| First Author | Zhu X | Year | 2015 |
| Journal | Stem Cell Reports | Volume | 5 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | 1196-1209 |
| PubMed ID | 26651607 | Mgi Jnum | J:287133 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6415411 | Doi | 10.1016/j.stemcr.2015.11.001 |
| Citation | Zhu X, et al. (2015) Notch-Dependent Pituitary SOX2(+) Stem Cells Exhibit a Timed Functional Extinction in Regulation of the Postnatal Gland. Stem Cell Reports 5(6):1196-1209 |
| abstractText | Although SOX2(+) stem cells are present in the postnatal pituitary gland, how they are regulated molecularly and whether they are required for pituitary functions remain unresolved questions. Using a conditional knockout animal model, here we demonstrate that ablation of the canonical Notch signaling in the embryonic pituitary gland leads to progressive depletion of the SOX2(+) stem cells and hypoplastic gland. Furthermore, we show that the SOX2(+) stem cells initially play a significant role in contributing to postnatal pituitary gland expansion by self-renewal and differentiating into distinct lineages in the immediate postnatal period. However, we found that within several weeks postpartum, the SOX2(+) stem cells switch to an essentially dormant state and are no longer required for homeostasis/tissue adaptation. Our results present a dynamic tissue homeostatic model in which stem cells provide an initial contribution to the growth of the neonatal pituitary gland, whereas the mature gland can be maintained in a stem cell-independent fashion. |
