Changes in the three-dimensional ultrastructure of membranous organelles in male rat pituitary gonadotropes after castration

The increased discharge of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) from hypothalamic neurons after castration specifically stimulates pituitary gonadotropes. To elucidate the putative effects of GnRH on the three-dimensional ultrastructure of gonadotropes, we examined osmium-macerated pituitary tissues of male rats at various time points after castration by high resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with immunocytochemistry. Two days after castration, the Golgi apparatus was disassembled into small stacks; patch-like, tubuloreticular clusters of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes were present; and spherically enlarged mitochondria were accumulated in the central area of the stimulated gonadotropes. These acute changes were indiscernible by 1 week after castration, and then the pituitary gonadotropes of castrated animals gradually became hypertrophic, finally exhibiting the characteristic “signet-ring” appearance, with markedly dilated cisterns of the rough ER. Upon SEM observation, the inner surface of the cavity was mostly flat, and openings connecting adjacent lumens of the ER were sparse. Proliferation of the osmiophilic tubular network of the ER-Golgi intermediate compartment was observed in the persistently stimulated gonadotropes, indicating a marked increase in trafficking of secretory proteins between the Golgi and ER. The acute and chronic changes in the gonadotropes after castration revealed in the present study by SEM provide evidence for a putative link between the intracellular signaling events evoked by GnRH and the ultrastructural dynamics of the organelles of the secretory pathway.