PRESENCE AND SYNTHESIS OF VASOTOCIN IN THE PINEAL GLAND OF BRATTLEBORO RATS

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Institute of Endocrinology and Faculty of Medicine, Bucharest, Romania (Received 20 September 1977) The pineal gland of all mammals so far investigated contains arginine-vasotocin (AVT; Pavel & Petrescu, 1966) or lysine-vasotocin (Pavel, 1965), except that of the homozygous Brattleboro rat with hereditary hypothalamic diabetes insipidus, in which apparently no radioimmunoassayable vasotocin could be detected (Rosenbloom & Fisher, 1975). Since it has been demonstrated recently that the pineal glands of normal rat foetuses contain (Pavel, Goldstein & Calb, 1975) and synthesize (Pavel, Goldstein, Ghinea & Calb, 1977) relatively large amounts of AVT, we investigated the possible occurrence and synthesis of AVT in the pineal glands of foetal homozygous Brattleboro rats. We also studied the pineal glands of adult homozygous Brattleboro rats to test for the presence of AVT. The methods of assay used have been described previously (Pavel, 1965) and included rat antidiuretic, rat uterine and frog (Rana temporaria) bladder assays.