Conformational comparison of stored and secreted ovine pituitary prolactin.

Highly purified samples of stored and secreted ovine pituitary prolactin have been compared with regard to those conformational properties evidenced by ultraviolet absorption and circular dichroism measurements. No significant differences were found in any of the optical properties measured. The previously reported absence of tryptophanyl circular dichroism in the secreted forms of rat and mouse prolactins may be typical only of rodent hormones and not a general phenomenon.