Both hormones are nine residues long, and only differ by the amino acids at positions three and eight. Oxytocin possesses Ile-3 whereas vasopressin possesses Phe-3. Both Ile and Phe are hydrophobic amino acids and undergo analogous binding to neurophysins.
Neurophysin II is a carrier protein for vasopressin (ADH). It is produced in the cell bodies of the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei and transported to its site of release in the axon terminals of the posterior pituitary. Oxytocin, a hormone similar in structure to vasopressin, is analogously bound and transported by Neurophysin I.