Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1979 Apr;76(4):2027–2031. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.4.2027

Human placental immunoreactive corticotropin, lipotropin, and beta-endorphin: evidence for a common precursor.

E Odagiri, B J Sherrell, C D Mount, W E Nicholson, D N Orth
PMCID: PMC383527  PMID: 221912

Abstract

The concentrations and molecular sizes of immunoreactive corticotropin (ACTH), lipotropin (LPH, beta LPH plus gamma LPH), gamma LPH, and beta-endorphin (beta END) were determined in human placental extracts. Serial dilutions of a water extract of placenta generated competitive binding curves parallel with that of the standard in each assay. The concentrations of ACTH, LPH, gamma LPH, and beta END were 3.3, 0.8, 0.7, and 1.1 ng/g wet weight of tissue, respectively. A partially purified extract applied to a Sephadex G-50 column contained high Mr components with ACTH, LPH, gamma LPH, and beta END immunoreactivities. The extract was applied to an immune affinity chromatography column consisting of affinity-purified (1-24)ACTH antiserum covalently bound to agarose. The material that adsorbed to the column and eluted with buffer containing sodium dodecyl sulfate had ACTH, LPH, and beta END immunoreactivities, indicating that there was a component or components containing antigenic determinants for all of these peptides. Sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the affinity-purified placental extract revealed at least two high Mr components (Mr approximately 48,000 and 36,000) with all three immunoreactivities. These data suggest, but do not prove, that the placenta synthesizes ACTH, the LPHs, and beta END from a common precursor molecule.

Full text

PDF
2027

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ASSALI N. S., HAMERMESZ J. Adrenocorticotropic substances from human placenta. Endocrinology. 1954 Nov;55(5):561–567. doi: 10.1210/endo-55-5-561. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Ances I. G., Pomerantz S. H. Serum concentrations of beta-melanocyte-stimulating hormone in human pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1974 Aug 15;119(8):1062–1068. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(74)90259-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bertagna X. Y., Nicholson W. E., Sorenson G. D., Pettengill O. S., Mount C. D., Orth D. N. Corticotropin, lipotropin, and beta-endorphin production by a human nonpituitary tumor in culture: evidence for a common precursor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Oct;75(10):5160–5164. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.10.5160. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bloomfield G. A., Scott A. P., Lowry P. J., Gilkes J. J., Rees L. H. A reappraisal of human beta MSH. Nature. 1974 Dec 6;252(5483):492–493. doi: 10.1038/252492a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Eipper B. A., Mains R. E., Guenzi D. High molecular weight forms of adrenocorticotropic hormone are glycoproteins. J Biol Chem. 1976 Jul 10;251(13):4121–4126. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Genazzani A. R., Fraioli F., Hurlimann J., Fioretti P., Felber J. P. Immunoreactive ACTH and cortisol plasma levels during pregnancy. Detection and partial purification of corticotrophin-like placental hormone: the human chorionic corticotrophin (HCC). Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 1975 Jan;4(1):1–14. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.1975.tb03299.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Genazzani A. R., Hürlimann J., Fioretti P., Felber J. P. In vitro synthesis of an ACTH-like hormone and human chorionic somatomammotrophin by placental and amniotic cells. Experientia. 1974 Apr 15;30(4):430–432. doi: 10.1007/BF01921705. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. JAILER J. W., KNOWLTON A. I. Simulated adreno-cortical activity during pregnancy in an Addisonian patient. J Clin Invest. 1950 Nov;29(11):1430–1436. doi: 10.1172/JCI102381. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. LUNDIN P. M., HOLMDAHL S. Corticotrophic activity of human placenta. Acta Endocrinol (Copenh) 1957 Dec;26(4):388–394. doi: 10.1530/acta.0.0260388. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Laemmli U. K. Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature. 1970 Aug 15;227(5259):680–685. doi: 10.1038/227680a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Li C. H., Chung D. Primary structure of human beta-lipotropin. Nature. 1976 Apr 15;260(5552):622–624. doi: 10.1038/260622a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Liotta A., Osathanondh R., Ryan K. J., Krieger D. T. Presence of corticotropin in human placenta: demonstration of in vitro synthesis. Endocrinology. 1977 Nov;101(5):1552–1558. doi: 10.1210/endo-101-5-1552. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Mains R. E., Eipper B. A., Ling N. Common precursor to corticotropins and endorphins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Jul;74(7):3014–3018. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.7.3014. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Nakai Y., Nakao K., Oli S., Imura H. Presence of immunoreactive beta-lipotropin and beta-endorphin in human placenta. Life Sci. 1978 Nov 13;23(20):2013–2018. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(78)90233-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. OPSAHL J. C., LONG C. N. H. Identification of ACTH in human placental tissue. Yale J Biol Med. 1951 Dec;24(3):199–209. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Orth D. N., Guillemin R., Ling N., Nicholson W. E. Immunoreactive endorphins, lipotropins and corticotropins in a human nonpituitary tumor: evidence for a common precursor. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1978 May;46(5):849–852. doi: 10.1210/jcem-46-5-849. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Orth D. N., Nicholson W. E. High molecular weight forms of human ACTH are glycoproteins. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1977 Jan;44(1):214–217. doi: 10.1210/jcem-44-1-214. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. PAYNE R. W., RABEN M. S., ASTWOOD E. B. Extraction and purification of corticotropin. J Biol Chem. 1950 Dec;187(2):719–731. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Rees L. H., Burke C. W., Chard T., Evans S. W., Letchworth A. T. Possible placental origin of ACTH in normal human pregnancy. Nature. 1975 Apr 17;254(5501):620–622. doi: 10.1038/254620b0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Smith A. G., Shuster S., Clark D., Thody A. J., Davison E. V., Ward A. M. Neural tube defects and immunoreactive beta-melanocyte-stimulating hormone in amniotic fluid. Br Med J. 1978 Jul 1;2(6129):20–21. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.6129.20. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Thody A. J., Plummer N. A., Burton J. L., Hytten F. E. Plasma beta-melanocyte-stimulating hormone levels in pregnancy. J Obstet Gynaecol Br Commonw. 1974 Nov;81(11):875–877. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1974.tb00399.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES