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Rat liver glucocorticoid receptor was purified in the presence of molybdate by a three-step procedure comprising protamine sulfate precipitation, affinity chromatography on a dexamethasone matrix and high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) on a TSK G 3000 SW column. The [3H]triamcinolone-acetonide-receptor complex was obtained in 20% yield with an overall 11 800-fold purification. The dissociation rate constant of this complex was 1.6 X 10(-4) min-1. The purified receptor sedimented at 8.3 S in high-salt and 9.4 S in low-salt sucrose gradients containing molybdate. A 7.0-nm Stokes radius was determined by HPSEC on a TSK G 4000 column in high-salt buffer. The calculated Mr was 278000. Dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed an almost homogeneous 90 000-Mr band. Three minor bands with Mr of 78 000, 72 000 and 48 000 were also inconstantly seen. An apparent pI = 5.1 was observed for the [3H]steroid complex by isoelectric focusing in agarose gel. Furthermore high-performance ion-exchange chromatography of the purified complex on a DEAE 545 LKB column (DEAE HPLC) yielded a sharp peak eluted at a 315 mM potassium ion concentration. This peak was shown to contain almost all the 90 000-Mr protein. Moreover the purified receptor complex appeared to be transformable to a DNA-binding state after molybdate removal followed by warming 30 min at 25 degrees C in presence of 0.2% bovine serum albumin: 50-78% transformation yield could be demonstrated by DNA-cellulose chromatography. Partial transformation could also be obtained at 0 degrees C in the absence of any added protein and was followed by DEAE HPLC. The transformed complex was eluted by 180 mM potassium.

Interpretations of the development of phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) in rat liver have been controversial, and the mechanism of ontogenic changes have not yet been elucidated. Fetal PAH activity at a gestational age of 21 days appeared to reach 32% that of adult male level at birth. The in vivo effectiveness of fetal PAH activity was correlated with enhancement of blood tyrosine, while amino-transferase activity appeared only after birth. No sex difference was noted in weaning rats, whereas, in adult females, PAH activity was only 42% that of males. Investigating hormonal influences on liver PAH activity we noted no change of enzyme activity following hydrocortisone, ACTH and estradiol treatment. However, 4 days of testosterone treatment in weaning female rats increased PAH activity (X1.7). Therefore, testosterone could explain increased PAH activity in adult males.

The conversion of phenylalanine to tyrosine is catalysed by phenylalanine-hydroxylase. The substrate phenylalanine shows two effects: (1) allosteric transition at low phenylalanine concentrations, (2) excess substration inhibition. The molecular structure of phenylalanine-hydroxylase has not yet been elucidated. However, a tetrameric structure has been proposed. The Kinetic analysis with respect to substrate analogues suggest the existence of three types of sites on each protomer: (1) a catalytic site, (2) a non-competitive inhibitory site, (3) a positive cooperative site. Use of the enzyme's natural cofactor, tetrahydrobiopterin, has been emphasized to ensure good interpretation of the kinetic results of the phenylalanine-hydroxylase effectors.

Highly-purified non-transformed rat liver [3H]triamcinolone acetonide-receptor complex was shown to be covalently adsorbed on activated thiol sepharose 4B, a reactive sulfhydryl matrice. Elution by mercaptoethanol in excess and inhibition of binding by previous treatment of the complex with N-ethylmaleimide clearly demonstrated the specificity of the binding by thiol disulfide interchange. The transformed [3H]triamcinolone acetonide-receptor complex, partially purified by DNA-cellulose chromatography, was also retained on activated thiol sepharose 4B. The physicochemical characteristics of both the transformed and non-transformed glucocorticoid receptor complexes eluted from the covalent chromatography column were studied by HP size exclusion chromatography on a TSK G 3000 SW column and were found to be identical to those of the starting complexes. These results provide direct evidence for accessible sulfhydryl groups on the glucocorticoid receptor complex surface, probably distinct from the steroid binding essential sulfhydryl group.

The Stokes radius of the rat liver glucocorticoid receptor was determined using TSK G3000SW and TSK G4000SW high-performance size-exclusion columns. The accuracy of the calibration graph for proteins larger than 6 nm on the TSK G4000SW column allowed the resolution of a heterogeneous structure for the cytosolic untransformed receptor, giving two forms with Rs values of 8.3 and 7.1 nm, whereas the transformed receptor elutes with an Rs value of 4.7-5.3 nm. The 8.3 nm form was not observed for the highly purified untransformed receptor. Parallel analyses of the cytosolic untransformed receptor on conventional gravity-fed Bio-Gel A 1.5-m or Ultrogel AcA-22 size-exclusion columns could not resolve two components. The resolution efficiencies of high-performance size-exclusion chromatography and open-column size-exclusion chromatography were compared. Further, owing to its rapidity, high-performance chromatography allowed the characterization of steroid-receptor complexes having half-lives as short as 90 min and very unstable receptor forms could be detected. Specific applications are considered, such as the resort to a small TSK GSWP guard column for the rapid separation of affinity-purified [3H]TA-receptor complexes from free eluting steroid, and to a preparative TSK G4000SW column for the fractionation of significant amounts of the two untransformed receptor forms.

The cytosolic untransformed molybdate-stabilized glucocorticoid-receptor complex from rat liver was eluted as a heterogenous peak containing two components with Stokes radii (Rs) of 8.3 nm and 7.1 nm when analyzed by size-exclusion HPLC even in the absence of molybdate. In contrast, the highly purified glucocorticoid receptor yielded a sharp symmetrical peak of Rs = 7.1 nm. We demonstrate that the 7.1-nm component could not result from a proteolytic degradation of the 8.3-nm receptor form. The same receptor heterogeneity was observed in thymus cytosol which contains less proteases than liver. After labeling with [3H]dexamethasone 21-mesylate and SDS/PAGE the same 94-kDa receptor band was revealed in both the 8.3-nm and 7.1-nm forms. Immunoblotting experiments showed that both the 94-kDa hormone-binding subunit and the 90-kDa heat-shock protein were present in the two different receptor forms. The 8.3-nm receptor form was converted to the 7.1-nm receptor form after treatment by ribonuclease A in the presence of molybdate and this effect was dose-dependent, being completely prevented by placental ribonuclease inhibitor (RNasin). In contrast, in the presence of molybdate, the 7.1-nm receptor form was ribonuclease-insensitive. Treatment of cytosol with RNase A in the absence of molybdate, partially shifted the untransformed receptor towards the 5.2-nm transformed receptor form. This effect was abolished by placental ribonuclease inhibitor. RNase S protein, an enzymatically inactive proteolytic fragment of RNase A, or S1 nuclease, which is specific for single-stranded nucleic acids, were ineffective when used instead of RNase A. In contrast, cobra venom endonuclease, which preferentially attacks double-stranded regions of small RNAs, caused a complete conversion of the 7-8-nm untransformed receptor to the 5.2-nm transformed receptor form. These results were not observed in the presence of molybdate. Addition of RNasin prior to heating cytosol in the absence of molybdate did not prevent the receptor from dissociating to the 5.2-nm form, suggesting that an endogenous RNase is not involved in the transformation process. The 7.1-nm receptor form was shifted to a 9.2-nm complex when incubated with an excess of GR 49 antireceptor antibody, whereas the 8.3-nm receptor form did not bind to the antibody.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

A series of N-alkylmaleimides was shown to inactivate effectively the rat liver glucocorticoid receptor at neutral pH. A partial purification of the unbound cytosolic receptor by protamine sulfate precipitation and a careful stabilization of the essential thiol by dithiothreitol and sodium molybdate before the alkylation step appeared essential to obtain pseudo-first-order kinetics. Moreover, performing the experiment at -12 degrees C in buffer containing 40% glycerol as antifreeze agent resulted in increased receptor stabilization and a slowing-down of the inactivation process, which could then be more accurately studied. This process was demonstrated to be dose- and pH-dependent in the case of N-ethyl- and N-nonylmaleimides. Furthermore, comparison of the various N-alkylmaleimides revealed a striking increase of receptor inactivation with increasing chain length of the maleimide derivative. Full protection against inactivation was afforded by previous [3H]dexamethasone binding on the receptor. Long-chain N-alkylmaleimides inactivated by beta-mercaptoethanol were still able to inhibit the [3H]-dexamethasone binding noncovalently. Likewise N-nonylsuccinimide was shown to compete with [3H]dexamethasone for receptor binding. It is suggested that the chain length effect observed in the inactivation process is related to nonpolar interactions in the binding of maleimides to the receptor prior to the irreversible alkylation of sulfhydryl groups. These groups lie in a hydrophobic environment, probably in the steroid binding site itself.