Development of Gonadotrophs and Thyrotrophs in the Female Foetal Sheep Pituitary: Immunocytochemical Localization Studies

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Abstract
In order to investigate the ontogenesis of cell types in the pituitary gland, anterior pituitaries were collected from female foetal sheep at days 70, 100 and 130 of gestation (term = 145 days). Cells containing the common α-subunit and the specific β-subunits of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were immunolocalized using the avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase technique. LHβ-containing cells were first detected in the foetal pituitary by day 70 of gestation. The number and intensity of staining of these LHβ cells increased by day 100 but had declined again by day 130. Immunopositive a-subunit and FSHβ cells appeared by day 100 of gestation and had further increased in number and staining intensity by day 130. Cells containing TSHβ were present at day 70 and progressively increased in abundance and intensity through gestation. These data indicate that the development of LH- and FSH-containing cells in the female foetal sheep pituitary is differentially regulated during foetal life, and that in the sheep free a-subunit is not produced in significant amounts before the specific β-subunits.

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