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Département de Physiologie, Université de Genève, Ecole de Médecine, 1211 Genève 4, Switzerland

(Received 23 February 1976)

The sensitivity of the anterior pituitary gland towards gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (Gn-RH) varies throughout the oestrous cycle of the rat (Aiyer, Fink & Greig, 1974). Oestrogen appears to be partially responsible for the increase in sensitivity observed at pro-oestrus (Aiyer & Fink, 1974). Prior exposure of ovariectomized heifers or rats to oestrogen results in an increased response, in terms of luteinizing hormone (LH) release, to Gn-RH in vitro (Hobson & Hansel, 1974; Apfelbaum & Taleisnik, 1976).

The present study was designed to investigate the ontogeny of this modulatory effect of oestrogen on the pituitary response to Gn-RH. Our results show that the pituitaries of immature female rats, primed with a single injected dose of oestradiol benzoate (OB), respond to synthetic Gn-RH in vitro with an enhanced release of LH. This sensitizing effect of OB