Identification of the Progesterone Target Cells in the Female Baboon Pituitary Gland

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Abstract
The identification of target cells for progesterone was conducted on pituitary glands obtained from long-term ovariectomized and adrenalectomized female baboons that had been injected with 3H-ORG 2058 (16.alpha.-ethyl-21-hydroxy-19-nor-4-pregnene-3,20-dione). Binding sites were localized using autoradiography alone or in conjunction with immunocytochemistry. The synthetic progestin was primarily found over nuclei of cells in the pars distalis and pars intermedia, although a small population of pituicytes also bound the 3H-ORG 2058. The majority of steroid-sensitive cells in the pars distalis were gonadotrophs. Progesterone may have a role in the regulation of not only the gonadotropins but also those hormones secreted by the cells of the pars intermedia.