Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
4
pubmed:dateCreated
2009-7-31
pubmed:abstractText
The ability to isolate and propagate adult stem/progenitor cells from the human brain opens novel avenues for cell replacement therapy. This will also apply to the pituitary gland, i.e., following tumor induced endocrine deficiency. Herein, we examine autopsy derived pituitaries to unravel a putative stem/progenitor cell population in humans. In tissue sections of the anterior lobe nestin immunoreactive cells co-expressing smooth muscle actin (SMA) were identified in the perivascular space, indicating a pericytic differentiation. Under clonal conditions, this particular cell population generated primary and secondary cell aggregates (spheres). Pituitary cell cultures maintained a stable cell cycle length with a doubling time of 10 days for over eight months. Forskolin treatment induced a prolactin-expressing phenotype in the majority of cell progenies as well as few betaIII-tubulin (Tuj1) expressing cells of putative neuronal lineage. The presence of sphere-forming, nestin-immunoreactive cells and their ability to generate differentiated cell lineages indicates the existence of a progenitor cell population persisting in the adult human pituitary. Further studies are needed to characterize this cell population in more detail and to clarify their potential to initiate neoplastic transformation for example in the cellular pathogenesis of pituitary adenoma.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:issn
0722-5091
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
28
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
309-18
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:articleTitle
Evidence for a progenitor cell population in the human pituitary.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Neuropathology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't