The interaction of sialidase-treated hCG with ovarian cellular membranes

Abstract. The potency of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) in competition for binding to a gonadal membrane fraction is remarkably enhanced by sialidase treatment. The present study was undertaken to investigate the specificity and characteristics of the binding of sialidase-treated hCG (asialo-hCG) in a particulate hCG-binding system from luteinized rat ovaries. The competitive potency of asialo-hCG relative to hCG was 2.5, irrespective of whether [125I]hCG or [125I]asialo-hCG was used for tracer. This was due to a 2.1 times higher equilibrium association constant for asialo-hCG, whereas the estimated number of binding sites did not differ. There was no apparent difference in the stability of hCG and asialo-hCG, or in the stability of the respective hormone-receptor complexes. The effect of variation of the incubation conditions on the binding of both tracers was similar. In accordance with the difference in the equilibrium association constant, the association velocity of asialo-hCG was more than double that of hCG. With all of the tracers used the dissociation curves were biphasic, the size of the initial fast-dissociating fraction being inversely related to the pre-incubation time. Under identical conditions, the fast-dissociating fraction was smaller for the [125I]asialo-hCG complex than for the [125I]hCG complex. The dissociation velocities of these fractions appeared to be similar. The results indicate that asialo-hCG binds to the hCG receptor in a way similar to the binding of the unmodified hormone, but with a higher affinity. The smaller size of the fast-dissociation form of the asialo-hCG-receptor complex may be related to the lower biological potency of the hormone derivative.