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A morphometric study of the pituitary cell types in the freshwater stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, form leiurus

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Summary

A new approach to the ultrastructure of fish pituitary glands is presented. A morphometric analysis of the cell types in the pituitary gland of the adult, winter, fresh-water stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus form leiurus, reveals differences between both the relative and absolute volumes of the various organelles in different cell types. The morphometric data on the relative volumes of the organelles, together with section profile diameters of the secretory granules and information on the surface area: volume ratio of the nuclei are then used to build “reconstruction drawings” of “average” cells. A distinction is made between the ultrastructural description and identification of cell types.

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This work formed part of a thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1973 and for which the author was in receipt of an S.R.C. studentship. I should like to thank Dr. R. J. Wootton and Dr. J. Savidge of the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth for their help with the computer programming and Dr. M. P. Ireland for his support and supervision throughout the project.

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Benjamin, M. A morphometric study of the pituitary cell types in the freshwater stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, form leiurus . Cell Tissue Res. 152, 69–92 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00224211

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