Basal and hypothalamic extract-induced luteinizing hormone and prolactin secretion by cultured anterior pituitary cells from female turkeys in various stages of the reproductive cycle

  • M. E. El Halawani
  • , J. L. Silsby
  • , S. C. Fehrer

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

The wet weight of the anterior pituitary gland of the domestic turkey increases as the hen progresses through the reproductive cycle. The greatest wet weight was observed with anterior pituitary glands from incubating hens, whose weight was twice that of anterior pituitary glands from nonphotostimulated hens. Anterior pituitary glands from hens in each of the various stages of the reproductive cycle were dissociated and cultured, and subsequently basal and hypothalamic extract (HE)-induced releases of prolactin (PRL) and luteinizing hormone (LH) were compared between cultures containing a defined number of anterior pituitary cells. Basal and HE-induced releases of PRL were greatest (P < 0.05) in the cultures of anterior pituitary cells derived from incubating hens, with those of laying, photorefractory, and nonphotostimulated hens being successively less (P < 0.05), respectively. HE-induced release of LH was greatest (P < 0.05) in cell cultures derived from nonphoto-stimulated hens, with cultures of cells derived from laying, photorefractory, and incubating hens exhibiting successively smaller releases of LH (P < 0.05), respectively. The concentration of HE that induced the first significant increase in the release of PRL or LH above that of basal levels also varied with the reproductive stage of the donor hens. The changes in circulating PRL levels during the various stages of the reproductive cycle reflect changes in anterior pituitary sensitivity to hypothalamic releasing activity and/or changes in the PRL releasing capacity of the anterior pituitary. In contrast, there does not appear to be a strong correlation between anterior pituitary LH releasing capacity in vitro and circulating LH levels in the domestic turkey hen.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)45-54
Number of pages10
JournalGeneral and Comparative Endocrinology
Volume71
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1988

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
’ This work was supported by USDA Grant 85-CRCR-l-1838. This is Scientific Journal Series Paper 15,816 of the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.

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