Enrichment of cell types from the rat adenohypophysis by sedimentation at unit gravity

The application of a unit gravity cell separation procedure to rat adenohypophysial tissue is described. The results demonstrate (a) that adenohypophysial cells retain their characteristic tinctorial properties after dissociation and sedimentation, (b) that a 2-3-fold enrichment of different cell types can be achieved and (c) that the incorporation rate of labeled amino acids into the protein of dissociated versus non-dissociated adenohypophysial cells is similar. Sedimentation of cells from tissues of thyroidectomized or lactating animals yielded enriched populations of thyrotrophs and lactotrophs respectively. This cell separation technique offers a novel approach to the isolation, purification, and study of the pituitary cell types.