The interaction of radioiodinated thyrotropin with plasma membranes. Evidence for high affinity binding sites in the thyroid.

The binding of biologically active [125I]thyrotropin to purified plasma membranes prepared from bovine thyroid glands was studied. At 4 degrees C, specific binding reached a maximum after 2 h of incubation and a plateau was maintained for up to 20 h. Degradation of [125I]thyrotropin was undetectable after 2 h of incubation and was only 10% of the total after 20 h. At pH 6.0, at which binding was maximal, a single class of binding sites, having a dissociation constant of approx. 25 nM, was evident. Dissociation studies revealed first order kinetics with a half-time of 2-3 min. At pH 7.5, binding curves were complex, suggesting two orders of binding sites with dissociation constants of approx. 200 nM and 80 pM. Further, at this pH, dissociation of the thyrotropin from its receptor was also complex, suggesting the presence of two first order reactions, one with a half-time similar to that seen at pH 6.0 and another with a half-time of 4 h. At both pH 6.0 and 7.5, insulin, glucagon, growth hormone, and prolactin were without effect on [125I]thyrotropin binding. Similar high affinity and low affinity binding sites were seen with porcine thyroid membranes, but only low affinity sites were seen with either rat liver membranes or human cultured lymphocytes.