Purification of chicken intestinal receptor for 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 to apparent homogeneity

Efficient stable isotope labeling and purification of vitamin D receptor from inclusion bodies

Vitamin D receptor (VDR) plays a crucial role in many cellular processes including calcium and phosphate homeostasis. Previous purification methods from prokaryotic and eukaryotic expression systems were challenged by low protein solubility accompanied by multi purification steps resulting in poor protein recovery. The full-length VDR and its ligand binding domain (LBD) were mostly (>90%) insoluble even when expressed at low temperatures in the bacterial system. We describe a one-step procedure that results in the purification of rat VDR and LBD proteins in high-yield from Escherichia coli inclusion bodies. The heterologously expressed protein constructs retained full function as demonstrated by ligand binding and DNA binding assays. Furthermore, we describe an efficient strategy for labeling these proteins with (2)H, (13)C, and (15)N for structural and functional studies by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. This efficient production system will facilitate future studies on the mechanism of vitamin D action including characterization of the large number of synthetic vitamin D analogs that have been developed.

No effect of vitamin D3 treatment on active calcium absorption across ruminal epithelium of sheep

A significant contribution of the forestomachs in net calcium (Ca2+) absorption from the gastrointestinal tract has been postulated from in vivo and in vitro studies in different ruminant species. However, the potential role of vitamin D3 and its metabolites in controlling these mechanisms is still under discussion. It was therefore the aim of the present study to investigate the effectiveness of treatment with vitamin D3 in stimulating active Ca2+ absorption from sheep rumen. Four mature, non-lactating, non-pregnant sheep that had been treated 7 and 4 days before the Ca2+ flux rate measurements with intramuscular injections of 300000 IU of vitamin D3 each in aqueous solution were used. Two female and three male placebo-treated sheep served as controls. To characterize the effects of vitamin D3 application on plasma parameters the time courses of total calcium, inorganic phosphate, calcitriol and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) were recorded. In vitro studies of unidirectional Ca2+ flux rates across isolated, intact rumen wall epithelia were carried out by applying the Ussing-chamber technique. Western blot analysis and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis (RT-PCR) were applied to identify vitamin D receptors (VDR) in ruminal and jejunal tissues. In addition, Western blot analysis for qualitative examination of epithelial calbindin D9k levels was carried out in these tissues. Total calcium and phosphate levels in plasma were not significantly affected treatment with vitamin whereas calcitriol concentrations significantly increased by about 130 and 63% after the first and second application, respectively. In contrast, iPTH tended to decrease by about 60% indicating regulatory effects of calcitriol on systemic Ca homeostasis. The Ca2+ flux rate measurements in Ussing-chambers revealed significant net Ca2+ absorption indicating the contribution of active mechanisms for Ca2+ transport in rumen epithelia. This, however, was not significantly affected by increased calcitriol concentrations in plasma. Western blot analysis on the basis of a human recombinant VDR protein and RT-PCR clearly indicated the presence of VDR in ruminal and jejunal epithelia, but, in contrast to jejunum, this was not reflected by respective amounts of calbindin-D9k in ruminal tissues. The results suggest the absence of classical calbindin-D9k-mediated mechanisms for active Ca2+ transport in sheep rumen.

Recent advances in the molecular biology of vitamin D action

Following the cloning and deletion analysis of the vitamin D receptor, most recent advances have been in the isolation and characterization of the DNA response elements found in the promoter region of target genes of vitamin D. Vitamin D, like the thyroid and retinoid hormones, binds to repeat sequences, but the repeats are separated by three nonspecified bases. The action of the VDR requires the presence of the RXR proteins and evidently other proteins that are involved in regulating transcriptions. A possible role of phosphorylation of the ligand binding domain of the VDR in transcription has also appeared. Very likely, the molecular events involved in vitamin D stimulation or suppression of a target gene will include its interaction with a number of transcription factors, both in the regulation of transcription and in the actual machinery involved in the transcription process through polymerase II. Although likely, it is not entirely clear whether the genomic action of vitamin D can account for all of its biological activities. Nongenomic actions of the vitamin D hormone have been reported, but convincing evidence that this is of biological importance in vivo is lacking. Advances in our understanding of the vitamin D mechanism of action can clearly be expected from physical studies of cloned and expressed vitamin D receptor and its subdomains, elucidation of the transcription factors in vitamin D-modulated transcription of target genes, elucidation of the role of phosphorylation in the transcription process, and the identification of important genes that are regulated in the specific target tissues responsive to vitamin D. This will definitely remain as a very active field of investigation well into the future.

Purification and characterization of 1,25(OH)2D3 receptor from human placenta

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the receptor for 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol [1,25-(OH)2D3], we purified it from nuclear fractions of human placentae.

METHODS

Human placental fractions were concentrated with ammonium sulfate, extracted from hydroxylapatite, and then chromatographed on Sepharcryl S-200 and DEAE-cellulose.

RESULTS

The receptor for [1,25(OH)2D3] was purified approximately 1,500-fold. The molecular weight of the receptor was estimated to be 55 K dalton by gel filtration. The receptor fractions showed a dissociation constant (Kd) of 3.0 x 10(-10) mol/l, and adsorbed to the DNA cellulose column. D3 analogs, estradiol, and progesterone had almost no effect on 1,25(OH)2D3 binding.

CONCLUSION

These properties of the 1,25(OH)2D3 receptor in human placenta are similar to those of the chicken intestinal 1,25(OH)2D3 receptor.

Structure and regulation of the rat 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor

Complementary DNA clones encoding the entire rat 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor were isolated, and the total 423-amino acid sequence was deduced. The amino acid sequence of the rat receptor is similar but not identical to the reported human receptor sequence. The cysteine-rich DNA-binding domain is completely conserved and the steroid-binding domain is greater than 93% conserved between rat and human. The cDNA was used as a probe in blot analysis of polyadenylylated RNA to show that the 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor mRNA is a single 4.4-kilobase mRNA that is expressed in intestine and kidney, slightly expressed in heart, and not detectable in liver and spleen. The receptor mRNA concentration is markedly increased during development of the rat intestine between day 14 and day 21, in accord with previous results obtained by measurement of receptor concentration by ligand binding or immunoblotting.

Partial amino acid sequence of porcine 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor isolated by immunoaffinity chromatography

Monoclonal antibodies against the porcine 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor were immobilized on Sepharose CL-4B and used to obtain a highly purified 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor fraction with a 45% recovery of the 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 binding capacity. The porcine receptor was purified to homogeneity by preparative electrophoresis and digested in sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gels with Staphylococcus aureus strain V8 protease. The resulting peptides were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, electrophoretically transferred to polyvinylidene difluoride membranes, and directly sequenced. The generation and isolation of peptides by this method allows sequencing of proteins present in trace amounts as well as those whose amino termini have been modified. The 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor amino acid sequence corresponded to the sequence predicted from a recently cloned receptor cDNA obtained from rat kidney mRNAs.

The metabolism and mechanism of action of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3

Much has been learned about the formation of the active metabolite of vitamin D3, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. Information concerning its formation and catabolism has allowed a clear understanding of factors involved in the maintenance of plasma concentrations of the hormone. The effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 on calcium transporting cells in the intestine are marked and well defined. The tissue (intestinal tissue) is easily isolated and manipulated and hence, this is an ideal tissue in which to examine the mechanism of divalent cation transport. The mechanism by which 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 brings about this effect should help in understanding sterol hormone action.

Monoclonal antibodies to the porcine intestinal receptor for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3: interaction with distinct receptor domains

Monoclonal antibodies to different domains of the porcine intestinal 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3] receptor have been produced. A nuclear extract enriched in the 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor was prepared from small intestinal mucosa of young pigs. The receptor was purified an additional 6600-fold by chromatography on DNA-cellulose, ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration high-performance liquid chromatography, and DEAE-Sepharose chromatography, with an overall yield of 23% and an average purity of 24%. A BALB/c mouse immunized with this material developed serum polyclonal antibodies to the 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor, as demonstrated by a change in sedimentation of the porcine receptor on sucrose gradients. Spleen cells from this animal were fused with mouse myeloma cells (P3-NSI/1-Ag4-1, SP2/0-Ag14), and 24 hybridomas secreting antibodies to the 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor were identified by both a radiometric immunosorbent assay and an immunoprecipitation assay. Twenty-one hybridoma lines were cloned by limiting dilution and further characterized as subclass IgG1 antibodies with the exception of one which is an IgA. All but two of the antibodies cross-react with the 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor from both mammalian (human, monkey, and rat) and avian (chicken) intestine; two antibodies recognize only porcine intestinal receptor. All antibodies are unreactive to the vitamin D serum transport protein. Eight of the antibodies bind denatured receptor on an immunoblot. A solid-phase competition assay was used to identify four groups of antibodies that bind to distinct epitopes on the 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor. One antibody from each of the four groups was used to examine the effect of antibody binding on the DNA-binding activity of the receptor-hormone complex. One antibody completely inhibited the binding of the 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor complex to DNA-cellulose, suggesting that the epitope for this antibody may be located in the polynucleotide binding domain of the protein. Antibodies from two additional groups only slightly perturbed DNA binding, while one had no effect, suggesting that these antibodies bind to receptor epitopes distant from the region of the polypeptide directly involved in polynucleotide binding. These antibodies that are directed to several different binding sites on the 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor provide important new tools to probe the biochemistry and topology of the 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor and to investigate its role in mediating target tissue response to hormone.

Subcellular distribution of DNA-binding and non-DNA-binding 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D receptors in chicken intestine

A comparison of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor concentration and equilibrium dissociation constants of whole tissue, nuclear, and cytosol extracts of vitamin D-deficient chicken intestine has been carried out. The extracts had the following order of receptor concentration: nuclei greater than whole tissue greater than cytosol. The receptors in each preparation had identical equilibrium dissociation constants (Kd) for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. However, the receptor in the cytosol fraction did not bind to DNA-cellulose, while a large fraction of the receptor population in crude nuclear extract and whole tissue extract bound to DNA-cellulose and could be eluted with 0.22 M KCl, suggesting that the cytosolic form of the receptor does not possess a DNA binding site.

Purification of the receptor for 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 from chicken intestine

Methods were investigated for use in the purification of the chicken intestinal receptor for 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. The techniques investigated include column isoelectric focusing, gel exclusion, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and DNA-cellulose, DEAE-cellulose, and hydroxylapatite chromatography. For the starting receptor preparation, a nuclear extract of chicken intestinal mucosa was found to be enriched above cytosol preparations and a plentiful source of receptor. A five-step purification scheme that resulted in the purification of the receptor protein by 5800-fold with 8% yield has been described. Analysis of the purified proteins on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis containing sodium dodecyl sulfate suggests homogeneity. Analysis using two-dimensional polyacrylamide electrophoresis characterized the purified protein as having a molecular weight of approximately 63 000 and a pI of 6.0-6.2. Furthermore, assessment of protein purity by 125I iodination followed by sucrose gradient analysis revealed that approximately 90% of the iodinated macromolecules have the same sedimentation coefficient as the titrated 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor complex. The final purified receptor that bound tritiated 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 retained affinity for DNA-cellulose and possesses a 3.7S sedimentation coefficient. The receptor has an estimated Stokes radius of 37 A.

Quantitation of endogenously occupied and unoccupied binding sites for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in rat intestine

The quantitative reversible dissociation of the 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3]-receptor complex by the mercurial reagent mersalyl was used to develop an assay for endogenously occupied and unoccupied 1,25-(OH)2D3 binding sites. Incubation of intestinal cytosol preparations in buffer containing 50 mM Tris . HCl, 300 mM KCl, and 1.5 mM EDTA, pH 7.4, with 1 mM mersalyl for 60 min was effective in inhibiting 98% of 1,25-(OH)2D3 specific binding activity. Dissociation of bound 1,25-(OH)2[26,27-3H]D3 from the hormone-receptor complex approached completion by 180 min. In cytosol incubated with saturating levels of nonradioactive hormone, 96% of total binding activity was measurable with the hormone binding assay after displacement of bound nonradioactive ligand with 1 mM mersalyl. Endogenously occupied 1,25-(OH)2D3 binding sites contributed 0, 9, and 19% of total binding activity in rats with plasma 1,25-(OH)2D3 levels averaging 2, 121 +/- 36 and 516 +/- 92 pg/ml, respectively. Therefore, the major fraction of cytosolic 1,25-(OH)2D3 specific binding activity is unoccupied in rat intestine. The results suggest that only a small proportion of the measurable receptors are in the bound form to provide maximal 1,25-(OH)2D3-induced calcium transport.

Development of hybridomas secreting monoclonal antibodies to the chicken intestinal 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor

Four hybridomas that secrete monoclonal antibodies to the chicken intestinal cytoplasmic 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3] receptor have been obtained. Splenic lymphocytes, derived from two male Lewis rats expressing serum antireceptor activity after repeated immunization with a partially purified preparation of this protein, were fused with two nonsecreting murine myeloma cell lines, SP2/0-Ag14 and P3-X63-Ag8.653. Viable hybrids were screened for anti-chicken intestinal 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor activity by incubation of hybrid media with receptor-hormone complex; this was followed by immunoprecipitation with rabbit anti-rat IgG. Of 1,724 hybridomas assayed by this technique, 4 were positive (2 derived from each animal) for the secretion of an antireceptor immunoglobulin molecule. After cloning by limiting dilution, the cell lines (designated SP2/0-4A5, P3-8C8, SP2/0-8D3, and SP2/0-9A7) were expanded into suspension culture. Antibody-induced alterations in the sedimentation pattern of the native 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor, coupled with Ouchterlony double-diffusion techniques, indicate that SP2/0-4A5 secretes an IgG2a, SP2/0-9A7 produces an IgG2b, and P3-8C8 secretes an IgG. In contrast, SP2/0-8D3 was found to synthesize an IgM. The monoclonal antibodies react with both occupied and unoccupied chicken intestinal receptor and nuclear receptors, and they crossreact with 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptors from a wide variety of tissue and cultured cell types, including human 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptors. These immunological reagents should prove valuable in the elucidation of the molecular action of 1,25-(OH)2D3.

Specific binding of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol in human medullary thyroid carcinoma

A specific 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol-binding protein has been detected in high-salt cytosols prepared from human medullary thyroid carcinomas. The binding protein had the same equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd = 0.17 +/- 0.05 nM; n = 4) and sedimentation coefficient on sucrose gradients (3.7S) as than seen in established vitamin D target tissues. This protein was not detected in normal thyroid cytosols, which may reflect the low proportion of C-cells within the gland.