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Pituitary crosstalk with bone, adipose tissue and brain
Mone Zaidi1,2, Tony Yuen3,4, Se-Min Kim3,4
1Center for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA. mone.zaidi@mssm.edu.
Nature Reviews. Endocrinology
|September 15, 2023
Summary
Pituitary hormones have diverse roles beyond regulating other glands, acting directly on organs like bone and liver. Understanding these broader functions offers new therapeutic targets for diseases such as obesity and neurodegeneration.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology and evolutionary biology
- Neuroendocrinology
- Physiology
Background:
- Traditionally, pituitary hormones were thought to have singular functions, primarily regulating other endocrine glands.
- Evolutionary perspectives reveal a wider array of physiological roles for pituitary hormones and their receptors across vertebrates.
- Recent research challenges the classical view, highlighting direct actions on somatic tissues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the multifaceted functions of pituitary hormones beyond their established roles.
- To investigate the expression of pituitary hormone receptors in various brain regions.
- To link altered pituitary hormone levels to the pathophysiology of human diseases and identify therapeutic targets.
Main Methods:
- Review of evolutionary biology of pituitary hormones and receptors.
- Analysis of studies demonstrating direct actions of pituitary hormones on somatic organs (bone, adipose tissue, liver).
- Examination of evidence for pituitary hormone receptor expression in the brain.
Main Results:
- Pituitary hormones such as TSH, FSH, ACTH, prolactin, oxytocin, and AVP exhibit direct effects on somatic organs.
- Pituitary hormone receptors are found in specific brain nuclei and subnuclei.
- Dysregulation of pituitary hormone levels is implicated in diseases like osteoporosis, obesity, and neurodegeneration.
Conclusions:
- Pituitary hormones possess diverse, direct functions in vertebrate physiology, extending beyond classical endocrine regulation.
- The expression of pituitary hormone receptors in the brain suggests novel neuroendocrine roles.
- Altered pituitary hormone levels contribute to disease pathophysiology, presenting new avenues for drug discovery and therapeutic intervention.
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