title: Morphological, immunohistochemical and functional homologies between pituitary folliculo-stellate cells and lymphoid dendritic cells.
abstract: Lymphoid dendritic cells and pituitary folliculo-stellate cells have many morphological and immunocytochemical characteristics in common. They both have a stellate morphology, they are specifically detected by the presence of MHC class II determinants as well as the Ca(2+)-binding protein S100, they also produce the cytokine interleukin 6. A panel of monoclonal antibodies directed against murine and rat macrophages and/or dendritic cells was used to study the presence of dendritic and folliculo-stellate cells in the mouse and rat anterior pituitary. In the mouse pituitary stellate cells are detected with a monoclonal antibody against the dendritic cell aminopeptidase, but these cells display no S100 protein immunoreactivity. In the rat pituitary there were many S100 protein positive folliculo-stellate cells as well as a few macrophage-like cells, whereas stellate cells that express MHC class II markers were found in both mouse and rat anterior pituitaries. The present data suggest of a homology between lymphoid dendritic cells and pituitary folliculo-stellate cells, or at least a subgroup of the latter cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Allaerts
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Jeucken
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Hofland
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Drexhage
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000032:analysis; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology*; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D009418:S100 Proteins