Macrophage scavenger receptors uptake modified low density lipoproteins (LDLs) through receptor-mediated endocytosis. In the alpha-helical coiled coil domain, 2 histidines (His168 and His260) disrupt leucine or isoleucine heptad repeats. Substitution of His168 or/and His260 to leucine had no effect on AcLDL binding activities. However, the His260-replaced receptors had their ligand degradation activities diminished. Cell surface ligand release experiments under acidic pH clarified that His260

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... tants lost their ligand dissociation activities at 37 degrees C. Furthermore, immunoelectron microscopic experiments using anti-scavenger receptor antibody showed that the His260 replaced receptors were not able to release gold-labeled AcLDL in endosomes. Here we propose an allosterical ligand dissociation mechanism by His260 in macrophage scavenger receptors.