Chiasson R B
Poult Sci. 1986 Feb;65(2):380-3. doi: 10.3382/ps.0650380.
The pituitary gland of birds is known to increase in weight with castration and decreases with chemical thyroidectomy. Whether these changes are due to alterations in mitotic activity or to cell size changes has been examined by measurement of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and protein content of these glands. The DNA content of the enlarge pituitary of castrated cockerels is the same as that in the pituitary of normal cockerels. The pituitary size increase may be due to an increase in gonadotrope size including any part of the gonadotrope population which may be obtained by recruitment of other basophils. The retardation in pituitary size and DNA content with methimazole treatment is probably due, at least in part, to growth retardation but may also be due, in part, to the conversion of larger basophils to smaller thyrotropes.
已知鸟类的垂体在去势后重量会增加，而在化学甲状腺切除术后重量会减轻。通过测量这些腺体的脱氧核糖核酸（DNA）和蛋白质含量，研究了这些变化是由于有丝分裂活性的改变还是细胞大小的变化。去势公鸡增大的垂体的DNA含量与正常公鸡垂体的DNA含量相同。垂体大小的增加可能是由于促性腺激素细胞大小的增加，包括通过招募其他嗜碱性细胞而获得的促性腺激素细胞群体的任何部分。用甲巯咪唑治疗导致垂体大小和DNA含量的延迟，这可能至少部分是由于生长迟缓，但也可能部分是由于较大的嗜碱性细胞转化为较小的促甲状腺细胞。
