title: Reassembly of anterior pituitary organization by hanging drop three-dimensional cell culture.
abstract: The anterior pituitary gland comprises 5 types of hormone-producing cells and non-endocrine cells, such as folliculostellate (FS) cells. The cells form a lobular structure surrounded by extracellular matrix (ECM) but are not randomly distributed in each lobule; hormone-producing cells have affinities for specific cell types (topographic affinity), and FS cells form a homotypic meshwork. To determine whether this cell and ECM organization can be reproduced in vitro, we developed a 3-dimensional (3D) model that utilizes hanging drop cell culture. We found that the topographic affinities of hormone-producing cells were indeed maintained (ie, GH to ACTH cells, GH to TSH cells, PRL to LH/FSH cells). Fine structures in hormone-producing cells retained their normal appearance. In addition, FS cells displayed well-developed cytoplasmic protrusions, which interconnected with adjacent FS cells to form a 3D meshwork. In addition, reassembly of gap junctions and pseudofollicles among FS cells was observed in cell aggregates. Major ECM components-collagens and laminin-were deposited and distributed around the cells. In sum, the dissociated anterior pituitary cells largely maintained their in vivo anterior pituitary architectures. This culture system appears to be a powerful experimental tool for detailed analysis of anterior pituitary cell organization.
authors.affiliation: Division of Histology and Cell Biology, Department of Anatomy, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Takehiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsukada
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kouki
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.forename: Dini
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ramadhani
authors.forename: Kotaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Horiguchi
authors.forename: Motoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yashiro
keywords: 3D cell culture; anterior pituitary; folliculostellate cells; hanging drop method; hormone-producing cells
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