THE CYTOLOGICAL LOCALIZATION OF ACTH IN THE HUMAN PITUITARY*

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Abstract
Studies were carried out using rabbit antisera to highly purified preparations of porcine ACTH which had been found to be hormone specific, but not species specific, by immunological and biological tests. The gamma globulin of the antisera, conjugated with fluorescein isothio-cyanate, localized exclusively in basophil cells of human pituitaries. Using this technique ACTH was found to be present in basophil cells in the pars anterior and the pars posterior. The intensity of fluorescent staining did not correlate well with the degree of basophilic granularity or minor variations in the staining characteristics of the basophil cells. The conjugated antiserum stained all the cells of an adenoma removed from a patient with Cushing''s disease but not other adenomata. These studies demonstrate that, when adequately controlled, the fluorescent antibody technique can be used to identify the cellular site of ACTH in the human pituitary.