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Molecular Aspects of Pituitary Development

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Molecular and Cellular Pediatric Endocrinology

Part of the book series: Contemporary Endocrinology ((COE,volume 10))

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Abstract

The anterior pituitary is a well-characterized and accessible model for studying cellspecific gene activation and the process by which distinct cell-types develop within an organ (1–3). Accordingly, the development of the pituitary gland has been a topic of particularly intense interest by molecular biologists and developmental biologists, as well as endocrinologists. Over the last few years, this activity has yielded remarkable progress in identifying crucial factors involved in anterior pituitary gene expression and development. However, there is an underlying dilemma in the study of pituitary development—namely, that the various pituitary cell types are currently recognizable only by the hormones they synthesize. Therefore, the distinction between factors that promote expression of the hormone gene (i.e., permit recognition of the cell type) and those which direct other facets of cell type differentiation is often blurred. In this chapter, we will review the current state of knowledge regarding the components required for normal development of the pituitary gland and its distinct cell types. Since the ontogeny of the pituitary has been most extensively examined in laboratory rodents, the data we present will be derived predominately from studies in the mouse and rat. However, the appearance of anatomical structures, hormones, and regulatory factors in the human appear to follow relatively similar patterns and where possible, we will include relevant information on human pituitary development and point out where differences are thought to exist.

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Authors
  1. Philip S. Zeitler MD, PhD
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  2. Cheryl A. Pickett MD, PhD
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  1. Division of Endocrinology, Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Stuart Handwerger MD

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Zeitler, P.S., Pickett, C.A. (1999). Molecular Aspects of Pituitary Development. In: Handwerger, S. (eds) Molecular and Cellular Pediatric Endocrinology. Contemporary Endocrinology, vol 10. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-697-3_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-697-3_14

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