Intercellular communication within the rat anterior pituitary gland. I. Postnatal development and changes after injection of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) or testosterone.
The postnatal development of gap junction formation and cell-to-cell communication were investigated in male rats from 10 through 40 days of age. These junctions initially appeared between adjacent folliculo-stellate cells on day 20. Their numbers increased until the animals reached the age of 40 days, when their frequency reached a level that resembled that found in adults. The ontogeny of these junctions was examined in rats treated with luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LH-RH) or testosterone. The two hormones were injected for 1 week into rats aged 3, 13, 23, or 33 days. The appearance of gap junctions was accelerated in a similar fashion by LH-RH and testosterone, with their formation and numbers being advanced by 10 days over that observed in the untreated controls. The results suggest a role for the gonadal steroid hormones in the formation of gap junctions in the rat hypophysis.
Soji
T
T
Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Japan.
Yashiro
T
T
Herbert
D C
DC
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000187:drug effects*; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007267:Injections; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*
D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D013739:Testosterone