Anterior pituitary cells defective in the cell-autonomous factor, df, undergo cell lineage specification but not expansion

Development ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 122 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.J. Gage ◽  
M.L. Roller ◽  
T.L. Saunders ◽  
L.M. Scarlett ◽  
S.A. Camper

The Ames dwarf mouse transmits a recessive mutation (df) resulting in a profound anterior pituitary hypocellularity due to a general lack of thyrotropes, somatotropes and lactotropes. These cell types are also dependent on the pituitary-specific transcription factor, Pit-1. We present evidence that expression of Pit-1 and limited commitment to these cells lineages occurs in df/df pituitaries. Thus, the crucial role of df may be in lineage-specific proliferation, rather than cytodifferentiation. The presence of all three Pit-1-dependent cell types in clonally derived clusters provides compelling evidence that these three lineages share a common, pluripotent precursor cell. Clusters containing different combinations of Pit-1-dependent cell types suggests that the Pit-1+ precursor cells choose from multiple developmental options during ontogeny. Characterization of df/df<-->+/+ chimeric mice demonstrated that df functions by a cell-autonomous mechanism. Therefore, df and Pit-1 are both cell-autonomous factors required for thyrotrope, somatotrope and lactotrope ontogeny, but their relative roles are different.

1988 ◽  
Vol 139 (1) ◽  
pp. 287-316
Author(s):  
W. T. Mason ◽  
S. R. Rawlings ◽  
P. Cobbett ◽  
S. K. Sikdar ◽  
R. Zorec ◽  
...  

Normal anterior pituitary cells, in their diversity and heterogeneity, provide a rich source of models for secretory function. However, until recently they have largely been neglected in favour of neoplastic, clonal tumour cell lines of pituitary origin, which have enabled a number of studies on supposedly homogeneous cell types. Because many of these lines appear to lack key peptide and neurotransmitter receptors, as well as being degranulated with accompanying abnormal levels of secretion, we have developed a range of normal primary anterior pituitary cell cultures using dispersion and enrichment techniques. By studying lactotrophs, somatotrophs and gonadotrophs we have revealed a number of possible transduction mechanisms by which receptors for hypothalamic peptides and neurotransmitters may control secretion. In particular, the transduction events controlling secretion from pituitary cells may differ fundamentally from those found in other cell types. Patch-clamp recordings in these various pituitary cell preparations have revealed substantial populations of voltage-dependent Na+, Ca2+ and K+ channels which may support action potentials in these cells. Although activation of these channels may gate Ca2+ entry to the cells under some conditions, our evidence taken with that of other laboratories suggests that peptide-receptor interactions leading to hormone secretion occur independently of significant membrane depolarization. Rather, secretion of hormone and rises in intracellular calcium measured with new probes for intracellular calcium activity, can occur in response to hypothalamic peptide activation in the absence of substantial changes in membrane potential. These changes in intracellular calcium activity almost certainly depend on both intracellular and extracellular calcium sources. In addition, strong evidence of a role for multiple intracellular receptors and modulators in the secretory event suggests we should consider the plasma membrane channels important for regulation of hormone secretion to be predominantly agonist-activated, rather than of the more conventional voltage-dependent type. Likewise, evidence from new methods for recording single ion channels suggests the existence of intracellular sites for channel modulation, implying they too may play an important role in secretory regulation. We shall consider new data and new technology which we hope will provide key answers to the many intriguing questions surrounding the control of pituitary hormone secretion. We shall highlight our work with recordings of single ion channels activated by peptides, and recent experiments using imaging of intracellular ionized free calcium.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela Wuelling ◽  
Christoph Neu ◽  
Andrea M. Thiesen ◽  
Simo Kitanovski ◽  
Yingying Cao ◽  
...  

AbstractEpigenetic modifications play critical roles in regulating cell lineage differentiation, but the epigenetic mechanisms guiding specific differentiation steps within a cell lineage have rarely been investigated. To decipher such mechanisms, we used the defined transition from proliferating (PC) into hypertrophic chondrocytes (HC) during endochondral ossification as a model. We established a map of activating and repressive histone modifications for each cell type. ChromHMM state transition analysis and Pareto-based integration of differential levels of mRNA and epigenetic marks revealed that differentiation associated gene repression is initiated by the addition of H3K27me3 to promoters still carrying substantial levels of activating marks. Moreover, the integrative analysis identified genes specifically expressed in cells undergoing the transition into hypertrophy.Investigation of enhancer profiles detected surprising differences in enhancer number, location, and transcription factor binding sites between the two closely related cell types. Furthermore, cell type-specific upregulation of gene expression was associated with a shift from low to high H3K27ac decoration. Pathway analysis identified PC-specific enhancers associated with chondrogenic genes, while HC-specific enhancers mainly control metabolic pathways linking epigenetic signature to biological functions.


Development ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 129 (18) ◽  
pp. 4229-4239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori T. Raetzman ◽  
Robert Ward ◽  
Sally A. Camper

Deficiencies in the homeobox transcription factors LHX4 and PROP1 cause pituitary hormone deficiency in both humans and mice. Lhx4 and Prop1 mutants exhibit severe anterior pituitary hypoplasia resulting from limited differentiation and expansion of most specialized cell types. Little is known about the mechanism through which these genes promote pituitary development. In this study we determined that the hypoplasia in Lhx4 mutants results from increased cell death and that the reduced differentiation is attributable to a temporal shift in Lhx3 activation. In contrast, Prop1 mutants exhibit normal cell proliferation and cell survival but show evidence of defective dorsal-ventral patterning. Molecular genetic analyses reveal that Lhx4 and Prop1 have overlapping functions in early pituitary development. Double mutants exhibit delayed corticotrope specification and complete failure of all other anterior pituitary cell types to differentiate. Thus, Lhx4 and Prop1 have critical, but mechanistically different roles in specification and expansion of specialized anterior pituitary cells.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederique Murielle Ruf-Zamojski ◽  
Michel A Zamojski ◽  
German Nudelman ◽  
Yongchao Ge ◽  
Natalia Mendelev ◽  
...  

Abstract The pituitary gland is a critical regulator of the neuroendocrine system. To further our understanding of the classification, cellular heterogeneity, and regulatory landscape of pituitary cell types, we performed and computationally integrated single cell (SC)/single nucleus (SN) resolution experiments capturing RNA expression, chromatin accessibility, and DNA methylation state from mouse dissociated whole pituitaries. Both SC and SN transcriptome analysis and promoter accessibility identified the five classical hormone-producing cell types (somatotropes, gonadotropes (GT), lactotropes, thyrotropes, and corticotropes). GT cells distinctively expressed transcripts for Cga, Fshb, Lhb, Nr5a1, and Gnrhr in SC RNA-seq and SN RNA-seq. This was matched in SN ATAC-seq with GTs specifically showing open chromatin at the promoter regions for the same genes. Similarly, the other classically defined anterior pituitary cells displayed transcript expression and chromatin accessibility patterns characteristic of their own cell type. This integrated analysis identified additional cell-types, such as a stem cell cluster expressing transcripts for Sox2, Sox9, Mia, and Rbpms, and a broadly accessible chromatin state. In addition, we performed bulk ATAC-seq in the LβT2b gonadotrope-like cell line. While the FSHB promoter region was closed in the cell line, we identified a region upstream of Fshb that became accessible by the synergistic actions of GnRH and activin A, and that corresponded to a conserved region identified by a polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). Although this locus appears closed in deep sequencing bulk ATAC-seq of dissociated mouse pituitary cells, SN ATAC-seq of the same preparation showed that this site was specifically open in mouse GT, but closed in 14 other pituitary cell type clusters. This discrepancy highlighted the detection limit of a bulk ATAC-seq experiment in a subpopulation, as GT represented ~5% of this dissociated anterior pituitary sample. These results identified this locus as a candidate for explaining the dual dependence of Fshb expression on GnRH and activin/TGFβ signaling, and potential new evidence for upstream regulation of Fshb. The pituitary epigenetic landscape provides a resource for improved cell type identification and for the investigation of the regulatory mechanisms driving cell-to-cell heterogeneity. Additional authors not listed due to abstract submission restrictions: N. Seenarine, M. Amper, N. Jain (ISMMS).


1984 ◽  
Vol 32 (12) ◽  
pp. 1285-1294 ◽  
Author(s):  
A M Cataldo ◽  
R D Broadwell

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and glycogen in secretory cells of anterior pituitary glands from control and fasted mice were investigated ultrastructurally using cytochemical staining techniques. Potential enzyme cytochemical markers for the ER included glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) and nucleoside diphosphatase (NDPase) activities. Presumptive glycogen particles were identified in tissue postfixed in 1% osmium tetroxide-1.5% potassium ferrocyanide or in ultrathin sections poststained with periodic acid-thiocarbohydrazide-silver proteinate. The ER appeared to be related structurally and cytochemically to the nuclear envelope and cis Golgi saccules. Similar relationships between the ER and the trans Golgi saccules or GERL were not observed. In anterior pituitary glands from control mice, G6Pase activity was prominent within the lumen of the ER, nuclear envelope, and cis Golgi saccules of all cells; reaction product was absent in the trans Golgi saccules and in GERL. G6Pase activity was sparse to non-existent in anterior pituitary cells from fasted mice. The cytochemical reaction utilizing the Gomori lead capture method indicated that G6Pase in anterior pituitary cells may function as a phosphohydrolase for converting glucose-6-phosphate to glucose. Cytochemical localization of NDPase activity was not evident in the ER; reaction product was localized consistently in one or two trans Golgi saccules and occasionally in GERL and nascent secretory granules. Presumptive glycogen particles in each of the different secretory cell types from control mice appeared as 20-30 nm wide, electron-dense particles scattered as single entities throughout the cytoplasm. Anterior pituitary glands from fasted mice exhibited conspicuous and numerous clumps of glycogen particles in addition to scattered particles in all cell types except corticotrophs, which appeared to be devoid of glycogen. Glycogen particles were absent in anterior pituitary cells incubated in a medium containing diastase. Our results suggest that in anterior pituitary cells of the mouse: 1) the phosphohydrolytic activity of G6Pase is a reliable cytochemical marker for the ER; 2) the ER is associated morphologically and cytochemically with the cis face but not with the trans face of the Golgi apparatus or with GERL; 3) some glucose-6-phosphate, a possible substrate for G6Pase in vivo, may be derived indirectly from glycogen stores; and 4) modulations in G6Pase activity and glycogen storage during fasting may reflect an alteration in energy metabolism.


1979 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 1205-1207 ◽  
Author(s):  
P C Goldsmith ◽  
M J Cronin ◽  
R I Weiner

An immunocytochemical method was developed to visualize dopamine receptor sites on dispersed anterior pituitary cells of the rat. Dopamine receptors were labeled with the antagonist haloperidol. Some cells were incubated with haloperidol and a 100-fold excess of the potent antagonist D-butaclamol to determine nonspecific binding. The labeled sites were stained with an antibody against haloperidol and the peroxidase anti-peroxidase (PAP) technique. PAP complexes which served as markers for dopamine binding sites appeared on the outer plasmalemmal surface of the vast majority of mammotrophs. PAP complexes attached to the inner surface of endocytotic vesicle membrane suggested internalization of receptor-rich portions of the plasmalemma. Some gonadotrophs and somatotrophs were specifically stained to a lesser extent. However, high receptor site density and internalization of PAP complexes were never observed on cell types other than mammotrophs. The presence of dopamine receptors on the plasmalemma of mammotrophs provides strong additional evidence that dopamine acts upon these cells as a prolactin inhibitory hormone.


1990 ◽  
Vol 126 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Wynick ◽  
R. Critchley ◽  
M. S. Venetikou ◽  
J. M. Burrin ◽  
S. R. Bloom

ABSTRACT As the secretory granules of anterior pituitary cells fuse with the cell surface, there would appear to be sufficient hormone present on the cell surface to be labelled by polyclonal hormone antibodies and thus analysed by flow cytometry. We have therefore applied fluorescence-activated cell sorting to these labelled pituitary cells. Percentage purity and depletion of other cell types was assessed by immunocytochemistry and the reverse haemolytic plaque assay (RHPA). Results demonstrate that fluorescence-activated cell sorting allows almost complete purification of functional lactotrophs and somatotrophs to 96·7 ±1·7 (s.e.m.)% and 98±1·0% respectively by immunocytochemistry, and to 95·8 ±1·1% and 97±0·8% respectively by RHPA. Depletion of other anterior pituitary cell types to less than 2% was demonstrated by both immunocytochemistry and RHPA. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting to this degree of purity was routinely possible with cell yields of 91 ±3·4%. To obtain such purity/depletion, it was necessary to use specific antisera of high titre, at concentrations which ensured maximal cell-surface labelling associated with maximal stimulation of hormonal secretion by the appropriate hypothalamic stimulatory factor. Separating cells on the basis of the intensity of prolactin cell-surface labelling demonstrated a low level of binding of the prolactin antibody to gonadotrophs (but not of sufficient fluorescence intensity to be sorted into the prolactin enriched population), raising the possibility of prolactin receptors on gonadotrophs. We were unable to demonstrate the presence of mammosomatotrophs in the normal female rat, since purified lactotrophs did not contain or secrete GH nor did purified somatotrophs contain or secrete prolactin. Journal of Endocrinology (1990) 126, 269–274


A cell marking technique based on the structural differences existing between the interphase nucleus in two closely related species of birds, the chick and the Japanese quail, is described. In all embryonic and adult cell types of the quail, a large mass of heterochromatin is associated with the nucleolus making quail and chick cells easy to identify at the single cell level after application of any DNA-specific staining procedure and also at the electron microscope level. This method has been largely used to construct chimeras in ovo and to study dynamic processes such as cell migrations or cell lineage segregation during ontogeny. Recently monoclonal antibodies specific for either quail or chick antigenic determinants (for example, class II MHC antigens) have been prepared, increasing the interest of the quail-chick chimera system as an experimental model.


Endocrinology ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 141 (8) ◽  
pp. 3020-3034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajaa El Meskini ◽  
Richard E. Mains ◽  
Betty A. Eipper

Peptidylglycine α-amidating monooxygenase (PAM) is a bifunctional enzyme expressed in each major anterior pituitary cell type. We used primary cultures of adult male rat anterior pituitary to examine PAM expression, processing, and secretion in the different pituitary cell types and to compare these patterns to those observed in transfected AtT-20 corticotrope tumor cells. Immunostaining and subcellular fractionation identified PAM in pituitary secretory granules and additional vesicular compartments; in contrast, in AtT-20 cells, transfected PAM was primarily localized to the trans-Golgi network. PAM expression was highest in gonadotropes, with moderate levels in somatotropes and thyrotropes and lower levels in corticotropes and lactotropes. Under basal conditions, less than 1% of the cell content of monooxygenase activity was secreted per h, a rate comparable to the basal rate of release of individual pituitary hormones. General secretagogues stimulated PAM secretion 3- to 5-fold. Stimulation with specific hypothalamic releasing hormones demonstrated that different pituitary cell types secrete characteristic sets of PAM proteins. Gonadotropes and thyrotropes release primarily monofunctional monooxygenase. Somatotropes secrete primarily bifunctional PAM, whereas corticotropes secrete a mixture of mono- and bifunctional proteins. As observed in transfected AtT-20 cells, pituitary cells rapidly internalize the PAM/PAM-antibody complex from the cell surface. The distinctly different steady-state localizations of endogenous PAM in primary pituitary cells and transfected PAM in AtT-20 cell lines may simply reflect the increased storage capacity of primary pituitary cells.


1972 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
GEORGES PELLETIER ◽  
ALEX B. NOVIKOFF

All five known secretory cell types of the rat anterior pituitary gland display nucleoside diphosphatase (NDPase) activity throughout the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), including the nuclear envelope but not the specialized region of ER at the inner aspect of the Golgi apparatus known as GERL. The functions of the ER diphosphatase are currently unknown. However, speculations concerning its association with glucuronyl transferase may focus on the metabolic roles of the ER in pituitary cells other than those directly related to secretory protein transport. The gonadotrophs have been studied for thiamine pyrophosphatase and acid phosphatase activities as well as NDPase activity. The results suggest that the secretory granules of gonadotrophs arise from GERL and not from the inner element of the Golgi apparatus. The innermost Golgi element of this cell type shows NDPase and thiamine pyrophosphatase activities and appears to be composed, in part at least, of anastomosing tubules. Nucleoside phosphatase activity is also present at the surfaces of all five secretory cell types and between the cells and adjacent blood capillaries.


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