Leukotriene binding, signaling, and analysis of HIV coreceptor function in mouse and human leukotriene B4 receptor-transfected cells

The mouse leukotriene B-4 receptor (m-BLTR) gene was cloned. Membrane fractions of human embryonic kidney 293 cells stably expressing m-BLTR demonstrated a high affinity and specific binding for leukotriene B-4 (LTB4, K-d = 0.24 +/- 0.03 nM). In competition binding experiments, LTB4 was the most potent competitor (K-i = 0.23 +/- 0.05 nM) followed by 20-hydroxy-LTB4 (K-i = 1.1 +/- 0.2 mu M) and by 6-trans-12-epi-LTB4 and LTD4 (K-i > 1 mu M). In stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells, LTB4 inhibited forskolin-activated cAMP production and induced an increase of intracellular calcium, suggesting that this receptor is coupled to G(i)- and G(o)-like proteins. In Xenopus laevis melanophores transiently expressing m-BLTR, LTB4 induced the aggregation of pigment granules, confirming the inhibition of cAMP production induced by LTB4. BLT receptors share significant sequence homology with chemokine receptors (CCR5 and CXCR4) that act as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coreceptors. However, among the 16 HIV/SIV strains tested, the human BLT receptor did not act as a coreceptor for virus entry into CD4-expressing cells based on infection and cell-cell fusion assays. In 5-lipoxygenase-deficient mice, the absence of leukotriene B-4 biosynthesis did not detectably alter m-BLT receptor binding in membranes obtained from glycogen-elicited neutrophils. Isolation of the m-BLTR gene will form the basis of future experiments to elucidate the selective role of LTB4, as opposed to cysteinyl-leukotrienes, in murine models of inflammation.