Ontogeny of gonadotropic and thyrotropic cells in fetal mouse anterior pituitary. Comparison between two species C57 BL6 and Balb/C.

The fetal period constitutes a determinant stage in the ontogenesis of the hypothalamo-hypophysial-gonadal system. This work mainly concerns gonadotropic and thyrotropic functions and compares their different aspects in two strains of fetal mice. Balb/c and C57 BL6 fetal mice were studied at 16, 17, 18 and 19 days of gestation. The appearance and distribution of immunoreactive gonadotropic and thyrotropic cells of the anterior pituitary were observed by immunocytology using an indirect method with anti-porcine luteinizing hormone beta serum, anti-bovine thyrotrope hormone serum after saturation with bovine luteinizing hormone and anti-rat luteinizing hormone serum. In the two strains and in both sexes, LH gonadotropes appeared at 17 days of gestation and preferentially localized in the ventral part of the anterior lobe; a similar distribution was noted at 18 days and there was an increase in the number and staining intensity of labeled cells. By 19 days of gestation the gonadotrophs seemed more numerous, more generally distributed throughout the gland and often abutted to sinusoidal capillaries. An account of immunoreactive cells with anti-porcine luteinizing hormone serum and statistical evaluation of the results performed by variance analysis showed significant differences between the two strains. LH gonadotropic cells were always more numerous at each day of gestation in Balb/c fetuses especially in female fetuses. The possibility of a different evolution and/or differentiation for this cell population is discussed. Comparison of gonadotropic function between rat fetuses, mouse fetuses and human fetuses lead us to conclude that mouse fetuses appeared as an experimental model more closely related to human fetuses.