Isolation and identification of islet amyloid polypeptide in normal human pancreas

To identify islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) present in normal human pancreas, we isolated the peptide from a soluble peptide fraction of amyloid deposit-free pancreata of two non-diabetic patients by using reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography coupled with a radioimmunoassay specific for human IAPP. IAPP(1-37) and IAPP(17-37) were isolated and their complete amino acid sequences were determined up to the C-terminus. Identification of IAPP in normal human pancreas suggests the possible biological function of IAPP as a novel pancreatic hormone in humans.