A radio-ligand receptor assay for the long-acting thyroid stimulator. Inhibition by the long-acting thyroid stimulator of the binding of radioiodinated thyroid-stimulating hormone to human thyroid membranes.

Highly purified bovine TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) was labelled with 125I by using very low concentrations of chloramine-T. Human thyroid membranes prepared by discontinuous sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation were homogeneous on examination by electron microscopy. Incubation of radioiodinated TSH with the membranes showed that radioactivity could be bound to the membranes. Under the experimental conditions described here, binding was dependent on time and temperature and was a saturable phenomenon. Preincubation of the membranes with unlabelled hormone inhibited the subsequent binding of 125I-labelled TSH. Similarly, inhibition by the long-acting thyroid stimulator also showed a saturation behaviour. A rapid and sensitive method for the detection of the long-acting thyroid stimulator is described.