DEVELOPMENT OF A RADIOIMMUNOASSAY FOR AN AMINO-TERMINAL PEPTIDE OF PRO-OPIOCORTIN CONTAINING THE γ-MSH REGION: MEASUREMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION IN HUMAN PLASMA

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Abstract
A radioimmunoassay has been developed for the N‐terminal region of human pituitary pro‐opiocortin (N‐POC), the common precursor protein of ACTH and β‐LPH, using an antiserum which recognizes residues near the γ‐MSH region. The concentrations of greater than 300 ng/l of immunoreactive peptide were determined in unextracted human plasma, the relative molecular mass of the reacting fragments corresponding to a seventy‐seven amino acid glycoprotein. The concentrations of immunoreactive N‐POC peptides were correlated with those of ACTH in plasma obtained from patients with various disorders of the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis.