SFEBES2021 Oral Poster Presentations Reproductive and Neuroendocrinology (4 abstracts)
Stem cell heterogeneity and regulation in the postnatal pituitary gland
Thea L. Willis 1 , Val Yianni 1 , Alice Santambrogio 1,2 , John P Russell 1 , Emily Lodge 1 , Marika Charalambous 1 & Cynthia L. Andoniadou 1
1King’s College London, London, United Kingdom; 2Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
The anterior pituitary gland is a critical endocrine organ responsible for many important physiological processes including puberty, fertility, metabolism and the stress response. It is derived from, and maintained by, a population of SOX2+ progenitor/stem cells which become more quiescent with age until their direct contribution to tissue turnover becomes negligible. Previous research has demonstrated that the postnatal SOX2+ population exhibits heterogeneity in terms of marker expression, but how this translates to their proliferative capacity during homeostasis remains unknown, as do the molecular mechanisms that regulate their commitment and differentiation. By performing single cell RNA sequencing of EGFP positive cells from the mouse pituitary of Sox2Egfp/+ mice, we have identified three distinct subsets of SOX2+ stem cells, which exhibit dynamic heterogeneity from the early postnatal period into adulthood. Here we show that these subtypes have unique transcriptional signatures and differences in their proliferative states and differentiation potential. In addition, we identify the presence of distinct early committing progenitors across the Pou1f1, Tbx19 and Nr5a1 expressing populations, which still retain low levels of Sox2 expression. These newly distinguished early progenitor subsets are crucial for the identification of the extrinsic and intrinsic mechanisms involved in cell lineage specification, necessary to fully comprehend cellular events in normal pituitary homeostasis and of relevance to disease states and regenerative approaches.
Volume 77
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Endocrine Abstracts
ISSN 1470-3947 (print) | ISSN 1479-6848 (online)
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