Regional distribution of beta-lipotropin converting enzymes in rat pituitary and brain.
Among the brain areas studied only pars distalis and pars intermedia are found to contain beta-lipotropin activating enzyme indicating the these may be the exclusive organs for a physiologically significant conversion of beta-lipotropin into beta-endorphin. beta-Endorphin inactivating enzyme is found to be rather uniformly distributed in all the pituitary and brain regions. alpha-and gamma-endorphins are presumably formed by the action of the enzyme on beta-endorphin.
Animals↗