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Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) receptor type 1 (BLT1) is abundant in phagocytic and immune cells and plays crucial roles in various inflammatory diseases. BLT1 is phosphorylated at several serine and threonine residues upon stimulation with the inflammatory lipid LTB4. Using Phos-tag gel electrophoresis to separate differentially phosphorylated forms of BLT1, we identified two distinct types of phosphorylation, basal and ligand-induced, in the carboxyl terminus of human BLT1. In the absence of LTB4, the basal phosphorylation sites were modified to various degrees, giving rise to many different phosphorylated forms of BLT1. Different concentrations of LTB4 induced distinct phosphorylation events, and these ligand-induced modifications facilitated additional phosphorylation events at the basal phosphorylation sites. Because neutrophils migrate toward inflammatory sites along a gradient of LTB4, the degree of BLT1 phosphorylation likely increases in parallel with the increase in LTB4 concentration as the cells migrate. At high concentrations of LTB4, deficiencies in these two types of phosphorylation events impaired chemotaxis and β-hexosaminidase release, a proxy for degranulation, in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) and rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells, respectively. These results suggest that an LTB4 gradient around inflammatory sites enhances BLT1 phosphorylation in a stepwise manner to facilitate the precise migration of phagocytic and immune cells and the initiation of local responses, including degranulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leukotriene B4 type-1 receptor (BLT1), which plays a role in various inflammatory diseases, is exclusively expressed in peripheral leukocytes, which suggests that its expression is stringently regulated. However, the precise mechanism of BLT1 expression is not fully understood. Here we report that acute myeloid leukemia 1 (AML1/Runx1) is involved in the enhancement of BLT1 expression in leukocytes. In retinoic acid (RA)-stimulated human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) cells, the transcription of the BLT1 gene was found to be significantly activated. RA did not directly modulate the BLT1 promoter, suggesting enhancers in other loci. DNase I-hypersensitivity analyses revealed an activated region, termed AE-BLex, at the intron-I:exon-II boundary. AE-BLex acts as an enhancer for the BLT1 promoter and possesses 2 AML1 recognition sites. The importance of AML1 was determined using electrophoretic mobility shift assays, reporter assays, and knockdown experiments. We demonstrated that the enhancement of BLT1 expression during the RA-induced differentiation of HL-60 cells is due to a loosening of the chromatin structure around AE-BLex, which leads to the incremental binding of AML1. The AML1/AE-BLex complex was confirmed in other BLT1-expressing leukemia cell lines and human peripheral leukocytes. Thus, AML1 enhances BLT1 expression by binding to AE-BLex, which is accessible in leukocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) possess a putative cytoplasmic helical domain, termed helix 8 (H8), at the proximal region of the C-terminal tail. However, the significance of this domain is not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate the requirement of H8 for the proper folding of GPCRs for passage through the quality control in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In the human leukotriene B4 type-2 receptor (hBLT2), lack of H8 led to an accumulation of the receptor (hBLT2/ΔH8) in the ER. Similar results were obtained in two representative human GPCRs, dopamine type-1 and lysophosphatidic acid type-2 receptors, which were engineered to lack H8. Treatment with the several ligands, which act as pharmacological chaperones, facilitated the surface expression of hBLT2/ΔH8. The surface-trafficked hBLT2/AH8 exhibited an agonist-evoked increase in Ca2+, demonstrating that H8 is not critical for ligand binding and activation of coupled G proteins. Thus these results suggest that the H8 region of hBLT2 plays an important role in transport-competent receptor folding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several corrections to an article regarding leukotriene receptors by Motonao Nakamura and Takao Shimizu that was published in the 2011 issue are presented.

Leukotrienes, a class of arachidonic acid-derived bioactive molecules, are known as mediators of allergic and inflammatory reactions and considered to be important drug targets. Although an inhibitor of leukotriene biosynthesis and antagonists of the cysteinyl leukotriene receptor are clinically used for bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis, these medications were developed before the molecular identification of leukotriene receptors. Numerous studies using cloned leukotriene receptors and genetically engineered mice have unveiled new pathophysiological roles for leukotrienes. This Review covers the recent findings on leukotriene receptors to revisit them as new drug targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high yield expression of BLT1, a G-protein coupled receptor for leukotriene B4, was established in Pichia pastoris for structural studies. Guinea pig BLT1 was expressed in a functional form without post-translational modifications for the rapid purification and the crystallization. Among the BLT1s from four species, only guinea pig BLT1 was successfully expressed with the comparable binding affinity to BLT1 of native guinea pig tissues for several ligands. Only Asn4 of the two putative N-glycosylation sites was glycosylated, and the mutation to Ala to avoid glycosylation did not affect the ligand binding affinity. However, the N-terminal region of the mutant was digested at the carboxyl ends of Arg3 and Arg8, as detected by N-terminal amino acid sequencing, and Ser309 in the C-terminal region was partially phosphorylated, as identified in the micro-sequencing by Q-TOF-MS/MS. To avoid chemical heterogeneity, the N-terminal peptide (1–14) truncated and the C-terminal phosphorylation-site eliminated mutant was generated. The binding affinity of the mutant’s membrane fraction for LTB4 was K d =6.6nM and B max =50.0pmol/mg membrane protein. The yield of purified mutant was approximately 0.3–0.4mg from 1L culture, and the protein showed a single peak at molecular weight of 100kDa in gel-filtration and no glycosylation or phosphorylation in MALDI-TOF MS. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]