To study structure-function relationships of the growth hormone (GH) receptor (GHR), two functional systems have been developed. CHO cells were transiently cotransfected with the cDNA encoding the full-length rat GHR and with a construct consisting of the 5' flanking region of one of two GH-dependent genes encoding ovine 3-lactoglobulin or serine protease inhibitor 2
The functional significance of growth hormone (GH) receptor (GHR) internalization is unknown; therefore, we have analyzed domains and individual amino acids in the cytoplasmic region of the rat GHR required for ligand-mediated receptor internalization, receptor down-regulation, and transcriptional signaling. When various mutated GHR cDNAs were transfected stably into Chinese hamster ovary cells or transiently into monkey kidney (COS-7) cells, internalization of the GHR was found to be dependent upon a domain located between amino acids 318 and 380. Mutational analysis of aromatic residues in this domain revealed that phenylalanine 346 is required for internalization. Receptor down-regulation in transiently transfected COS-7 cells was also dependent upon the phenylalanine 346 residue of the GHR, since no GH-induced down-regulation was observed in cells expressing the F346A GHR mutant. In contrast, the ability to stimulate transcription of the serine protease inhibitor 2.1 promoter by the GHR was not affected by the phenylalanine 346 to alanine mutation. These results demonstrate that phenylalanine 346 is essential for GHR internalization and down-regulation but not for transcriptional signaling, suggesting that ligand-mediated endocytosis is not a prerequisite for GH-induced gene transcription.
The growth hormone-binding protein (GHBP) which circulates in plasma is a soluble short form of the membrane growth hormone receptor (GHR). In rats and mice, GHR and GHBP originate from two alternatively spliced mRNAs (4.5 and 1.2 kb). In human and rabbit tissues, a single predominant mRNA of 4.5 kb was detected and it was hypothesized that GHBP could be produced by proteolytic cleavage of the GHR. Using gel filtration and HPLC, we have detected a high level of GH binding activity in media of cells transfected with rabbit GHR cDNA. The [125I]hGH-GHBP complex eluted at the same time as the plasma complex and both the binding affinity and specificity of the BP were comparable to that of rabbit plasma. Immunoprecipitation experiments and Western blots confirmed that GHBP in the media of transfected cells was a 55 kDa protein related to the extracellular domain of the GHR. In contrast, no BP was detected in the media of cells transfected with the cDNA encoding the rat GHR. These results strongly suggest that, in rabbit and probably in man, the GHBP could, at least in part, be produced by proteolytic cleavage of the GHR.
The synthesis of a series of analogues of the different polyphosphorylated metabolites of AZT has
been carried out. The compounds were designed in order to raise specific antibodies for the
development of highly sensitive titration kits for the intracellular metabolites of AZT. The
pyrophosphate moiety in AZT-DP and AZT-TP analogues is mimicked by the methylene bisphosphonate group to provide in vivo stability of the compounds. An ω-amino linker was introduced at
the N
3 position on the base to allow the further anchoring of the compounds to a carrier protein
before immunization, tentitatively focusing the specificity of the immune response toward the
phosphate mimic moiety and the nonnatural sugar.
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