title: Five amino acids of the Xenopus laevis CRF (corticotropin-releasing factor) type 2 receptor mediate differential binding of CRF ligands in comparison with its human counterpart.
abstract: The ligand selectivity of human (hCRF(2A)) and Xenopus laevis (xCRF(2)) forms of the corticotropin-releasing factor type 2 (CRF(2)) receptor differs. The purpose of this study was to identify amino acids in these two CRF(2) receptors conferring these differences. An amino acid triplet in the third extracellular domain (Asp(262)Leu(263)Val(264) in hCRF(2A) or Lys(264)Tyr(265)Ile(266) in xCRF(2)) was found to diverge between both receptors. When binding and signaling characteristics of receptor mutants hR2KYI and xR2DLV were assessed, the tri-amino acid motif replacement produced receptors with binding properties resembling the xCRF(2) receptor. The converse mutation created a mutant receptor with a binding pharmacology identical to the profile of the hCRF(2A) receptor. This effect was most notable for xR2DLV, which possessed a binding affinity for astressin approximately 15-fold greater for astressin than sauvagine. In contrast, the binding profiles of the hCRF(2A) receptor and hR2KYI did not differ. These data indicate that another domain of the xCRF(2) receptor mediated low-affinity binding of astressin. Two amino acids in the first extracellular domain differ in xCRF(2) (Asp(69)Ser(70)) and hCRF(2A) (Glu(66)Tyr(67)) receptors. The hCRF(2A) receptor mutant (hR2DS-KYI) bound astressin with a low affinity indistinguishable from the xCRF(2) receptor. Therefore, these data demonstrate that ligand selectivity differences between amphibian and human forms of the CRF(2A) receptor are governed by these two motifs of the extracellular domains of the xCRF(2) receptor.
authors.affiliation: Axovan Ltd. Innovation Center, Allschwil, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Frank M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Dautzenberg
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Higelin
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Brauns
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Butscha
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Hauger
mesh_terms: D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017354:Point Mutation; D011487:Protein Conformation; D018019:Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014162:Transfection; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C101531:CRF receptor type 2; D018019:Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D000242:Cyclic AMP