Open Accessbeta-Lipotropin is the major opioid-like peptide of human pituitary and rat pars distalis: lack of significant beta-endorphin.
Author(s) -
Anthony S. Liotta,
Toshio Suda,
Dorothy T. Krieger
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.75.6.2950
Subject(s) - endocrinology , medicine , endorphins , anterior pituitary , beta endorphin , pituitary gland , posterior pituitary , opioid peptide , peptide hormone , vasopressin , adrenocorticotropic hormone , chemistry , beta (programming language) , stimulation , biology , opioid , hormone , receptor , computer science , programming language
beta-Lipotropin is the predominant opioid peptide of the human pituitary and rat pars distalis and is present in concentrations essentially equimolar with corticotropin. When freshly, obtained nonfrozen rat anterior pituitaries were homogenized with 0.2 M HCl, approximately 98% of the immunoreactivity detected utilizing an antiserum that crossreacts equally with beta-lipotropin and beta-endorphin coeluted with 125I-labeled human beta-lipotropin upon molecular sieve chromatography. The remainder of the activity eluted with synthetic human beta-endorphin. Similar results were obtained for human pituitary. HCl homogenization of thawed tissue or homogenization of fresh tissue with acetic acid yielded substantially greater concentrations of beta-endorphin and decreased concentrations of beta-lipotropin. In human subjects, acute anterior pituitary stimulation using either insulin-induced hypoglycemia or vasopressin administration was associated with increased plasma beta-lipotropin and corticotropin levels. At the time of peak concentrations, no significant levels of beta-endorphin were detectable. These data indicate the lack of significant amounts of beta-endorphin in human pituitary. Additionally, there appears to be no specific intrapituitary conversion of beta-lipotropin to beta-endorphin.