Secretion of the β‐subunit of Luteinizing Hormone in Dispersed Rat Anterior Pituitary Cells

Enzymatically dispersed rat anterior pituitary cells were perifused in order to investigate the secretion pattern of luteinizing hormone (LH) and its β-subunit (LH-β) by luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) in vitro. Intermittent stimulations with LH-RH induced marked release of LH and LH-β. The self-priming effect on either LH or LH-β release by LH-RH was not significant; in contrast, a desensitization effect produced by this decapeptide hormone was clearly observed in the release of these two peptide hormones. The perifusion technique was revealed to be useful in analyzing the temporal secretion of the gonadotro-pins from the anterior pituitary cells, and the data suggest that LH-β is released concomitantly with native LH by LH-RH in vitro.