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The Pituitary Gland

The Pituitary Gland

The pituitary is a small endocrine organ in the sphenoid bone under the hypothalamus. Primarily, the pituitary in adults has two distinct anatomical and functional regions— the anterior and posterior lobes. During human fetal development, a third pituitary gland region called the pars intermedia atrophies and disappears. However, some of its cells migrate and exist adjacent to the anterior pituitary in adults.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 31, 2026

Development of Organoids from Mouse Pituitary as In Vitro Model to Explore Pituitary Stem Cell Biology

Development of Organoids from Mouse Pituitary as In Vitro Model to Explore Pituitary Stem Cell Biology

Published on: February 25, 2022

Related pituitary cell lineages develop into interdigitated 3D cell networks.

Lionel Budry¹, Chrystel Lafont, Taoufik El Yandouzi

¹Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|July 13, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The pituitary gland is not a random patchwork but features organized cell networks. Advanced imaging reveals structured corticotrope and gonadotrope cell arrangements, challenging previous assumptions.

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Area of Science:

Endocrinology
Cell Biology
Developmental Biology

Background:

The pituitary gland was traditionally viewed as a disorganized collection of hormone-producing cells.
Understanding the precise spatial organization and interactions of pituitary cell lineages is crucial for comprehending gland function.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the three-dimensional organization and cellular interactions within the pituitary gland.
To characterize the network topology of corticotrope and gonadotrope cell lineages.

Main Methods:

Utilized pituitary-scale tridimensional imaging techniques.
Analyzed the spatial distribution and morphology of corticotrope and gonadotrope cells.
Investigated the impact of transcription factor Tpit knockout on gonadotrope development.

Main Results:

Discovered highly organized, interdigitated cell networks for corticotropes and gonadotropes, indicating specific cell-cell interactions.
Corticotropes form distinct cellular strands and develop cytonemes connecting to the perivascular space.
Gonadotropes differentiate later, positioning near corticotropes and capillaries, with Tpit knockout affecting their development and network structure.

Conclusions:

Pituitary-scale imaging reveals unique, structured cell network topologies for different pituitary lineages.
Sequential development and cell interactions during organogenesis lead to highly ordered cell positioning, refuting the random patchwork model.