Circulating insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) has been shown to act as a negative feedback regulator of growth hormone (GH) gene expression; however, the mechanism of this negative feedback is poorly understood. Activation and regulation of GH gene expression require the binding of the transcription factor POU1F1 to the GH promoter along with cyclic AMP (cAMP) response element binding protein (CREB) binding protein (CBP). We investigate the role of CBP as a target of IGF-1 somatotroph regulation using the MtT/S somatotroph cell line. IGF-1 significantly inhibits basal GH mRNA levels but not POU1F1 levels. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrate inhibition of CBP binding to the GH promoter after IGF-1 treatment. We hypothesized that IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) signaling disrupts the POU1F1/CBP complex to inhibit gene expression. In support, the use of a mutant CBP (S436A) construct, which lacks a critical phosphorylation site, leads to the loss of IGF-1 inhibition. The studies of CBP (S436A) knock-in mice show elevated serum GH levels, a greater response to GH releasing hormone (GHRH) stimulation along with lower weight gain, and decreased body fat. Our data confirm the inhibitory effects of IGF-1 on GH expression at the level of the promoter and provide evidence of CBP's role as a target of IGF-1R signaling.T he regulation of growth hormone (GH) is primarily influenced by the antagonistic actions of the hypothalamic hormones growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) and somatostatin (SRIF); however, it also well documented that the release of GH may be influenced by other factors and proteins produced both centrally and peripherally (2,5,8,14,45,47). Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which is produced primarily in the liver under the direct influence of GH, has an important role in not only somatic growth and metabolism but also negative feedback of GH release by targeting both the hypothalamus and pituitary (7,22,39,43). Several in vitro studies have demonstrated the ability of IGF-1 to decrease GH gene expression and hormone release (33,40,(52)(53)(54). Furthermore, transgenic animals with perturbations in the GH axis also demonstrate IGF-1's direct and indirect roles in regulation of the somatotroph (27,30,35,49,51). IGF-1R is a heterotetrameric glycoprotein comprised of two extracellular alpha subunits, which bind IGF-1, and two transmembrane beta subunits, which contain tyrosine kinase activity (13,22). Upon ligand binding to the receptor, two major pathways, the Ras/Raf/ mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3 kinase) pathway, have been shown to play a role in mediating IGF-1 responses (16,17,24,26).Although in vitro and in vivo studies of IGF-1 negative feedback have proposed specific targets that ultimately affect GH expression and release, a mechanism of regulation at the cellular level remains unclear. We chose to first study IGF-1 regulation using an in vitro approach with the MtT/S cell line, which is an established rat tumor somatotroph cell line t...