Analysis of ACTH-related and CLIP-related peptides partially purified from the pituitary of the Australian lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri

Acid extracts of individual lungfish pituitaries were fractionated by gel filtration on a Sephadex G-75 column and aliquots of column fractions were screened with a heterologous ACTH(1-39) radioimmunoassay (RIA). Two major, incompletely separated, peaks of ACTH-related immunoreactivity were detected. These peaks of ACTH-related material were resolved by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and were designated Peak A and Peak B. Peak A had a retention time more hydrophilic than synthetic human CLIP [ACTH(18-39)], whereas Peak B had a retention time similar to, but not identical with, human ACTH(1-39). Further analysis indicated that Peak A had an apparent molecular weight of 2.5K and an isoelectric point of 4.3. Based on these characteristics, Peak A would appear to be lungfish CLIP. Peak B had an apparent molecular weight of 4.5K. Based on chromatographic and immunological properties, Peak B would appear to be lungfish ACTH. The detection of these lungfish peptides by heterologous RIA indicates a high degree of primary sequence homology between lungfish and tetrapod ACTH-related polypeptides.