Characterization of neurophysin in the anterior pituitary gland of sheep.

Portions of sheep anterior pituitary lobe tissue were extracted under acid conditions and assayed for the two neurophysins (oN-III and oN-I/II) by radioimmunoassay. In all tissues examined, oN-III and oN-I/II immunoreactivities were detected. Using a combination of isoelectric focusing and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the neurophysins of the anterior pituitary gland behaved like oN-III and oN-I/II. oN-III of the anterior pituitary was purified by affinity chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography. This corticotroph oN possessed an amino acid analysis similar to that of oN-III and an N-terminal amino acid sequence, including residues 1-24, identical to that of authentic oN-III. These findings support the work of others who have identified neurohypophysial hormones in the anterior pituitary gland.