Solubilization of functional receptors for parathyroid hormone and parathyroid hormone-related peptide from clonal...

ROS17/2.8 cells, a cell line derived from a rat osteosarcoma, have abundant receptors for parathyroid hormone (PTH) and parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP). A particulate membrane fraction was prepared from these cells and it was solubilized using relatively mild conditions with digitonin (0.25%), a nonionic detergent. When radioligands of both PTH and PTHrP were incubated with this membrane fraction in the absence of any protease inhibitor at 15 degrees C, approximately 75% of these radioligands were degraded within 2 hours. This degradative activity was inhibited more effectively by bacitracin than by any of several other protease inhibitors tested. The digitonin-solubilized PTH/PTHrP receptors were radiolabeled in the presence of bacitracin using radioiodinated [Tyr36]PTHrP(1-36) amide (PTHrP(1-36)) and N-hydroxysuccinimidyl-4-azidobenzoate (HSAB), as cross-linker. When an aliquot of the reaction solution was subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and autoradiography, a broad band was observed that had an apparent molecular size of 90,000 daltons (M(r) = 90 kD). This band was no longer seen when the binding was conducted in the presence of 10(-6) M of unlabeled PTHrP(1-36), and it was decreased in density when binding was conducted in the presence of 10(-6) M of unlabeled [Nle8,18, Tyr34] bovine PTH(1-34) amide (NlePTH). The solubilized receptors retained their capacity to bind the radioligand after partial purification by wheat-germ agglutinin affinity-chromatography. The use of relatively mild detergent conditions thus offers a means to solubilize receptors that retain their capacity to bind PTH and PTHrP.