RUI: Contribution of ACTH Residues to Receptor Binding and Activation

9318215克鲁格人类和其他动物使用多肽荷尔蒙促肾上腺皮质激素来适应压力。ACTH由脑下垂体释放，在血液中进入肾上腺，在那里它与肾上腺细胞表面的受体结合。这种结合刺激肾上腺细胞产生类固醇激素(皮质醇)。皮质醇有助于身体应对压力。这个项目的重点是确定ACTH分子的不同部分如何与肾上腺细胞表面的受体结合并刺激。肽是由氨基酸组成的，将测量单个氨基酸残基的侧链的贡献。这将通过比较正常ACTH肽与一系列合成的ACTH肽的受体结合和刺激特性来实现，这些合成的ACTH肽在特定的氨基酸位置上只有一个氢原子取代了正常的更大的侧链。通过比较正常肽和合成肽的性质，将确定每个特定氨基酸侧链对受体结合和激活的贡献。所获得的信息将提供准确和详细的激素-受体相互作用的分子模型。***

9318215 Krueger Humans and other animals use the peptide hormone ACTH to adapt to stress. ACTH is released by the pituitary gland and travels in the blood to the adrenal glands, where it binds to receptors on the adrenal cell surface. This binding stimulates steroid hormone (cortisol) production by the adrenal cells. Cortisol helps the body cope with stress. The focus of this project is to determine how the different parts of the ACTH molecule bind to and stimulate the receptor on the surface of the adrenal cell. Peptides are composed of amino acids, and the contribution of the side chains of the individual amino acid residues will be measured. This will be accomplished by comparing the receptor binding and stimulation properties of the normal ACTH peptide with a series of synthetic ACTH peptides that have only a single hydrogen atom substituted for the normal, larger side chain at a specific amino acid site. By comparing the properties of the normal and synthetic peptides, the contribution of each specific amino acid side chain to receptor binding and activation will be determined. The information obtained will provide an accurate and detailed molecular model hormone-receptor interaction. ***