Glucocorticoid receptor number in ob/ob mice and streptozotocin-treated rats.

As one step in characterizing the effectiveness of glucocorticoid hormones in states of abnormal carbohydrate metabolism, the number and affinity of glucocorticoid receptors in cytosolic extracts of liver and kidney from ob/ob mice and pancreata from streptozotocin-treated rats were determined and compared to values derived from normals. Scatchard analysis revealed that each tissue contained the same number of glucocorticoid receptors as its control when expressed in terms of receptor number per mg of cytosolic protein. Similarly, the affinity of these receptors for dexamethasone was unchanged. It is concluded that these two forms of diabetes are not associated with abnormalities of glucocorticoid receptor number.