Characterization of the somatostatin-like immunoreactivity extracted from an adrenal medullary tumour

Significant amounts of somatostatin-like immunoreactivity (SLI) were detected in the extract of a human catecholamine-secreting adrenal medullary tumour. After salt fractionation and reconstitution the major portion of SLI was purified by gel filtration and two HPLC steps; in all three systems it eluted in the position of somatostatin-14. The purified somatostatin-like peptide inhibited, in a dose-related manner, growth hormone release from stimulated perfused rat anterior pituitary cells in vitro. Amino acid analysis showed the purified peptide to have an identical composition to somatostatin found in other species.     

Somatostatin 1-28 circulates in human plasma

The gel filtration profile of immunoreactive somatostatin in human plasma in the fasting state is not well established as a consequence of insufficient sensitivity of the combined chromatography and radioimmunoassay procedures usually employed. We here report the gel filtration profiles of plasma samples after somatostatin concentration by batchwise immunoaffinity chromatography. The results clearly and reliably document the presence of a circulating peptide in human plasma with a gel permeation chromatography profile identical to the one of synthetic somatostatin 1-28. Approximately 46% of the total somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in plasma is due to this component.     

A case of multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 1; the immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies of its tumors and the analysis of hormones in tumor extracts

We reported a case of sporadic multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1, with multiple insulinoma, parathyroid adenoma, and pituitary tumor. Measurement of hormone contents and immunohistochemical studies of the pancreatic tumors showed that the tumors contained insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, and pancreatic polypeptide. Furthermore, the concentrations of these hormones were different in each tumor. Insulin extracted from the pancreatic tumors analyzed by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography revealed no structural abnormalities. On the other hand, in gel filtration evaluation of the extract of the parathyroid adenoma, it was found that the tumor extract contained a macromolecular parathyroid hormone (molecular weight 20,000 to 25,000).     

Inhibition of growth hormone synthesis by somatostatin in cultured pituitary of rainbow trout

Summary When the pituitary of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) was incubated in a serum-free medium, a high level of growth hormone release as well as an activation of growth hormone synthesis were observed, suggesting the existence of hypothalamic inhibitory factor(s) on growth hormone synthesis. Although an inhibitory effect of somatostatin on growth hormone release is well established in both mammals and teleosts, an effect on growth hormone synthesis has not been demonstrated. In this study, we examined the effect of somatostatin on growth hormone synthesis in organ-cultured trout pituitary using immunoprecipitation and Northern blot analysis. Somatostatin inhibited growth hormone release from the cultured pituitary within 10 min after addition without affecting prolactin release. Incubation of the pituitary with somatostatin also caused a significant reduction in newly-synthesized growth hormone in a dose-related manner, as assessed by incorporation of [³H]leucine into immunoprecipitable growth hormone. There were no changes in the level or molecular length of growth hormone mRNA after somatostatin treatment, as assessed by Northern slot blot and Northern gel blot analyses. Human growth hormone-releasing factor stimulated growth hormone release, although the spontaneous synthesis of growth hormone was not augmented. However, somatostatin-inhibited growth hormone synthesis was restored by growth hormone-releasing factor to the control level. The spontaneous increase in growth hormone synthesis observed in the organ-cultured trout pituitary may be caused, at least in part, by the removal of the inhibitory effect of hypothalamic somatostatin.Abbreviations GH growth hormone - GHRF GH-releasing factor - PRL prolactin - SDS sodium dodecyl sulphate - SRIF somatostatin (somatropin release-inhibiting factor)     

Use of electrophoresis and gel filtration to characterize human pituitary somatotropin preparations after storage.

Fresh and stored preparations of human pituitary somatotropin examined by different polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis techniques and by gel exclusion chromatography (Ultrogel) clearly demonstrated that the hormone undergoes a structural alteration during storage for 3 years. The formed aggregates were readily quantitated from the gel filtration profile and from polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS-PAGE). According to gel filtration the amount of aggregates in fresh and stored hormone was determined to be 2 and 10%, respectively, while SDS-PAGE indicated 6 and 14%.     

Human growth hormone releasing factor and somatostatin from two pancreatic tumors: isolation and characterization

Peptides with high intrinsic activity to release growth hormone from pituitary cells in tissue cultures were isolated from two different human pancreatic tumors that had caused acromegaly. Homogeneous peptides were obtained after gel filtration and two steps of reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. From one tumor a 44-residue peptide (human pancreas growth hormone releasing factor, hpGRF-44) was isolated, together with two shorter fragments of reduced bioactivity having 40 and 37 amino acid residues (hpGRF-40, hpGRF-37). In contrast, the other tumor contained only one form of GRF which proved to be identical to hpGRF-40. These hpGRFs are indistinguishable from partially purified preparations of hypothalamic growth hormone releasing factor of human, porcine and murine origins with respect to biological activity and are very similar in their physicochemical properties (molecular weight, retention behavior on reverse-phase HPLC, absence of sulfhydryl groups). One of the pancreatic tumors also contained two forms of immunoreactive somatostatin. One form, after isolation and partial microsequencing, was identified as somatostatin-14 with a structure identical to that of the peptide found in other species. The second form has tentatively been identified as somatostatin-28 on the basis of chromatographic behavior.     

Pancreatic somatostatin-like immunoreactivity suppresses gastric acid secretion in rats.

Somatostatin-like immunoreactivity (SLI) was extracted from the canine pancreas and purified by ion exchange, affinity chromatography and gel filtration. The 1600 dalton fraction, which is physicochemically similar to synthetic somatostatin was infused into the peripheral circulation of anesthetized rats and its effect upon gastric acid secretion was compared with that of synthetic somatostatin. Both synthetic somatostatin and pancreatic SLI in a dose of 7–8 μg/kg/h suppressed pentagastrin-stimulated gastric acid secretion. It is concluded that the highly purified 1600 dalton fraction of canine pancreatic SLI, like synthetic somatostatin, can exert biological activity upon the stomach of rats.     

Presence of subunit structure in bovine follicle-stimulating hormone

Highly purified bovine follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) potency 164 X NIH-FSH-S-1 by bioassay was estimated to be 210 +/- 4.2 X NIH-FSH-S-1 by radioligant-receptor assay using 125I-bovine FSH as tracer but only 120 +/- 1.8 X NIH-FSH-S-1 when 125I-human FSH tracer was used. The presence of subunit structure in bovine FSH was revealed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Furthermore, treatment of bovine FSH with 1 M propionic acid resulted in marked changes of mobilities upon polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and elution profiles after gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 in addition to loss of biological activity by radioligand-receptor assay. After incubation, the propionic acid-treated bovine FSH recovered about 75% of the receptor-binding activity and regenerated protein bands of identical electrophoretic mobilities as the native hormone.     

Isolation and structure of guinea pig gastric and pancreatic somatostatin

Somatostatin-14 has been isolated from guinea pig pancreas and stomach and purified to homogeneity by gel filtration, ion-exchange chromatography and reverse phase HPLC. Amino acid composition and sequence analysis indicated that guinea pig somatostatin from both tissues has the same structure as somatostatin-14 from all other mammalian species yet studied. The study has demonstrated that somatostatin-14 from gastric tissue has the same structure as the peptide from hypothalamus and pancreas.     

Depolarizing influences regulate somatostatin synthesis and processing in cultured cerebral cortical cells

There is increasing evidence that persistent depolarization plays a critical role not only in excitation-secretion coupling, but also in the mechanisms linking excitation of neuronal cells to long-term adaptative changes in biosynthesis of neuropeptides. Somatostatin (SRIF) release and synthesis are affected by numerous agents, such as high concentrations of potassium that cause depolarization of cellular membrane. In the present work, we tried to determine whether prolonged exposure to veratridine (VTD) regulates SRIF synthesis. We found that exposure to VTD (100 microM) resulted in the stimulation of total (cell content + media) immunoreactive SRIF (IR-SRIF). This effect was calcium- and sodium-dependent, since it was prevented when verapamil (VPM) 20 microM or tetrodotoxin (TTX) 1 microM were added simultaneously with VTD. Cerebral cortical cells were exposed to high potassium concentrations, and the nature of the IR-SRIF was characterized by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) or gel filtration. It was evident that chronic exposure to high potassium concentrations modified the elution profile of medium IR-SRIF on HPLC and gel filtration, causing an increase in somatostatin-28 (S-28) and a decrease in somatostatin-14 (S-14). The results indicate that chronic exposure to VTD or high potassium concentration increases immunoreactive somatostatin and augments synthesis of its high-molecular-weight forms. This suggests that chronic membrane depolarization activating sodium and calcium channels initiates the entry of calcium ions, which triggers somatostatin release and causes a depletion of its intracellular stores. The stimulation of somatostatin secretion could be coupled to synthesis of the peptide.     

Isolation and characterization of calcitonin from pericardium and esophagus of eel.

Calcitonin was extracted from the pericardium and esophagus of eel in quantities sufficient to permit purification and chemical characterization. Homogeneous calcitonin could be isolated by a six-step fractionation starting from acetone powder of the organs. The fractionation procedure consisted of acid extraction, gel filtration on Sephadex G-75, chromatography on SP-Sephadex C-25, gel filtration on the Sephadex G-50, chromatography on carboxymethylcellulose, and gel filtration on Sephadex G-50. Fractionation of the hormone was monitored by assay of its biological activity and from its behaviour on thin layer chromatography and polyacrylamide gel disc electrophoresis. The hormone contained 32 amino acid residues, like calcitonins from other species of animals, but its amino acid composition was different from those of previously characterized hormones. Eel calcitonin possessed almost the same, or higher, biological activity as the salmon or chicken hormone, which show the highest specific activity among calcitonins so far isolated.     

Distribution and molecular forms of peptides containing somatostatin immunodeterminants in extracts from the entire gastrointestinal tract of man and pig

Specimens from human porcine mucosal and muscular tissue from the entire gastrointestinal tract were extracted in acid ethanol, subjected to chromatography and analysed for somatostatin-like immunoreactivity by region-specific radioimmunoassays. The concentration of somatostatin-like immunoreactivity from man and pig ranged from 1.13 +/- 0.37 to 101.15 +/- 33.93 pmol/g wet weight, and from 7.64 to 159.48 +/- 23.79 pmol/g wet weight, respectively. In both species the highest concentrations were found in the jejunum. The immunoreactivity in intestinal mucosal extracts was distributed among four major peaks, two of which were identified by HPLC as somatostatin 1-28 and somatostatin 1-14, respectively. A peak of approx. 10 kDa was resolved by ion exchange plus HPLC into three components, two containing at least part of the somatostatin 1-14 sequence as well as (part of) the somatostatin 1-28(1-14) sequence (but differing in charge), the third containing only the 1-28(1-14) sequence. These peptides probably represent uncleaved and partially cleaved prosomatostatin. The fourth component to be identified by gel filtration was slightly larger than somatostatin 1-14. Extracts from the antrum, the pancreas and from muscular tissues contained almost exclusively somatostatin 1-14, and very little somatostatin 1-28, indicating that the somatostatin precursor is processed differently at these sites. Furthermore, extracts of porcine gastric antrum, analysed for somatostatin 1-28(1-14) immunoreactivity, showed two immunoreactive forms in the mucosa and three major forms in the muscular layers.     

Isolation and characterization of highly purified mosquito oostatic hormone

Oostatic hormone, the hormone that inhibits vitellogenesis in mosquitoes, was purified 7,000-fold with a recovery of 70% from the ovaries of the mosquito Aedes aegypti. The purification procedure included heat treatment and chromatography on ion exchange and gel filtration columns. The hormone is a small peptidelike molecule of molecular weight 2,200 at pH 4.5, which aggregates into larger molecular species of trimer and octamer at pH 7.0 as determined by gel filtration. The hormone is positively charged at pH 7.8 and has a low Rf at pH 9.4 on disc gel electrophoresis. Injection of purified oostatic hormone (9 ng) into female mosquitoes inhibited yolk deposition and vitellogenin synthesis. Activity of the oostatic hormone in the mosquito ovary increased rapidly following blood feeding and reached a maximum after 48 h. Oostatic hormone of A. aegypti injected into autogenous Aedes taeniorhynchus inhibited egg development. Repeated injections of dilute oostatic hormone at 24 h intervals partially arrested egg development, resulting in 60% reduction in the number of eggs laid. This hormone does not block release of egg development neurosecretory hormone (EDNH) from the mosquito brain but rather appears to act on the ovary.     

Structure and proteolysis of the growth hormone receptor on rat hepatocytes

125I-Labeled human growth hormone is isolated in high molecular weight (Mr) (300,000, 220,000, and 130,000) and low molecular weight complexes on rat hepatocytes after affinity labeling. The time-dependent formation of low molecular weight complexes occurred at the expense of the higher molecular weight species and was inhibited by low temperature or inhibitors of serine proteinases. Exposure to reducing conditions induced loss of Mr 300,000 and 220,000 species and augmented the amount of Mr 130,000 complexes. The molecular weight of growth hormone (22,000) suggests that binding had occurred with species of Mr 280,000, 200,000, and 100,000. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis demonstrated that the 100,000-dalton receptor subunit is contained in both the 280,000- and 200,000-dalton species. Reduction of interchain disulfide bonds in the growth hormone receptor did not alter its elution from gel filtration columns, but intact, high molecular weight receptor constituents were separated from lower molecular weight degradation products. Digestion of affinity-labeled growth hormone-receptor complexes with neuraminidase increased the mobility of receptor constituents on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. These observations show that the growth hormone receptor is degraded by hepatic serine proteinases to low molecular weight degradation products which can be separated from intact receptor by gel filtration. Intact hormone-receptor complexes are aggregates of 100,000-dalton sialoglycoprotein subunits held together by interchain disulfide bonds and by noncovalent forces.     

Purification of lutropin and follitropin in high yield from horse pituitary glands

A method has been developed for the purification of equine lutropin (eLH) and equine follitropin (eFSH) from horse pituitary glands which attains high yields of both hormones in contrast to previous methods that were devoted to one or the other with inferior recovery of the hormones. Two-pass chromatography over CM-Sephadex was used to separate eLH from eFSH. Subsequent steps employing QAE (quaternary amino-ethyl)-Sephadex chromatography and gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200 produced highly purified hormone preparations. Yields of purified eLH and eFSH were 110 and 60 mg/kg of frozen pituitaries, respectively. Subunits were prepared by dissociation in 8 M guanidine HCl followed by either gel filtration (eLH) or gel filtration followed by QAE-Sephadex chromatography (eFSH). The hormones and their subunits were characterized by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis, amino acid analysis, NH2-terminal analysis, and by LH and FSH radioligand receptor assays.     

Cycloheximide blocks insulin-like growth factor I but not somatostatin inhibition of growth hormone secretion

Growth hormone secretion is controlled by the two hypothalamic hormones, growth hormone releasing factor (GRF) and somatostatin. In addition, the insulin-like growth factors (IGF or somatomedins) which are themselves growth hormone dependent, inhibit growth hormone release in vitro, therefore acting to close the negative feedback loop. The studies reported here examine some of the differences between inhibition of growth hormone secretion by somatostatin and IGF-I in vitro. The major finding is that cycloheximide, a protein synthesis inhibitor, blocks inhibition of GRF-stimulated growth hormone release caused by IGF-I, without changing the inhibition caused by somatostatin. The experiments were done by exposing mixed rat adenohypophysial cells to secretagogues with or without cycloheximide for 24 h in a short term culture. Somatostatin (0.6 nM) totally blocked rat GRF (1 nM) stimulated growth hormone release to values 48% of control (nonstimulated values), while IGF-I (27 nM) only reduced the GRF-stimulated growth hormone release by 27 +/- 3% (N = 5). Cycloheximide (15 micrograms/mL) totally blocked the effect of IGF-I but not somatostatin. A low concentration (0.12 nM) of somatostatin, which only partly inhibited growth hormone release, was also unaffected by cycloheximide. In purified rat somatotrophs, somatostatin (0.1 nM) inhibited GRF-stimulated cAMP levels slightly and reduced growth hormone release while IGF-I (40 nM) had no effect. We suggest that IGF-I inhibits only the secretion of newly synthesized growth hormone, while somatostatin inhibits both stored and newly synthesized growth hormone pools.     

Isolation of a low molecular mass vasoactive intestinal peptide binding protein.

A vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) binding protein was purified in active form by detergent solubilization of lung membranes, gel filtration, VIP-Sepharose affinity chromatography, reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography, and anion exchange chromatography. The mass of this protein was estimated at 18 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and 17 kDa by gel filtration. The binding of VIP by this protein was inhibited by Mg2+, covalent cross-linking of [Tyr10-125I]VIP to the protein produced two radioactive bands at 22 and 26 kDa identified by electrophoresis, and the purified protein exhibited saturable and high affinity binding of VIP and the related neuropeptide, rat growth hormone releasing factor.     

Metabolism of parathyroid hormone. Degradation of 125I-labelled hormone by kidney enzyme

A study was made of the enzymic degradation of (125)I-labelled parathyroid hormone by rat kidney microsomes. Incubation with microsomes resulted in rapid destruction of the labelled hormone. The microsomal factor was not separable by dialysis, and the reaction was favoured by pH values in the physiological range. Velocity of the reaction varied directly as the substrate concentration, and additional crude parathyroid hormone (trichloroacetic acid-precipitated, 3.68mg./ml.) inhibited destruction of labelled hormone. There was much less inhibition with added trichloroacetic acid-precipitated calcitonin (3.92mg./ml.) and virtually none with added pig insulin (3.80mg./ml.). Gel filtration of control medium on P6 (Bio-Gel) yielded one radioactive peak at the void volume. After incubation with microsomes three further peaks were obtained on gel filtration. Only the void-volume peak contained intact (125)I-labelled parathyroid hormone, indicating that the microsomal enzyme degraded labelled hormone to a number of smaller fragments.     

Solubilization and characterization of active somatostatin receptors from rat pancreas

Somatostatin receptors were solubilized from rat pancreatic membranes with the zwitterionic detergent 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propane-sulfonic acid (CHAPS). The binding of an iodinated somatostatin analog [125I-Tyr3]SMS to the soluble fraction was time-dependent, saturable, and reversible. Scatchard analysis of equilibrium binding data indicated that the soluble extract contained a single class of somatostatin binding sites with a Kd of 0.3 nM and a Bmax of 210 fmol/mg. As observed with membrane-bound receptors, soluble binding receptors were sensitive to the GTP analog GTP gamma S indicating that they are functionally linked to a G protein. A molecular weight of about 400,000 was determined for soluble receptors under native conditions by gel filtration. In denaturing gel electrophoresis, photoaffinity labeling of soluble receptors identified a major protein of Mr = 100,000 and two minor proteins of Mr = 56,000 and 21,000. Isoelectric focusing of soluble receptors revealed that the somatostatin receptor is an acidic protein with pI 4.8. The soluble somatostatin receptor is a glycoprotein which can be specifically bound to the wheat germ agglutinin lectin and eluted by triacetyl-chitotriose.