Neuropeptide Y (NPY) Y2 receptors of rabbit kidney cortex are largely dimeric

The neuropeptide Y (NPY) Y2 receptors and the pancreatic polypeptide Y4 receptors from rabbit kidney cortex are isolated largely as ∼ 180 kDa complexes constituted of one receptor dimer and one G-protein heterotrimer, similar to NPY receptors expressed in the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. As expected, kidney and CHO cell Y2 dimers are converted into monomers by increasing concentrations of a selective agonist. Prevalence of dimeric Y2 receptors in the kidney could be related to low plasma levels of Y2 agonists, and possibly also to a relatively low concentration of Gi α subunits.