stokes radius 6.1 nm). It did not cross-react with the proteolytic fragments of the glucocorticoid receptor, the 3.6 nm complex or the 1.9 nm complex. Binding of the antibodies was not seen to the androgen, estrogen or progestin receptors in rat to rat serum transcortin. With an indirect competitive ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) combined with various separation techniques, based on different physiocochemical principles, it was shown that the glucocorticoid receptor was the only detectable antibody binding protein from rat liver cytosol using this assay system. These findings also indicate an immunochemical similarity between glucocorticoid receptors in different tissues as well as in different species, but not between glucocorticoid receptors and other steroid hormone receptor proteins. The cytosolic and nuclear glucocorticoid receptors in rat liver were shown to be immunochemically similar.     

Depletion of [3H]methyltrienolone cytosol binding in glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy

The present study was undertaken to determine cytosol binding properties of [3H]methyltrienolone, a synthetic androgen, in comparison with [3H]dexamethasone, a synthetic glucocorticoid, under conditions of glucocorticoid excess in skeletal muscle. Male hypophysectomized rats received either seven daily subcutaneous injections of cortisone acetate (CA) (100 mg X kg-1 body wt) or the vehicle, 1% carboxymethyl cellulose. Following treatment, both [3H]dexamethasone and [3H]methyltrienolone-receptor concentrations were decreased from those in vehicle-treated rats by more than 90 and 80%, respectively, in CA-treated animals. Scatchard analysis of [3H]methyltrienolone binding in muscles of vehicle-treated animals became nonlinear at high concentrations of labeled ligand and were reanalyzed by a two-component binding model. The lower affinity, higher capacity component, which was attributed to binding of methyltrienolone to a "dexamethasone" component, disappeared in muscles of CA-treated rats and Scatchard plots were linear. Receptor concentrations of the higher affinity lower capacity "methyltrienolone" component were similar in muscles of vehicle-treated and CA-treated groups. From competition studies, the high relative specificities of glucocorticoids for [3H]methyltrienolone binding in muscles of vehicle-treated animals were markedly reduced by CA treatment. In addition, the binding specificity data also showed strong competition by progesterone and methyltrienolone for [3H]dexamethasone binding and estradiol-17 beta for [3H]methyltrienolone binding. These results demonstrate that most of the [3H]methyltrienolone binding is eliminated under in vivo conditions of glucocorticoid excess. Furthermore, the competitiveness of various steroids for receptor binding suggests that rat muscle may not contain classic (ligand-specific) glucocorticoid and androgen receptors.     

Characterization of cortisol binding sites in chicken liver plasma membrane

1. The presence of sites specifically binding [3H]cortisol in plasma membrane isolated from chicken liver has been determined. The kinetic parameters of this binding are: Kd = 4.5 nM and Bmax = 2225 fmol/mg protein in presence of 10(-6) M progesterone. 2. The affinities of several natural and synthetic steroids for the membrane binding site respect to the binding of 4 nM [3H]cortisol without competitor increased in the following order: Testosterone less than pregnenone less than dexamethasone less than progesterone less than prednisolone less than corticosterone less than deoxycorticosterone. 3. Other steroids such as estradiol, ouabain and triamcinolone acetonide does not bind to the plasma membrane. 4. Metal ions such as Ca2+ and Mg2+ did not modify the binding of [3H]cortisol. 5. Neither propranolol nor phentolamine, beta- and alpha-adrenergic antagonists affected [3H]cortisol binding to the plasma membranes. 6. The result suggest that the binding site detected is more specific for glucocorticoids and it is different of nuclear glucocorticoid receptor and progesterone receptor.     

Characterization of specific binding sites for corticosterone in mouse liver plasma membrane

The specific binding of [3H]corticosterone to mouse liver purified plasma membrane fractions is a saturable, reversible, and temperature-dependent process. Only one type of independent and equivalent binding sites has been determined in plasma membrane (Kd = 4.1 nM and Bmax = 3368 fmol/mg). As can be deduced from displacement data obtained in plasma membrane, the high-affinity binding site is different from nuclear glucocorticoid, nuclear progesterone, and Na+, K(+)-ATPase digitalis receptors. Probably this corticosterone binding site or receptor is the same one determined previously for [3H]cortisol in mouse liver plasma membrane. Such beta- and alpha-adrenergic antagonists as propranolol and phentolamine did not affect [3H]corticosterone binding to plasma membranes; therefore, this binding site is independent of these receptors. The binding sites in plasma membranes are not exclusive for corticosterone, but other steroids are also bound with very different affinities.     

Glucocorticoid--receptor interactions. Studies of the negative co-operativity induced by steroid interactions with a secondary, hydrophobic, binding site.

The effects of steroids on the binding of [1,2-3H]dexamethasone and [1,2-3H]progesterone to the glucocorticoid receptor of rat thymus cytosol were studied. Although both glucocorticoid agonists and antagonists competed with [1,2-3H]dexamethasone for binding to the receptor under equilibrium conditions, only glucocorticoid antagonists of partial agonists, at micromolar concentrations, were capable of accelerating the rate of dissociation of previously bound [1,2-3H]dexamethasone from the receptor. Antagonists or partial agonists also enhanced the rate of dissociation of [1,2-3H]progesterone from the glucocorticoid receptor, with identical specificity and concentration--response characteristics. These effects are attributed to the presence on the receptor of a secondary, low-affinity, binding site for glucocorticoid antagonists, the occupancy of which produces negatively co-operative interactions with the primary glucocorticoid-binding site. In contrast with the interactions with the primary site, the interactions of steroids with the negatively co-operative site appear to be primarily hydrophobic in nature, and the site resembles the steroid-binding site of progestin-binding proteins in its specificity, though not its affinity. The results also suggest that the initial interactions of both glucocorticoid agonists and antagonists with the receptor under equilibrium conditions are with one primary site on a receptor existing in one conformation only.     

Soft drugs--10. Blanching activity and receptor binding affinity of a new type of glucocorticoid: loteprednol etabonate

An improved synthesis of loteprednol etabonate (chloromethyl 17 alpha-ethoxycarbonyloxy-11 beta-hydroxy-3-oxoandrosta-1,4-diene 17 beta-carboxylate) was achieved. The design of the new type of glucocorticoid was based on the soft drug concept. The relative binding affinities of loteprednol and its putative metabolites (PJ90 and PJ91) to rat lung type II glucocorticoid receptor were determined in a competitive binding experiment with [3H]triamicinolone acetonide. The medium contained cortienic acid (10(-5) M) in order to block transcortin binding sites. Loteprednol etabonate exhibited a binding affinity which was 4.3 times that of dexamethasone, both compounds having a Hill factor close to 1 whereas PJ90 and PJ91 did not show any affinity to the receptor. Loteprednol etabonate was compared to betamethasone 17 alpha-valerate in a vasoconstriction test which was performed on the forearm skin of human volunteers. The results showed that loteprednol etabonate has good skin-permeation properties and strong glucocorticoid activity.     

The use of protamine to study [6,7-3H]-oestradiol-17β binding in rat uterus

1. The binding of [6,7-(3)H]oestradiol-17beta to uteri has been studied by using sucrose-gradient analysis and also the property of oestradiol receptors to form insoluble complexes with protamine. 2. Protamine precipitates the 8S and part of the 4S oestradiol-binding proteins in uterine cytoplasm from mature rats. It does not precipitate the oestradiol-17beta-binding proteins present in cytoplasm from non-target tissues or serum. No tritium-labelled material was precipitated by protamine after equilibration of [6,7-(3)H]oestradiol-17beta with either serum albumin or phosvitin. 3. Protamine precipitated a small amount of progesterone but not testosterone or cortisol that had been equilibrated with uterine cytoplasm. It did not precipitate any tritium radioactivity from muscle cytoplasm that had been equilibrated with either [1,2-(3)H]testosterone sulphate or [1,2-(3)H]dehydroepiandrosterone. 4. A simple method has been devised for measuring binding constants of tissue extracts for [6,7-(3)H]oestradiol-17beta, based on precipitation with protamine. Reasonable agreement was obtained between the values obtained by this method and those obtained by sucrose-gradient analysis. 5. This method has been used to study the effect of maturity, ovariectomy, adrenalectomy and hypophysectomy on the cytoplasmic binding of [6,7-(3)H]oestradiol-17beta. None of these procedures affected the dissociation constant K(d) or the number of binding sites/mg of cytoplasmic protein. When measured per uterus or per mg of DNA, ovariectomy and hypophysectomy decreased the number of binding sites. Adrenalectomy had no effect. 6. The properties of the 4S oestradiol-binding protein present in cytoplasm from mature uteri have been studied. It is not present in uteri from immature, ovariectomized, or hypophysectomized rats and it does not bind testosterone or cortisol. Unlabelled oestradiol-17beta, U-11,100A, N-ethylmaleimide and N-bromosuccinimide all decrease the binding of [6,7-(3)H]oestradiol-17beta to both 8S and 4S receptors. Binding to both 8S and 4S receptors decreases when oestradiol is transported to the nucleus. The 4S receptor is not the same as the 4S binding component formed by salt dissociation of the 8S receptor.     

ZK91587: a novel synthetic antimineralocorticoid displays high affinity for corticosterone (type I) receptors in the rat hippocampus

In vitro cytosol binding assays have shown the properties of binding of a novel steroid, ZK91587 (15 beta, 16 beta-methylene-mexrenone) in the brain of rats. Scatchard and Woolf analyses of the binding data reveal the binding of [3H] ZK91587 to the total hippocampal corticosteroid receptor sites with high affinity (Kd 1.9 nM), and low capacity (Bmax 17.3 fmol/mg protein). When 100-fold excess RU28362 was included simultaneously with [3H] ZK91587, the labelled steroid binds with the same affinity (Kd 1.8 nM) and capacity (Bmax 15.5 fmol/mg protein). Relative binding affinities (RBA) of various steroids for the Type I or Type II corticosteroid receptor in these animals are: Type I: ZK91587 = corticosterone (B) greater than cortisol (F); Type II: B greater than F much greater than ZK91587. In the binding kinetic study, ZK91587 has a high association rate of binding in the rat (20.0 x 10(7) M-1 min-1). The steroid dissociates following a one slope pattern (t 1/2 30 h), indicating, the present data demonstrate that in the rat hippocampus, ZK91587 binds specifically to the Type I (corticosterone-preferring/mineralocorticoid-like) receptor.     

Estrophilic 3 alpha,3 beta,17 beta,20 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase from rabbit liver--II. Mechanisms of enzyme-steroid interaction

Binding of [3H]estradiol, [3H]testosterone and [3H]progesterone to purified NADP-dependent estrophilic 3 alpha,3 beta,17 beta,20 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (EHSD) from rabbit liver cytosol has been examined. The three steroids bind to the enzyme with moderate [corrected] affinity (Ka congruent to 10(7) [corrected] M-1 at 4 degrees C) and equal binding capacity. High-rates were shown for both association and dissociation processes. The steroids competitively inhibited the binding of each other to EHSD. At the same time, their relative binding affinities (RBA) were dependent on the nature of [3H]ligand. The results of RBA determinations for 72 steroids and their analogues by inhibition of [3H]progesterone binding to EHSD suggest that androgens and gestagens bind preferentially to the same site on EHSD molecule, while estrogens (at least by their D-ring) bind to another site. The assumption that EHSD molecule has more than one binding site for steroids is corroborated by (i) substrate inhibition revealed for a number of steroids; (ii) the estrogen ability to potentiate 20 alpha-reduction of progesterone; (iii) stimulatory effect of 5 alpha (beta)-androstane-3 alpha (beta), 17 beta-diols on [3H]testosterone and progesterone binding; and (iv) reciprocal effect of NADP on [3H]estradiol and [3H]testosterone binding to EHSD. Significant differences in sensitivity to pH and changes in NaCl concentration upon metabolism and binding of various steroids have been found. At concentrations of 16 mM dithiothreitol potentiated catalytic conversion of some steroids and had no effect on metabolism of others. Both the affinity for steroids and binding capacity of EHSD are found to be cofactor-dependent. It is speculated that EHSD has a complex active center including at least two mutually influencing steroid-binding sites tightly related with cofactor-binding site. The polyfunctionality of EHSD may be due to both the excess of functional protein groups that form individual constellations upon binding of any steroid and also to conformational lability of EHSD molecule implying alternative orientations of steroids at the binding site.     

Binding of dexamethasone to rat liver nuclei in vivo and in vitro: evidence for two distinct binding sites

The binding of [3H]dexamethasone (DEX) to rat liver nuclei in vitro and in vivo have been compared. In vitro, purified nuclei displayed a single class of specific glucocorticoid binding sites with a dissociation constant (Kd) of approximately 10(-7) M for [3H]DEX at 4 degrees C. The glucocorticoid agonists prednisolone, cortisol, and corticosterone and the antagonists progesterone and cortexolone competed avidly for this site, but the potent glucocorticoid triamcinolone acetonide (TA) competed poorly in vitro. Nuclei isolated from the livers of intact rats contained 1-2 X 10(4) [3H]DEX binding sites/nucleus. Up to 85% of the binding sites were recovered in the nuclear envelope (NE) fraction when NE were prepared either before or after labeling with [3H]DEX in vitro. After adrenalectomy, the specific [3H]DEX binding capacity of both nuclei and NE decreased to 15-20% of control values, indicating sensitivity of the binding sites to hormonal status of the animals. Efforts to restore the binding capacity by administration of exogenous glucocorticoids, however, were unsuccessful. After labeling of rat liver nuclei in vivo by intraperitoneal injection of [3H]DEX or [3H]TA into living animals, the steroid specificity and subnuclear localization of radiolabel were different. Both [3H]TA (which did not bind in vitro) and [3H]DEX became localized to nuclei in a saturable fashion in vivo. With either of these ligands, approximately 20% of the total nuclear radiolabel was recovered in the NE fraction. These results suggest the presence of two separate and distinct binding sites in rat liver nuclei, one which is localized to the NE and binds [3H]DEX (but not [3H]TA) in vitro, and another which is not localized to the NE but binds [3H]DEX and [3H]TA in vivo.     

Evidence for the presence of specific binding sites for corticoids in mouse liver plasma membranes

Summary The specific binding of [³H]cortisol to plasma membranes purified from mouse liver, studied by the ultrafiltration method, shows the existence of specific binding sites for cortisol. The kinetic parameters of this binding areK _D=4.4nm andB _max=685 fmol/mg protein in presence of 1 m of corticosterone. With respect to the binding of 4nm [³H]cortisol to the membrane, the affinities of the steroids decreased in the following order: deoxycorticosterone>corticosterone>progesterone>cortisol >prednisolone>testosterone>20-hydroxyprogesterone >cortisone. Estradiol, dexamethasone, ouabain and triamcinolone acetonide do not have affinity for this binding site. Neither Ca²⁺ nor Mg²⁺ affected the binding of [³H]cortisol to the plasma membranes. Likewise, the presence of agonists and antagonists of alpha and beta-adrenergic receptors did not modify the binding of [³H]cortisol. The results suggest that the plasma membrane binding site characterized is more specific for corticoids and is different from nuclear glucocorticoid and progesterone receptors.     

The glucocorticoid antagonist 17 alpha-methyltestosterone binds to the 10 S glucocorticoid receptor and blocks agonist-mediated dissociation of the 10 S oligomer to the 4 S deoxyribonucleic acid-binding subunit

The glucocorticoid antagonist 17 alpha-methyltestosterone inhibits binding of the agonist [3H]triamcinolone acetonide ot the glocucorticoid receptor in cytosol prepared from rat pituitary tumor GH1 cells. Competitive binding studies indicate that the dissociation constant for 17 alpha-methyltestosterone is about 1 microM. After incubation of intact GH1 cells with 10 nM [3H]triamcinolone acetonide at 37 C and subsequent cell fractionation at 4 C, three glucocorticoid receptor forms are observed: cytosolic 10 S receptor, cytosolic 4 S receptor, and nuclear receptor. Concurrent incubation with 17 alpha-methyltestosterone reduces the amount of [3H]triamcinolone acetonide bound to each of these receptor forms. Ligand-exchange assays performed at 0 C in intact cells using [3H]triamcinolone acetonide show that the exchangeable antagonist is associated predominantly with cytosolic 10 S receptor. Immunochemical analysis using monoclonal antibody BuGR2 indicates that 17 alpha-methyltestosterone does not cause substantial accumulation of glucocorticoid receptors in GH1 cell nuclei and, when present together with agonist, reduces nuclear accumulation of receptor seen with agonist alone. Results from dense amino acid labeling studies show that unlike [3H]triamcinolone acetonide, 17 alpha-methyltestosterone does not reduce the total amount of cellular glucocorticoid receptor and does not reduce receptor half-life. These results are consistent with a model for glucocorticoid receptor transformation in which binding of agonist promotes the dissociation of an oligomeric 10 S cytosolic receptor protein to its DNA-binding 4 S subunit. The antagonist 17 alpha-methyltestosterone competes with agonist for binding to the 10 S cytosolic receptor but does not appear to promote dissociation of the oligomer, thus inhibiting agonist-mediated nuclear actions of the glucocorticoid receptor.     

Transport and intracellular distribution of components of the cortisol-asialotranscortin complex in the liver

The effect of desialation of human transcortin on the transcortin-cortisol complex transport into hepatocytes and on subsequent intracellular distribution of the complex components was studied in model experiments with perfused rat liver. It was demonstrated that in the presence of desialated transcortin the time of [3H]cortisol incubation in the perfusion medium decreased more than 200 times as compared with the native protein. [3H]cortisol and [131I]asialotranscortin trapping by hepatocytes occurs simultaneously. The content of the [3H]cortisol--[131I]asialotranscortin complex in rat liver plasma membranes reaches a maximum 3 min after beginning of perfusion. Then the intact complex is transported into lysosomes, where it dissociates with a subsequent release of asialotranscortin and cortisol metabolites into the cytoplasm.     

Comparison of glucocorticoid-binding proteins in normal and neoplastic mammary tissues of the rat.

Kinetic and molecular properties of components binding [3H]triamcinolone acetonide were studied using 105,000g supernatants of lactating mammary gland, R3230AC, and dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) induced mammary tumors of the rat. Using a dextran-coated charcoal adsorption procedure, the relationship between specific glucocorticoid binding and protein concentration was linear in the range of 0.5-4.0 mg/reaction. These cytoplasmic macromolecules bound [3H]triamcinolone acetonide with limited capacity (50-400 fmol/mg of cytosol protein) and high affinity, Kd approximately 10(-8)-10(-9) M. Optimal binding was obtained when homogenizations were made in Tris buffers, at pH 7.4, containing monothioglycerol. Time course of association of [3H]triamcinolone acetonide and its binding sites showed maximal binding by 6-8 hr at 3 degrees which remained unchanged up to 24 hr. The rate constant of association at 3 degrees was in the range of 2-4 x 10(5) M-1 min-1. The rate constant of dissociation of bound [3H]triamcinolone acetonide could not be calculated accurately since the reaction was essentially irreversible for 5 hr at 3 degrees. Estimation of the half-life of the steroid-binding protein complexes from the Kd and the rate constant for association gave a value of 11-12 hr. From ligand specificity studies, the glucocorticoids, triamcinolone acetonide, corticosterone, cortisol, and dexamethasone competed well for [3H]triamcinolone acetonide binding sites. Progesterone, aldosterone, and the anti-glucocorticoid, cortexolone, were also good competitors while androgens and estrogens were weak inhibitors of binding. The binding compenents sedimented at 7-8 S in sucrose gradients of low ionic strength and dissociated into lower molecular weight components sedimenting at 4-5S in high ionic strength gradients. Studies in vivo using animals bearing the DMBA-induced tumor demonstrated that [3H]triamcinolone acetonide binding complexes were present in cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments. Sedimentation coefficients of the cytoplasmic and nuclear forms of these receptors labeled in vivo were 7-8S and 4-5S, respectively. These studies suggest that the molecular and kinetic binding properties of glucocorticoid receptors in neoplastic mammary tissues are similar to those of the normal mammary gland.     

Modulation of brain progestin and glucocorticoid receptors by unsaturated fatty acid and phospholipid

In an attempt to learn how nonsteroidal factors modulate brain progestin and glucocorticoid receptors, the effects of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, and phosphatidylinositol on the binding of [3H]R5020 or [3H]dexamethasone, determined by sucrose density gradient and gel filtration on LH20, were examined in the cerebral cortical cytosol from 10-day-old female rats which contain a considerable amount of progestin and glucocorticoid receptors. Unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic (C18:1), arachidonic (C20:4) and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:4) depressed the [3H]R5020 or [3H]dexamethasone binding in increasing order, but saturated fatty acids had no effect. Arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids, which were strong inhibitors, lowered the binding dose dependently. The fatty acid inhibition on brain progestin and glucocorticoid receptors was thus a function of acid dose and degree of acid unsaturation. Interestingly, prostaglandin D2 did not show any effect. Among phospholipids tested the inhibitory effect of phosphatidylinositol on the [3H]R5020 binding was evident, but no significant effect was found with phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine or sphingomyelin. The phosphatidylinositol inhibition was dose dependent. Analysis on kinetics and Scatchard plot have revealed the noncompetitive type of inhibition by arachidonic acid and phosphatidylinositol. From these results it is suggested that the unsaturated nonestrified fatty acid, arachidonic acid, and phosphoinositides modulate the brain progestin and, possibly, glucocorticoid receptors through their binding at sites different from steroid binding sites on the respective receptor molecules.