Effect of gonadotropins, thyrotropin, and adrenocorticotropin on the development of 12-day chick embryonic gonads.

Gonadotropins (FSH+LH) and thyrotropin (TSH) stimulated the development of 12-day embryonic gonads, whereas adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) did not show any significant effect. It is concluded that the gonads of 12-day chick embryos have the capacity to respond to both gonadotropic and thyrotropic stimulation. This suggests that at the time when the hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid axis begins to develop, the capacity of gonadal receptors to distinguish between gonadotropins and thyrotropin has not been established.