Possible Role of the Thyroid and the Pituitary Glands in Sex-Linked Dwarfism in the Fowl1

Abstract

The regressions of the log of anterior pituitary, thyroid, ovary and oviduct weight on body weight were not different between sex-linked dwarf and control chickens. Dwarf thyroids contained less colloid than control thyroids. Feeding of iodinated casein did not prevent the mainfestations of dwarfism. Histologic examination of the anterior pituitaries of the dwarf chicks showed normal presumptive gonadotropic and thyrotropic cells. These pituitaries showed the frequent occurrence of small cells with secretory droplets; these cells sometimes had bi-lobed nuclei or were binucleated. The staining properties of these cells are given, and the possible functional relationship with dwarfism is discussed.