Structures of the somatotropin receptor and prolactin receptor on rat hepatocytes characterized by affinity labelling

Human somatotropin competed for 125I-human somatotropin binding to hepatocytes from female or male rats. Bovine somatotropin and prolactin each inhibited part, but not all, of the uptake of 125I-human somatotropin. The binding of 125I-prolactin was inhibited by human somatotropin and prolactin, but not by bovine somatotropin. Bovine somatotropin and human somatotropin, but not prolactin, competed for 125I-bovine somatotropin binding sites. 125I-labelled hormones were covalently coupled to membrane receptors with higher efficiency on hepatocytes from female than from male rats, allowing structural descriptions of lactogenic and somatogenic binding sites that had not been possible previously. Disuccinimidyl suberate covalently coupled 125I-human somatotropin into saturable complexes of Mr 300 000, 220 000, 130 000, 65 000 and 50 000. Bovine somatotropin inhibited the incorporation of 125I-human somatotropin into complexes of Mr 300 000, 220 000 and 130 000, whereas low concentrations of prolactin competed for incorporation into the 65 000- and 50 000-Mr species. 125I-bovine somatotropin was incorporated into complexes of Mr 300 000, 220 000 and 130 000. Human somatotropin and bovine somatotropin, but not prolactin, inhibited the production of these complexes. 125I-prolactin binding produced complexes of Mr 65 000 and 50 000. Native prolactin and human somatotropin, but not bovine somatotropin, inhibited uptake of 125I-prolactin into these species. Thus direct affinity labelling, as well as competition for covalent coupling, suggests that the 300 000-, 220 000- and 130 000-Mr species are components of the somatotropin receptor and that the 65 000- and 50 000-Mr complexes result from hormone binding to the prolactin receptor. By subtracting the Mr of prolactin, it was calculated that the hormone was bound to species of Mr 43 000 and 28 000. These Mr values were not affected by reduction of solubilized membranes, suggesting that the structure of the prolactin receptor is not stabilized by interchain disulphide bonds between subunits. Subtracting the Mr of somatotropin from somatogenic complexes indicated that the hormone had bound to species of Mr 280 000, 200 000 and 100 000. The 300 000- and 220 000-Mr complexes were not isolated from reduced membranes, whereas the amount of the 130 000-Mr species was augmented. These observations could suggest that a major component of the somatotropin receptor is a trimeric aggregate in which some subunits are retained in a larger complex by interchain disulphide bonds.