Further evidence of inactivity of hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid axis in Snell dwarf mice

The effects of hemithyroidectomy (hemiTX) and complete thyroidectomy (TX) on the cellular composition and the mitotic activity of the anterior pituitary gland were examined in genetically thyrotropin (TSH)-deficient female Snell dwarf mice (dw/dw) and in phenotypically normal female mice (?/+) from the same strain. In normal (nondwarf) mice, both hemiTX and TX reduced the percentage of acidophilic (orange G-positive) cells and increased the percentage of thyrotropic (aldehyde fuchsin [AF]-positive) cells, whereas the percentage of gonadotrophs (PAS-positive cells) and chromophobes (unstained cells) was not affected. Both interventions increased the mean mitotic activity rate (MMAR) of the anterior pituitary lobe. This effect was related to the enhancement of the MMAR of acidophilic cells and, particularly, thyrotropic cells. The MMAR of thyrotrophs in thyroidectomized normal mice was significantly higher than that in sham-TX controls or in hemithyroidectomized animals. In Snell dwarf mice, neither hemiTX nor TX affected the percentage of the various cell categories (PAS-positive, unstained, and extremely rare AF-positive cells) in the anterior pituitary lobe. Furthermore, neither hemiTX nor TX substantially influenced the MMAR of the gland. No mitotic figures were found in the AF-positive cells. Since the AF-positive cells in the anterior pituitary of dwarf mice completely failed to respond to hemiTX or TX, we believe they are not true thyrotropic cells. Using electron microscopy, we confirmed a lack of somatotrophs, mammotrophs, and normal thyrotrophs in the anterior pituitary of Snell dwarf mice. The results provide morphological evidence of inactivity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid axis in Snell dwarf mice.