Impaired growth hormone-releasing hormone neurons ultrastructure and peptide accumulation in the arcuate nucleus of mosaic mice with altered copper metabolism

A progressive decrease in body weight and retarded linear growth observed in mosaic male mice with the mutation linked to X-chromosome (Atp7amo−ms) raised the question whether hypophysiotropic growth axis activity may be affected in these animals. A pathologically developed median eminence ultrastructure with very low somatostatin accumulation as well as an intensive phagocytosis of growth hormone cells observed in the anterior pituitary gland...