Characteristics of binding of a potent chemotactic formyl tetrapeptide, formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanyl-phenylalanine, to the receptors on rabbit neutrophils.

Binding of a potent chemotactic formyl tetrapeptide, formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanyl-phenylalanine (fMet-Leu-Phe-Phe), to the formyl peptide receptors on the rabbit neutrophil was assessed by two approaches. A tritiated preparation of fMet-Leu-Phe-Phe was used for direct binding studies, whereas indirect studies comprised an assessment of the ability of the formyl tetrapeptide to competitively inhibit the binding of 35S-labeled formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine. These two approaches yielded analogous results. The formyl tetrapeptide fMet-Leu-Phe-Phe showed rapid and saturable binding to the same chemotactic receptors as the less potent formyl tripeptides with which it was compared. Its equilibrium-binding pattern, however, was different: fMet-Leu-Phe-Phe showed a homogeneous binding pattern, in contrast to the heterogeneity seen with the less potent compounds. The relative potencies for high-affinity binding of the two standard formyl tripeptides and fMet-Leu-Phe-Phe correlated well with their relative potencies for stimulating the biological response of degranulation; the relative potencies for low-affinity binding correlated less well.