Assembly of a heterooligomeric asialoglycoprotein receptor complex during cell-free translation

We have translated RNAs for the two rat asialoglycoprotein receptor polypeptides together in a cell-free system containing dog pancreatic microsomes and immunoprecipitated the products with antibodies that distinguish the two proteins. In this system the proteins oligomerize, as judged by their coprecipitation with either of the subunit-specific antisera. Oligomerization does not occur between subunits synthesized without microsomes or between subunits synthesized on separate microsomes mixed during detergent solubilization. Thus, oligomerization occurs within the microsomal membrane. We calculate that oligomerization proceeds with an efficiency of approximately 85%. The receptor complex appears to represent a specific oligomer because it excludes a third membrane glycoprotein synthesized in the same reaction. Oligomerization of the asialoglycoprotein receptor in vitro should provide a useful system to study the assembly of a membrane-protein complex.