This handy reference handbook describes the fundamental principles and procedures underlying the successful isolation of viable, functionally-intact cells from mammalian endocrine tissues, and their maintenance as primary cultures. The cell types selected for coverage illustrate the diversity of endocrine tissues from which cells have been isolated, and the range of procedures which have been devised to ensure the optimal survival and behaviour of each cell type under study. Particular emphasis has been placed on the provision of detailed protocols describing, step by step, the manipulations necessary to establish differentiated and responsive cultures. The chapters have been prepared by authors having direct practical experience of the cell type concerned, and the reader is therefore provided with first-hand accounts on the background to each procedure, the avoidance of potential problems and pitfalls, and the fundamental questions in endocrinology which may be addressed using each cell culture model.