Immunocytochemical localization of a granuliberin-like peptide in Rana pipiens brain.

The histamine-releasing peptide "granuliberin", originally isolated from the skin of Rana rugosa, was localized by immunofluorescence within nerve cell bodies and fibers in the brain of Rana pipiens. The granuliberin-positive neurons were characterized ultrastructurally by electron microscopic observation of ultrathin sections stained either with immunoperoxidase or with conventional stains. Granuliberin-positive nerve cell bodies were seen throughout the hypothalamus, from the suprachiasmatic area rostrally to the full length of the periinfundibular grey matter caudally. Similarly positive nerve fibers were localized in the hypothalamus radiating upwards to the optic vesicles in the midbrain, extending through the preoptic area into the subpallium in the forebrain, and throughout the white matter surrounding the floor and lateral walls of the fourth ventricle in the brainstem. The granuliberin-positive nerve cells showed the presence of variable numbers of small cytoplasmic neurosecretory granules, possessing an electron dense elongated core, and measuring 250-350 nm in their largest diameter. The functional significance of a granuliberin-like peptide in neurons of the frog brain is not known.