A second form of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), with chicken GnRH II-like properties, occurs together with mammalian GnRH in marsupial brains.

GnRH peptides in the hypothalami of marsupials (tammar wallaby, short-nosed bandicoot, and eastern quoll) and a monotreme (echidna) were investigated by reverse phase HPLC and RIA with region-specific antisera. In the wallaby hypothalamic extract, a single form of GnRH was present, which eluted in the same position as synthetic mammalian GnRH on HPLC and was recognized by antibodies directed against the NH2- and COOH-termini of mammalian GnRH as well as by antibodies to the middle region. Two GnRH molecular forms were demonstrated in the bandicoot and quoll hypothalamic extracts. One form eluted in the same position as synthetic mammalian GnRH on HPLC and was quantified equally by two mammalian GnRH antisera. The second form eluted in the same position as synthetic chicken GnRH II and was recognized by specific antibodies to this molecule. Quantification of this immunoreactive peak with two chicken GnRH II antisera was not equal, suggesting that the peptide has similar properties to, but may not be identical to, chicken GnRH II. Immunoreactive GnRH was also detected in the echidna hypothalamic extract. These findings demonstrate that in some mammals more than one form of GnRH is present in the brain of a single species, as has previously been found in species from all nonmammalian vertebrate classes. The finding in marsupial brain of a peptide with properties of chicken GnRH II, which has previously been reported in species of Aves, Reptilia, Amphibia, Osteichthyes, and Chondrichthyes, supports our hypothesis that this widespread structural variant may represent an early early evolved and conserved form of GnRH.