The calcitonin receptor is a member of the class B family of G protein-coupled receptors, closely related to secretin and parathyroid hormone receptors. Although mechanisms of ligand binding have been directly explored for those receptors, current knowledge of the molecular basis of calcitonin binding to its receptor is based only on receptor mutagenesis. In this work we have utilized the more direct approach of photoaffinity labeling to explore spatial approximations between distinct residues within calcitonin and its receptor. For this we have developed two human calcitonin analogues incorporating a photolabile p-benzoyl-L-phenylalanine residue in the mid-region and carboxyl-terminal half of the peptide in positions 16 and 26, respectively. Both probes specifically bound to the human calcitonin receptor with high affinity and were potent stimulants of cAMP accumulation in calcitonin receptor-bearing human embryonic kidney 293 cells. They covalently labeled the calcitonin receptor in a saturable and specific manner. Further purification, deglycosylation, specific chemical and enzymatic cleavage, and sequencing of labeled wild type and mutant calcitonin receptors identified the sites of labeling for the position 16 and 26 probes as receptor residues Phe 137 and Thr 30 , respectively. Both were within the extracellular amino terminus of the calcitonin receptor, with the former adjacent to the first transmembrane segment and the latter within the distal amino-terminal tail of the receptor. These data are consistent with affinity labeling of other members of the class B G protein-coupled receptors using analogous probes and may suggest a common ligand binding mechanism for this family.Calcitonin, a hypocalcemic peptide hormone, is secreted from the thyroid gland in response to elevations in serum calcium levels. Its hypocalcemic effect is mediated by inhibition of bone resorption by osteoclasts and enhancement of renal calcium excretion. These actions are important for its widespread clinical use for treatment of bone disorders, including Paget's disease, osteoporosis, and hypercalcemia of malignancy (1, 2).The calcitonin peptide consists of 32 amino acids, with a disulfide bond between residues 1 and 7 which is conserved among all species and that is believed to be critical for its agonist activity. The amino acid sequence and biological potency of calcitonin vary considerably from species to species, but the integrity of the disulfide bond and the carboxyl-terminal proline-amide are necessary for full biological activity (1-3). The disulfide bond can be replaced by other covalent bonds that lead to improved biological stability while retaining full potency (1). The sequence within the amino-terminal loop region is highly conserved in a variety of species but demonstrates divergence in the rest of the sequence (4). Like secretin and peptides for other members of class B G protein-coupled receptor family, the amino-terminal region of calcitonin contains key determinants for receptor agonist selectivity, whereas the...