title: Genetic control of pituitary development and hypopituitarism.
abstract: The pituitary gland functions as a relay between the hypothalamus and peripheral target organs that regulate basic physiological functions, including growth, the stress response, reproduction, metabolism and lactation. The development of the pituitary gland has been studied extensively in mice, and has begun to be explored in zebrafish, an animal model system amenable to forward genetics. Multiple signaling molecules and transcription factors, expressed in overlapping but distinct spatial and temporal patterns, are required at various stages of pituitary development. Defects in this precisely regulated genetic program lead to diverse pituitary dysfunction. The animal models have greatly enhanced our understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying pituitary development in addition to congenital pituitary disorders in humans.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department and School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Chijen R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Gratien G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Prefontaine
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tollkuhn
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Rosenfeld
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006801:Humans; D007018:Hypopituitarism / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014157:Transcription Factors