Expression of the pituitary transcription factor GHF-1/PIT-1 in cell types of the adult porcine adenohypophysis.

We describe the expression of the transcription factor GHF1IPIT-1 in adult porcine adenohypophysis by a nonradioactive in situ hybrydization (ISH) method using a digoxigeninlabeled &DNA probe corresponding to the entire coding region of rat GHF1. GHF-1 transcripts were found in 71.7% of adenohypophyseal cells. We also report the simultaneous detection of GHF-1 mRNA and pituitary hormones by combined ISH and immunocytochemistry (IC) in dispersed adenohypophyseal cells, detected with an alkaline phosphatase-”/ BCIP technique and with an immunoperoxidase3-amino-9-ethylcarbazole (AEC) method, respectively. The combination of the two techniques neither abolished nor diminished their sensitivity or specificity. GHFl is expressed in all five of the cell types in the adult porcine adenohypophysis, showing that this method is suitable for simultaneous detection of transcripts and proteins at the single-cell level. (J Hisrochem Cytochem 44:621-627, 19%)