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Autonomous Mammotropic Pituitary Tumors in Mice

Their Somatotropic Features and Responsiveness to Estrogens^*

Jacob Furth, Evelyn L. Gadsden, Kelly H. Clifton and Evelyn Anderson

( Children's Cancer Research Foundation, Departments of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, and The Children's Medical Center, Boston, Mass., and National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases, Bethesda, Md.)

Two types of transplantable pituitary tumors were commonly found in female mice following massive whole-body ionizing irradiation: adrenotropic and mammotropic. The former appeared earlier, but the latter was more common.

Mammary gland hyperplasia is distinct only in female mice bearing mammotropic tumors.

The mammotropic tumor also exerts some somatotropic effects, and this occurs in animals of both sexes.

Proliferation of mammotropes appears to be dependent on stimulation by gonadal hormones, mainly estrogens. The neoplastic mammotropes of mice, although autonomous, retained responsiveness to estrogens.

Most mammotropes have coarse acidophilic granules.

These radiation-induced mammotropic tumors appear similar to those induced by large doses of estrogen.

The working hypotheses are advanced (a) that estrogen is the physiologic growth stimulant of the mammotropes and (b) that the mechanism by which two known procedures (total-body irradiation and large doses of estrogens) induce mammotropic pituitary tumors is continuous hyperestrogenization.

An incidental observation recorded is a marked somatotropic effect of autonomous thyrotropic tumors grown in normal hosts. It is suggested that several pituitary hormones possess general somatotropic properties probably exerted by different mechanisms.

^* These investigations have been supported by Grant C-2259 of the National Institutes of Health, and Grant AT (30-1) 1739 of the Atomic Energy Commission.

Fellow in Cancer Research of the American Cancer Society.

Received 2/29/56.