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Researchers find unsuspected organization of pituitary cells
Budry L. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011;108:12515-12520.
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A team of geneticists in Montreal made an unexpected discovery on hormone secretion: They found that, contrary to previous belief, pituitary cells are organized in structured networks.
“Each hormone in the pituitary gland is secreted by a specific type of cells,” Jacques Drouin, MD, director of the molecular genetics research unit at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal (IRCM), said in a press release. “Until now, we believed that these cells were randomly distributed throughout the pituitary gland.”
The researchers used 3-D imaging and discovered that the pituitary gland’s secreting cells are organized into highly structured networks. Inside the networks, each cell remains in contact with other cells of the same type, to form continuous sheets of cells. Moreover, cells of the same lineage can recognize, exchange signals and act in concert with one another, according to information from the press release.
“In addition to discovering the cell’s structure, we showed its importance for the development and function of the pituitary gland,” Lionel Budry, a PhD graduate student at IRCM, stated in the release. According to Budry, this team was the first to reveal the 3-D organization.
Drouin said the team studied two networks of cells — those that modulate responses to stress and those that control reproduction.
“Disturbing these networks could be associated with hormone deficiencies,” Drouin said in the release.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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