Neonatal rat hypothalamus cell culture: neuron subpopulations secrete immunoreactive beta-endorphin but not immunoreactive ACTH.

Primary cultures of dissociated hypothalamic cells were prepared from 1-day-old rat neonates. Studies with cell-specific antisera revealed the presence of neurons, glial cells, oligodendrocytes and fibroblast-like cells. By immunohistochemistry, two morphologically distinct cells in culture were positive for immunoreactive beta-endorphin (IR-beta-EP). The medium derived from these cultures contained radioimmunoassayable IR-beta-EP, but not IR-ACTH. These data suggest that, in rat neonatal hypothalamic cultures, two subpopulations of cells exist which store and secrete IR-beta-EP, but not IR-ACTH.