Comparison of the structural features of corticotropin required for stimulation of steroidogenesis and cAMP production in rat and rabbit adrenocortical cells.

The steroidogenic activities of ACTH, alpha-MSH, beta-MSH as well as analogs of the hormones have been compared in rat and rabbit adrenocortical cells. ACTH is equally active in both species and the melanotropins have very low steroidogenic potency in either species. The steroidogenic potencies of the peptide analogs are strikingly similar in the two species, suggesting that the structural requirements for eliciting steroidogenesis are the same in rat and rabbit adrenocortical cells. The analog NPS-ACTH has low, comparable steroidogenic activity in both species. NPS-ACTH is a potent antagonist of ACTH-induced cAMP production in rat adrenocortical cells but acts as a weak partial agonist in rabbit adrenocortical cells. These results suggest that steroidogenesis may be mediated by receptors different from those involved in the cAMP response observed at supraphysiological concentrations of ACTH.