Isolation of Somatostatin (a Somatotropin Release Inhibiting Factor) of Ovine Hypothalamic Origin

Abstract

Isolation of somatostatin, a tetradecapeptide of ovine origin inhibiting somatotropin secretion, is reported. About 490 000 hypothalamic fragments were submitted to alcohol–chloroform extraction, countercurrent distribution, ion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration, and partition chromatography. Of the 8.5 mg material thus obtained, 77% was accounted for by a peptide shown homogeneous by electrophoresis, thin-layer chromatography, and amino acid analysis. The peptide inhibits the secretion of radioimmunoassayable growth hormone at doses of ≥ 1.0 nM in vitro and 400 ng per rate in vivo.