Presence of immunoreactive neurophysins of a higher molecular weight in addition to the 10.000 form in the ovine pineal gland.

Using an aqueous extraction followed by ultrafiltration through Amicon Diaflo membranes, two ovine pineal fractions were obtained, which contain immunoreactive neurophysin. The presence of neurophysin was monitored by radioimmunoassay, employing an antiserum raised against pituitary bovine neurophysin and selected because it reacts with neurophysins of many other mammals. From 50 g of wet ovine pineal glands 552 micrograms of immunoreactive neurophysins were obtained. About 5% of these immunoreactive neurophysins are eluted from three different Sephadex columns with an elution volume corresponding to Mr above 10,000 between bovine serum albumin and pituitary neurophysin. The remaining 95% of ovine immunoreactive pineal neurophysin (Mr 10,000) shares immunological and physico-chemical properties with highly purified bovine pituitary neurophysin used as a reference. From the results of gel filtration and affinity chromatography on LVP-Sepharose it was concluded that ovine pineal gland may contain a neurophysin precursor molecule in addition to the neurophysin Mr 10,000.