Chapter 8 – Separation of Cells from the Rat Anterior Pituitary Gland

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the separation of cells from rat anterior pituitary gland. In tissues containing mixed populations of cells, activity of one type can specifically modulate activity of another. The secretory patterns within a given hormone-containing cell type appeared to be dependent upon regional localization within the gland. Velocity sedimentation is a simple method for preparing enriched populations of the various types of hormone-producing cells contained in the rat anterior pituitary glandSpecific cell–cell interactions in the intact pituitary gland were completely destroyed by the procedures required for cell separation. Once enriched populations of different cell types became available, it was only natural to test their functional capabilities in various culture systems. From numerous studies, it is now quite clear that functional activity within a population of pituitary cells producing a given hormone may be heterogeneous. Extrapolation of the functional significance of data derived from separated cells back to the in vivo situation can be hazardous indeed.