help button home button Endocrine Society Endocrinology
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS

This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Copyright Permission
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Flanagan, C. A.
Right arrow Articles by Millar, R. P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Flanagan, C. A.
Right arrow Articles by Millar, R. P.
Endocrinology Vol. 139, No. 10 4115-4119
Copyright © 1998 by The Endocrine Society


ARTICLES

A High Affinity Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) Tracer, Radioiodinated at Position 6, Facilitates Analysis of Mutant GnRH Receptors1

Colleen A. Flanagan2, Bernhard J. Fromme, James S. Davidson and Robert P. Millar3

Medical Research Council Research Unit for Molecular Reproductive Endocrinology, Department of Chemical Pathology (C.A.F., B.J.F., J.S.D., R.P.M.), and Endocrine Laboratory, Department of Medicine (C.A.F., R.P.M.), University of Cape Town Medical School, Observatory 7925, South Africa

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Robert P. Millar, Director, Medical Research Council Reproductive Biology Unit, 37 Chalmers Street, Edinburgh EH, United Kingdom. E-mail: Bob{at}ed-rbu.mrc.ac.uk


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Cloning of GnRH receptors from several animal species has made it possible to investigate receptor function using site-directed mutagenesis. However, many mutant GnRH receptors exhibit decreased ligand binding, which makes analysis of their ligand binding characteristics technically difficult. To increase the affinity of binding to the GnRH receptor, a novel tracer ligand, 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH, was designed and synthesized to allow radioiodination at position 6 rather than the usual position 5.

In competition binding assays, total binding of 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH was higher than binding of a conventional tracer ligand, 125I-[D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH. The bindable fractions and specific activities of both peptides were similar, and the receptor binding affinities of the unlabeled peptides were indistinguishable. However, comparison of the radiolabeled peptides in saturation binding assays showed that the affinity of the peptide,125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH, (Kd, 0.19 nM), was approximately 2-fold higher than that of the conventional tracer. The increased binding of 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH has allowed the development of a sensitive GnRH receptor binding assay for analysis of mutant GnRH receptors that exhibit decreased ligand binding.


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
THE decapeptide GnRH (pGlu-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-Gly-Leu-Arg-Pro-Gly-NH2) is the primary regulator of reproduction. It interacts with receptors on pituitary gonadotrope cells and stimulates the release of LH and FSH. Cloning of GnRH receptors from several animal species has made it possible to investigate receptor structure and function using site-directed mutagenesis (reviewed in Ref. 1). However, many mutant GnRH receptors exhibit decreased ligand binding affinity or decreased levels of expression (2, 3) that cause technical difficulties in characterizing these receptors.

Radioiodinated GnRH agonists are used as tracers in the competition binding assays that are used to determine expression levels and affinity of GnRH receptors (4, 5). A tracer with increased affinity for the GnRH receptor would be expected to facilitate binding assays for some of the mutant GnRH receptors that cannot be measured using currently available technology. The GnRH agonists that are used as tracers contain a Tyr residue in position 5, to which an atom of 125I is attached by oxidative radioiodination reactions. However, the Tyr5 residue is believed to have a role in maintaining the active conformation of the GnRH peptide for interaction with its receptor (6) and may also interact directly with the receptor. Iodination of GnRH has been reported to decrease its biological activity by a small amount (7). Although it has been reported that the GnRH receptor binding affinities of iodinated peptides are the same as those for the corresponding noniodinated peptides (4, 8), differences in the methods used to determine affinities and the log-normal distribution of ligand-receptor interactions (9) make it difficult to detect small (~2-fold) differences in affinity. Nevertheless, small differences in affinity have a significant effect on the amount of tracer bound under the nonsaturating conditions of competition binding assays.

Replacement of the achiral Gly residue in position 6 of GnRH with D-amino acids increases GnRH potency (reviewed in Ref. 10) and increases affinity for the GnRH receptor (11). D-Amino acids with large hydrophobic side-chains are not only tolerated in position 6, but improve GnRH activity (10). Our studies using chimeric analogs of naturally occurring forms of GnRH showed that substitution of Tyr5 with His slightly increases the affinity of GnRH agonists for GnRH receptors (12). We have therefore designed and synthesized a peptide, [His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH, that is expected to bind to the GnRH receptor with high affinity when it is radioiodinated in position 6 rather than the usual position 5.


    Materials and Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Peptide synthesis
[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH and [D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH were synthesized in our laboratory (E. Becker and R. C. DeL. Milton) using conventional solid phase methodology and purified by preparative reverse phase HPLC. Amino acid analysis of 6 M HCl hydrolysates was consistent with peptide sequence. Antagonist 26 ([Ac-D-4-Cl-Phe1,2,D-Trp3,D-Lys6,D-Ala10NH2]GnRH) was a gift from D. Coy, Tulane University School of Medicine (New Orleans, LA).

Radioiodination
Peptides were radioiodinated by a variation of the chloramine-T method. Five micrograms of peptide in 20 µl 0.5 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) were reacted for about 10 sec with Na125I (1 mCi; Amersham, Aylesbury, UK) and chloramine-T (10 µl of 3 mg/ml in phosphate buffer). The reaction was terminated by the addition of sodium metabisulfite (50 µl of 1.2 mg/ml in phosphate buffer). Iodinated peptides were purified on C18 reverse phase HPLC with a gradient of 0–60% or 80% acetonitrile/0.01 M ammonium acetate (pH 4.6) at a flow rate of 1.5 ml/min. Specific activity was determined by the method of Hulme and Birdsall (13)

Cell culture, transfection, and receptor binding assays
The {alpha}T3 gonadotrope cell line, which contains the mouse GnRH receptor (14), and COS-1 cells (American Type Culture Collection) were maintained in DMEM (Life Technologies, Paisley, UK) containing 10% FBS (Highveld Biological, Kelvin, South Africa). Complementary DNA for the wild-type human GnRH receptor (15) and mutant GnRH receptors containing a second N-glycosylation site (16) or an Asn substitution for Asp302 were subcloned into the pcDNA I/Amp expression vector and transfected into COS-1 cells using the diethylaminoethyl-dextran method (17) as previously described (5). Binding assays were performed as previously described with minor alterations. Cells ({alpha}T3 or transfected COS-1) were detached from culture dishes in binding buffer [10 mM HEPES (pH 7.4), 1 mM EDTA and 0.1% wt/vol BSA], homogenized in a Dounce homogenizer (Kontes, Vineland, NJ), and centrifuged (10,000 x g, 4 C, 40 min). The crude membrane pellet was resuspended in binding buffer and incubated at 4 C, for the times indicated in the figure legends, in the presence of labeled peptide at the indicated concentrations and varying concentrations of unlabeled peptides in a final volume of 0.5 ml. Incubations were terminated by the addition of 3 ml cold polyethylenimine solution (0.01%; Sigma, St. Louis, MO) and were filtered through GF/C filters (Whatman, Clifton, NJ) presoaked in 1% polyethylenimine. Nonspecific binding was estimated in the presence of 10-6 M antagonist 26, which does not displace label bound by membranes prepared from untransfected COS-1 cells.

Data analysis
Experiments were performed in triplicate. Four-parameter nonlinear curve fitting (Sigmaplot, Jandel Scientific, Corte Madera, CA) was used to calculate the maximum bindable fraction of tracer and to draw the curves presented in figures. Equilibrium dissociation constants (Kd) were estimated using the Ligand data analysis program (18).


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH eluted as a broad major peak between 35–45 min when a gradient of 0–60% acetonitrile was used to purify the radioiodinated peptide. In subsequent purifications, gradients of 0–80% acetonitrile eluted the labeled peptide as a sharp peak between 22–27 min. The variation in the elution time of this sharp peak was probably due to variation in gradients, as a crude two-chamber gradient mixer was used. In a preliminary ligand binding assay using cell membranes prepared from {alpha}T3 mouse gonadotrope cells, specific binding of 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH was 30.9% of the total radioactivity (70,000 cpm) compared with 13.3% for 125I-[D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH. This result confirmed that increased binding could be obtained with the new tracer. Although the 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH peptide was designed to have increased affinity for the receptor, its higher binding could also be due to trivial causes, such as higher specific activity or a higher bindable fraction of the [His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH tracer preparation. The cloned human GnRH receptor was used for subsequent experiments because the mutant receptors for which we had been unable to measure ligand binding were derived from the human GnRH receptor.

Tracer preparations frequently contain radioactive impurities that do not bind to the receptor of interest. These impurities may include diiodinated peptides, iodinated peptide fragments, and peptides that have been oxidized during the iodination reaction. As the increased binding of 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH could be due to a lower proportion of unbindable radioactive impurities, we determined what fraction of the tracer preparation could be bound by a GnRH receptor. A human GnRH receptor mutant that contains an extra N-glycosylation site was used in experiments to determine the bindable fraction of 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH. This mutation increases the number of receptors present on the cell membrane (16) and therefore makes it possible to achieve receptor concentrations greater than the Kd, which is necessary for determination of the bindable fraction of a radioligand (13). Incubation of a limiting concentration of 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH tracer (22 pM) with increasing concentrations of receptor-containing membranes showed that 69.3% of the radioactivity in the tracer could be bound by the glycosylated GnRH receptor (Fig. 1Go), similar to the 74.7% bindable fraction of the 125I-[D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH tracer. These results show that unbindable radiolabeled material made up 30.7% of the 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH preparation and 25.3% of the 125I-[D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH preparation, and we conclude, therefore, that the increased binding of the 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH tracer could not be accounted for by higher purity of the tracer preparation. The specific activity of the 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH tracer ranged between 900-1800 µCi/µg, which was similar to what we have previously found for 125I-[D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH (12). The similar specific activities of the two tracer preparations indicate that both peptides are iodinated to a similar degree, and as GnRH peptides that contain diiodotyrosine in position 5 do not bind to the GnRH receptor, it is likely that the bindable fractions of both tracers consist of peptides that contain a single atom of radioiodine. 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH probably was not radioiodinated on His residues because attempts to radioiodinate the homologous peptide, [His5,D-Trp6]GnRH, which contains His residues in positions 2 and 5, but D-Trp instead of D-Tyr in position 6, yielded only a small amount of radiolabeled peptide that did not bind to GnRH receptors (not shown). This result shows that modification of residues other than Tyr5 or D-Tyr6 yields peptides that do not exhibit high affinity binding to GnRH receptors.



View larger version (21K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 1. 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH bound by increasing amounts of GnRH receptor to determine the bindable fraction of the tracer. Membranes prepared from COS-1 cells transfected with a human GnRH receptor mutant containing an extra N-glycosylation site were incubated for 2.5 h with 11 fmol (22 pM) tracer as described in Materials and Methods. Data points are the mean ± SE of triplicate determinations.

 
Time-course experiments showed that equilibrium binding of 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH to the wild-type human GnRH receptor was achieved after incubation for 21 h at 4 C (Fig. 2Go). In subsequent binding experiments, incubations were performed overnight (18–24 h).



View larger version (20K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 2. Time course of 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH binding to the human GnRH receptor. The wild-type human GnRH receptor (~5 fmol; ~10 pM) was incubated with 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH (~22 fmol, ~44 pM), as described in Materials and Methods, for the times indicated. Data points are the mean ± SD of two experiments performed in triplicate, except for the last four points, which are the mean ± SD determined in single experiments.

 
The affinities of the noniodinated peptides were determined in competition binding experiments using both 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH and 125I-[D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH as tracers. The affinities of the parent peptides, [His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH (Kd, 0.40 ± 0.09 nM) and [D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH (Kd, 0.44 ± 0.06 nM), were indistinguishable (Fig. 3Go).



View larger version (22K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 3. Competition binding curves comparing noniodinated peptides. Competition binding experiments were performed using 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH as tracer and overnight incubation (top panel) or 125I-[D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH as tracer and 5-h incubation (lower panel) in the presence of noniodinated peptides, [His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH (open circles) and [D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH (filled circles).

 
Saturation binding assays were performed to determine the affinities of the radioiodinated peptides. Simultaneous analysis of three saturation binding experiments yielded a Kd of 0.19 nM for 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH. In a comparative experiment in which both radioligands were tested, the highest concentration of 125I-[D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH that we were able to achieve (0.4 nM) was not sufficient to allow reliable calculation of its affinity (Fig. 4Go). Thus, the new tracer, 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH, binds to the human GnRH receptor with higher affinity than the conventional GnRH analog.



View larger version (19K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 4. Saturation binding of 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH and 125I-[D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH to the human GnRH receptor. COS-1 cell membranes containing human GnRH receptor (18 pM) were incubated overnight with increasing concentrations of 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH (open circles) or for 5 h with 125I-[D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH (filled circles). Data points are the mean ± SE of triplicate determinations in a representative experiment.

 
The 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH tracer was used to assess the binding characteristics of a human GnRH receptor mutant in which Asp302 was mutated Asn. This mutant did not bind enough of the conventional tracer to allow determination of its affinity (Fig. 5Go). In contrast, sufficient binding of 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH was achieved to allow competition binding curves and, thus, estimation of the Kd for the mutant receptor (Fig. 5Go). In addition, nonspecific binding and the associated noise were lower (Fig. 5Go) because less radioactivity and fewer cell membranes were required to achieve measurable binding.



View larger version (19K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 5. Competition binding of a human GnRH receptor mutant (Asp302->Asn) using two different tracers. 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH (40,000 cpm; open circles) was incubated overnight with transfected COS-1 cell membranes (2.5 x 105 cells/tube) and varying concentrations of unlabeled [D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH. 125I-[D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH (100,000 cpm; filled circles) was incubated for 5 h with transfected cell membranes (7.5 x 105 cells/tube) and unlabeled [D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH. Data points are the mean ± SE of triplicate determinations in separate experiments. Total binding is presented to illustrate the higher nonspecific binding of 125I-[D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH, which is due to the higher concentration of radioactivity and the greater amount of membranes required to achieve binding of this ligand.

 

    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
We have designed and prepared a novel tracer ligand for GnRH receptor competition binding assays. The 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH peptide exhibited increased binding to mouse gonadotrope cell membranes compared with that of a well established tracer ligand, and this increased binding was not a consequence of increased purity or higher specific activity of the new tracer. Time-course experiments showed that about 20 h are required for equilibrium binding of 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH to the human GnRH receptor, which is longer than the 5-h equilibration time for binding of 125I-[D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH to the same receptor (not shown). Many receptor ligand interactions exhibit diffusion-limited association kinetics, and high binding affinity is thus determined by slower dissociation rates. The slower dissociation rate results in a longer equilibration time (13). Thus, the longer equilibration time required for binding of 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH is consistent with higher affinity for the receptor.

However, the binding affinities of the unlabeled peptides [His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH and [D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH were indistinguishable. Thus, any difference in the receptor binding affinities of the unlabeled peptides is smaller than the experimental error in determining them. There remained the possibility, however, that radioiodination affects the two peptides differently and that the labeled peptides might therefore have distinct affinities for the recombinant human GnRH receptor. This possibility was tested using saturation binding experiments. Although the Kd of 0.19 nM determined for 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH is slightly lower than the Kd determined for the unlabeled peptide in competition binding experiments, indicating a higher affinity of the labeled peptide, the difference is too small to draw any firm conclusion as to whether iodination of the D-Tyr6 residue increases binding affinity because of the different methods used to determine these values. Nevertheless, it is clear from our experiments that the affinity of 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH is higher than that of the more conventional tracer, 125I-[D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH at the human GnRH receptor.

Previous studies showed that the affinities of iodinated GnRH analogs were the same as those for equivalent unmodified peptides (4, 8) in rat pituitary membranes, even though iodinated GnRH had exhibited decreased potency in vivo (7). The Tyr5 residue, which is modified in the iodination reaction, has been proposed to participate in intramolecular interactions that stabilize the active conformation of the GnRH peptide (6). Most substitutions for Tyr5 caused decreases (40–95%) in GnRH activity (7, 19). However, substitution of a His residue for Tyr5 slightly increased affinity for mammalian GnRH receptors (12). This makes it possible to minimize potential deleterious effects of modifying Tyr5 by replacing it with His. Substitution of the achiral Gly residue, in position 6 of GnRH, with D-isomers of natural or unnatural amino acids is well known to increase affinity for GnRH receptors (10, 12, 20). Thus, a D-Tyr substitution is expected to be well tolerated in position 6. In addition, GnRH activity increases with increasing hydrophobicity of the side-chain of the residue in position 6 (21). Thus, radioiodination of a D-Tyr residue in position 6 is likely to result in a tracer with increased affinity for GnRH receptors. Therefore, the [His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH peptide was designed to obviate any deleterious effects of iodination at position 5 while capitalizing on the increased affinity associated with increased hydrophobicity at position 6. The present study has not established whether iodination of Tyr in either position 5 or 6 modifies the affinity of GnRH agonists for the human GnRH receptor, but it is clear that the 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH tracer has higher affinity for the GnRH receptor than does the conventional tracer. The increased affinity for the GnRH receptor accounts for the higher total binding that was obtained under the nonsaturating conditions (tracer concentration, ~50 pM) of the preliminary competition binding assay.

We have previously described a mutation of the mouse GnRH receptor (Glu301->Gln) that exhibited decreased affinity for GnRH, but not for certain GnRH analogs (20). The equivalent mutation of the human GnRH receptor (Asp302->Asn) caused a decrease in total binding of 125I-[D-Ala6,N-MeLeu7,Pro9NHEt]GnRH such that we were unable to characterize the binding of the mutant receptor. The 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH tracer allowed characterization of the mutant receptor. The high affinity of the new tracer makes it possible to perform competition binding assays with lower receptor concentrations and thus allows analysis of mutant receptors with significantly decreased expression. In addition, 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH should be useful for analysis of receptor mutations that cause small decreases (<10-fold) in affinity if expression levels are not compromised.

In conclusion, we have designed and synthesized a high affinity tracer for GnRH receptor binding assays that is radioiodinated at position 6. 125I-[His5,D-Tyr6]GnRH has allowed us to establish a more sensitive GnRH receptor binding assay that requires fewer cells (~5-fold) for assays using the wild-type GnRH receptor and allows ligand binding analysis of some mutant GnRH receptors that exhibit decreased expression or decreased affinity for GnRH.


    Acknowledgments
 
Antagonist 26 was a generous gift from Dr. David Coy.


    Footnotes
 
1 This work was funded by the Medical Research Council of South Africa, the Foundation for Research Development, and the University of Cape Town. Back

2 Current address: Fishberg Research Center in Neurobiology, Box 1137, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1 Gustav L. Levy Place, New York, New York 10029. Back

3 Current address: Medical Research Council Reproductive Biology Unit, 37 Chalmers Street, Edinburgh EH, United Kingdom. Back

Received January 29, 1998.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

  1. Sealfon SC, Weinstein H, Millar RP 1997 Molecular mechanisms of ligand interaction with the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor. Endocr Rev 18:180–205[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  2. Zhou W, Rodic V, Kitanovic S, Flanagan CA, Chi L, Weinstein H, Maayani S, Millar RP, Sealfon SC 1995 A locus of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor that differentiates agonist and antagonist binding sites. J Biol Chem 270:18853–18857[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  3. Davidson JS, McArdle CA, Davies P, Elario R, Flanagan CA, Millar RP 1996 Asn102 of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor is a critical determinant of potency for agonists containing C-terminal glycinamide. J Biol Chem 271:15510–15514[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  4. Clayton RN, Shakespear RA, Duncan JA, Marshall JC, Munson PJ, Rodbard D 1979 Radioiodinated nondegradable gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs: new probes for the investigation of pituitary gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptors. Endocrinology 105:1369–1376[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  5. Millar RP, Davidson J, Flanagan CA, Wakefield I 1995 Ligand binding and second-messenger assays for cloned Gq/G11-coupled neuropeptide receptors; the GnRH receptor. In: Sealfon SC (ed) Methods in Neurosciences, Receptor Molecular Biology. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 145–162
  6. Shinitzky M, Fridkin M 1976 Structural features of luliberin (luteinising hormone-releasing factor) inferred from fluorescence measurements. Biochim Biophys Acta 434:137–143[Medline]
  7. Sandow J, Konig W, Geiger R, Uhmann R, von Rechenberg W 1978 Structure-activity relationships in the LHRH molecule. In: Crighton DB, Haynes NB, Foxcroft GR, Lamming GE (eds) Control of Ovulation. Butterworths, London, pp 49–70
  8. Perrin MH, Haas Y, Rivier JE, Vale WW 1983 Gonadotropin-releasing hormone binding to rat anterior pituitary membrane homogenates. Comparison of antagonists and agonists using radiolabeled antagonist and agonist. Mol Pharmacol 23:44–51[Abstract]
  9. Kenakin T 1993 Pharmacologic Analysis of Drug-Receptor Interaction. Raven Press, New York
  10. Karten MJ, Rivier JE 1986 Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog design. Structure-function studies toward the development of agonists and antagonists: rationale and perspective. Endocr Rev 7:44–66[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  11. Clayton RN, Catt KJ 1980 Receptor-binding affinity of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs: analysis by radioligand-receptor assay. Endocrinology 106:1154–1159[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  12. Millar RP, Flanagan CA, Milton RC, King JA 1989 Chimeric analogues of vertebrate gonadotropin-releasing hormones comprising substitutions of the variant amino acids in positions 5, 7, and 8. Characterization of requirements for receptor binding and gonadotropin release in mammalian and avian pituitary gonadotropes. J Biol Chem 264:21007–21013[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  13. Hulme EC, Birdsall NJM 1992 Strategy and tactics in receptor-binding studies. In: Hulme EC (ed) Receptor-Ligand Interactions, A Practical Approach. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 63–174
  14. Windle JJ, Weiner RI, Mellon PL 1990 Cell lines of the pituitary gonadotrope lineage derived by targeted oncogenesis in transgenic mice. Mol Endocrinol 4:597–603[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  15. Chi L, Zhou W, Prikhozhan A, Flanagan C, Davidson JS, Golembo M, Illing N, Millar RP, Sealfon SC 1993 Cloning and characterization of the human GnRH receptor. Mol Cell Endocrinol 91:R1–R6
  16. Davidson JS, Flanagan CA, Davies PD, Hapgood J, Myburgh D, Elario R, Millar RP, Forrest-Owen W, McArdle CA 1996 Incorporation of an additional glycosylation site enhances expression of functional human gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor. Endocrine 4:207–212
  17. Keown WA, Campbell CR, Kucherlapati RS 1990 Methods for introducing DNA into mammalian cells. Methods Enzymol 185:527–537[Medline]
  18. Munson PJ, Rodbard D 1980 Ligand: a versatile computerized approach for characterization of ligand-binding systems. Anal Biochem 107:220–239[CrossRef][Medline]
  19. Coy DH, Coy EJ, Schally AV 1975 Structure-activity relationship of LH, FSH releasing hormone. In: Marks N, Rodnight R (eds) Research Methods in Neurochemistry. Plenum Press, New York, pp 393–406
  20. Flanagan CA, Becker II, Davidson JS, Wakefield IK, Zhou W, Sealfon SC, Millar RP 1994 Glutamate 301 of the mouse gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor confers specificity for arginine 8 of mammalian gonadotropin-releasing hormone. J Biol Chem 269:22636–22641[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  21. Nestor Jr JJ, Ho TL, Tahilramani R, McRea GI, Vickery BH 1984 Long acting LHRH agonists and antagonists. In: Labrie F, Belanger A, Dupont A (eds) LHRH and Its Analogues: Basic and Clinical Aspects. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 24–35



This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
J EndocrinolHome page
N. T Joseph, K. Morgan, R. Sellar, D. McBride, R. P Millar, and I. C Dunn
The chicken type III GnRH receptor homologue is predominantly expressed in the pituitary, and exhibits similar ligand selectivity to the type I receptor
J. Endocrinol., July 1, 2009; 202(1): 179 - 190.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Mol. Endocrinol.Home page
R. Lopez de Maturana, A. J. Pawson, Z.-L. Lu, L. Davidson, S. Maudsley, K. Morgan, S. P. Langdon, and R. P. Millar
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Analog Structural Determinants of Selectivity for Inhibition of Cell Growth: Support for the Concept of Ligand-Induced Selective Signaling
Mol. Endocrinol., July 1, 2008; 22(7): 1711 - 1722.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
EndocrinologyHome page
K. D. G. Pfleger, A. J. Pawson, and R. P. Millar
Changes to Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) Receptor Extracellular Loops Differentially Affect GnRH Analog Binding and Activation: Evidence for Distinct Ligand-Stabilized Receptor Conformations
Endocrinology, June 1, 2008; 149(6): 3118 - 3129.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
EndocrinologyHome page
A. J. Pawson, E. Faccenda, S. Maudsley, Z.-L. Lu, Z. Naor, and R. P. Millar
Mammalian Type I Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptors Undergo Slow, Constitutive, Agonist-Independent Internalization
Endocrinology, March 1, 2008; 149(3): 1415 - 1422.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
EndocrinologyHome page
C. A. Flanagan, C.-C. Chen, M. Coetsee, S. Mamputha, K. E. Whitlock, N. Bredenkamp, L. Grosenick, R. D. Fernald, and N. Illing
Expression, Structure, Function, and Evolution of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) Receptors GnRH-R1SHS and GnRH-R2PEY in the Teleost, Astatotilapia burtoni
Endocrinology, October 1, 2007; 148(10): 5060 - 5071.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Mol. Endocrinol.Home page
Z. Naor, H. N. Jabbour, M. Naidich, A. J. Pawson, K. Morgan, S. Battersby, M. R. Millar, P. Brown, and R. P. Millar
Reciprocal Cross Talk between Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) and Prostaglandin Receptors Regulates GnRH Receptor Expression and Differential Gonadotropin Secretion
Mol. Endocrinol., February 1, 2007; 21(2): 524 - 537.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
EndocrinologyHome page
R. S. Struthers, Q. Xie, S. K. Sullivan, G. J. Reinhart, T. A. Kohout, Y.-F. Zhu, C. Chen, X.-J. Liu, N. Ling, W. Yang, et al.
Pharmacological Characterization of a Novel Nonpeptide Antagonist of the Human Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor, NBI-42902
Endocrinology, February 1, 2007; 148(2): 857 - 867.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Mol. Endocrinol.Home page
S. Mamputha, Z.-l. Lu, R. W. Roeske, R. P. Millar, A. A. Katz, and C. A. Flanagan
Conserved Amino Acid Residues that Are Important for Ligand Binding in the Type I Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) Receptor Are Required for High Potency of GnRH II at the Type II GnRH Receptor
Mol. Endocrinol., January 1, 2007; 21(1): 281 - 292.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
EndocrinologyHome page
K. Morgan, R. Sellar, A. J. Pawson, Z.-L. Lu, and R. P. Millar
Bovine and Ovine Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH)-II Ligand Precursors and Type II GnRH Receptor Genes Are Functionally Inactivated
Endocrinology, November 1, 2006; 147(11): 5041 - 5051.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
EndocrinologyHome page
K. E. Ratcliffe, H. M. Fraser, R. Sellar, J. Rivier, and R. P. Millar
Bifunctional Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Antagonist-Progesterone Analogs with Increased Efficacy and Duration of Action
Endocrinology, January 1, 2006; 147(1): 571 - 579.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Biol. Chem.Home page
Z.-L. Lu, R. Gallagher, R. Sellar, M. Coetsee, and R. P. Millar
Mutations Remote from the Human Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone (GnRH) Receptor-binding Sites Specifically Increase Binding Affinity for GnRH II but Not GnRH I: EVIDENCE FOR LIGAND-SELECTIVE, RECEPTOR-ACTIVE CONFORMATIONS
J. Biol. Chem., August 19, 2005; 280(33): 29796 - 29803.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
EndocrinologyHome page
A. J. Pawson, S. Maudsley, K. Morgan, L. Davidson, Z. Naor, and R. P. Millar
Inhibition of Human Type I Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor (GnRHR) Function by Expression of a Human Type II GnRHR Gene Fragment
Endocrinology, June 1, 2005; 146(6): 2639 - 2649.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
EndocrinologyHome page
K. Ronacher, N. Matsiliza, N. Nkwanyana, A. J. Pawson, T. Adam, C. A. Flanagan, R. P. Millar, and A. A. Katz
Serine Residues 338 and 339 in the Carboxyl-Terminal Tail of the Type II Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor Are Critical for {beta}-Arrestin-Independent Internalization
Endocrinology, October 1, 2004; 145(10): 4480 - 4488.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
EndocrinologyHome page
A. J. Pawson, S. R. Maudsley, J. Lopes, A. A. Katz, Y.-M. Sun, J. S. Davidson, and R. P. Millar
Multiple Determinants for Rapid Agonist-Induced Internalization of a Nonmammalian Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor: A Putative Palmitoylation Site and Threonine Doublet within the Carboxyl-Terminal Tail Are Critical
Endocrinology, September 1, 2003; 144(9): 3860 - 3871.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Mol. Endocrinol.Home page
K. D. G. Pfleger, J. Bogerd, and R. P. Millar
Conformational Constraint of Mammalian, Chicken, and Salmon GnRHs, But Not GnRH II, Enhances Binding at Mammalian and Nonmammalian Receptors: Evidence for Preconfiguration of GnRH II
Mol. Endocrinol., September 1, 2002; 16(9): 2155 - 2162.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Mol. Pharmacol.Home page
B. J. Fromme, A. A. Katz, R. W. Roeske, R. P. Millar, and C. A. Flanagan
Role of Aspartate7.32(302) of the Human Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor in Stabilizing a High-Affinity Ligand Conformation
Mol. Pharmacol., December 1, 2001; 60(6): 1280 - 1287.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
R. Millar, S. Lowe, D. Conklin, A. Pawson, S. Maudsley, B. Troskie, T. Ott, M. Millar, G. Lincoln, R. Sellar, et al.
A novel mammalian receptor for the evolutionarily conserved type II GnRH
PNAS, August 1, 2001; (2001) 141048498.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
EndocrinologyHome page
R. R. Robison, R. B. White, N. Illing, B. E. Troskie, M. Morley, R. P. Millar, and R. D. Fernald
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor in the Teleost Haplochromis burtoni: Structure, Location, and Function
Endocrinology, May 1, 2001; 142(5): 1737 - 1743.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


Home page
Mol. Endocrinol.Home page
S. H. Hoffmann, T. t. Laak, R. Kühne, H. Reiländer, and T. Beckers
Residues within Transmembrane Helices 2 and 5 of the Human Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor Contribute to Agonist and Antagonist Binding
Mol. Endocrinol., July 1, 2000; 14(7): 1099 - 1115.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


Home page
EndocrinologyHome page
B. E. Troskie, J. P. Hapgood, R. P. Millar, and N. Illing
Complementary Deoxyribonucleic Acid Cloning, Gene Expression, and Ligand Selectivity of a Novel Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor Expressed in the Pituitary and Midbrain of Xenopus laevis
Endocrinology, May 1, 2000; 141(5): 1764 - 1771.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Mol. Pharmacol.Home page
S. Chauvin, A. Bérault, Y. Lerrant, M. Hibert, and R. Counis
Functional Importance of Transmembrane Helix 6 Trp279 and Exoloop 3 Val299 of Rat Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor
Mol. Pharmacol., March 1, 2000; 57(3): 625 - 633.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


Home page
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
R. Millar, S. Lowe, D. Conklin, A. Pawson, S. Maudsley, B. Troskie, T. Ott, M. Millar, G. Lincoln, R. Sellar, et al.
A novel mammalian receptor for the evolutionarily conserved type II GnRH
PNAS, August 14, 2001; 98(17): 9636 - 9641.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Copyright Permission
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Flanagan, C. A.
Right arrow Articles by Millar, R. P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Flanagan, C. A.
Right arrow Articles by Millar, R. P.


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Endocrinology Endocrine Reviews J. Clin. End. & Metab.
Molecular Endocrinology Recent Prog. Horm. Res. All Endocrine Journals