Identification of somatomammotroph cells in lactating goats (Capra hircus) by fluorescence and immunogold techniques.

The occurrence and ultrastructural morphology of somatomammotroph cells, in the anterior pituitary tissue of the goat, is studied using fluorescence microscopic double staining and two methods of double immunogold staining combined with electron microscopy. Under the fluorescence microscope numerous monohormonal cells, either mammotroph cells (prolactin, PRL, cells) or somatotroph cells (growth hormone, GH, cells) are observed, but cells containing both hormones (somatomammotroph or SMT cells) are scarce. SMT cells do not differ ultrastructurally from monohormonal cells, and the cytoplasm contains two populations of granules, each reactive only for one of the antisera, either antisheep GH or antisheep PRL.