Age‐related changes in growth hormone‐immunoreactive cells in the anterior pituitary gland of Jcl: Wistar‐TgN (ARGHGEN) 1Nts rats (Mini rats)

Rats of the Jcl: Wistar-TgN (ARGHGEN) 1Nts strain (Mini rats) are transgenic animals carrying an antisense RNA transgene for rat growth hormone (GH); they show poor somatic growth and a low blood GH level compared to age-matched wild-type Wistar (non-Mini) rats. The purpose of the present study was to investigate age-related changes in growth hormone-immunoreactive (GH-IR) cells in the anterior pituitary gland (AP) of Mini rats at four, six, and eight weeks of age. The body weight and size of the GH-IR cells of Mini rats was significantly lower than that of non-Mini rats at six and eight weeks of age; however, this difference was not observed at four weeks of age. The AP volume and the number of GH-IR cells in Mini rats were significantly smaller than those of the age-matched non-Mini rats at the three ages. These results suggest that the abnormal development of GH-IR cells in the AP induced by the GH antisense RNA transgene is responsible for the poor somatic growth and the low blood GH levels in Mini rats.