The corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) family of ligands and their receptors coordinate endocrine, behavioral, autonomic, and metabolic responses to stress and play additional roles within the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and other systems. The actions of CRF and the related urocortins are mediated by activation of two receptors, CRF-R1 and CRF-R2, belonging to the B1 family of G protein-coupled receptors. The short-consensus-repeat fold (SCR) within the first extracellular domain (ECD1) of the CRF receptor(s) comprises the major ligand binding site and serves to dock a peptide ligand via its C-terminal segment, thus positioning the N-terminal segment to interact with the receptor's juxtamembrane domains to activate the receptor. Here we present the 3D NMR structure of ECD1 of CRF-R2 in complex with astressin, a peptide antagonist. In the structure of the complex the C-terminal segment of astressin forms an amphipathic helix, whose entire hydrophobic face interacts with the short-consensus-repeat motif, covering a large intermolecular interface. In addition, the complex is characterized by intermolecular hydrogen bonds and a salt bridge. These interactions are quantitatively weighted by an analysis of the effects on the full-length receptor affinities using an Ala scan of CRF. These structural studies identify the major determinants for CRF ligand specificity and selectivity and support a two-step model for receptor activation. Furthermore, because of a proposed conservation of the fold for both the ECD1s and ligands, this structure can serve as a model for ligand recognition for the entire B1 receptor family.3D structure ͉ astressin ͉ corticotropin releasing factor ͉ NMR T he ability of the body to adapt to stressful stimuli and the role of stress maladaptation in human diseases has been intensively investigated. Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) (1), a 41-residue peptide, and its three paralogous peptides, urocortin (Ucn) 1, 2, and 3, play important and diverse roles in coordinating endocrine, autonomic, metabolic, and behavioral responses to stress (2, 3). CRF family peptides and their receptors are also implicated in the modulation of additional central nervous system functions including appetite, addiction, hearing, and neurogenesis and act peripherally within the endocrine, cardiovascular, reproductive, gastrointestinal, and immune systems (4, 5). CRF and related ligands initially act by binding to their G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). These belong to the peptide hormone B1 family (family B1 GPCRs), comprising receptors for growth hormone releasing factor, secretin, calcitonin, vasoactive intestinal peptide, glucagon, glucagon-like peptide-1, and parathyroid hormone. Two CRF receptors, CRF-R1 and CRF-R2, have been cloned in mammals (6, 7).Structure activity studies of CRF showed that the first eight N-terminal residues of the hormone are necessary for GPCR signaling (1, 8), whereas the C-terminal (Ϸ15) residues are important for binding (9,10). A two-domain behavior for ligand binding was a...