Pituitary gonadotrophs: nuclear concentration of radioactivity after injection of ( 3 H)testosterone.

Gonadotrophs and castration cells in the male rat pituitary showed nuclear concentration of radioactivity 1 hour after [1,2,6,7-(3)H]testosterone injection. Thyrotrophs and acidophils did not retain radioactivity; also the cells of the intermediate and posterior lobes did not accumulate radioactivity. The autoradiographic results suggest a direct and selective action of androgen on gonadotrophs, which contrasts with the action of estradiol which was shown earlier to bind not only to basophils but to acidophils and chromophobes as well.