Demonstration of cytoplasmic receptors for the molting hormones in crayfish

Summary From in vitro experiments using different binding assays it is in crayfish demonstrated that the cytosol of target tissues is able to bind both ecdysone and ecdysterone. The ability to bind ecdysteroids is destroyed by heating and by treatment with -chymotrypsin and N-ethyl-maleinimide (NEM) (Figs. 4, 5). In target tissues there is a strong positive correlation between protein content and binding (Fig. 6). The association of the hormone-protein-complex is rapid, taking only a few min even at 5° C (Fig. 3). The binding of the two hormones to the cytosol is both specific and saturable. The association constants for the cytoplasmic receptors from hypodermis, hindgut and midgut gland are in the range of 3–6×10⁷ M^–1 for ecdysone and 5–7×10⁸ M^–1 for ecdysterone (Fig. 8). The data suggest the existence of cytoplasmic ecdysteroid receptors.