Neural structures containing luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) are characterized in adult ewe and female lamb brains. Three anti-LHRH antisera are used in an immunofluorescent or immunoperoxidase method. On our preparations, all three gave the same results, expressed as number of labelled cells (about 2500 in a whole brain). It was found that 95% of the LHRH-immunoreactive cells are located in the preoptico-hypothalamic area, where cell bodies are localized mainly (50%) in the area surrounding the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT); they are also found in a more anterior section of the medial part of the olfactory tubercle and the medial septum (14%), in a more posterior situation in the anterior and lateral hypothalamus (16%), and in the mediobasal hypothalamus (15%). Fibres originating in various part of the whole preoptico-hypothalamic group reach the OVLT and the median eminence. The remaining cells (5%) and fibres are found in various tel-, di-, and mesencephalic areas.

The ontogenesis of cells containing polypeptide hormones (ACTH, MSH, LPH, GH and Prolactin) was investigated in the fetal rat hypophysis by immunohistochemistry using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase complex. Corticotrophs, melanotrophs and lipotropic cells were revealed earlier in the pars distalis than in the pars intermedia. In the pars distalis, cells producing LPH were found in the morning of day 15 of gestation using anti-gamma- or anti-beta-LPH sera, and in afternoon using anti-alpha- or beta-endorphin sera. Cells containing beta-MSH were observed from the afternoon of day 15. The cells stainable with the anti-alpha-MSH, anti-beta-(17--39)ACTH and anti-beta-(1--24)ACTH sera appeared on day 16. In the pars intermedia, the cells producing alpha-MSH, beta-MSH, alpha- and beta-endorphin, gamma- and beta-LPH were observed in the morning of day 17, while cells containing ACTH were only revealed in the afternoon of the same day of gestation. Based on the treatment of serial paraffin sections with various antisera, it was clearly shown that MSH, ACTH, and LPH occur in the same cells located in the pars distalis as in the pars intermedia. The development of the corticotrophs, melanotrophs and lipotropic cells does not require the presence of the fetal hypothalamus or other central nervous structures. The pituitary glands of 21 day-old fetus encephalectomized on day 16 showed as many reactive cells as those of the littermate controls. The somatotrophs were first revealed in the pars distalis in the afternoon of day 19. The cells producing prolactin were not observed before day 21 of gestation. On some cases GH and prolactin were found together in one cell. The cytodifferentiation of GH and prolactin cells is apparently not under hypothalamic control.

No abstract

23, 1975 ABSTRACT A discrete population of cells of the endocrine pancreas contains immunoreactive somatostatin as shown by immunofluorescence. These cells are different from those containing glucagon or insulin. This unexpected observation may be of physiopathological significance in the regulatory mechanisms involved in the secretion of glucagon and insulin.

Addition of gonadotropin releasing hormone to cultures of fetal rat pituitary induced differentiation of lactotropes as revealed by immunocytochemistry. Antiserum to luteinizing hormone (LH) (recognizing native LH), but not antiserum to LH-beta (recognizing both native LH and its beta subunit), inhibited this induction. Further addition of highly purified LH-alpha subunit in culture medium also induced lactotrope differentiation. Thus, the alpha subunit may have a specific biological activity of its own with probable practical use in clinical investigations.