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Description

Neurophysins are linear cycteine-rich proteins containing 93-95 amino acids. Two types of neurophysins, NPI and NPII are found in most mammalian species and they serve as carriers of oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP), respectively. Each NP and its associated hormone is synthesized as one precursor protein, OT-NPI (UniProt P01179) encoded by the Oxt (or Ot) gene or VAP-NPII (UniProt P01186) encoded by the Avp gene in rat species. Post-translational cleavages remove the signal peptide and process the precursor into mature OT and NPI (aa 20-28 and aa 32-135, respectively, of OT-NPI), or AVP and NPII (aa 24-32 and aa 36-128, respectively, of AVP-NPII). OT is a potent hormone and neurotransmitter secreted within the pituitary gland. OT exerts its biological activity through its receptor OXTR (also known as OTR). OT is used clinically for labor induction and may exhibit therapeutic potential for treating social anxiety disorders. VAP functions primarily as an anti-diuretic and regulates the concentration of water, glucose, and salts in blood. VAP is secreted from the posterior pituitary, but exerts its biological activity in the kidney via the G protein-coupled receptor AVPR2 (V2R).