Coupling of human beta 2-adrenergic receptors: relationship to redox potential

The purpose of this study was to examine the quantitative relationship between the redox potential of a redox couplet and the alterations it induces in coupling of receptor occupation with enzyme activation. Normal neutrophil membrane preparations containing beta 2-adrenergic receptors were exposed to equimolar mixtures of the following redox couplets: ferrocyanide-ferricyanide, hemoglobin-methemoglobin, ascorbate-dehydroascorbate, lactate-pyruvate, glutathione ox-red, beta-hydroxybutyrate-acetoacetate, and NAD-NADH. There was a linear relationship between the redox potential of the couplets and the degree of change in coupling (p less than 0.001). The apparent redox potential of the high affinity complex was +0.30 +/- 0.093 V. The effect of lactate to uncouple beta-adrenergic receptors was partially blocked by preexposure to isoproterenol. Thus, high affinity state formation is regulated by redox couplets in a manner dependent on their redox potential.