title: Precursors of mesotocin and vasotocin in birds: identification of VLDV- and MSEL- neurophysins in chicken, goose, and ostrich.
abstract: Precursors of neurohypophysial hormones are small proteins processed into nonapeptide hormones and neurophysins during axonal transport to the neurohypophysis. In mammals, oxytocin is associated with VLDV-neurophysin and vasopressin with MSEL-neurophysin. In birds, mesotocin and vasotocin are found instead of mammalian oxytocin and vasopressin. From goose, chicken and ostrich posterior pituitary glands, two types of neurophysins related to mammalian VLDV- and MSEL-neurophysins, respectively, have been identified by their N-terminal sequences. It is assumed that, as in mammals, hormonal peptide and the first 9 residues of the corresponding neurophysin are encoded by a common exon and that mesotocin and vasotocin, evolutionary predecessors of oxytocin and vasopressin, are associated in the precursors with VLDV-neurophysin and MSEL-neurophysin, respectively.
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002645:Chickens; D005777:Geese; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D009481:Neurophysins / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000032:analysis; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D051381:Rats; D012756:Sheep; D013552:Swine; D014668:Vasotocin / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014907:Whales
chemical_list: D009481:Neurophysins; D011498:Protein Precursors; C001713:mesotocin; D010121:Oxytocin; D014668:Vasotocin