Solubilization of rat liver vasopressin receptors as a complex with a guanine-nucleotide-binding protein and phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C.

Vasopressin V1 receptors were solubilized from rat liver plasma membranes with the detergent lysophosphatidylcholine. [[3H]Arginine]vasopressin (AVP) binding to the solubilized preparations was specific and saturable, with a dissociation constant of 0.6 nM. Cross-linking of [125I]vasopressin to the solubilized fraction, studied by SDS/polyacrylamide-gel-electrophoretic analysis, demonstrated the presence of a 65 kDa band which was specifically labelled with [125I]vasopressin. Specific binding of [3H]AVP to these solubilized receptors was decreased by guanine nucleotides, but not by adenosine 5'-[beta gamma-imido]triphosphate. Addition of vasopressin increased specific binding of 35S-labelled guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate (GTP[35S]) to the solubilized fractions, indicating co-solubilization of GTP-binding protein(s) [G-protein(s)] and vasopressin receptors. The solubilized fraction was insensitive to both cholera- and pertussistoxin treatment. Immunoblotting of the solubilized fraction with antibodies specific for a phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC I) demonstrated the presence of a 60 kDa protein. Anti-PI-PLC I antiserum immunoprecipitated solubilized vasopressin-binding sites from rat liver (V1), but not solubilized vasopressin-binding sites from hog kidney (V2). Similar results were obtained with an anti-PI-PLC I IgG affinity column. The solubilized (V1) receptors were enriched by ion-exchange and high-performance gel-filtration liquid chromatography. Vasopressin-binding activity was co-eluted with PI-PLC I and GTP[S]-binding activity on a DEAE-Sepharose column. The major vasopressin- and GTP[35S]-binding activities were co-eluted with PI-PLC I activity at approx. 240 kDa suggesting that vasopressin receptors from rat liver membranes can be solubilized as a complex of receptor-coupler-effector by using the detergent lysophosphatidycholine.