Effects of cations on binding of human choriogonadotropin

The effect of various salts on the binding of human choriogonadotropin to rat luteal membranes has been examined. Increasing salt concentrations had biphasic effects, initially increasing binding, then decreasing it. With NaCl, these effects were on both the affinity and the number of receptor sites. The affinity increased with increasing NaCl concentrations, to a maximum at 40 mM, and then decreased. Above 40 mM NaCl, the number of binding sites increased. NaCl also altered the effects of Mg2+ and guanyl nucleotides. At low ionic strength, Mg2+ was necessary to observe binding. Guanine nucleotides modulated this binding by decreasing the affinity. At 40 mM NaCl, Mg2+ increased receptor number without altering affinity. Guanyl nucleotides modulated this binding by reducing the number of sites to that observed in the absence of Mg2+. At 150 mM NaCl, Mg2+ and guanine nucleotides had no effect. The results suggest the presence of two pools of human choriogonadotropin receptor in rat corpus luteum, one coupled to the guanine nucleotide regulatory protein (Ns) and being Mg2+ dependent and guanine nucleotide sensitive, and the other not coupled to Ns and being Mg2+ independent and guanine nucleotide insensitive.