Age-related changes in nestin immunoreactivity in the rat pituitary gland

Laurent Gautron, Véronique De-Smedt, Sophie Layé

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

The pituitary gland undergoes important changes in cellular plasticity throughout life, consequently leading to hormonal output changes. The intermediate filament nestin plays a crucial role in cells that retain plasticity during development, aging and tumorigenesis. Here, we describe robust nestin immunoreactivity in glial-like cells of the intermediate lobe and in the vasculature of the developing, adult and aging pituitary gland. Additionally, we report a high incidence of spontaneous hyperplastic nodules in the anterior lobe of 24-month-old rats. In the nodules, nestin immunoreactivity is increased in blood vessels and in a few endocrine cells. We also found increased accumulation of nestin in hyperplastic glial-like cells of the intermediate lobe. This study suggests that nestin in the pituitary gland is implicated in age-related cellular plasticity.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)19-30
Number of pages12
JournalNeuroendocrinology
Volume90
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2009

Keywords

  • Aging
  • Endothelium
  • Hyperplasia
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Plasticity

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
  • Endocrinology
  • Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

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