Isolation of gonadotrops from the pituitary of the African catfish, Clarias lazera - Morphological and physiological characterization of the purified cells

Dispersed pituitary cells from male African catfish, Clarias lazera, were fractionated in a density gradient of Percoll. Five fractions were isolated, consisting of about 6, 19, 39, 95 and 83% gonadotrops, respectively. The gonadotrops were identified by their ultrastructural characteristics, by immunocytochemistry, and by measuring their hormone content. After one day in culture, in each fraction the secretion of gonadotropin could be stimulated by a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogue, indicating that the cells had retained their functional integrity. Since the regulatory mechanisms of different cell types from the pituitary have some similarity, purification of the gonadotrops provides a model to study the regulation of gonadotropin secretion.