The long range goal of the proposed research is to understand the role of intercellular communication in regulating adenohypophyseal cell function. To investigate this issue, initial studies will elucidate the relationship between somatotroph function and topography of Growth Hormone (GH) and other cell types in individual tissue slices. Basal and stimulated GH release will be measured from sections placed in perifusion; subsequently, tissue slices will be processed for routine histological examination. Serial (adjacent) paraffin sections obtained from each tissue slice will be stained immunocytochemically for GH, ACTH, TSH, LH/FSH, PRL and the S-100 protein. Distributions of these cell types, assessed by image analysis, will be correlated with GH secretory profiles. These studies are based on the hypothesis that differential GH release from tissue sections is the result of specific neighboring cells influencing somatotroph function via cell-to-cell communication. A second component of the project will identify to what extent cell-to-cell contact affects somatotroph function.
