Alpha 1-adrenergic receptor-linked guanine nucleotide-binding protein in muscle and kidney epithelial cells

We have studied the interaction of guanine nucleotides with alpha 1-adrenergic receptors of two cloned cell lines, the Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK-D1) cells and BC3H-1 muscle cells. Although guanylylimidodiphosphate, Gpp(NH)p, had no effect on the affinity or the total number of [3H]prazosin-binding sites in membranes prepared from these cells, the nucleotide decreased the apparent affinity of the agonists (-)-epinephrine and (-)-norepinephrine in competing for [3H]prazosin-binding sites in both cell types. A maximal effect of Gpp(NH)p occurred at 10 microM. Guanine nucleotides were significantly more effective in shifting agonist affinity for the alpha 1 receptor than adenine nucleotides, and Mg2+ was required to observe a maximal effect. Binding of agonist to alpha 1-adrenergic receptors activated phosphatidylinositol (PI) hydrolysis in both cell types but had no effect on membrane adenylate cyclase activity. Incubation of MDCK cells for 19 hr with 100 ng/ml pertussis toxin, which eliminated the ability of pertussis toxin added to membranes to ADP-ribosylate 39-41-KDa substrate(s), failed to alter binding of agonists to alpha 1-adrenergic receptors, the ability of Gpp(NH)p to regulate agonist binding to these receptors, or epinephrine-stimulated PI hydrolysis and prostaglandin E2 production. Incubation of BC3H1 cells with pertussis toxin had no effect on the ability of epinephrine to stimulate PI turnover. These results show that binding of agonists to alpha 1-adrenergic receptors in mammalian kidney and muscle cells is regulated by guanine nucleotides, presumably by interaction with a guanine nucleotide-binding (G) protein. The failure of the G-protein to regulate adenylate cyclase activity and the lack of effect of pertussis toxin to alter receptor-mediated binding or functional activity suggests that a G-protein other than Gs, Gi, or Go interacts with alpha 1-adrenergic receptors in kidney and smooth muscle.