The human fetal pituitary: An ultrastructural analysis

Abstract

An ultrastructural study was performed on 25 human fetal pituitaries to document the development of cell differentiation and hormone production in the adenohypophysis.At 5 weeks' gestation, Rathke's cleft was lined by columnar epithelium 3-4 cells deep (Fig. 1). The cells were poorly differentiated, with abundant cytoplasmic glycogen, numerous free ribosomes and occasional secretory granules. Terminal bars were formed on the lateral cell surfaces near the luminal surface of Rathke's cleft; desmosomes formed junctions between cells.By 6 weeks' gestation, cells resembling corticotrophs were identified (Fig. 2). They contained moderately developed, rough endoplasmic reticulum and numerous secretory granules of variable size, shape and electron density. In 8-week-old fetuses, type I microfilaments were found in those cells. Welldifferentiated somatotrophs were seen in the adenohypophyses of 8-9-week-old fetuses. They contained scattered profiles of rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum and spherical, evenly electron dense secretory granules, measuring 300-600 nm in diameter. Cells with dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum containing flocculent material and small, dense, round secretory granules with peripheral electron lucent halos were seen in the adenohypophysis of a 14-week-old fetus; these features are characteristic of the glycoprotein hormone cell line. Typical prolactin cells were not recognizable before 23 weeks' gestation.