title: Expression of the vasopressin and oxytocin genes in human hypothalami.
abstract: Poly(A)+ RNA isolated from post-mortem human hypothalami has been used to characterize the poly-protein precursors to vasopressin and oxytocin. Translation in a cell-free system and subsequent immuno-precipitation with antibodies raised against either vasopressin or neurophysin identified a product of Mr 19000 (prepro-vasopressin). A second less intense product of Mr 16500 was tentatively identified as prepro-oxytocin. A cDNA library derived from the human hypothalamic poly(A)+ RNA was screened for vasopressin and oxytocin-encoding cDNA using heterologous probes; clones encoding the two precursors were identified and found to be organized as their rat and bovine counterparts. Northern blot analysis shows that the mRNAs for the two prepro-hormones consist of approximately 840 (AVP) and approximately 700 (OT) nucleotides.
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002474:Cell-Free System; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D011061:Poly A / Q000378:metabolism; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D011498:Protein Precursors; D014667:Vasopressins; D011061:Poly A; D010121:Oxytocin