ISSN:
1432-0878
Keywords:
Pituitary gland (rat)
;
Estrogen administration
;
Somatotroph and mammotroph
;
Ultrastructure
;
Radioautography
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
Notes:
Summary In the normal male rat pituitary tritiated thymidine labeled mainly STH cells (somatotrophs), no labeled prolactin cell was found. Following estradiol treatment for 21 days tritiated thymidine labeled mainly prolactin cells (mammotrophs). To determine the origin of these mammotrophs tritiated thymidine was given before the estradiol treatment started, thus labeling many somatotrophs. After 21 days of estradiol, out of 42 labeled cells, 14 were mammotrophs and 13 were somatotrophs; these results suggest that there might be a true transformation of somatotrophs into mammotrophs under the influence of estradiol or that there exist two types of somatotrophs: 1) a committed somatotroph which is not transformed by estrogen treatment, and 2) an uncommitted mammosomatotroph, which under normal conditions bears the features of a somatotroph, but which transforms into a mammotroph under the influence of estradiol.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00224697
