Mammosomatotrophs develop within mammotroph clusters in bovine adenohypophysis

Abstract

The existence and distribution of mammosomatotrophs (MS cells) containing growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) in bovine adenohypophysis were detailed by a combined method of mirror sections and immunohistochemical staining. MS cells always occurred in bovine adenohypophysis but their number was low. In the midsagittal plane, the cells were observed in the hind dorsal, hind ventral and fore ventral region abundant in GH and PRL cells. Whereas, in the zona tuberalis where GH and PRL cells were less frequent, MS cells were not detected. MS cells were invariably solitarily distributed within mammotroph (PRL cell) clusters but not within somatotroph (GH cell) clusters. The proportion of MS cells declined as the ages proceeded and the appearance was spatially related to the arrangement of PRL cells. These findings indicated that, in bovine adenohypophysis, MS cells were differentially distributed and occurred in PRL cell clusters. The results strongly suggest that MS cells originate in GH cells pre-existed within PRL cell clusters with special reference to the functional activation of PRL cells.