Atrial natriuretic peptide in human neuroblastoma

To clarify the presence of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in neural tissue, extracts from human neuroblastoma which is considered of neural crest origin were analyzed using a specific radioimmunoassay (RIA) for ANP. High concentrations of immunoreactive ANP ranging from 2.7 to 18.4 ng per mg of protein were demonstrated in the tissue. Furthermore, high performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC) coupled with the RIA revealed that the immunoreactive ANP found in the tissue consisted of only one component with molecular weight of 12,000 to 13,000 daltons, corresponding to gamma-human ANP (hANP). These results could be direct evidence for generation of ANP intrinsic of human neuronal tissue, and also suggest that neuroblastoma can be used as a model for investigation of mechanism of ANP formation within the neuronal tissues.