Immunohistochemical localization of FSH and LH in the pituitary of male ruin lizards (Podarcis sicula campestris De Betta)

The pars distalis from the pituitary gland of adult male ruin lizards (Podarcis sicula campestris De Betta), captured during the reproductive period (May and June), was studied immunohistochemically using specific antibodies against hFSHβ, hLHβ and oLHβ with the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) procedure to determine the localization of both gonadotropins The immunostaining with anti-hFSHβ and anti-hLHβ allowed identification of morphologically distinct FSH containing cells and LH containing cells, whereas anti-oLHβ serum showed cross-reactivity with cells immunostained with the anti-hFSHβ and anti-hLHβ sera. The gonadotropic cells took up approximatively 10.5% of the area of the pars distalis: 10% was positive for FSH, whereas only 0.5% was positive for LH. The FSH cells were distributed throughout the pars distalis, whereas the LH cells were only located in the rostral region. Double-immunostaining procedure did not reveal cells containing both gonadotropic hormones. The findings indicate that FSH and LH are produced in separate pituitary cells