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Rat liver and brain membrane alpha 1-adrenergic receptors were purified greater than 500-fold by successive chromatographic steps using heparin-agarose, an affinity matrix constructed by coupling a novel derivative of the alpha 1-selective antagonist prazosin to Affigel-102 and wheat germ agglutinin-agarose. Several lines of evidence were obtained for the existence in brain of an alpha 1-adrenergic receptor subtype that is structurally distinct from that previously characterized in liver and other tissues using photoaffinity labeling, protein purification, and DNA cloning techniques. The alpha 1-selective ligand chlorethylclonidine (CEC) (an alkylating agent) irreversibly inactivates 100% of [3H]prazosin binding sites in partially purified preparations of rat liver. Under identical conditions, only 50% of brain receptors are irreversibly inactivated. Computer modeling of data obtained from the competition by the alpha antagonists WB4101 and phentolamine for [3H]prazosin binding to partially purified preparations of rat liver is best fit by assuming a single class of low affinity sites for both ligands. However, analysis of partially purified brain preparations indicates the presence of two binding sites with different affinities for these antagonists. Additionally, prior alkylation of brain receptors with CEC results in the loss of low affinity phentolamine and WB4101 binding sites. The CEC-insensitive site in brain, which displays high affinity for phentolamine and WB4101, is resistant to photoaffinity labeling by [125I]azidoprazosin. This is not due to a markedly lower affinity of the CEC-insensitive sites for the photoaffinity label, because competition studies with [127I]azidoprazosin revealed a single class of high affinity sites in partially purified brain samples. Photoaffinity labeling of partially purified liver and brain samples not treated with CEC results in the specific labeling of a single protein of Mr 80,000. No specifically labeled protein is observed for partially purified brain samples that had previously been incubated with CEC. Treatment of photoaffinity-labeled liver and brain receptors with N-glycanase to cleave N-linked oligosaccharides results in a single Mr 55,000 protein. Taken together, these data provide evidence for the existence of a single receptor subtype (alpha 1b) in rat liver and for two subtypes (alpha 1a and alpha 1b) in rat brain. Furthermore, the insensitivity of the alpha 1a subtype to CEC and the resistance of the alpha 1a subtype to covalent labeling by an alpha 1b-selective photoaffinity probe suggest that the primary structures of the two receptor subtypes differ, such that an amino acid(s) in the alpha 1b subtype that incorporates CEC and the photoaffinity label is lacking in the alpha 1a subtype.

The availability of radioiodinated probes has facilitated the localization and molecular characterization of cell membrane receptors for hormones and neurotransmitters. However, such probes are not available for the study of the alpha 2-adrenergic receptor. This report describes the synthesis and characterization of functionalized derivatives of the selective alpha 2-adrenergic antagonists, rauwolscine and yohimbine, which can be radiolabeled to high specific activity with 125I. Following demethylation of rauwolscine or yohimbine, the resultant carboxylic acid derivatives were reacted with 4-aminophenethylamine to yield the respective 4-aminophenethyl carboxamides, 17 alpha-hydroxy-20 alpha-yohimban-16 beta-[N-4-amino-phenethyl]carboxamide (rau-pAPC) and 17 alpha-hydroxy-20 beta-yohimban-16 alpha-[N-4-aminophenethyl]carboxamide. In competitive inhibition studies using rat renal membranes and the radioligand [3H]rauwolscine, rau-pAPC (Ki = 11 +/- 1 nM) exhibited a 14-fold greater affinity than the corresponding yohimbine derivative (Ki = 136 +/- 45 nM). The higher affinity compound, rau-pAPC, was radioiodinated by the chloramine T method, and the product, 125I-rau-pAPC [17 alpha-hydroxy-20 alpha-yohimban-16 beta-(N-4-amino-3 -[125I]iodophenethyl)carboxamide], was purified by reverse phase HPLC to high specific activity (2175 Ci/mmol) and its binding characteristics were investigated in rat kidney membranes. Specific binding of 125I-rau-pAPC was saturable and of high affinity as determined by Scatchard analysis (KD = 1.8 +/- 0.3 nM) or from kinetic studies (KD = k2/k1 = 0.056 +/- 0.013 min-1)/4.3 +/- 0.2 X 10(7) M-1 min-1 = 1.3 +/- 0.3 nM). In competition studies, alpha-adrenergic antagonists and agonists inhibited the binding of 125I-rau-pAPC with a potency order consistent with an interaction at alpha 2-adrenergic receptors (rauwolscine greater than phentolamine greater than prazosin; clonidine greater than (-)-epinephrine greater than (-)-norepinephrine greater than dopamine greater than (+)-epinephrine). In rat liver and human platelet membranes, high affinity binding of 125I-rau-pAPC was also observed (liver, KD = 1.2 +/- 0.4 nM; platelet, KD = 3.2 +/- 1.5 nM). In addition, the density of alpha 2-adrenergic receptors identified from binding studies with 125I-rau-pAPC in kidney, liver, and platelet membranes was similar to that observed in parallel studies with [3H]rauwolscine. These findings indicate that 125I-rau-pAPC is a high affinity probe that selectively identifies alpha 2-adrenergic binding sites. Availability of this radioligand should facilitate the localization and biochemical characterization of this alpha-adrenergic receptor subtype.

An azide analog, 2-[4-(4-azidobenzoyl)piperazin-1-yl]-4-amino-6, 7-dimethoxyquinazoline (CP59,430), of the highly selective alpha 1-adrenergic receptor antagonist prazosin was synthesized and its effects on rat hepatic membrane and affinity-purified alpha 1-adrenergic receptor preparations were examined. CP59,430 behaved as a competitive antagonist before photolysis. When the membrane or purified preparations pretreated with CP59,430 were irradiated with UV light, CP59,430 behaved as a noncompetitive antagonist. Labeling of membrane alpha 1-adrenergic receptors was irreversible; repeated dialysis or washing could not reverse the photolysis-induced inactivation by CP59,430, whereas dialysis completely reversed the antagonism by the same concentration of the label prior to photolysis. Additionally, photolabeling of purified receptors was resistant to Sephadex G-50 chromatography, whereas in the absence of photolysis the same concentration of CP59,430 or prazosin (10 microM) could be readily removed by this procedure. CP59,430 appears to label specifically only alpha 1-adrenergic receptors because prazosin protected the membrane and purified receptors from photolysis-induced inactivation by CP59,430. Furthermore, specific [3H]dihydroalprenolol and [3H]yohimbine binding to membrane beta- and alpha 2-adrenergic receptors, respectively, was unchanged by CP59,430 at 1 microM, a concentration that decreased specific [3H]prazosin binding to alpha 1-adrenergic receptors by 72%. In additional studies, the photolysis-induced receptor inactivation by CP59,430 remained unchanged in the presence of the scavenger p-aminobenzoic acid. It is likely, therefore, that receptor labeling by CP59,430 occurs via a true photoaffinity mechanism. CP59,430, which specifically and irreversibly labels the alpha 1-adrenergic receptor after photolysis, should thus be uniquely valuable for the molecular characterization of this receptor.

The alpha 1-adrenergic receptor has been solubilized in active form from rat hepatic membranes with the nonionic detergent, digitonin, and purified by affinity and gel filtration chromatography to homogeneity with a specific activity of 14,400 pmol/mg of protein. The affinity chromatographic steps of the purification procedure were achieved by the use of a newly synthesized analog (2-[4(2-succinoyl)piperazin-1-yl]-4-amino-6,7-dimethoxyquinazoline, CP-57,609) of the highly selective alpha 1-adrenergic antagonist, prazosin, immobilized via an amide linkage to agarose. The resulting purified receptor bound [3H]prazosin and a variety of adrenergic agents with the specificity, stereoselectivity, and affinities equivalent to those observed with membrane-bound and solubilized receptor preparations. The purified receptor.digitonin complex had a Stokes radius of 49 A and a sedimentation coefficient (s20w) of 7.1, as determined by AcA-34 gel filtration chromatography and sucrose gradient density centrifugation, respectively. Based on these hydrodynamic parameters, the calculated molecular weight of the receptor.digitonin complex was estimated at 147,000. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis following the final purification step revealed a single band of protein at 59,000 daltons from which [3H]prazosin binding activity could be recovered after renaturation of the receptor protein. These findings indicate that the protein purified from rat hepatic membranes is the hormone binding component of the alpha 1-adrenergic receptor and that the receptor molecule most likely contains more than one Mr = 59,000 subunit.

A functionalized derivative of the alpha 2-selective antagonist rauwolscine formed the basis for a photoaffinity adduct that has allowed identification of the hormone-binding subunit of the brain alpha 2-adrenergic receptor protein. Rauwolscine carboxylate underwent reaction with 4-N-t-butyloxycarbonyl-aminoaniline, leading to the synthesis of rauwolscine 4-aminophenyl carboxamide (Rau-AmPC). Rau-AmPC was radioiodinated and converted to the arylazide derivative, 17 alpha-hydroxy-20 alpha-yohimban-16 beta-[N-(4-azido-3-[125I]iodo)phenyl] carboxamide (125I-Rau-AzPC), via a diazonium salt intermediate. The characterization of 125I-Rau-AzPC as a photolabile probe employed alpha 2-adrenergic receptors, which were first solubilized from porcine brain membranes and partially purified by affinity chromatography utilizing a yohimbine-agarose affinity matrix. In the partially purified receptor preparation incubated with 125I-Rau-AzPC, photolysis resulted in covalent labeling of a major (Mr, 62,000) peptide as determined by NaDodSO4/PAGE and autoradiography. Labeling of this peptide was inhibited by the alpha 2-selective antagonist, yohimbine, and the non-subtype-selective alpha-antagonist, phentolamine, but not by the alpha 1-antagonist, prazosin, or the beta-receptor antagonist, (-)-alprenolol. The alpha-adrenergic agonist epinephrine also inhibited labeling in a stereoselective manner. These data indicate that the photolabeled Mr 62,000 peptide is the hormone-binding subunit of the alpha 2-adrenergic receptor protein. The availability of this radioiodinated photoaffinity probe for the alpha 2-adrenergic receptor should facilitate further structural and biophysical characterization of the receptor protein.

The highly selective alpha 1-adrenergic receptor antagonist prazosin was used to identify binding sites having alpha-adrenergic specificity in rat hepatic plasma membranes. Solubilization of the membrane-bound receptors was achieved by incubation with the nonionic detergent digitonin, and binding activity was assayed by using [3H]prazosin and a polyethylene glycol precipitation technique. Only 20-30% of the total receptor pool was released by the solubilization procedure. However, binding of [3H]prazosin was saturable [maximal value, 206 +/- 8 fmol/mg of protein (membrane) vs. 74 +/- 4 fmol/mg of protein (soluble)] and of high affinity [Kd, 0.6 +/- 0.2 nM (membrane) vs. 0.8 +/- 0.2 nM (soluble)]. To aid in purification of the receptors, an affinity resin was developed using an analog of prazosin, 2-(4-succinoylpiperazin-1-yl)-4-amino-6,7-dimethoxyquinazoline (CP 57,609; Kd 2.7 X 10(-7) M) immobilized via an amide linkage to agarose. The resulting resin demonstrated high affinity (Kd 3.2 X 10(-7) M) for the solubilized receptors, as determined by competitive inhibition assay. The degree of substitution to the resin was determined by a direct radioimmunoassay using antibodies against albumin-complexed CP 57,609 and found to be 0.1 to 0.2 mumol/ml of agarose. Affinity chromatography using the resin resulted in 513-fold purification in a single step. Moreover, the specificity of the purified binding sites was similar to that of membrane-bound receptors. This novel affinity resin should thus provide a powerful tool for isolating the receptor protein in quantities sufficient for detailed biochemical characterization.