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Ultrastructure of rat pituitary LH gonadotrophs in relation to serum and pituitary LH levels following repeated LH-RH stimulation

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Summary

The effects of single and repeated LH-RH injections at 120 min intervals on female rat LH gonadotrophs and on pituitary and serum LH levels were investigated using electronmicroscopy and radioimmunoassay. A temporary stimulation of granule release, of protein and new granule synthesis and of the accumulation of lysosomal structures was found in LH cells after the first LH-RH injection. The temporary stimulations were massively enhanced after the second injection. These consecutive yet in their time-sequence overlapping processes account for the initial depletion of secretory granule content (3–15 min after LH-RH injection), for the subsequent regranulation and accumulation of granules above control levels (60–120 min after injection) and also for the reduction in the number of granules to control levels (150 min after LH-RH injection and thereafter). Increased polymorphic lysosomal structures are believed to be responsible for this reduction of excess granules. The amount of assayable pituitary and serum LH generally corresponds with the morphological changes observed in LH-gonadotrophs, thus further substantiating the above observations. A schema which summarizes the observed morphological and hormonal changes in their time-sequence in response to LH-RH stimulation depicts the short-term regulation of secretory processes in female gonadotrophs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Division of Gynecological Endocrinology, Sterility and Family Planning, Klinikum Steglitz of the Free University, Berlin, Germany

    A. Römmler, W. Seinsch, A. S. Hasan & F. Haase

  2. Department of Anatomy, Free University Berlin, Germany

    A. Römmler, W. Seinsch, A. S. Hasan & F. Haase

Authors
  1. A. Römmler
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  2. W. Seinsch
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  3. A. S. Hasan
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  4. F. Haase
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Additional information

Presented in part at the VIII Academic Conference of German Speaking University Instructors of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Vienna, Austria, 1977

Supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Germany, Grant Ro 336/6

Supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, SFB 29, Embryonic Pharmacology

Scientific member of the Department of Endocrine Pharmacology, Schering AG Berlin, Germany

The authors gratefully acknowledge the technical assistance in the animal experiments of Mrs. B. Kosub and Miss M. Herrmann, in LH radioimmunoassay of Mr. A. Friedreich, in electronmicroscopy of Mrs. T. Gazith, Mrs. B. Eibrecht, Mrs. W. Streit, Mrs. I. Vogel and Mrs. G. Lange, in homogenisation of Mrs. M. Gottbrath and Miss C. Ecknig. We thank Prof. Dr. Merker and Prof. Dr. Hammerstein for reading the manuscript and Mr. J. Eilers for his help in translating this paper into English. Synthetic LH-RH was kindly provided by Hoechst AG, Frankfurt, Germany.

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Römmler, A., Seinsch, W., Hasan, A.S. et al. Ultrastructure of rat pituitary LH gonadotrophs in relation to serum and pituitary LH levels following repeated LH-RH stimulation. Cell Tissue Res. 190, 135–149 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00210043

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