Light and electron microscope localization of binding sites of antibodies against ovine luteinizing hormone and its two subunits in rat adenohypophysis using peroxidase-labeled antibody technique.

The binding sites of antisera generated in the guinea pig against ovine luteinizing hormone (oLH) and its two subunits (oLHalpha and oLHbeta) have been localized in rat anterior pituitaries taken from normal or castrated males and from ovariectomized females with the peroxidase-labeled antibody method, using light and electron microscopy. With the light microscope, the cells positive with antiserum to ovine luteinizing hormone (A-oLH) were violet after the Alcian blue-periodic acid-Schiff (AB-PAS) staining; they were also positive for A-oLHalpha and for A-oLHbeta and, from castrated males, they displayed an increased affinity for A-oLHbeta. Another cell type which was blue after the AB-PAS method reacted with the A-oLHalpha only; these cells, presumably thyrotropic cells, were retracted after castration and, besides their affinity for A-oLHalpha, acquired an affinity for A-oLHbeta. As seen through the electron microscope, two cell types were positive for A-oLH, A-oLHbeta, and A-oLHalpha and may be identified as luteinizing hormone-secreting cells. Type A cells were characterized by two classes of rounded, secretory granules. Type B cells were smaller and contained only small secretory granules. 1 mo after the rats were castrated the type A cells were hypertrophied and vacuolized. In both cases the secretory granules were the main sites of the antigenicity with the three antisera. A positive reaction was also found in the cytoplasm, particularly in hypertrophied cells from ovariectomized females and with A-oLHbeta. The cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum were usually negative, except in highly degranulated cells from ovariectomized females and with A-oLHbeta.