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Inhibin β in central neural pathways involved in the control of oxytocin secretion

Nature volume 334, pages 615–617 (1988)Cite this article

Abstract

Inhibin (I) a gonadal hormone glycoprotein which suppresses follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) secretion from the anterior pituitary, is a heterodimer consisting of an a subunit and one of two distinct β subunits1–5. SI nuclease analysis has revealed that RNAs encoding all three subunits (α, βA and βB) are expressed in rat brain6. We report here on the localization, and a potential function, of inhibin β in the rat brain. A cell group centred in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), a major recipient of visceral sensory information, was stained immunohistochemically with anti-sera against synthetic fragments of Iβ, but not lα. The distribution of Iβ-stained fibres is consistent with known NTS projections, and includes a prominent projection to oxytocinergic aspects of the magnocellular neurosecretory system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Developmental Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, 92037, USA

    P. E. Sawchenko, S. W. Pfeiffer & E. T. Cunningham Jr

  2. Clayton Foundation Laboratories for Peptide Biology, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, 92037, USA

    P. M. Plotsky, J. Vaughan, J. Rivier & W. Vale

Authors
  1. P. E. Sawchenko
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  2. P. M. Plotsky
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  3. S. W. Pfeiffer
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  4. E. T. Cunningham Jr
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  5. J. Vaughan
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  6. J. Rivier
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  7. W. Vale
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Sawchenko, P., Plotsky, P., Pfeiffer, S. et al. Inhibin β in central neural pathways involved in the control of oxytocin secretion. Nature 334, 615–617 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/334615a0

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