Functional Pituitary Networks in Vertebrates

Abstract

The pituitary is a master endocrine gland that developed early in vertebrate evolution and therefore exists in all modern vertebrate classes. The last decade has transformed our view of this key organ. Traditionally, the pituitary has been viewed as a randomly organized collection of cells that respond to hypothalamic stimuli by secreting their content. However, recent studies have established that pituitary cells are organized in tightly wired large-scale networks that communicate with each other in both homo and heterotypic manners, allowing the gland to quickly adapt to changing physiological demands. These networks functionally decode and integrate the hypothalamic and systemic stimuli and serve to optimize the pituitary output into the generation of physiologically meaningful hormone pulses. The development of 3D imaging methods and transgenic models have allowed us to expand the research of functional pituitary networks into several vertebrate classes. Here we review the establishment of pituitary cell networks throughout vertebrate evolution and highlight the main perspectives and future directions needed to decipher the way by which pituitary networks serve to generate hormone pulses in vertebrates.

Evidence that the pituitary gland connects type 2 diabetes mellitus and schizophrenia based on large-scale trans-ethnic genetic analyses

“…In humans, the pituitary can be divided into three anatomically and developmentally distinct constituent parts, i.e. the neurohypophysis (posterior lobe), the adenohypophysis (anterior lobe) and the intermediate lobe[ 48 ]. And pituitary cells have been found to organize in tightly wired networks in both homo and heterotypic manners and communicate with each other[ 48 ].…”

Expression Profile Analysis to Identify Circular RNA Expression Signatures in the Prolificacy Trait of Yunshang Black Goat Pituitary in the Estrus Cycle

“…Located in the anterior pituitary (adenohypophysis), gonadotropes produce and release the two major gonadotropins (follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones, FSH and LH, respectively) into the blood circulation, which stimulate gonadal gametogenesis, and steroidogenesis ( Pierce and Parsons, 1981 ). As the central part of the brain–pituitary–gonadal (BPG) axis, pituitary gonadotropes play a crucial role in the reproductive function of all vertebrates ( Santiago-Andres et al, 2021 ). In recent years, the function of noncoding RNAs was found to be related to reproduction in mammals, especially circRNAs ( Zhang et al, 2019 ).…”

Transcriptomes of testis and pituitary from male Nile tilapia (O. niloticus L.) in the context of social status

“…This makes sense, as conserved structures involved in dominance behavior are located in the brain, like the Social Decision Making Network (SDMN) and specifically the POA (preoptic area) [ 50 , 81 – 83 ]. The intricate signaling networks in teleost pituitaries are just beginning to be described [ 2 , 3 , 67 , 84 , 85 ]. Thus, transcriptome studies like ours provide important data for unraveling yet unknown pathways in the pituitary which are involved in dominance.…”

“…Like in other vertebrates, gonadotropin releasing cells (gonadotropes) of teleosts form organized structures in the pituitary. While most tetrapod gonadotropes secrete both Gths, in teleosts Lh and Fsh are produced in distinct cells forming their own functional networks [ 1 – 3 ]. The steroid hormones such as testosterone and estradiol are significantly involved in the passing on of gonadotropic signals at the level of the gonads in vertebrates.…”