Steroid receptor exchange assay in the presence of acetonitrile: application to the study of glucocorticoid- and anti-glucocorticoid-receptor complexes.
Acetonitrile was used to modify the binding parameters of glucocorticoid-receptor complexes. Acetonitrile (8%) caused a striking increase of the rate constant of dissociation of non-transformed [3H]triamcinolone and [3H]RU 486 receptor complexes. The latter complexes appeared significantly less sensitive to acetonitrile than the former. Similar data were obtained for heat-transformed [3H]triamcinolone and RU 486-receptor complexes purified at a 90% relative homogeneity by DEAE-Trisacryl (diethylaminoethyl) chromatography. The rate constant of dissociation of both steroid-receptor complexes decreased after transformation. The dissociation of non-transformed receptor complexes by acetonitrile was reversible, and an exchange assay allowing 75% to 85% steroid exchange is described. However, the dissociation of transformed receptor complexes appeared completely irreversible and precluded the design of any exchange assay.