Immunocytochemical demonstration of separate vasopressin-neurophysin and oxytocin-neurophysin neurons in the human hypothalamus

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.This investigation was supported by a grant from the Belgian Nationaal Fonds voor Geneeskundig Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek