Two chimeric receptors were constructed by transposing the coding regions for the putative N-terminal domains of the human calcitonin (hCTR) and glucagon (hGGR) receptors. These receptors were stably expressed as glycosylated proteins with molecular masses of 80 kDa for the calcitonin receptor N-terminus chimera (NtCTr) and 65 kDa for the glucagon receptor N-terminus chimera (NtGGr). The NtCTr chimera binds salmon calcitonin (sCT) with an apparent Kd of 12 nM relative to 0.3 nM for the native hCTR. However, this chimera does not mediate a cAMP response even with a transfectant expressing 1.8 x 10(6) cell surface receptors. Stable transfectants expressing the NtGGr chimera show no detectable binding of 125I-sCT or 125I-human glucagon. Surprisingly, adenylate cyclase is activated through the NtGGr chimera by sCT, pCT, and hCT with half-maximal activation at 2.2 +/- 0.6, 5.8 +/- 2.1, and 810 +/- 151 nM, respectively, and the maximum response is similar to that induced by 25 microM forskolin. The rank-order of competition for sCT binding to the NtCTr chimera is similar to the hCTR (sCT > pCT > hCT), but the concentrations required for half-maximal competition are 100- to > 2000-fold higher. In addition, salmon calcitonin binds with a much more rapid on-rate and off-rate to the NtCTr chimera relative to the hCTR which binds hormone irreversibly. Cross-linking of 125I-sCT to the NtCTr chimera with bis(sulfosuccinimidyl) suberate is much greater than to the hCTR, suggesting unique conformations for the two receptor-hormone complexes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)