Nys Charlotte, Vankelecom Hugo
Laboratory of Tissue Plasticity in Health and Disease, Cluster of Stem Cell and Developmental Biology, Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven (University of Leuven), 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
Laboratory of Tissue Plasticity in Health and Disease, Cluster of Stem Cell and Developmental Biology, Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven (University of Leuven), 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2021 Apr 5;525:111176. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2021.111176. Epub 2021 Jan 24.
The pituitary gland embodies our endocrine hub and rigorously regulates hormone balances in the body, thereby ruling over vital developmental and physiological processes. Pituitary dysfunction and disease strongly impact the organism's biology. Physical damage, tumour development and ageing all negatively affect pituitary state and functionality. On top of its hormone-producing cells, the pituitary contains a population of stem cells. Not only their physiological role is still largely unknown, also whether or how these stem cells are involved in pituitary disease and recovery from defective functionality remains enigmatic. Here, we summarize what is known on the phenotypical and functional behaviour of pituitary stem cells in diseased or dysfunctional gland, as particularly caused by injury, tumourigenesis and ageing.
垂体是我们的内分泌中心，严格调节体内激素平衡，从而掌控重要的发育和生理过程。垂体功能障碍和疾病会严重影响机体的生物学特性。物理损伤、肿瘤发生和衰老都会对垂体状态和功能产生负面影响。除了其产生激素的细胞外，垂体还含有一群干细胞。它们的生理作用在很大程度上仍然未知，这些干细胞是否以及如何参与垂体疾病和功能缺陷的恢复也仍然是个谜。在这里，我们总结了关于患病或功能失调腺体中垂体干细胞的表型和功能行为的已知情况，特别是由损伤、肿瘤发生和衰老引起的情况。
