Evidence for somatostatin precursors in human stomach, placenta, and amniotic fluid

Human stomach, placenta, and amniotic fluid have previously been shown to contain immunoreactive somatostatin (IRS). The present studies were undertaken to further characterize this IRS. Gel chromatography of amniotic fluid revealed only one peak of somatostatin-like immunoreactivity (SLI; mol wt, 15,000) regardless of gestational age. Extracts of human fetal stomach contained three peaks of SLI: 87% of the total IRS coeluted with synthetic tetradecapeptide somatostatin (SRIF), 12% coeluted with synthetic somatostatin-28 (S-28), and 4% coeluted with amniotic fluid SLI. Extracts of 9- to 13-week-old placentas contained 38.9 +/- 5.3 pg IRS/mg protein (range, 21-62 pg IRS/mg protein). Chromatography revealed that 57% of the total IRS coeluted with SRIF, 19% coeluted with S-28, and 23% eluted in a position indicating a molecular weight of 12,000. Serial dilutions of amniotic fluid SLI and material from each peak of stomach and placental SLI showed parallelism with synthetic SRIF. Treatment with 8 M urea and dithiothreitol did not convert any of these SLIs to smaller immunoreactive forms. Incubation of purified amniotic fluid SLI with 1% (wt/wt) L-(tosylamido 2-phenyl)ethyl chloromethyl ketone-trypsin for 90 min resulted in partial conversion to immunoreactive material coeluting with SRIF. When synthetic S-28 was incubated in fresh amniotic fluid at 37 degrees C, it was rapidly degraded (t 1/2 approximately or equal to 25 min). These studies indicate that human amniotic fluid IRS is composed of 15K SLI only, whereas human stomach and placental IRS are heterogeneous, comprising SRIF as well as larger forms of SLI which probably represent SRIF precursors.