Studies on beta-endorphin and membrane-bound calcium interaction using chlorotetracycline (CTC) as a fluorescence probe

Studies on the in vitro interaction of beta-endorphin with different biomembrane preparations, measured in terms of Ca2+ induced chlorotetracycline (CTC) fluorescence alterations indicate that beta-endorphin causes release of calcium ion from both synaptosomal and erythrocyte membrane stores but not from rat brain mitochondria. It seems that the binding pattern or interaction of beta-endorphin with synaptosomes and erythrocytes are characteristically different from that of mitochondria, indicating some functional significance of this differential interaction.