Skip to main content
PMC 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
. 1994 Dec 6;91(25):12081–12085. doi: 10.1073/pnas.91.25.12081

Three forms of gonadotropin-releasing hormone characterized from brains of one species.

J F Powell 1, Y Zohar 1, A Elizur 1, M Park 1, W H Fischer 1, A G Craig 1, J E Rivier 1, D A Lovejoy 1, N M Sherwood 1
PMCID: PMC45380  PMID: 7991588

Abstract

Most vertebrate species have more than one form of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in their brains, but it is not clear whether each form has a distinct function. We report that sea bream (Sparus aurata) brains have three forms of GnRH, one of which is described herein and is called sea bream GnRH (sbGnRH). The primary structures of two forms were determined by Edman degradation and mass spectral analysis. The amino acid sequence of sbGnRH is pGlu-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-Gly-Leu-Ser-Pro-Gly-NH2. The second peptide is identical to a form originally isolated from chicken brains (cGnRH-II): pGlu-His-Trp-Ser-His-Gly-Trp-Tyr-Pro-Gly-NH2. cGnRH-II is the most ancient form of GnRH identified to date in jawed fish and the most prevalent form throughout the vertebrates. The third form of GnRH has previously been identified as salmon GnRH by cDNA studies and is confirmed here by chromatographic and immunological studies. Phylogenetic distribution of GnRH peptides suggests sbGnRH arose in the perch-like fish as a gene duplication of the existing cGnRH-II or salmon GnRH genes. All three identified GnRH peptides were synthesized and shown to release gonadotropin in vivo in the sea bream. The dominant form of GnRH stored in the pituitary was sbGnRH. Not only was the content of sbGnRH 500-fold greater than that of salmon GnRH but also cGnRH-II was not detected in the pituitary. The latter evidence suggests that sbGnRH is the endogenous releaser of gonadotropin II.

Full text

PDF
12083

Images in this article

12084Image
on p.12084

Selected References

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

  1. Amano M., Oka Y., Aida K., Okumoto N., Kawashima S., Hasegawa Y. Immunocytochemical demonstration of salmon GnRH and chicken GnRH-II in the brain of masu salmon, Oncorhynchus masou. J Comp Neurol. 1991 Dec 15;314(3):587–597. doi: 10.1002/cne.903140313. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bogerd J., Zandbergen T., Andersson E., Goos H. Isolation, characterization and expression of cDNAs encoding the catfish-type and chicken-II-type gonadotropin-releasing-hormone precursors in the African catfish. Eur J Biochem. 1994 Jun 1;222(2):541–549. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1994.tb18896.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bond C. T., Francis R. C., Fernald R. D., Adelman J. P. Characterization of complementary DNA encoding the precursor for gonadotropin-releasing hormone and its associated peptide from a teleost fish. Mol Endocrinol. 1991 Jul;5(7):931–937. doi: 10.1210/mend-5-7-931. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Copeland K. C., Aubert M. L., Rivier J., Sizonenko P. C. Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone: sequential versus conformational specificity of antiluteinizing hormone-releasing hormone sera. Endocrinology. 1979 May;104(5):1504–1512. doi: 10.1210/endo-104-5-1504. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dellovade T. L., King J. A., Millar R. P., Rissman E. F. Presence and differential distribution of distinct forms of immunoreactive gonadotropin-releasing hormone in the musk shrew brain. Neuroendocrinology. 1993 Aug;58(2):166–177. doi: 10.1159/000126529. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dunn I. C., Chen Y., Hook C., Sharp P. J., Sang H. M. Characterization of the chicken preprogonadotrophin-releasing hormone-I gene. J Mol Endocrinol. 1993 Aug;11(1):19–29. doi: 10.1677/jme.0.0110019. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Goren A., Zohar Y., Fridkin M., Elhanati E., Koch Y. Degradation of gonadotropin-releasing hormones in the gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata. I. Cleavage of native salmon GnRH and mammalian LHRH in the pituitary. Gen Comp Endocrinol. 1990 Aug;79(2):291–305. doi: 10.1016/0016-6480(90)90115-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Habibi H. R., Peter R. E., Nahorniak C. S., Milton R. C., Millar R. P. Activity of vertebrate gonadotropin-releasing hormones and analogs with variant amino acid residues in positions 5, 7 and 8 in the goldfish pituitary. Regul Pept. 1992 Feb 18;37(3):271–284. doi: 10.1016/0167-0115(92)90620-a. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Jan Y. N., Jan L. Y., Kuffler S. W. A peptide as a possible transmitter in sympathetic ganglia of the frog. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Mar;76(3):1501–1505. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.3.1501. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kah O., Breton B., Dulka J. G., Núnez-Rodríguez J., Peter R. E., Corrigan A., Rivier J. E., Vale W. W. A reinvestigation of the Gn-RH (gonadotrophin-releasing hormone) systems in the goldfish brain using antibodies to salmon Gn-RH. Cell Tissue Res. 1986;244(2):327–337. doi: 10.1007/BF00219208. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kelsall R., Coe I. R., Sherwood N. M. Phylogeny and ontogeny of gonadotropin-releasing hormone: comparison of guinea pig, rat, and a protochordate. Gen Comp Endocrinol. 1990 Jun;78(3):479–494. doi: 10.1016/0016-6480(90)90037-m. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Leprêtre E., Anglade I., Williot P., Vandesande F., Tramu G., Kah O. Comparative distribution of mammalian GnRH (gonadotrophin-releasing hormone) and chicken GnRH-II in the brain of the immature Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baeri). J Comp Neurol. 1993 Nov 22;337(4):568–583. doi: 10.1002/cne.903370404. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lovejoy D. A., Fischer W. H., Ngamvongchon S., Craig A. G., Nahorniak C. S., Peter R. E., Rivier J. E., Sherwood N. M. Distinct sequence of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in dogfish brain provides insight into GnRH evolution. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992 Jul 15;89(14):6373–6377. doi: 10.1073/pnas.89.14.6373. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Millan M., Aguilera G., Wynn P. C., Mendelsohn F. A., Catt K. J. Autoradiographic localization of brain receptors for peptide hormones: angiotensin II, corticotropin-releasing factor, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone. Methods Enzymol. 1986;124:590–606. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(86)24041-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Miyamoto K., Hasegawa Y., Nomura M., Igarashi M., Kangawa K., Matsuo H. Identification of the second gonadotropin-releasing hormone in chicken hypothalamus: evidence that gonadotropin secretion is probably controlled by two distinct gonadotropin-releasing hormones in avian species. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Jun;81(12):3874–3878. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.12.3874. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Okuzawa K., Amano M., Kobayashi M., Aida K., Hanyu I., Hasegawa Y., Miyamoto K. Differences in salmon GnRH and chicken GnRH-II contents in discrete brain areas of male and female rainbow trout according to age and stage of maturity. Gen Comp Endocrinol. 1990 Oct;80(1):116–126. doi: 10.1016/0016-6480(90)90155-f. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rivier J., McClintock R., Galyean R., Anderson H. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography: preparative purification of synthetic peptides. J Chromatogr. 1984 Apr 24;288(2):303–328. doi: 10.1016/s0021-9673(01)93709-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Rivier J., Porter J., Hoeger C., Theobald P., Craig A. G., Dykert J., Corrigan A., Perrin M., Hook W. A., Siraganian R. P. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonists with N omega-triazolylornithine, -lysine, or -p-aminophenylalanine residues at positions 5 and 6. J Med Chem. 1992 Nov 13;35(23):4270–4278. doi: 10.1021/jm00101a003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Schulz R. W., Bosma P. T., Zandbergen M. A., Van der Sanden M. C., Van Dijk W., Peute J., Bogerd J., Goos H. J. Two gonadotropin-releasing hormones in the African catfish, Clarias gariepinus: localization, pituitary receptor binding, and gonadotropin release activity. Endocrinology. 1993 Oct;133(4):1569–1577. doi: 10.1210/endo.133.4.8404596. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Seeburg P. H., Adelman J. P. Characterization of cDNA for precursor of human luteinizing hormone releasing hormone. Nature. 1984 Oct 18;311(5987):666–668. doi: 10.1038/311666a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Sharp P. J., Talbot R. T., Main G. M., Dunn I. C., Fraser H. M., Huskisson N. S. Physiological roles of chicken LHRH-I and -II in the control of gonadotrophin release in the domestic chicken. J Endocrinol. 1990 Feb;124(2):291–299. doi: 10.1677/joe.0.1240291. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Sherwood N. M., Grier H. J., Warby C., Peute J., Taylor R. G. Gonadotropin-releasing hormones, including a novel form, in snook Centropomus undecimalis, in comparison with forms in black sea bass Centropristis striata. Regul Pept. 1993 Jul 23;46(3):523–534. doi: 10.1016/0167-0115(93)90253-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Sherwood N. M., Harvey B., Brownstein M. J., Eiden L. E. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gn-RH) in striped mullet (Mugil cephalus), milkfish (Chanos chanos), and rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri): comparison with salmon Gn-RH. Gen Comp Endocrinol. 1984 Aug;55(2):174–181. doi: 10.1016/0016-6480(84)90099-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Sherwood N. M., Lovejoy D. A., Coe I. R. Origin of mammalian gonadotropin-releasing hormones. Endocr Rev. 1993 Apr;14(2):241–254. doi: 10.1210/edrv-14-2-241. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Sherwood N., Eiden L., Brownstein M., Spiess J., Rivier J., Vale W. Characterization of a teleost gonadotropin-releasing hormone. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 May;80(9):2794–2798. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.9.2794. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Somoza G. M., Stéfano A., D'Eramo J. L., Canosa L. F., Fridman O. Immunoreactive GnRH suggesting a third form of GnRH in addition to cIIGnRH and sGnRH in the brain and pituitary gland of Prochilodus lineatus (Characiformes). Gen Comp Endocrinol. 1994 Apr;94(1):44–52. doi: 10.1006/gcen.1994.1058. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Yu K. L., Sherwood N. M., Peter R. E. Differential distribution of two molecular forms of gonadotropin-releasing hormone in discrete brain areas of goldfish (Carassius auratus). Peptides. 1988 May-Jun;9(3):625–630. doi: 10.1016/0196-9781(88)90174-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Zohar Y., Goren A., Fridkin M., Elhanati E., Koch Y. Degradation of gonadotropin-releasing hormones in the gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata. II. Cleavage of native salmon GnRH, mammalian LHRH, and their analogs in the pituitary, kidney, and liver. Gen Comp Endocrinol. 1990 Aug;79(2):306–319. doi: 10.1016/0016-6480(90)90116-4. [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