Purification of A1 adenosine receptor–G-protein complexes: effects of receptor down-regulation and phosphorylation on coupling
We examined the effects of exposing A1 adenosine receptors (A1ARs) to an agonist on the stability and phosphorylation state of receptor–guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein (R–G-protein) complexes. Non-denatured recombinant human A1ARs extended on the N-terminus with hexahistidine (His6) and the FLAG (Asp-Tyr-Lys-Asp-Asp-Asp-Asp-Lys) epitope (H/F) were purified to near homogeneity from stably transfected Chinese-hamster ovary (CHO)-K1 cells. Purified receptors have pharmacological properties similar to receptors in membranes. G-proteins were co-purified with 15±2% of H/F-A1AR unless receptor–G-protein (R–G) complexes were uncoupled by pre-treating cell membranes with GTP. By silver staining, purified A1AR–G-protein complexes contain receptors, G-protein α and β subunits and an unidentified 97 kDa protein. Pretreating intact cells with N6-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA) for 24 h decreased both the total number of receptors measured in membranes and the number of purified A1ARs by about 50%. In contrast, pretreating cells with CPA decreased the number of R–G complexes measured in membranes (54±6%) significantly less than it decreased the number of purified R–G complexes (78±3%) as detected by 125I-N6-(4-aminobenzyl)adenosine binding or by Western blotting Giα2. The effect of CPA to decrease the fraction of receptors purified as R–G complexes was not associated with any change in low-level A1AR phosphorylation (found on serine), or low-level phosphorylation of G-protein α or β subunits or the 97 kDa protein. These experiments reveal a novel aspect of agonist-induced down-regulation, namely a diminished stability of receptor–G-protein complexes that is manifested as uncoupling during receptor purification.