title: Mouse Models of Gonadotrope Development.
abstract: The pituitary gonadotrope is central to reproductive function. Gonadotropes develop in a systematic process dependent on signaling factors secreted from surrounding tissues and those produced within the pituitary gland itself. These signaling pathways are important for stimulating specific transcription factors that ultimately regulate the expression of genes and define gonadotrope identity. Proper gonadotrope development and ultimately gonadotrope function are essential for normal sexual maturation and fertility. Understanding the mechanisms governing differentiation programs of gonadotropes is important to improve treatment and molecular diagnoses for patients with gonadotrope abnormalities. Much of what is known about gonadotrope development has been elucidated from mouse models in which important factors contributing to gonadotrope development and function have been deleted, ectopically expressed, or modified. This chapter will focus on many of these mouse models and their contribution to our current understanding of gonadotrope development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, United States.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Stallings
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, United States.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kapali
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, United States. Electronic address: bells@siu.edu.
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Ellsworth
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D052681:Gonadotrophs / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D019426:Integrases / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D023421:Models, Animal; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014157:Transcription Factors; C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases
keywords: Rathke's pouch; development; differentiation; fertility; gonadotrope; gonadotroph; pituitary gland; reproduction; signaling factor; transcription factor