The human beta 3-adrenergic receptor: relationship with atypical receptors.

Atypical beta-adrenergic receptors (beta AR), different from beta 1 and beta 2ARs, have been suggested to modulate energy expenditure. We have characterized a gene coding for a third human beta AR, beta 3AR, whose sequence is 402 amino acids long and is 50.7% and 45.5% homologous to that of the human beta 1 and beta 2AR, respectively. The KD of [125I]-iodocyanopindolol for beta 3AR is 10-fold higher than for beta 1 or beta 2AR. The receptor has an apparent molecular weight of 65,000. Agonists for the beta 3AR induce cyclic AMP accumulation. Among 11 beta antagonists tested, only ICI118551 and CGP20712A, previously classified as, respectively, beta 1 and beta 2 selective, inhibit this effect. The beta 1 and beta 2 antagonists pindolol, oxprenolol, and CGP12177 are agonists of the beta 3AR. The potency order of beta agonists at beta 3 sites correlates with that for stimulation of lipolysis in rat fat tissues. Moreover, because beta 3AR mRNA was detected in rodent adipose tissues, liver, and muscle, we propose that the beta 3AR participates to the control by catecholamines of energy expenditure.

Expression of three human beta-adrenergic-receptor subtypes in transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells.

The genes coding for three pharmacologically distinct subtypes of human beta-adrenergic receptors (beta 1 AR, beta 2 AR and beta 3 AR) were transfected for expression in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Stable cell lines expressing each receptor were analyzed by ligand binding, adenylate cyclase activation and photoaffinity labeling, and compared to beta AR subtypes observed in previously described tissues, primary cultures and transfected cell lines. Each of the three receptor subtypes displayed saturable [125I]iodocyanopindolol-binding activity. They showed the characteristic rank order of potencies for five agonists, determined by measuring the accumulation of intracellular cAMP. These recombinant cell lines express a homogeneous population of receptors and display the known pharmacological properties of beta 1 AR and beta 2 AR, in human tissues. It is therefore likely that the pattern of ligand binding and adenylate cyclase activation, mediated by the new beta 3 AR in CHO cells, also reflects the yet-undetermined pharmacological profile in humans.

Selective binding of ligands to beta 1, beta 2 or chimeric beta 1/beta 2-adrenergic receptors involves multiple subsites.

The molecular basis of ligand binding selectivity to beta-adrenergic receptor subtypes was investigated by designing chimeric beta 1/beta 2-adrenergic receptors. These molecules consisted of a set of reciprocal constructions, obtained by the exchange between the wild-type receptor genes of one to three unmodified transmembrane regions, together with their extracellular flanking regions. Eight different chimeras were expressed in Escherichia coli and studied with selective beta-adrenergic ligands. The evaluation of the relative effect of each chimeric exchange on ligand binding affinity was based on the analysis of delta G values, calculated from the equilibrium binding constants, as a function of the number of substituted beta 2-adrenergic receptor transmembrane domains. The data showed that the contribution of each exchanged region to subtype selectivity varies with each ligand; moreover, while several regions are critical for the pharmacological selectivity of all ligands, others are involved in the selectivity of only some compounds. The selectivity displayed by beta-adrenergic compounds towards beta 1 or beta 2 receptor subtypes thus results from a particular combination of interactions between each ligand and each of the subsites, variably distributed over the seven transmembrane regions of the receptor; these subsites are presumably defined by the individual structural properties of the ligands.

Localization and characterization of three different beta-adrenergic receptors expressed in Escherichia coli.

After fusion with the N-proximal portion of the outer membrane protein LamB, three beta-adrenergic receptors, the human beta 1- and beta 2- and turkey beta 1-adrenergic receptor, were expressed in Escherichia coli with retention of their own specific pharmacological properties. Molecular characterization and localization of the three receptors in bacteria and comparison of the behaviour of each hybrid protein are reported. The bacteria were lysed and fractionated on a sucrose gradient. Saturable [125I]iodocyanopindolol binding activity was found associated mainly with the inner membrane fraction, suggesting that the receptor is correctly folded in this membrane. Binding activity was also found in the outer membrane fraction but varied according to the receptor type. Photoaffinity labeling experiments revealed that the receptors exhibit binding activity only after proteolytic removal of the LamB moiety from the fusion protein. The three hybrid proteins, detected in immunoblots by anti-peptide antibodies, were found mainly in the outer membrane fraction. Each of them exhibited different susceptibility to intrinsic bacterial proteolytic enzymes; sites of proteolytic cleavage were localized by the use of anti-peptide antibodies. The functional expression in E. coli of three beta-adrenergic receptors with similar structure but different amino acid sequences suggests that this expression system may be a general feature among similar receptors of the family of G-protein-coupled receptors. The level of expressed binding activity of a given receptor will be within the control of proteolytic degradation processes, depending on the primary sequence of the receptor. Constructions of new hybrid proteins, in combination with expression in protease mutants of E. coli, should help in controlling such processes.

Internalization of beta-adrenergic receptor in A431 cells involves non-coated vesicles.

To characterize the mechanism of internalization of beta-adrenergic catecholamine receptors on human epidermoid A431 carcinoma cells, their distribution was analyzed by immunocytochemistry using the monoclonal anti-receptor antibody BRK2. In preconfluent cultures, the receptors appeared to be randomly distributed on the cell surface. Exposure to the agonist isoproterenol induced an overall decrease in the number of cell surface receptors as determined by binding experiments and visualized by immunofluorescence. When cells were incubated at 4 degrees C with BRK2 and anti-mouse IgG-gold and then transferred at 37 degrees C, non-coated invaginations and vesicles were labeled. The addition of isoproterenol resulted in an increased rate of internalization of the receptor-BRK2-anti-IgG-gold complex. When incubation with the two antibody reagents was prolonged (with or without isoproterenol), non-coated vesicles fused in the endosomal compartment, and receptors were transferred to multivesicular bodies and lysosomes. At no stage in this process was there any indication that clathrin-coated pits or vesicles participated. Furthermore, we found that an intracellular potassium depletion treatment known to inhibit endocytosis, did not affect the normal pattern of desensitization of beta-adrenergic receptors.

Molecular characterization of the human beta 3-adrenergic receptor.

Since the classification of beta-adrenergic receptors (beta-ARs) into beta 1 and beta 2 subtypes, additional beta-ARs have been implicated in the control of various metabolic processes by catecholamines. A human gene has been isolated that encodes a third beta-AR, here referred to as the "beta 3-adrenergic receptor." Exposure of eukaryotic cells transfected with this gene to adrenaline or noradrenaline promotes the accumulation of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate; only 2 of 11 classical beta-AR blockers efficiently inhibited this effect, whereas two others behaved as beta 3-AR agonists. The potency order of beta-AR agonists for the beta 3-AR correlates with their rank order for stimulating various metabolic processes in tissues where atypical adrenergic sites are thought to exist. In particular, novel beta-AR agonists having high thermogenic, antiobesity, and antidiabetic activities in animal models are among the most potent stimulators of the beta 3-AR.

Human beta 2-adrenergic receptors expressed in Escherichia coli membranes retain their pharmacological properties.

The coding region of the gene for the human beta 2-adrenergic receptor gene was fused to the beta-galactosidase gene of the lambda gt11 expression vector. The Y1089 Escherichia coli strain was lysogenized with this modified vector and transcription of the fusion gene was induced. Expression of this transcription unit was shown by the appearance in the bacteria of proteins of molecular weight higher than that of native beta-galactosidase, which are immunoreactive with anti-beta-galactosidase antibodies. Production of beta 2-adrenergic receptors was shown by the presence, on intact bacteria, of binding sites for catecholamine agonists and antagonists possessing a typical beta 2-adrenergic pharmacological profile. Binding and photoaffinity labeling studies performed on intact E. coli and its membrane fractions showed that these binding sites are located in the inner membrane of the bacteria. Expression of pharmacologically active human beta 2-adrenergic receptors in E. coli further supports the similar transmembrane organization proposed for bacteriorhodopsin and eukaryotic membrane-embedded receptors coupled to guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory proteins. Moreover, this system should facilitate future analyses of the ligand-binding properties within this family of membrane receptors.

The beta 2-adrenergic receptors of human epidermoid carcinoma cells bear two different types of oligosaccharides which influence expression on the cell surface.

The beta 2-adrenergic receptors of the human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells reside on two polypeptide chains revealed by photoaffinity labelling with [125I]iodocyanopindolol-diazirine. These proteins correspond to two distinct populations of N-asparagine-linked glycoproteins: the 55-52 kDa molecules are associated with complex carbohydrate chain(s), the 65-63 kDa component with polymannosidic carbohydrate chain(s). Both types of receptors are present in preconfluent cells, but only the polymannosidic type is found in the postconfluent cells. Moreover, complex chains appear to be associated with the receptors with the highest affinity for (-)-isoproterenol and polymannosidic chains with the receptors with the lowest affinity for this agonist. the carbohydrate moiety of the beta-adrenergic receptor is involved in the expression and function of the beta 2-adrenergic receptors at the surface of the A431 cells, since tunicamycin and monensin, complete and partial inhibitors of glycosylation respectively, diminish the number of binding sites at the cell surface and increase the total number of sites in the cell. In these conditions a diminution of cyclic AMP accumulation is also observed.

Structure of the gene for human beta 2-adrenergic receptor: expression and promoter characterization.

The genomic gene coding for the human beta 2-adrenergic receptor (beta 2AR) from A431 epidermoid cells has been isolated. Transfection of the gene into eukaryotic cells restores a fully active receptor/GTP-binding protein/adenylate cyclase complex with beta 2AR properties. Southern blot analyses with beta 2AR-specific probes show that a single beta 2AR gene is common to various human tissues and that its flanking sequences are highly conserved among humans and between man and rabbit, mouse, and hamster. Functional significance of these regions is supported by the presence of a promoter region (including mRNA cap sites, two "TATA boxes," a "CAAT box," and three G + C-rich regions that resemble binding sites for transcription factor Sp1) 200-300 base pairs 5' to the translation initiation codon. In the 3' flanking region, sequences homologous to glucocorticoid-response elements might be responsible for the increased expression of the beta 2AR gene observed after treatment of the transfected cells with hydrocortisone. In addition, 5' to the promoter region, an open reading frame encodes a 251-residue polypeptide that displays striking homologies with protein kinases and other nucleotide-binding proteins.

Monoclonal antibodies directed against the human A431 beta 2-adrenergic receptor recognize two major polypeptide chains.

A serum-albumin-alprenolol conjugate was used to isolate beta-adrenergic receptors from the human A431 cell lysates. Three monoclonal antibodies were obtained from BALB/c mice immunized with these receptors. These antibodies: BRK-1, BRK-2, BRK-3, were respectively of the IgM, IgG2a and IgG3 classes. All three antibodies recognized photoaffinity-labelled receptors, immunoprecipitated ligand-binding activity and identified the 65-kDa and 55-kDa polypeptides corresponding to the beta 2-adrenergic receptors of A431 cells. BRK-2 and BRK-3 recognized both beta 1 and beta 2-adrenergic receptors of several mammalian cells. All three antibodies visualized, by immunofluorescence, the beta 2-adrenergic receptors at the surface of A431 cells. The monoclonal antibodies are directed against the protein portion of the beta-adrenergic receptors since partial or complete removal of the carbohydrate moieties by treatment with endoglycosidase such as endo-F (endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase F) and periodate oxidation did not affect the immunoreactivity. These antibodies will be of value to immunopurify the beta-adrenergic receptors.

Biochemical and immunochemical analysis of avian beta 1 and mammalian beta 2-adrenergic receptors.

We have studied the molecular properties of avian beta 1-adrenergic receptor and human beta 2-adrenergic receptor. The turkey erythrocytes beta 1-receptor has been solubilized in active form by digitonin and has been purified to homogeneity by affinity chromatography followed by electroelution from polyacrylamide gel. The photoactivable ligand, iodocyanopindololdiazirine, labels specifically a major 45 kDa and minor 55 kDa polypeptide in turkey erythrocytes, whereas in A431, it labels two polypeptides of molecular weights 65 kDa and 55 kDa. Both types of receptors are N- and possibly O-glycosylated but the turkey beta 1 receptor has only complex carbohydrates whereas the human beta 2 receptor has in addition oligo mannosidic polysaccharidic moiety. Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies were raised against the beta 1- and beta 2-adrenergic receptors. Polyclonal antibodies were found to mimic beta-adrenergic agonists by stimulating adenylate cyclase upon binding to the receptors. The monoclonal antibodies precipitated both intact and affinity labeled receptors which they also revealed on immunoblots.

The oligosaccharide moiety of the beta 1-adrenergic receptor from turkey erythrocytes has a biantennary, N-acetyllactosamine-containing structure.

The turkey erythrocyte beta 1-adrenergic receptor can be purified by affinity chromatography on alprenolol-Sepharose and characterized by photoaffinity labeling with N-(p-azido-m-[125I]iodobenzyl)-carazolol. Through the use of the specific glycosidases neuraminidase and endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H and affinity chromatography on lectin-Sepharose gels, we show here that the receptor is an N-glycosyl protein that contains complex carbohydrate chains. No high-mannose carbohydrate chains appear to be present. The binding of the radiolabeled antagonist dihydroalprenolol to the receptor is affected neither by the enzymic treatments nor by the presence of lectins, suggesting that the carbohydrate moiety is not involved in the catecholamine binding site.

Altered binding properties of beta-adrenergic receptors and lack of coupling to adenylate cyclase in P815 mastocytoma cells.

P815, a murine mastocytoma cell line, possesses beta-adrenergic binding sites as assessed by using [3H]dihydroalprenolol (antagonist) and [3H]hydroxybenzylisoproterenol (agonist). The number of binding sites per cell was 29 000 for the agonist and 75 000 for the antagonist, as determined by direct binding assays and inhibition experiments on intact cells. On membrane preparations from the same cells, binding of alprenolol was only displaceable by antagonists, while stereospecific binding of hydroxybenzylisoproterenol was only displaceable by agonists. The P815 membranes also possessed an adenylate cyclase stimulated by Gpp(NH)p and NaF but not by 1-isoproterenol. The intracellular cAMP level of intact cells was not modulated by 1-isoproterenol or by 1-epinephrine, but was increased by forskolin. These results suggest that the beta-adrenergic receptor of P815 mastocytoma cells is non-functional. This may explain the failure of agonists to stimulate adenylate cyclase activity in these cells.

The human carcinoma cell line A431 possesses large numbers of functional beta-adrenergic receptors.

The existence of beta-adrenergic receptors was demonstrated on whole A431 cells as well as A431 membrane preparations by means of binding assays using the hydrophobic 1-[3H]dihydroalprenolol and the hydrophilic antagonist [3H]CGP-12,177 as beta-adrenergic ligands. Binding was stereospecific. The receptors, as shown by competition studies, proved to be of the beta 2-subtype and appeared functional in the stimulation of adenylate cyclase. The number of receptors per cell and the yield of receptor sites/mg membrane protein render the A431 cell a useful tool for the study of human beta-adrenergic receptors.

[Immunology of beta-adrenergic receptors: a working model of a hormone-mimicking internal image]. / Immunologie des récepteurs beta-adrénergiques: un modèle d'étude d'une image interne hormonomimétique.

Two types of antibodies have been prepared against beta-adrenergic receptors: (1) antibodies against receptor, purified from turkey erythrocyte membranes by affinity chromatography on alprenolol sepharose, and (2) antiidiotypic antibodies raised against the anti-alprenolol immunoglobulins. Both types of antibodies specifically bind to cells which possess beta-adrenergic receptor and mimick the biological effect of the catecholamine hormone: they stimulate basal adenylate-cyclase and enhance adenylate-cyclase activation by catecholamines. The antiidiotypic antibodies only compete with (--)-3H-dihydroalprenolol for binding to the beta-adrenergic receptors on purified turkey erythrocyte membranes. The use of these antibodies as tools for the study of the mechanism of the beta-adrenergic receptor-cyclase complex is discussed.

Visualization of the turkey erythrocyte beta-adrenergic receptor.

We have recently described the affinity chromatography purification of the turkey erythrocyte beta-adrenergic receptor. The minute amounts obtained initially precluded extensive biochemical characterization. To improve the yield of the receptor, the erythrocyte membranes have been prepared by a new method. This procedure resulted in a 10-fold higher receptor density in comparison with the membrane preparation used previously. The new membranes also contained a catecholamine-sensitive guanine triphosphatase and an adenylate cyclase sensitive to Gpp(NH)p and l-epinephrine. Solubilization by a double digitonin extraction resulted in a preparation containing 4-6 pmoles of 3H-dihydroalprenolol binding sites per mg of membrane protein. A single step of affinity chromatography on alprenolol-sepharose of the soluble digitonin extract resulted in an additional 1,000-fold purification of the receptor. The overall purification factor was 20,000 relative to the binding activity of the crude membrane preparations. Electrophoresis is SDS-polyacrylamide of iodinated purified beta-receptors revealed, after autoradiography, the presence of four major components. Three of these, corresponding to molecular weights of 170,000, 33,000, and 30,000, respectively, were not affected by reduction with beta-mercaptoethanol and were not observed when the digitonin extracts were loaded on the affinity gel in the presence of an excess of l-propranolol. A fourth 52,000-dalton component (60,000 daltons after reduction with beta-mercaptoethanol) remained apparent even when affinity purification was prevented by addition of l-propranolol. Our results suggest that the beta-adrenergic receptor is composed of at least three subunits that interact by noncovalent bonds.