Binding of hormones to receptors. An alternative explanation of nonlinear Scatchard plots.

Binding of 1251-labeled hormones to receptors can usually be inhibited by addition of unlabeled hormone. In analyzing such binding-inhibition data, it is commonly assumed that both labeled and unlabeled hormones are bound with equal affinity. When this assumption is made incorrectly, an artifactually nonlinear Scatchard plot results. Equations to describe these nonlinear Scatchard plots are derived. These results are discussed with regard to previously published observations of nonlinear Scatchard plots for binding of insulin to its receptor.