Purification and reconstitution of the δ opioid receptor

Abstract
The δ opioid receptor has been purified, in an active form, by succinylmorphine affinity chromatography. The receptor was purified partially from bovine frontal cortex and to apparent homogeneity from neuroblastoma × glioma hybrid NG108-15 cells as observed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by silver staining. Antiserum to the purified bovine receptor inhibited ligand binding to membranes and immunoprecipitated a 58 kDa protein from NG108-15 cells. Reconstitution of the receptor with lipids enhanced binding by 9-fold. The 58 kDa band protein after electroelution and reconstitution with lipids also showed specific binding, indicating that the receptor could be renatured even after SDS-PAGE in an appropriate lipid environment