Summary
Immuno-enzyme histochemical investigations on the bovine hypothalamus showed that vasopressin and oxytocin are synthetized in separate neurons. Moreover, it was found that the vasopressin-producing neurons are identical with the neurophysin II-producing neurons, while the oxytocin-producing neurons correspond with the neurophysin I-producing neurons. From this result it is concluded that, in the species studied, neurophysin I is the carrier protein of oxytocin and that neurophysin II is the carrier protein of vasopressin.
The bovine vasopressin-neurophysin II producing neurons and the oxytocin-neurophysin I producing neurons are both present as well in the supraoptic nuclei as in the paraventricular nuclei. In the supraoptic nuclei, the vasopressin-neurophysin II neurons predominate in number; in the paraventricular nuclei, the oxytocin-neurophysin I neurons predominate. The two kinds of bovine neurosecretory neurons are partly localized in separate areas. Moreover, the vasopressin-neurophysin II neurons and the oxytocin-neurophysin I neurons show distinct morphological differences.
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This work was supported by a grant from the Belgian Nationaal Fonds voor Geneeskundig Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek.
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Vandesande, F., Dierickx, K. & De Mey, J. Identification of the vasopressin-neurophysin II and the oxytocin-neurophysin I producing neurons in the bovine hypothalamus. Cell Tissue Res. 156, 189–200 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00221802
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00221802