Perifused pituitary cells as a model for studies of gonadotropin biosynthesis and secretion

Pituitary gonadotropes are influenced by a variety of hormones in vivo. In an effort to study these signals individually, several experimental models have been devised. One of these models, pituitary perifusion, has the dual advantage of removing endogenous hormones and growth factors and permitting exogenous signals to be applied in a continuous or pulsatile fashion. Application of the perifusion model to the study of gonadotropen biosynthesis and secretion has led to the discovery of several previously unappreciated interactions between hypothalamic and paracrine signals that act on gonadotropes.