A second Pit-1 gene in carp (Cyprinus carpio), including the complete structural gene and 1.1 kb of promoter region, was identified and completely sequenced. The exon-intron structure was determined, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) experiments suggest that only one Pit-1 splice variant is present in carp pituitary. The effect of seasonal acclimatization on the extent of Pit-1 gene expression was studied in summer- and winter-acclimatized carp. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed a clear increase of Pit-1 mRNA in the pituitaries from summer-acclimatized carp compared with the winter-adapted fish. In situ hybridization of pituitary gland sections with riboprobes representing the complete 5'-transactivating region of carp Pit-1 depicted a significantly higher Pit-1 mRNA level in the rostral pars distalis of the summer-acclimatized fish where prolactin is expressed in a manner that resembles the seasonal increase observed in the proximal pars distalis and the pars intermedia. The cell- and temporal-specific transcription of Pit-1 supports its role in the molecular mechanisms that underly the acclimatization process undergone by eurythermal fish as a result of the physical effects of seasonal changes on their habitat.