MOLECULAR ENDOCRINOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY

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MOLECULAR ENDOCRINOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY THE
PITUITARY GLAND AND HYPOTHALAMUS Mike
Wallis LECTURE 1 THE PITUITARY GLAND AND ITS
HORMONES
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SOME OF THE MAIN ENDOCRINE ORGANS
Note the 3 major types of "chemical" control 1.
Endocrine 2. Paracrine 3.Autocrine
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HORMONE ASSAY 1. Chemical assay 2. Biological
assay (bioassay) 3. Immunoassay 4.
Radioreceptor assay
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LOCATION OF THE PITUITARY GLAND
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The pituitary and hypothalamus
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DEVELOPMENT OF THE PITUITARY GLAND
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ANATOMY OF THE PITUITARY GLAND
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DISCOVERY OF PITUITARY HORMONES 1. Diseases 2.
Effects of removal of the pituitary gland
(hypophysectomy) 3. Effects of replacement
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The Hormones of the mammalian pituitary
gland Neurohypophysial hormones Oxytocin (OT)
peptide(9 res) stimulates milk ejection,
uterus contraction Vasopressin
(VP) (antidiuretic hormone, ADH) peptide (9 res)
raises blood pressure (mammals),
antidiuretic Melanocortin family a-melanotropi
n (a-MSH) (a-melanocyte stimulating
hormone) peptide (13 res) Causes skin
darkening b-melanotropin (b-MSH) (b-melanocyt
e stimulating hormone) peptide (18-22 res)
Causes skin darkening Corticotropin (ACTH)
(adrenocorticotropic hormone) peptide (39 res)
stimulates steroidogenesis in adrenal
cortex b-lipotropin (LPH) peptide/protein
(91 res) weakly lipotropic b-endorphin
(b-END) peptide (31 res) analgesia?
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The Hormones of the mammalian pituitary gland
(cont) Growth hormone family Growth hormone
(GH) (somatotropin) protein growth promotion,
metabolic actions Prolactin
(PRL) protein lactogenesis in
mammals Glycoprotein hormone family Thyrotropin
(TSH) (thyroid stimulating hormone glycoprotein
stimulates thyroid hormone production (2
subunits) Follicle stimulating hormone
(FSH) glycoprotein stimulates maturation of
Graffian (follitropin) (2
subunits) follicle (female) and spermatogenesis
(male) Luteinizing hormone (LH)
glycoprotein stimulates ovulation and
development (lutropin, interstitial cell
stimulating (2 subunits) of corpus luteum
(female), hormone) steroidogenesis
(male)
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ANTERIOR PITUITARY CELL TYPES
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Immunofluorescent staining of pituitary cells
Lactotrophs green somatotrophs red
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Electron micrograph of a somatotroph
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Immunogold labelling of GH and PRL cells
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Immunogold labelling of somatomammotroph cells
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A model for pituitary cell development
From Burrows et al (1999)
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Folliculo-stellate cell network
From Fauquier et al (2002)
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ANATOMY OF THE PITUITARY GLAND