Summary
With the use of immunocytochemistry, it was shown that both the supraoptic and paraventricular hypothalamic nuclei in humans contain at least two different neurophysins. These two human neurophysins are immunologically related to bovine neurophysin I and neurophysin II, respectively. One human neurophysin is associated with vasopressin, the other with oxytocin. Human vasopressin-neurophysin and oxytocin-neurophysin are located separately in two different types of neurons, which correspond respectively to the vasopressinergic and oxytocinergic neurons of both the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei. The neurophysin of the human vasopressinergic suprachiasmatic neurons appears to be closely related to or identical with neurophysin of the vasopressinergic neurons of the human magnocellular hypothalamic nuclei.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Burford, G.D., Jones, C.W., Pickering, B.T.: Tentative identification of a vasopressin-neurophysin and an oxytocin-neurophysin in the rat. Biochem. J. 124, 809–813 (1971)
Choy, V.J., Watkins, W.B.: Immunocytochemical study of the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system. II. Distribution of neurophysin, vasopressin and oxytocin in the normal and osmotically stimulated rat. Cell Tissue Res. 180, 467–490 (1977)
Dean, C.R., Hope, D.B., Kazic, T.: Evidence for the storage of oxytocin with neurophysin-I and of vasopressin with neurophysin-II in separate neurosecretory granules. Brit. J. Pharmacol. 34, 192P-193P (1968)
Dierickx, K., Vandesande, F.: Immunocytochemical localization of the vasopressinergic and the oxytocinergic neurons in the human hypothalamus. Cell Tissue Res. 184, 15–27 (1977)
Husain, M.K., Frantz, A.G., Ciarochi, F., Robinson, A.G.: Nicotine-stimulated release of neurophysin and vasopressin in humans. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 41, 1113–1117 (1975)
Legros, J.J.: Les neurophysines. Recherches méthodologiques, expérimentales et cliniques. Thèse Université de Liège. Paris: Masson 1976
Legros, J.J., Reynaert, R., Peeters, G.: Specific release of bovine neurophysin I during milking and suckling in the cow. J. Endocrinol. 60, 327–332 (1974)
Legros, J.J., Reynaert, R., Peeters, G.: Specific release of bovine neurophysin II during arterial or venous haemorrhage in the cow. J. Endocrinol. 67, 297–302 (1975)
Mey, J. De, Vandesande, F.: Bovine neurophysins I, II and C: New methods for their purification and for the production of specific antibodies. Eur. J. Biochem. 69, 153–162 (1976)
Mey, J. De, Vandesande, F., Dierickx, K.: Identification of neurophysin producing cells. II. Identification of the neurophysin I and the neurophysin II producing neurons in the bovine hypothalamus. Cell Tissue Res. 153, 531–543 (1974)
Pickup, J.C., Johnston, C.I., Nakamura, S., Uttenthal, L.O., Hope, D.B.: Subcellular organization of neurophysins, oxytocin, (8-lysine)-vasopressin and adenosine triphosphatase in porcine posterior pituitary lobes. Biochem. J. 132, 361–371 (1973)
Robinson, A.G.: Isolation, assay and secretion of individual human neurophysins. J. Clin. Invest. 55, 360–367 (1975a)
Robinson, A.G.: Radioimmunoassay of neurophysin proteins: Utilization of specific neurophysin assays to demonstrate independent secretion of different neurophysins in vivo. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 248, 246–256 (1975b)
Robinson, A.G., Zimmerman, E.A., Frantz, A.G.: Physiologic investigation of posterior pituitary binding proteins neurophysin I and neurophysin II. Metabolism 20, 1148–1155 (1971)
Robinson, A.G., Haluszczak, C., Wilkins, J.A., Huellmantel, A.B., Watson, C.G.: Physiologiccontrol of two neurophysins in humans. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 44, 330–339 (1977)
Sternberger, L.A., Hardy, P.H., Jr., Cuculis, J.J., Meyer, H.G.: The unlabeled antibody enzyme method of immunohistochemistry. Preparation and properties of soluble antigen-antibody complex (horseradish peroxidase-antihorseradish peroxidase) and its use in identification of spirochetes. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 18, 315–333 (1970)
Sunde, D.A., Sokol, H.W.: Quantification of rat neurophysins by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE): Application to the rat with hereditary hypothalamic diabetes insipidus. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 248, 345–364 (1975)
Vandesande, F., Dierickx, K.: Immunocytochemical demonstration of separate vasotocinergic and mesotocinergic neurons in the amphibian hypothalamic magnocellular neurosecretory system. Cell Tissue Res. 175, 289–296 (1976)
Vandesande, F., Dierickx, K., Mey, J. De: Identification of the vasopressin-neurophysin II and the oxytocin-neurophysin I producing neurons in the bovine hypothalamus. Cell Tissue Res. 156, 189–200 (1975)
Vandesande, F., Dierickx, K., Mey, J. De: The origin of the vasopressinergic and oxytocinergic fibres of the external region of the median eminence of the rat hypophysis. Cell Tissue Res. 180, 443–452 (1977)
Watkins, W.B., Choy, V.J.: Immunocytochemical evidence for the association of neurophysin-I with vasopressin and neurophysin-II with oxytocin in the pig hypothalamus. Neurosci. Lett. 3, 293–297 (1976)
Watkins, W.B., Choy, V.J.: Immunocytochemical study of the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system. III. Localization of oxytocin-and vasopressin-containing neurons in the pig hypothalamus. Cell Tissue Res. 180, 491–503 (1977)
Zimmerman, E.A., Defendini, R., Sokol, H.W., Robinson, A.G.: The distribution of neurophysinsecreting pathways in the mammalian brain: light microscopic studies using the immunoperoxidase technique. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 248, 92–111 (1975)
Zimmerman, E.A., Robinson, A.G., Husain, M.K., Acosta, M., Frantz, A.G., Sawyer, W.H.: Neurohypophysial peptides in the bovine hypothalamus: the relationship of neurophysin I to oxytocin, and neurophysin II to vasopressin in supraoptic and paraventricular regions. Endocrinol. 95, 931–936 (1974)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This investigation was supported by a grant from the Belgian Nationaal Fonds voor Geneeskundig Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dierickx, K., Vandesande, F. Immunocytochemical demonstration of separate vasopressin-neurophysin and oxytocin-neurophysin neurons in the human hypothalamus. Cell Tissue Res. 196, 203–212 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00240096
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00240096