HYPOTHALAMIC BINDING-SITES FOR PITUITARY ADENYLATE-CYCLASE ACTIVATING POLYPEPTIDE - CHARACTERIZATION AND MOLECULAR-IDENTIFICATION

The goal of these experiments was to identify and characterize binding sites in the rat hypothalamus for the peptide, pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP). The 27 amino acid form of PACAP (PACAP27) was used as the radiolabeled ligand in these experiments. Binding of [I-125]PACAP27 to hypothalamic membrane preparations was rapid, reversible on addition of unlabeled peptide, and at least partially regulated by GTP. Nonhydrolyzable GTP analogs, guanosine-5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP-gamma-S), guanosine-5'-(2-thiodiphosphate) (GDP-beta-S), and guanylylimidophosphate (GppNHp) also displaced [I-125]PACAP27 binding to hypothalamic membrane preparations in a dose-dependent manner. The order of potency for the three analogs was GTP-gamma-S > GDP-beta-S > GppNHp. Both forms of the peptide, PACAP27 and PACAP38, were highly potent in displacing bound [I-125]PACAP27, whereas VIP or PACAP(1-23) were unable to displace binding at concentrations of up to 500 nM. Scatchard analysis of the PACAP27 and PACAP38 displacement curves revealed that the fit of both curves was consistent with a single class of high-affinity binding sites, although the site exhibited a greater affinity for PACAP38 compared with PACAP27 (PACAP27 K(d) = 1452 +/- 59 pM; PACAP38 K(d) = 175 +/- 13 pM; B(max) 23.2 +/- 1.1 pmol/mg protein). The possibility of the existence of a class of binding sites with extremely low affinity cannot be discounted. After covalent cross-linking of [I-125]PACAP27 with its receptor, the molecular weights of the complexes were estimated by electrophoresis and autoradiography. A major band of 60 K(d) was evident when membranes were incubated with VIP or PACAP(1-23). Previous incubation with unlabeled PACAP27 or PACAP38 eliminated visualization of this band. These results suggest that a specific, high-affinity binding site for PACAP27 is present in rat hypothalamus, and that this site shows a greater affinity for PACAP38 compared with PACAP27. The molecular weight of the peptide-receptor complex is 60,000 kDa, and therefore the receptor itself has an apparent molecular weight 57,000.