Growth hormone releasing factor (GRF) immunoreactivity in human and rat gastrointestinal tract and pancreas

Rabbit antisera were raised against a synthetic growth hormone releasing factor, which was originally isolated from a human pancreatic endocrine tumor (hpGRF-44). The antisera obtained showed no significant cross-reactivity with a variety of neurohormonal peptides. In addition to its occurrence in the human, but not in the rat, hypothalamus, hpGRF-44-like immunoreactivity was identified in human gastric antrum and human as well as rat pancreatic islets, using an indirect immunoperoxidase technique. Staining of serial sections and double staining revealed that in the gastric antrum the immunoreactivity was largely confined to gastrin (G) cells, whereas in pancreatic islets polypeptide (pp) cells were reactive. The physiological significance of these findings remains to be established.