Similarities of cellular receptors for interferon and cortisol.

Cellular receptors are molecules located on the cell membrane. Their function is to bind different molecules to the cell surface. These molecules can penetrate into the cytoplasm and trigger cellular changes. One kind of such bound molecules are interferons and corticosteroids. Until very recently very little was known about interferon's receptors on the cell surface, mechanisms of interferon's binding to them or about kinetics of such binding. On the basis of results published elsewhere and on the basis of experimental results, the authors suggest: 1) receptors for interferon and cortisol are glycoproteins located on the cell surface, 2) in analogy with PHA receptors they are chemically sialoglycoproteins, 3) binding kinetics of cortisol and interferon is similar, 4) interferon and cortisol compete for cellular receptors, 5) binding of cortisol or interferon is dependent on allosteric configuration of receptor molecules.