Summary
Antibodies raised against porcine neurophysin-I and porcine neurophysin-II using an injection regime in rabbits over a short time period, were used to localize neurophysin-I and neurophysin-II in hypothalamic neurosecretory elements of the domestic pig.
In transverse section, neurophysin-II containing cells were more abundant in the dorsal medial region of the rostral supraoptic nucleus (SON) as compared with the distribution of neurophysin-I neurons. The main bulk of the cells of the SON were heavily stained for neurophysin-I with neurophysin-II containing cells positioned dorsal from the edge of the optic chiasma.
Neurosecretory cells of the SON as seen in sagittal section also showed a differential staining for neurophysins-I and -II.
Rostral regions of the pig paraventricular nucleus (PVN) contained magnocellular elements near the third ventricle which were stained predominantly for neurophysin-II. In regions corresponding to the caudal PVN there appeared two populations of neurosecretory neurons: (a) an area of cells adjacent to the third ventricle which contained neurophysin-II antigen and (b) a group of densely populated cells in the dorsal-lateral region which was stained for neurophysin-I.
The results support the existence in the pig of at least two distinct populations of neurosecretory neurons corresponding to the neurophysin-I and neurophysin-II neurosecretory system.
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This work was financed by the Medical Research Council of New Zealand
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Watkins, W.B. Immunocytochemical study of the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system. Cell Tissue Res. 175, 165–181 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00232077
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00232077