Summary
The localization of catecholamine-synthesizing enzymes [tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DBH), and phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase (PNMT)], of serotonin (5-HT), and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) in the pituitary of bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana), rat, hamster, and dog was examined by the immunofluorescence method. Many TH- and DBH-positive but PNMT-negative noradrenalin cells and 5-HT-positive serotonin cells were first observed in the pars distalis of the frog pituitary together with small numbers of ACTH-positive cells, in marked contrast to our previous findings that TH-positive but DBH-negative dopamine cells are rare in the anterior lobe of rat and dog pituitary. The entire population of cells of the pars intermedia showed a weak ACTH-like immunoreaction. Although most of these cells were TH- or 5-HT-negative, TH-positive but DBH-negative dopaminergic varicose fibers surrounded these cells. Among cells of the pars intermedia of the frog, 5-HT-positive cells with processes were also scattered. In the neural lobe, TH- and 5-HT-immunoreactive fibers were rarely seen.
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Kondo, Y., Nagatsu, I., Yoshida, M. et al. Existence of noradrenalin cells and serotonin cells in the pituitary gland of Rana catesbeiana . Cell Tissue Res. 228, 405–408 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00204888
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00204888