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Updated: Jul 16, 2026
06:53
Dissection and Coronal Slice Preparation of Developing Mouse Pituitary Gland
Published on: November 16, 2017
Changes in E- and N-cadherin expression in developing rat adenohypophysis
Motoshi Kikuchi1, Megumi Yatabe, Tom Kouki
1Division of Histology and Cell Biology, Department of Anatomy, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine, Tochigi, Japan.
Anatomical Record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007)
|March 22, 2007
Summary
During pituitary development, cells initially express both E-cadherin and N-cadherin. These cadherin expressions diverge as cells differentiate into specific pituitary cell types, with hormone-producing cells favoring N-cadherin.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- In the adult rat anterior pituitary, distinct cell types express specific cadherins: N-cadherin in hormone-producing cells and E-cadherin in folliculo-stellate and marginal layer cells.
- These anterior pituitary cells are thought to originate from a common progenitor population within the adenohypophyseal placode.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dynamic changes and divergence of E-cadherin and N-cadherin expression during the developmental stages of the rat pituitary gland.
- To elucidate the role of cadherin switching in the cytogenesis and differentiation of anterior pituitary cells.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemical analysis of pituitary glands from embryonic day 11 (E11) to postnatal day 60 (P60) in rats.
- Sequential staining for E-cadherin and N-cadherin using specific monoclonal and polyclonal primary antibodies, followed by fluorescent secondary antibodies.
Main Results:
- Early expression: E-cadherin in oral epithelium and N-cadherin in Rathke's pouch primordium at E11.
- Broad expression: Both E- and N-cadherin are widely expressed in the developing Rathke's pouch at E13.
- Divergence: By later embryonic stages (E18-P60), cells increasingly express either E- or N-cadherin, with specific patterns emerging in the pars tuberalis, pars distalis, and marginal cells, suggesting a developmental switch.
Conclusions:
- Undifferentiated adenohypophyseal progenitor cells likely co-express both E-cadherin and N-cadherin.
- The divergence of cadherin expression (E-cadherin vs. N-cadherin) is a key event during pituitary cytogenesis, correlating with cell differentiation.
- This cadherin switching may play a critical role in establishing distinct anterior pituitary cell lineages and functions.
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