GABA-induced changes of the tissue-specific peptide pool of white rat brain

Internasal administration of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) induced prolong ed behaviour changes and the appearance of three new compounds absent in th e brain extracts of control rats. Two peptides associated with GABA adminis tration were isolated and sequenced: Thr-Tyr-Thr-Phe, which corresponds to a gamma-immunoglobulin segment, and Val-Leu, which is present in a great nu mber of proteins, hence its precursor could not be established. The third c ompound was not amenable to the Edman degradation technique. The data obtai ned show that the introduction of a neurotransmitter could cause specific c hanges in the levels of tissue-specific peptide components. Copyright (C) 2 000 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.