title: Identification of cysteine-644 as the covalent site of attachment of dexamethasone 21-mesylate to murine glucocorticoid receptors in WEHI-7 cells.
abstract: Dexamethasone 21-mesylate is a highly specific synthetic glucocorticoid derivative that binds covalently to glucocorticoid receptors via sulfhydryl groups. We have identified the amino acid that reacts with the dexamethasone 21-mesylate by using enzymatic digestion and microsequencing for radiolabel. Nonactivated glucocorticoid receptors obtained from labeling intact WEHI-7 mouse thymoma cells with [3H]dexamethasone 21-mesylate were immunopurified and analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The purified approximately 100-kDa steroid-binding subunit was eluted from gel slices and subjected to enzymatic digestion. Trypsin digestion followed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (reversed-phase HPLC) produced a single [3H]dexamethasone 21-mesylate labeled peptide. Automated Edman degradation of this peptide revealed that the [3H]dexamethasone 21-mesylate was located at position 5 from the amino terminus. Dual-isotope labeling studies with [3H]dexamethasone 21-mesylate and [35S]methionine demonstrated that this peptide contained methionine. Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease digestion of [3H]dexamethasone 21-mesylate labeled steroid-binding subunits generated a different radiolabeled peptide containing label at position 7 from the amino terminus. On the basis of the published amino acid sequence of the murine glucocorticoid receptor, our data clearly identify cysteine-644 as the single residue in the steroid-binding domain that covalently binds dexamethasone 21-mesylate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire 03756.
authors.forename: L I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Bodwell
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Mendel
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ciardelli
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: North
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Munck
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003545:Cysteine; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D007700:Kinetics; D051379:Mice; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000032:analysis; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D003907:Dexamethasone; D003545:Cysteine; C031710:dexamethasone 21-methanesulfonate