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Recently, a set of proteins involved in the docking and fusion machinery of secretory organelles has been identified in anterior pituitary cells. In this study we analyzed, by Western blotting and immunocytochemistry, the expression of several proteins involved in exocytosis after long-term administration of 17beta-estradiol (E2) in Fischer 344 rats. No differences were observed in the amount of synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa, synaptobrevin 2, syntaxin 1, synaptotagmin I and Rab3a in total brain homogenates from treated rats after E2 administration. In striking contrast, the levels of all of these exocytotic proteins, including cellubrevin, were notably decreased in pituitary glands of E2-treated rats. In addition, no differences were observed in the in vitro basal and 8-Br-cAMP-induced prolactin (PRL) release between pituitary cells from control and E2-treated rats, whereas TRH-induced PRL release in anterior pituitary cells from E2-treated animals was higher than in control donors. In conclusion, this study shows that protein components of the exocytotic machinery are specifically down-regulated in the pituitary gland of E2-treated Fischer 344 rats.