Department of Development and Regeneration, Cluster of Stem Cell and Developmental Biology, Laboratory of Tissue Plasticity in Health and Disease, Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023 Aug 8;14:1233714. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1233714. eCollection 2023.
The pituitary gland represents the hub of our endocrine system. Its cells produce specific hormones that direct multiple vital physiological processes such as body growth, fertility, and stress. The gland also contains a population of stem cells which are still enigmatic in phenotype and function. Appropriate research models are needed to advance our knowledge on pituitary (stem cell) biology. Over the last decade, 3D organoid models have been established, either derived from the pituitary stem cells or from pluripotent stem cells, covering both healthy and diseased conditions. Here, we summarize the state-of-the-art of pituitary-allied organoid models and discuss applications of these powerful research and translational tools to study pituitary development, biology, and disease.
垂体腺代表了我们内分泌系统的中心。它的细胞产生特定的激素，指导着身体生长、生育和应激等多种重要的生理过程。该腺体还包含一群干细胞，其表型和功能仍不明确。需要适当的研究模型来推进我们对垂体（干细胞）生物学的认识。在过去的十年中，已经建立了 3D 类器官模型，这些模型要么来源于垂体干细胞，要么来源于多能干细胞，涵盖了健康和疾病两种情况。在这里，我们总结了与垂体相关的类器官模型的最新进展，并讨论了这些强大的研究和转化工具在研究垂体发育、生物学和疾病方面的应用。
