Abstract

A fluorescein-conjugated bioactive analog of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) was synthesized and used to label cells that have high affinity CRF-binding sites. Of cultured bovine anterior pituitary cells, 6.1 ± 0.6% were visible by fluorescence microscopy after incubation with the analog. Fluorescence was eliminated by coincubation with a 200-fold excess of unlabeled CRF. Treatment with dexamethasone (10−9−10−7m) decreased visible fluorescence in a dose-dependent manner. These results demonstrate the utility of a fluorescent CRF analog for identification of cells with specific CRF-binding sites and suggest that binding of CRF to anterior pituitary cells is altered by glucocorticoids. (Endocrinology119: 2376-2382, 1986)

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