Identification and characterization of somatostatin receptors in neonatal rat long bones

Somatostatin (somatotropin release inhibiting factor; SRIF) has widespread functions as a modulator of neural activity as well as of endocrine and exocrine secretion. In the present paper, the binding characteristics of somatostatin receptors have been investigated in rat long bones using the stable analogue, 125I-SDZ 204-090, as a ligand. Binding studies revealed the presence of a single class of high-affinity binding sites for 125I-SDZ 204-090 on cells prepared from neonatal rat long bones with an equilibrium dissociation constant (KD) of 70.1 +/- 8.2 pM (n = 3). An excellent correlation was found between the ability of various somatostatin analogues to inhibit growth hormone in pituitary cells and to displace the binding of 125I-SDZ 204-090 to the bone cell preparation, indicating that the receptors are very similar, if not identical. The localization of the somatostatin-binding sites was examined by autoradiography after labelling in vitro and in vivo. The binding sites were shown by both procedures to be selectively localized to the metaphysis of rat long bones. The labelling experiments in vivo indicate that these receptors can be reached in the living animal by circulating somatostatin analogues. In addition, the analogue SMS 201-995 inhibited the forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in bone cell suspensions. These results suggest that somatostatin could be an important regulatory factor in bone metabolism.