A monoclonal antibody (8G11-C6) generated by an auto-anti-idiotypic route and directed to a site near the ligand-binding site of the glucocorticoid receptor also binds to native insulin and the B chain of insulin but not to the A chain of insulin. The glucocorticoid receptor and the B chain of insulin, therefore, share a cross-reacting epitope. Examination of the primary sequences of the two proteins revealed a limited number of regions of identity or close homology. Several peptides representative of those regions were synthesized. A heptapeptide sequence of the B chain of insulin with homology to a sequence in the first "zinc finger" of the DNA-binding domain of the glucocorticoid receptor was identified as the cross-reactive epitope. This heptapeptide sequence is restricted to and highly conserved among insulins of various species. Homologous sequences are found in the DNA-binding domains of most steroid receptors and related DNA-binding proteins. Consistent with this is the finding that 8G11-C6 inhibits the binding of glucocorticoid receptor to DNA-cellulose.