Dual-acting kappa opioid receptor (KOR) agonist and mu opioid receptor (MOR) partial agonist ligands have been put forward as potential treatment agents for cocaine and other psychostimulant abuse. Members of the orvinol series of ligands are known for their high binding affinity to both KOR and MOR, but efficacy at the individual receptors has not been thoroughly evaluated. In this study, it is shown that a predictive model for efficacy at KOR can be derived, with efficacy being controlled by the length of the group attached to C20 and by the introduction of branching into the side chain. In vivo evaluation of two ligands with the desired in vitro profile confirms both display KOR, and to a lesser extent MOR, activity in an analgesic assay suggesting that, in this series, in vitro measures of efficacy using the [35S]GTPγS assay are predictive of the in vivo profile.
Agonist activation of the δ-opioid receptor leads to internalization via Gβγ recruitment of G protein coupled receptor kinase-2, which phosphorylates the receptor at several sites, including Ser363, allowing β-arrestin binding and localization to clathrin coated pits. Using HEK cells expressing a δ-opioid receptor we tested the hypothesis that prevention of receptor coupling to G protein by treatment with pertussis toxin (PTX) will block these processes. PTX treatment did not reduce phosphorylation of δ-opioid receptor Ser363 in response to the agonist DPDPE, or recruitment of β-arrestin 2-GFP to the membrane and only slowed, but did not prevent, DPDPE-induced internalization. Similarly PTX treatment only partially prevented the ability of the δ-opioid peptide agonists deltorphin II and [Met5]enkephalin and the non-peptide agonist BW373U86 to induce receptor internalization. No internalization was seen with morphine, oxymorphindole or the putative δ1-opioid agonist TAN-67 in the presence or absence of PTX, even though TAN-67 showed a strong activation of G protein, as measured by [35S]GTPγS binding. The ability of an agonist to stimulate phosphorylation at Ser363 was predictive of its capacity to induce internalization. The results suggest a role for G protein in δ-opioid receptor internalization, but show that alternative G protein independent pathways exist.
Point mutations in the luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin (LH/hCG) receptor have been shown to cause constitutive activation which results in precocious puberty in affected males. We introduced one of these mutations, Asp-556 3 Gly, into the rat LH/ hCG receptor and demonstrated that the mutant receptor constitutively activated adenylate cyclase in transfected 293 T cells. The cell surface expression of the mutant receptor was lower than that of the wild type receptor. Pulse-chase studies showed that the 73-kDa precursor of both the mutant and wild type receptors was synthesized at comparable efficiencies. However, post-translational processing of the mutant receptor to the mature 92-kDa form, which has N-linked complex type oligosaccharide chains, was impaired. Sensitivity of the mutant receptor to peptide-N-glycanase F and endoglycosidase H, and insensitivity to sialidase indicated that the 73-kDa species represents the high mannose form that has not yet been trafficked through the medial and trans Golgi. Additionally, although the wild type receptor was palmitoylated, the mutant receptor was not. Although the high mannose 73-kDa species is capable of binding LH/hCG, our results show that posttranslational processing in the Golgi is required for the mature 92-kDa receptor to reach the cell surface.The biological actions of luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin (LH/hCG) 1 are mediated by their interaction with specific receptors localized on the cell membranes of gonadal tissues (1). The interaction of LH/hCG with its receptor activates adenylate cyclase, resulting in an increase in cyclic AMP that stimulates steroid hormone production (2-4). The LH/hCG receptor belongs to the family of G s protein-coupled receptors, and the deduced amino acid sequence of the LH/hCG receptor contains an extracellular domain, a seven-helix transmembrane domain, and a cytoplasmic carboxyl terminus region (5). Recently, constitutively activating mutations of the receptor have been identified that are associated with male precocious puberty (6 -11). The affected males manifest pubertal development between the ages of 1 and 4 years (12, 13). One of the constitutively activating mutations involves a single base transition from A to G in the LH/hCG receptor gene. This mutation results in the substitution of glycine for aspartic acid 578 in the sixth transmembrane domain of the receptor (6).Pulse-chase studies have shown that the LH/hCG receptor is synthesized as a precursor protein, which is processed posttranslationally to a mature form of 85-92 kDa (2, 14). The post-translational events involve processing of N-linked high mannose oligosaccharides to complex N-linked oligosaccharides. Additionally, conserved cysteine residues present in the cytoplasmic tail undergo palmitoylation (2, 15). The mature receptor is then trafficked to the cell surface. Since our initial 125 I-labeled hCG binding assays suggested that there were fewer mutant receptors than wild type receptors at the cell surface, we examined whet...
The luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin (LH/hCG) receptor, which belongs to the family of G-protein coupled receptors, plays an important role in gonadal steroidogenesis. Substitution of aspartic acid 556 of the LH/hCG receptor with glycine (D556G) creates a constitutively active receptor that activates adenylyl cyclase in the absence of hormone. To examine receptor internalization, human embryonic kidney cells (293 T) expressing wild type (WT) or D556G mutant receptors were incubated with [125I]hCG and subsequently analyzed for cell surface bound and internalized radioactivity. Comparison of the rate constants of internalization of the D556G mutant and WT receptors revealed that the rate of internalization of the D556G mutant was five times greater than that of the WT receptor. Although the D556G receptor internalizes [125I]hCG rapidly, a corresponding increase in [125I]hCG degradation was not seen. The internalization of another constitutively active LH/hCG receptor (aspartic acid 556 to tyrosine) was also greater than that of the WT receptor. Internalization of receptor bound [125I]hCG was inhibited by a hypertonic sucrose solution, confirming that the ligand enters the cell by receptor-mediated endocytosis. Furthermore, the constitutively active D556G and D556Y LH/hCG receptors utilize the arrestin dependent internalization pathway. These results suggest that the active state conformation of the constitutively active receptor is conducive to rapid internalization.
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