title: Synthesis and in vitro bioactivity of C-terminal deleted analogs of human growth hormone-releasing factor.
abstract: A series of C-terminal deleted analogs of human growth hormone-releasing factor (hGRF) with either an amidated or a free carboxylic acid C-terminus were synthesized by solid phase methodology. Their capacity to release growth hormone was tested on rat anterior pituitary cells in monolayer culture. A gradual decrease of bioactivity down to 23% relative to hGRF was noted when the C-terminal amino acids were deleted to hGRF (1-34)OH. Further deletions, however, did not decrease the bioactivity because the potencies of the fragments, hGRF(1-31)NH2, (1-30)NH2 and (1-29)NH2 remained at about 50% of that of hGRF. Continual deletion of residues to hGRF(1-23)NH2, (1-22)NH2 and (1-21)NH2 still yielded bioactive fragments with full intrinsic activity despite very low potency. Only with the deletion down to hGRF(1-19)NH2 did the bioactivity completely disappear. Thus, together with the data published in a previous paper (1), the minimal biologically active core of hGRF with full intrinsic activity comprises the fragment (3-21).
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; C036893:somatotropin releasing factor 40; D013006:Growth Hormone; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone