The present invention relates to a ligand of the Corticotropin-Releasing Factor (CRF)-binding protein (CRFBP) selected from the group consisting of CRF, Urocortin (Ucn), and Urotensin, said ligand comprising a covalently linked benzophenone moiety. Further, the present invention relates to a process for the purification of a CRFBP which comprises reacting said CRFBP with the ligand of the invention, performing photoaffinity labeling, and purifying the resultant photoreaction products by HPLC. The present invention also relates to the use of the ligand of the invention for detecting CRFBP and for identifying the binding site within CRFBP. The present invention also relates to a method for identifying an inhibitor of the binding of ARF to CRFBP.
本发明涉及一种皮质素释放因子(CRF)结合蛋白(CRFBP)的
配体,该
配体选自由CRF、尿皮质素(Ucn)和
乌洛托品组成的组,所述
配体包括共价连接的
二苯甲酮分子。此外,本发明还涉及一种纯化 CRFBP 的工艺,该工艺包括使所述 CRFBP 与本发明的
配体反应,进行光亲和标记,并通过 HPLC 纯化所得到的光反应产物。本发明还涉及使用本发明
配体检测 CRFBP 和鉴定 CRFBP 内的结合位点。本发明还涉及一种鉴定 ARF 与 CRFBP 结合的
抑制剂的方法。