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

The pituitary is the master endocrine gland regulating key physiological processes, including body growth, metabolism, sexual maturation, reproduction, and stress response. More than a decade ago, stem cells were identified in the pituitary gland. However, despite the application of transgenic in vivo approaches, their phenotype, biology, and role remain unclear. To tackle this enigma, a new and innovative organoid in vitro model is developed to deeply unravel pituitary stem cell biology. Organoids represent 3D cell structures that, under defined culture conditions, self-develop from a tissue's (epithelial) stem cells and recapitulate multiple hallmarks of those stem cells and their tissue. It is shown here that mouse pituitary-derived organoids develop from the gland's stem cells and faithfully recapitulate their in vivo phenotypic and functional characteristics. Among others, they reproduce the activation state of the stem cells as in vivo occurring in response to transgenically inflicted local damage. The organoids are long-term expandable while robustly retaining their stemness phenotype. The new research model is highly valuable to decipher the stem cells' phenotype and behavior during key conditions of pituitary remodeling, ranging from neonatal maturation to aging-associated fading, and from healthy to diseased glands. Here, a detailed protocol is presented to establish mouse pituitary-derived organoids, which provide a powerful tool to dive into the yet enigmatic world of pituitary stem cells.