The distribution and chromatographic characterization of PHI (peptide histidine isoleucine amide)-27-like peptides in rat and porcine brain.

This study was initiated to characterize PHI (peptide histidine isoleucine amide)-27-like peptides (PLPs) in rat and porcine brain in comparison with other members of the vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) family and to investigate their distribution by radioimmunoassay. The peptidic nature of the rat brain PLP was indicated by its trypsin sensitivity. On Sephadex chromatography rat brain PLP has the same molecular weight as synthetic (porcine intestinal) PHI-27. High pressure liquid chromatographic separations revealed that PLP in rat and porcine brain extracts elutes as a single peak distinct from VIP or secretin. Porcine brain PLP elutes in the same position as synthetic PHI-27, whereas rat brain PLP immunoreactivity consistently separates from synthetic PHI-27. This suggests that porcine brain PLP is identical to synthetic PHI-27, in agreement with the reported sequence of Tatemoto et al. (Tatemoto, K., M. Carlquist, T. McDonald, and V. Mutt (1983) FEBS Lett. 153: 248-252), whereas PLP may have a different amino acid sequence (or may be post-translationally modified). Using specific PHI and VIP radioimmunoassays, the distribution of PLP was found to parallel that of VIP in rat and porcine brain, being highest in cerebral cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus. PLP, like VIP, is abundant in rat retina and can be included in the growing list of retinal peptides. This highly correlated distribution of VIP and PLP may be explained by the recent discovery that they are derived from the same precursor (Itoh, N., K. Obata, N. Yanaihara, and H. Okamoto (1983) Nature 304: 547-549).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)