Changes of endocrine properties of a transplantable, multihormonal, pituitary tumor (MtT-F4) after hypophysectomy of host rats.

The transplantable rat pituitary tumor MtT-F4 failed to grow in rats hypophysectomized at the time of transplantation, but did grow in thyroxine-treated hypophysectomized rats. In the latter rats, the tumor did not stimulate the adrenals to the same extent as in control rats. When the tumor did not stimulate the adrenals to the same extent as in control rats. When the tumor cells were isolated and incubated in vitro, those from hypophysectomized thyroxine-treated rats released much less ACTH into the incubation medium than the tumor cells from control rats. They also released significantly less growth hormone than tumor cells from intact, intact thyroxine-treated, and thyroidectomized thyroxine-treated rats. Prolactin release by the isolated tumor cells in vitro was the same in all groups studied. The results suggest that the hypophysectomy and thyroxine treatment of the host rat might selectively influence the production of hormones by the MtT-F4 transplantable rat pituitary tumor.