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

Chronic intermittent stress does not differentially alter brain corticosteroid receptor densities in rats prenatally exposed to ethanol

Prenatal ethanol exposure produces hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) hyperresponsiveness to stressors. The present study tested the hypothesis that decreased corticosteroid receptor densities at HPA feedback sites may play a role in deficient feedback inhibition and the resultant HPA hyperresponsiveness that is observed following prenatal ethanol exposure. Brains of adult Sprague-Dawley rats from prenatal ethanol (E), pair-fed (PF) and ad libitum-fed control (C) treatment groups were examined for both mineralocorticoid receptor (MR; Type I) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR; Type II) densities using a cytosolic binding assay. Experiment 1 compared the effects of chronic intermittent stress (Stress Regimen I) and corticosterone (CORT) pellet implants on hippocampal corticosteroid receptor densities in control rats. Experiment 2 determined whether exposure to Stress Regimen I would differentially downregulate and whether adrenalectomy (ADX) would differentially upregulate hippocampal corticosteroid receptors in E compared with PF and C animals. Experiment 3 examined the effects of a modified chronic intermittent stress regimen (Stress Regimen II) on corticosteroid receptor densities at several HPA feedback sites (hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, hypothalamus, and anterior pituitary) in E compared with PF and C animals. CORT pellet implants significantly downregulated hippocampal GR and MR densities in control males and females. Exposure to Stress Regimen I produced downregulation of hippocampal GRs and MRs in males comparable with that produced with CORT pellet implants, and significant downregulation of hippocampal GRs in females across all prenatal treatment groups. This stress regimen also elevated basal plasma CORT levels without concurrent changes in plasma CBG levels, and increased relative adrenal weights in both males and females. In addition, upregulation of hippocampal GRs occurred at 7 days compared with 24 h following ADX in females that had previously been exposed to this stress regimen. Following exposure to Stress Regimen II, both the downregulation of hippocampal corticosteroid receptors and the increase in basal CORT levels in males and females appear to have been abolished by the changes in housing condition during the period of chronic stress. Importantly, prenatal ethanol exposure did not differentially alter GR or MR densities at any feedback site under non-stressed conditions. Exposure to Stress Regimen II, revealed subtle effects of prenatal treatments on hippocampal GRs however it is unlikely that these changes in corticosteroid receptor densities mediated the feedback inhibition deficits observed in E animals. Together, these data demonstrate that: (1) a relatively mild intermittent stress regimen can increase basal CORT levels and downregulate hippocampal corticosteroid receptor densities (2) a seemingly small change in housing conditions during stress appears to eliminate both receptor downregulation and increase in basal CORT levels and (3) decreased corticosteroid receptor densities at HPA feedback sites in the brain do not appear to underlie the HPA hyperresponsiveness observed in E animals.

Specific binding sites for [3H]Dexamethasone in the hypothalamus of juvenile rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss

Indirect evidence suggests that glucocorticoid hormones may act through cellular receptors to play a neuromodulatory role in the teleost CNS. We now report our findings on the use of [3H]dexamethasone (DEX) to identify hypothalamic glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) in juvenile rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. Hypothalamic cytosol was incubated with [3H]DEX under various experimental paradigms with incubations terminated by addition of dextran-coated charcoal; following immediate centrifugation, a sample of bound [3H]DEX (supernatant) was collected and assessed for 3 H content. [3H]DEX binding was tissue dependent between 0.5 and 2. 0 hypothalamus equivalents per tube (1.0 to 4.7 mg protein, respectively). Specific binding (BSP) increased with time for 1.5 h and remained relatively constant for an additional 2.5 h; the calculated association rate constant was 2.23 x 10(8) M-1 x min-1. Equilibrium BSP was dissociated by addition of a 5000 M excess cortisol with an accompaning t1/2 of 1.25 h and dissociation rate constant of 0.553 min-1. BSP was saturable with a calculated equilibrium Kd and BMAX of 1.22 nM and 296 fmol/mg protein, respectively. BSP was displaced under equilibrium conditions by the corticosteroids, but to a lesser extent by the mineralocorticoid, estrogen, and progestin. The rank order of potency for [3H]DEX displacement was DEX > cortisol >> corticosterone > m triamcinolone = 11-deoxycortisol >> aldosterone > progesterone >>> 17 beta-estradiol. These properties of specifically bound [3H]DEX indicate the presence of a GR, similar to the mammalian cytosolic GR, in the hypothalamus of juvenile rainbow trout.

Stability study on renal type I mineralocorticoid receptor

The purpose of this work is to review stability and activation properties of type I receptor, in order to explain the reasons for its extreme in vitro instability. We demonstrate that the treatment of rat kidney cytosol with H2O2 prevents aldosterone binding, DNA/steroid-receptor complex interactions, and prevents the receptor thermal inactivation. In contrast, exogenous sulfhydryl reducing reagents are necessary to insure maximum binding of mineralocorticoid receptor and DNA/steroid-receptor interaction. However, the presence of beta-mercaptoethanol in thermal induced incubations reverts the H2O2 protection. We also demonstrate that contaminations with free or sequestered iron are harmful for both, receptor binding capacity (in a reversible form) and for hormone-receptor/DNA binding properties (in a partially reversible form). We propose a sulfhydryl oxidative mechanism for type I mineralocorticoid receptor inactivation in which iron contaminants might accelerate this process by oxidative catalysis. We also demonstrate that when thiol groups are blocked by specific reagents such as N-ethyl-maleimide or dithionitrobenzoic acid, type I sites loose binding capacity, but the protein is protected from oxidation as well as inactivation.

Early handling can attenuate adverse effects of fetal ethanol exposure

The effects of early handling on physiological and hormonal responses of rats exposed to ethanol prenatally were studied. Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats from prenatal ethanol (E), pair-fed (PF), and ad lib-fed control (C) prenatal treatment groups were either handled (H) or nonhandled (NH) during the preweaning period and tested in adulthood. Early handling eliminated the deficit in preweaning weight gain observed in E compared to PF and C offspring. In adulthood, early handling eliminated the increased hypothermia observed in E and PF compared to C males following an ethanol challenge (2.0 g/kg, IP). In addition, H males displayed marginally less hypothermia overall than NH males. In contrast, handling accelerated the return to preinjection temperature in PF and C females but had no effect on E females. There were no significant differences among E, PF, and C rats in corticosterone (CORT) responses to ethanol challenge (1.5 g/kg, IP), but both males (marginally) and females in the H condition displayed higher CORT levels overall than NH rats. Early handling also eliminated the increased peak CORT response to restraint stress in E compared to C females, but did not affect the more prolonged elevation of CORT in E compared to PF and C females. There were no differences among E, PF, and C females in hippocampal type I and type II glucocorticoid receptor density or affinity. However, binding affinity of type II receptors was slightly but significantly increased in H compared to NH females. Together, these data indicate that early handling may modulate or attenuate some, but not all, of the adverse effects of fetal ethanol exposure on offspring growth and physiological responsiveness.

Transcription activation of mouse mammary tumor virus-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase: a model to study the metabolism of cortisol

The human 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (h11 beta-HSD) inactivates the active corticosteroid cortisol to its inactive metabolite cortisone. We have developed transactivation analyses of the reporter chimeric gene mouse mammary tumor virus-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (MMTV-CAT) to study the catalytic activity of h11 beta-HSD introduced by cotransfection into receptor and 11 beta-HSD deficient CV-1 cells. Assay of 11 beta-HSD expressed in CV-1 cells by cotransfection showed that the catalyzed dehydrogenation of cortisol to cortisone was 2-fold higher in the presence of NADP. The reductase activity was dependent on the coenzyme NADPH. The addition of increasing concentrations of the inhibitor carbenoxolone (CBX) in the incubates blocked the enzyme activity in a dose dependent fashion. In CV-1 cells cotransfected with expression vectors of either human glucocorticoid (hGR1-777) or mineralocorticoid (hMR1-984) and the reporter plasmid MMTV-CAT, dexamethasone (DEX), aldosterone (ALDO), cortisol, and corticosterone induction of CAT activity was dose dependent. Cotransfection of CV-1 cells transfected with 10 micrograms of 11 beta-HSD expression vector reduced the transactivation of MMTV-CAT by hGR or hMR in the presence of either cortisol or corticosterone to basal values. The concomitant addition of 100 nM cortisone and 1 microM NADPH to these transfectants elevated CAT activity. These data show that transactivation analyses can be used to study the 11 beta-HSD-catalyzed regulation of corticosteroid levels, which triggers physiological processes and in certain cases provides an alternative to animal experimentation.

Corticosterone is a preferable ligand for measuring rat brain corticosteroid receptors: competition by RU 28362 and RU 26752 for dexamethasone binding in rat hippocampal cytosol

It is unclear whether in vitro corticosteroid receptor binding assays have used inappropriately high concentrations of synthetic corticosteroid competitors, thereby potentially introducing error into estimates of type I (mineralocorticoid) and type II (glucocorticoid) receptor binding. To determine more accurately the concentration of blockers necessary to discriminate between these two sites, we have derived Ki values for the competition of dexamethasone, RU 28362 and RU 26752 for [3H]corticosterone and [3H]dexamethasone binding in rat hippocampus. Non-specific binding of both radioligands was defined with unlabeled dexamethasone to exclude transcortin. The type II agonist RU 28362 competed for only a portion of [3H]corticosterone binding, exhibiting a Ki of 0.5 nM for this binding. In contrast, RU 28362 fully competed all binding of a saturating concentration of [3H]dexamethasone, even though [3H]dexamethasone also recognized type I receptors, defined as specific [3H]corticosterone binding in the presence of 80 nM RU 28362. RU 28362 competition for [3H]dexamethasone binding exhibited characteristics of a 2-site interaction, with Kis of 0.3 and 194 nM. The type I receptor antagonist RU 26752 competed less effectively for [3H]corticosterone and [3H]dexamethasone binding, but nonetheless competed fully within a 1000-fold concentration range. Even at a level less than 125 x its Ki for type I binding, RU 26752 still inhibited virtually all type II receptor binding by [3H]corticosterone. We conclude that type I and II receptors in rat brain are best distinguished using [3H]corticosterone as the labelling ligand, with cold RU 28362 and dexamethasone to eliminate binding to type II and transcortin sites, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Molecular basis for the development of individual differences in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal stress response

1. Several years ago, investigators described the effects of infantile handling on the development of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) responses to stress in the rat. Rat pups exposed to brief periods of innocuous handling early in life showed reduced HPA responses to a wide variety of stressors, and the effect persists throughout the life of the animal. These effects are robust and provide an excellent model for understanding how early environmental stimuli, which are external to the organism, alter neural differentiation and, thus, neuroendocrine responsivity to stress. 2. This paper reviews the endocrine mechanisms affected by early handling and our current understanding of the neural transduction of environmental events and their effects at the level of the target neurons (in the hippocampus and frontal cortex). 3. In brief, handling serves to increase glucocorticoid receptor gene transcription, increasing sensitivity to glucocorticoid negative feedback regulation and, thus, altering the activity within hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor/vasopressin neurons. Together these changes serve to determine neuroendocrine responsivity to stress.

Modulators of the glucocorticoid receptor also regulate mineralocorticoid receptor function

Modulators are proposed to be novel ether aminophosphoglycerides that stabilize unoccupied and occupied glucocorticoid receptor steroid binding and inhibit glucocorticoid receptor complex activation. Two isoforms, modulator 1 and modulator 2, have been purified from rat liver cytosol [Bodine, P.V., & Litwack, G. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 9544-9554]. Since the mineralocorticoid receptor is relatively resistant to activation, modulator's effect on rat distal colon mineralocorticoid receptor function was examined. Warming of unoccupied receptor decreased residual specific [3H]aldosterone binding by 86 +/- 2%. Both modulator isoforms completely prevented this destabilization with Km's of 2 +/- 1 microM modulator 1 and 24 +/- 5 microM modulator 2. Warming of occupied mineralocorticoid receptors decreased [3H]aldosterone binding by 56 +/- 3%. Modulator only partially stabilized occupied receptor binding with Km's of 10 +/- 2 microM modulator 1 and 68 +/- 8 microM modulator 2. Modulator inhibited receptor activation with Km's of 3 +/- 1 microM modulator 1 and 33 +/- 10 microM modulator 2. Double-reciprocal analysis showed linear kinetics, and mixing modulator isoforms together had additive effects on unoccupied and occupied receptor steroid binding stabilization and activation inhibition. Colon cytosol contained a low molecular weight, heat-stable factor(s) which inhibited receptor activation and stabilized occupied receptor steroid binding. Molybdate completely stabilized unoccupied mineralocorticoid receptor steroid binding and inhibited activation with half-maximal effects at 3-4 mM but only stabilized occupied receptor binding by approximately 40%. These data indicate that (i) apparent physiologic concentrations of modulator stabilize mineralocorticoid receptor steroid binding and inhibit receptor activation, (ii) an aldosterone-responsive tissue contains a modulator-like activity, and (iii) molybdate mimics the effects of modulator.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on glucocorticoid receptors in rat hippocampus

Animals exposed to ethanol in utero are typically hyperresponsive to stressors in adulthood as indicated by increased adrenocortical activation and/or deficits in response inhibition or recovery following stress. In the present study we reasoned that a deficit in feedback control of pituitary-adrenal activity might underlie this hyperresponsiveness in fetal ethanol-exposed (FEE) animals. Further, we hypothesized that a long-term decrease in hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor concentration, induced by prenatal ethanol exposure, might mediate such a deficit in pituitary-adrenal feedback regulation. Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats from prenatal ethanol (E), pair-fed (PF), and control (C) treatment groups were tested in adulthood for determination of cytosolic hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor binding. No significant differences in specific binding (Bmax) or binding affinity (Kd) of either type I or type II glucocorticoid receptors were found among animals from E, PF, and C conditions. There were, however, significant sex differences in receptor concentration and binding affinity; females showed significantly greater maximal binding and significantly lower binding affinity than males. These data do not support the hypothesis that prenatal ethanol exposure induces a long-term decrease in hippocampal glucocorticoid receptors in animals tested under basal nonstressed conditions. However, these data do not preclude the possibility that receptor binding capacity may be differentially affected in E, PF, and C animals during stress.

Cellular mechanisms underlying the development and expression of individual differences in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal stress response

Several years ago Levine, Denenberg, Ader, and others described the effects of postnatal "handling" on the development of behavioral and endocrine responses to stress. As adults, handled rats exhibited attenuated fearfulness in novel environments and a less pronounced increase in the secretion of the adrenal glucocorticoids in response to a variety of stressors. These findings clearly demonstrated that the development of rudimentary, adaptive responses to stress could be modified by environmental events. We have followed these earlier studies, convinced that this paradigm provides a marvellous opportunity to examine how subtle variations in the early environment alter the development of specific neurochemical systems, leading to stable individual differences in biological responses to stimuli that threaten homeostasis. In this work we have shown how early handling influences the development of certain brain regions that regulate glucocorticoid negative-feedback inhibition over hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activity. Specifically, handling increases glucocorticoid (type II corticosteroid) receptor density in the hippocampus and frontal cortex, enhancing the sensitivity of these structures to the negative-feedback effects of elevated circulating glucocorticoids, and increasing the efficacy of neural inhibition over ACTH secretion. These effects are reflected in the differential secretory pattern of ACTH and corticosterone in handled and nonhandled animals under conditions of stress. In more recent years, using a hippocampal cell culture system, we have provided evidence for the importance of serotonin-induced changes in cAMP levels in mediating the effect of postnatal handling on hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor density. The results of these studies are consistent with the idea that environmental events in early life can permanently alter glucocorticoid receptor gene expression in the hippocampus, providing evidence for a neural mechanism for the development of individual differences in HPA function.

Expression of mineralocorticoid type I and glucocorticoid type II receptors in astrocyte glia as a function of time in culture

In the present study we have examined the expression of mineralocorticoid Type I and glucocorticoid Type II receptors in astrocyte glia maintained in culture for different periods of time. Cytosolic mineralocorticoid Type I receptors were labeled with [3H]aldosterone (ALDO) in the presence of a 500-fold molar excess of the potent Type II receptor ligand RU 28362. [3H]Dexamethasone (DEX) was used to label cytosolic Type II receptors. Both Type I and Type II receptor binding was saturable in astrocyte glia that had been maintained in culture for 20 and 30 days following final plating (i.e. 20- and 30-day-old cultures). Scatchard analysis of [3H]ALDO binding revealed a single class of Type I receptors, with dissociation constants (Kd) of 0.45 +/- 0.13 nM and 0.53 +/- 0.07 nM, respectively, in 20- and 30-day-old cultures. The number of Type I receptors in 30-day-old cultures was nearly half that found in 20-day-old cultures (22.06 vs 42.64 fmol/mg protein). Linear Scatchard plots were also obtained for [3H]DEX binding to cytosol prepared from 20- and 30-day-old cultures. There were no significant differences in the Kd or Bmax values for [3H]DEX binding in 20- or 30-day-old cultures, i.e. 2.06 +/- 0.15 nM and 247.36 +/- 18.16 fmol/mg protein for 20-day-old cells and 2.3 +/- 0.74 nM and 261.02 +/- 3.08 fmol/mg protein for 30-day-old cells. These Bmax values are more than double the Bmax value for [3H]DEX binding observed in our previous studies in 10-day-old astrocyte glial cultures. Switching cultured astrocyte glial from serum-supplemented to serum-free medium had no significant effects on the Kd values of Type I or Type II receptors in all the cultures tested. However, treatment with serum-free medium increased the number of Type I receptors in 30-day-old cultures to a level similar to that found in 20-day-old cultures. Taken together, these binding data suggest that Type I and Type II receptors are expressed differently in astrocyte glia as a function of time in culture.

Differential regulation of mouse mammary tumor virus-bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase chimeric gene by human mineralocorticoid hormone-receptor complexes

The brain tissues of the rat and mouse express two types of corticosteroid binding proteins, the glucocorticoid (GR) and aldosterone (MR) receptors. Unlike the type II (GR) receptor, type I receptor has a high affinity for aldosterone (ALDO) and corticosterone and is structurally similar to the kidney mineralocorticoid receptor (MR). The results reported in this study provide direct evidence for the interaction of dexamethasone (DEX), triamcinolone acetonide (TA), dexamethasone-21-mesylate (DXM) and 11-deoxycorticosterone (DOC) with human MR expressed in cells by transient co-transfection of a hMR expression vector. The interactions of hMR with DEX, TA, DXM, DOC, promegestone (R5020) and methyltrienelone (R1881) were measured by trans-activation of mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat fused to bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (MMTV-tk-CAT) in gene co-transfection experiments and by cell free hormone binding assay. The incubation of various steroid hormones in the presence of [3H]ALDO in a competition assay with extracts prepared from HeLa cells co-transfected with hMR expression vector, showed that hMR expressed under these conditions has a high relative affinity for DEX which is similar to ALDO, TA and DOC. Incubation with DXM under these conditions showed very little competition, as was observed with R1881 and R5020. Incubation of the co-transfected cells with DEX, ALDO, DOC, R5020, TA, R1881 and DXM demonstrated that the level of trans-activation did not reflect the previously observed order of binding affinity for the hMR. The level of transactivation was always higher with DEX and TA compared to ALDO and DOC. Analysis of the binding of labeled glucocorticoid regulatory element (GRE) and hMR incubated with DEX, ALDO and DXM by gel shift analysis demonstrated that the trans-activation of MMTV-tk-CAT by hMR is a result of the interaction of hMR with GRE in the MMTV-LTR.

Increased affinity of type II corticosteroid binding in aged rat hippocampus

Hippocampal tissue from young-mature (3-4 months old) and aged (24-26 months old) Fischer-344 rats was assessed for type I and type II corticosteroid binding in cytosol, using [3H]dexamethasone and selective inhibition of type II sites with nonradioactive RU-28362. Twenty-four hours after adrenalectomy, the Bmax and Kd of the receptor subtypes were measured by Scatchard analysis for individual animals. The binding capacity of each receptor type was significantly reduced in aged rats, as others have reported. In addition, however, the dissociation constant (Kd), was significantly reduced for type II receptor (young Kd = 2.14 nM vs aged Kd = 0.89 nM, P less than 0.005), indicating greater affinity of type II sites with aging. Affinity of type I sites was unchanged. The observation of increased type II affinity could help to explain the apparent paradox of why corticosteroid-dependent degenerative changes in hippocampal cells seem to accelerate in the later stages of aging, even though brain corticosteroid receptor capacity has been reported to decline or remain unchanged with aging.

Characterization and partial purification of an estrogen type II binding site in chick oviduct cytosol

An estrogen binding site of moderate affinity (Kd approximately 10 nM) and high capacity (approximately 25-70 pmol/g of tissue) was measured in DES-stimulated chick oviduct cytosol. Saturation analysis by [3H]estradiol exchange demonstrated that this binding site displayed sigmoidal binding characteristics suggesting a cooperative binding mechanism. Competition analysis with a number of compounds demonstrated that the bioflavonoid luteolin was a better competitor for binding to type II sites in chick than either estradiol or DES. Steroid specificity was demonstrated by the inability of 17 alpha-estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, corticosterone, and the triphenylethylene antiestrogen nafoxidine (U-1100A) to compete for [3H]-17 beta-estradiol binding to chick oviduct cytosol preparations. In addition, the binding site appeared to be sensitive to sulfhydryl reducing reagents as evidenced by a 75% reduction in binding activity in the presence of dithiothreitol. Both prelabeling and postlabeling procedures used in conjunction with Sephacryl S-300 chromatography resulted in a single major peak of type II binding activity representing a molecular weight in the 40,000 range. Type II binding activity was recoverable after precipitation with ammonium sulfate, and this material was subjected to a variety of column chromatography procedures in order to achieve further purification of the type II site. Significant purification of the site was achieved with a bioflavonoid-Sepharose (quercetin-Sepharose) affinity matrix. The purified type II sites eluted from quercetin-Sepharose displayed the same sigmoidal binding curves characteristic of native cytosol.

Presence of type I and type II/IB receptors for adrenocorticosteroid hormones in the inner ear

Aldosterone-Type I and dexamethasone-Type II/IB receptor complexes were identified in cytosol prepared from both cochlear and vestibular tissue samples. The specific binding capacity of Type I receptors in the cochlear tissues was approximately equal to that in the vestibular tissues. Likewise, the binding capacity of Type II/IB receptors in the cochlea was approximately equal to that in the vestibular endorgans. Based on the total specific binding measured with dexamethasone, the Type II/IB receptors appeared to outnumber the Type I receptors in cochlear and vestibular tissues by a factor of approximately 2.6; however, when adjustments were made for the probable cross-binding of dexamethasone to Type I receptors, these ratios were decreased to approximately 1.6. The existence of protein receptors for adrenocorticosteroid hormones demonstrated in the present study clearly suggests a mechanism whereby such hormones may directly regulate fluid and ionic gradients in the inner ear.

Treatment of mouse brain cytosol with dextran-coated charcoal and high salt does not reveal a new glucocorticoid binder

Incubation of steroid-free whole mouse brain cytosol from adrenalectomized-ovariectomized mice with saturating concentrations of tritiated dexamethasone was found to label all Type I as well as all Type II adrenocorticosteroid receptors. The quantitative and brain regional distribution of residual dexamethasone binding in cytosols pre-treated with dextran-coated charcoal (DCC) and 300 mM KCl was indistinguishable from that for tritiated aldosterone-Type I receptor complexes under the same conditions. We therefore conclude that the dexamethasone binding sites remaining after DCC and KCl treatment of steroid-free brain cytosol are due to the presence of Type I receptors. The differential sensitivity of Type I and Type II receptors to the DCC/KCl treatment paradigm may be useful in the purification of Type I receptors.

Heterogeneity and properties of transformation of corticosteroid receptors in spinal cord and hippocampus

The central nervous system contains two classes of corticoid receptors, named types I and II following terminology accepted for the kidney. Phenotypically, type I sites are differentiated into a corticosterone (CORT)-preferring species (Ia) and a mineralocorticoid receptor (Ib). These populations were tentatively compared in the spinal cord and hippocampus. Using [3H]dexamethasone (DEX) and selective blockage of sites, we have observed that type II receptors were comparable in both tissues, while Ia was almost exclusive of the hippocampus. Saturation analysis using [3H]DEX demonstrated that type Ia was a low affinity receptor (Kd approximately equal to 2-5 nM) while type II was a higher affinity site (KdII less than KdI). Using [3H]CORT, or [3H]aldosterone (ALDO), as ligand, preferential labeling of type I sites was achieved, always showing higher concentrations in the hippocampus. Therefore, [3H]DEX seems a ligand of choice to visualize types Ia and II receptors. Another difference noted between the spinal cord and hippocampus, pertained to the sensitivity towards the enzyme RNAse A, which increases heat-induced transformation of the bound receptor, according to the results of DNA cellulose affinity chromatography. In these experiments, type I sites of both spinal cord and hippocampus, plus type II of hippocampus, showed sensitivity toward the enzyme, whereas type II of the spinal cord was refractory to RNAse A enhancement of transformation. These results indicate that the dynamics of transformation is different among receptors showing similar affinity and competition, suggesting further heterogeneity due to receptors themselves, or to tissue factors regulating their biochemical properties.

Differential up- and down-regulation of type I and type II receptors for adrenocorticosteroid hormones in mouse brain

Adult female mice were adrenalectomized and ovariectomized and the concentration of Type I and Type II receptors in whole brain, kidney, and liver cytosol determined at various time thereafter by incubation with [3H]aldosterone (+ RU 26988 to prevent binding to Type II receptors) or [3H]dexamethasone, respectively. Type I receptor binding in brain was found to undergo a dramatic biphasic up-regulation, with levels six times that of intact levels by 24 h post-surgery and a doubling again by 4-8 days post-surgery. By 16 days, however, Type I specific binding had returned to intact levels. Similar, but less dramatic fluctuations were seen in kidney and liver, whereas much smaller fluctuations were seen for Type II receptors in all three tissues. In a follow-up study with Scatchard analyses we observed a similar transient up- and down-regulation in maximal binding for Type I, and to a lesser extent Type II receptors in all three tissues. As expected, the apparent binding affinity for both receptors increased after surgical removal of competing endogenous steroids. Radioimmunoassays revealed that plasma concentrations of corticosterone were reduced to near undetectable levels by 24 h post-surgery. A direct comparison of male and female mice revealed no sex-related differences in Type I receptor binding capacity fluctuations in brain cytosol after adrenalectomy-gonadectomy. Lastly, treatment with exogenous aldosterone or corticosterone was found to prevent adrenalectomy-gonadectomy-induced up-regulation of Type I and, to a lesser extent, Type II receptors in brain. Somewhat surprisingly, the potency of these two adrenocorticosteroids appeared to be very similar for both receptor types.

A novel effect of molybdate on the binding of [3H]aldosterone to gel-filtered type I receptors in brain cytosol

Recently we reported that adding molybdate to crude steroid-free cytosol at 0 degree C results in a dose-dependent reduction in the binding of [3H]aldosterone ([3H]ALDO) to Type I adrenocorticosteroid receptors. In the experiments outlined here, we found that addition of molybdate to steroid-free brain cytosol produces a 30-50% increase in the subsequently measured maximal specific binding capacity (BMAX) of [3H]ALDO-Type I receptors if the cytosol is subjected to Sephadex G-25 gel filtration prior to steroid addition. These manipulations were found to have no effect on the equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) of the receptors. In contrast, when gel filtration of steroid-free cytosol was performed in the absence of molybdate, there was a 2-fold increase in the Kd and over a 50% reduction in the subsequently measured BMAX of [3H]ALDO-Type I receptors. When molybdate was added to this steroid-free cytosol immediately following gel filtration, there was no reduction (or increase) in Type I receptor [3H]ALDO binding capacity compared with non-gel-filtered controls. The addition of as little as 2 mM molybdate to crude steroid-free cytosol was found to stabilize the binding capacity of Type I receptors during exposure to 22 degrees C incubations; however, when gel-filtered steroid-free cytosol was exposed to these conditions at least 10 mM molybdate was required to stabilize Type I receptor binding capacity. Adding the sulfhydryl reducing reagent, dithiothreitol, to the various steroid-free cytosols had little effect on [3H]ALDO-Type I receptor binding.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Further chemical differentiation of type I and type II adrenocorticosteroid receptors in mouse brain cytosol: evidence for a new class of glucocorticoid receptors

There are at least two classes of intracellular receptors for adrenocorticosteroid hormones in brain. Type I receptors have a high affinity for the naturally occurring gluco- and mineralocorticoids, corticosterone (CORT) and aldosterone (ALDO), respectively, and a very low affinity for synthetic glucocorticoids such as dexamethasone (DEX). type II receptors have a high affinity for the synthetic glucocorticoids, a lower affinity for CORT and a very low affinity for ALDO. In recent studies with mouse brain cytosol we have found a number of other biochemical differences between these two receptor types. In the present study, brain cytosol from adrenalectomized mice was prepared in HEPES buffer and subjected to various potentially inactivating treatments prior to assessment of Type I and Type II receptor specific binding capacity by incubation for 24 h at 0 degrees C with [3H]ALDO +/- [1H]RU 26988 (to prevent or permit the cross-binding of [3H]ALDO to Type II receptors) or [3H]DEX +/- [1H]Prorenone (to prevent or permit the cross-binding of [3H]DEX to Type I receptors), respectively. These studies revealed that 10-20% of the high-affinity (Kd = 3 nM) [3H]DEX specific binding capacity remained even after extensive, high concentration and repeated pretreatments with dextran-coated charcoal (DDC. to remove endogenous sulfhydryl-reducing reagents and other biochemicals). These procedures had little effect on Type I receptors. Further analyses revealed that DCC-resistant [3H]DEX binders were not Type I receptors since they were not saturated by [1H]Prorenone. These binders were also not inactivated by aging steroid-free cytosol at 0 degree C or by treating it with buffers containing 0.3 M KCl. Since these

Effects of polyhydric and monohydric compounds on the stability of type I receptors for adrenal steroids in brain cytosol

We have shown previously that unoccupied type I receptors for adrenal steroids in brain cytosol lose their capacity to bind [3H]aldosterone ([3H]ALDO) in a time- and temperature-dependent manner. Based on reports that sugars and polyvalent alcohols are capable of stabilizing a variety of globular proteins, we attempted in the present study to stabilize type I receptors by including polyhydric compounds in our brain cytosol preparations. However, contrary to expectations, adjusting cytosol to a 10% (g/dl) concentration of ethylene glycol, glycerol, erythritol, xylitol, ribitol, or sorbitol failed to stabilize these receptors at 0 degree C and in fact produced a slight reduction in [3H]ALDO binding capacity. The magnitude of this reduction was greater when cytosol was incubated for 2 h at 22 degrees C prior to incubation with [3H]ALDO. In contrast to these results, when brain cytosol was adjusted to a 10% (g/dl) concentration of the monohydric compound, ethanol, a significant increase in [3H]ALDO binding to type I receptors was found. Under identical conditions, methanol and propanol failed to have a significant effect on the binding capacity of these receptors. When cytosol was aged for 2 h at 22 degrees C, all three of these monohydric compounds produced a marked loss in the [3H]ALDO binding capacity of type I receptors. An investigation of various doses of ethanol at 0 degree C on the subsequent binding of [3H]ALDO yielded an inverse U-shaped curve with 10% ethanol producing the highest level of specific binding, as reflected by an increase in maximal binding in Scatchard plots, and 40% ethanol producing a complete loss in type I receptor binding capacity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Activated type II receptors in brain cannot rebind glucocorticoids: relationship to progesterone's antiglucocorticoid actions

Exchange assays have often been used to quantitate steroid receptors when endogenous ligands are present; however, there are no reports of their successful application to activated glucocorticoid-Type II receptor complexes. In addition to investigating the reasons for this failure, the present study also examined the effects of progesterone on glucocorticoid dissociation from, and reassociation with unactivated and activated Type II receptors. Molybdate-stabilized brain cytosol from adrenal-ovariectomized mice was incubated with [3H]dexamethasone ( +/- [1H]DEX) for 40 h at 0 degree C. Afterwards free steroid was removed on Sephadex G-25 columns in the presence (unactivated receptors) or absence (activated receptors) of molybdate. Activation, as measured by DNA-cellulose binding, was achieved by incubating molybdate-free cytosol at 22 degrees C for 20 min followed by G-25 filtration in the presence of molybdate. The rates of dissociation and reassociation were then measured by incubating cytosol with [1H]triamcinolone acetonide (TA) or [3H]TA ( +/- [1H]TA) at 12 degrees C. An exchange assay was also employed in which cytosol was incubated first with [1H]DEX for 40 h at 0 degree C followed by bound-free steroid separations and 12 degrees C incubations with [3H]TA ( +/- [1H]TA). Both approaches revealed that even though activation reduced the rate of DEX dissociation from Type II receptors by 40%, it eliminated the ability of the newly unoccupied receptors to rebind glucocorticoid. Adding [1H]progesterone to occupied receptor preparations increased dissociation rate constants by nearly 3-fold, for both unactivated and activated Type II receptors. Since [1H]TA failed to prevent this effect, progesterone appears to act at an allosteric site(s) which cannot be occupied by glucocorticoids. Exchange assays revealed that progesterone-facilitated dissociation increased the rate of glucocorticoid rebinding to unactivated, but not activated Type II receptors. These results suggest that spontaneous and progesterone-facilitated termination of glucocorticoid genomic actions could be mediated by steroid dissociation since unoccupied activated Type II receptors do not rebind agonist steroid.

Transformation of the [3H]aldosterone-type I receptor complex to a DNA-binding species

For most steroid receptor complexes, the transformation to a DNA-binding species can be achieved readily in vitro by incubation at elevated temperatures and/or salt concentrations. Although the aldosterone-Type I receptor complex forms a clear exception to this generalization, a marked increase in its transformation can be achieved by incubation with the chaotropic anion, thiocyanate. Time and concentration-response analyses with brain cytosol revealed that over 40% of the complexes were retained in DNA-cellulose assays after a 15 min pre-incubation at 0 degree C with 100 mM thiocyanate. As expected, molybdate prevented this transformation; however, in contrast to results with heat- and/or salt-induced transformation of other steroid receptors, the molybdate effect was only partially removed by gel filtering the cytosol prior to thiocyanate addition. Thiocyanate-induced transformation should prove useful in the biochemical characterization and purification of non-transformed and transformed aldosterone-Type I receptor complexes.

Investigation of the corticosteroid receptor system in rat hippocampus by ion exchange fast protein liquid chromatography

In order to study the receptor system for adrenocortical steroids, hippocampal cytosolic preparations--containing both type I and type II receptors--were subjected to anion exchange fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC). With running buffer containing Tris, EDTA, and glycerol three peaks (1-3) were eluted from the column at 220, 400 and 560 mM NaCl respectively regardless of whether [3H]corticosterone or [3H]RU 28362 had been used as radiotracer. None of the peaks was caused by serum transcortin as revealed by control studies. However, the sequestering influence of transcortin on receptor binding of corticosterone could be demonstrated by the FPLC technique with mixtures containing serum and hippocampus cytosol. Competition experiments with cytosolic samples revealed that type I receptor was present only in peaks 2 and 3 while type II was found in all three peaks in variable amounts, depending on the presence of molybdate. When molybdate was added to the running buffer only two peaks (2 and 3) were eluted, both containing type I and type II receptors. Peak 1 was attributed to the activated type II receptor while peak 2 represented nonactivated receptors. The origin of peak 3 remains uncertain. The data indicate that molybdate must be present in the cytosolic preparation and in the running buffer to keep type II receptor in its nonactivated form. Type I receptor was probably not transformed into the activated form in the absence of molybdate but lost binding capacity and/or affinity for corticosterone.