PMC

SOX2⁺ lineage tracing in the prolactinoma-developing Drd2^−/− mouse model. (A) Time schedule of tamoxifen (TAM) induction of SOX2⁺ lineage tracing. TAM (0.15 mg/g body weight/day) was injected for two consecutive days at the age of 8–12 weeks (i.e., before tumor formation) or at the age of 6 months (i.e., during tumor development and growth). Immunofluorescence analysis was done at 12 months of age. (B,C) Immunofluorescence staining for SOX2 (red) and YFP (green) in pituitary vibratome sections from a Sox2^CreERT2/+; R26^EYFP/+; Drd2^−/− mouse. Nuclei are stained with TOPRO3 (blue). Start of the lineage tracing by TAM injection occurred before (B) or during (C) tumor development. Double SOX2⁺/YFP⁺ are indicated (arrows). Some lineage-traced (YFP⁺) cells do not contain SOX2 anymore (arrowheads). AP, anterior pituitary; IL, intermediate lobe. Scale bar = 50 µm. (D) Immunofluorescence staining for prolactin (PRL) (red) and YFP (green) in pituitary vibratome sections from a SOX2⁺ lineage tracing control mouse (i.e., Sox2^CreERT2/+; R26^EYFP/+; Drd2^+/+, i.e., without pituitary tumor formation) and a SOX2⁺ lineage tracing Drd2^−/− mouse (i.e., Sox2^CreERT2/+; R26^EYFP/+; Drd2^−/−, i.e., with pituitary tumor formation). Nuclei are stained with TOPRO3 (blue). Start of the lineage tracing by TAM injection occurred before tumor development [see (A)]. Boxed regions are magnified and shown as overlay of the three colors (upper panels), or of YFP⁺ (green) and PRL⁺ (red) signals (lower panels). Some cells with co-localized YFP⁺ (green) and PRL⁺ (red) signals are pointed to (arrows). Some cells with only YFP⁺ signal and no PRL⁺ signal are also indicated (arrowheads). AP, anterior pituitary; IL, intermediate lobe; PP, posterior pituitary. Scale bar = 50 µm. (E) Immunofluorescence staining for PRL (red) and YFP (green) in pituitary vibratome sections from a SOX2⁺ lineage tracing control mouse (i.e., Sox2^CreERT2/+; R26^EYFP/+; Drd2^+/+, i.e., without pituitary tumor formation) and a SOX2⁺ lineage tracing Drd2^−/− mouse (i.e., Sox2^CreERT2/+; R26^EYFP/+; Drd2^−/−, i.e., with pituitary tumor formation). Nuclei are stained with TOPRO3 (blue). Start of the lineage tracing by TAM injection occurred during tumor growth [i.e., at 6 months of age; see (A)]. Boxed regions are magnified and shown as overlay of the three colors (upper panels), or of YFP⁺ (green) and PRL⁺ (red) signals (lower panels). Some cells with co-localized YFP⁺ (green) and PRL⁺ (red) signals are pointed to (arrows). Some cells with only YFP⁺ signal and no PRL⁺ signal are also indicated (arrowheads). AP, anterior pituitary; IL, intermediate lobe; PP, posterior pituitary. Scale bar = 50 µm.

Pituitary weight in PS1-cKO and control male mice was measured at 5 weeks of age. The values of pituitary weights or pituitary weight/body weight are plotted on the ordinate corresponding to each body weight on the abscissa. (A) Mean +/− SEM pituitary weight in PS1-cKO mice (1.36 +/− 0.45 mg, n=29) was significantly lower than that in control mice (1.99 +/− 0.33 mg, n=28; P < 1×10⁻⁶). (B) Mean pituitary weight/body weight in PS1-cKO mice ((78.26 +/− 2.32)×10⁻⁶, n=29) was not different from that in control mice ((82.67 +/− 1.80)×10⁻⁶, n=28; P = 0.14).

The study protocol for assessing hormonal and body weight change after pituitary transplantation into the omentum of an hypophysectomized rat.

Narp immunostaining in rat anterior hypothalamus and pituitary. Co-localization of Narp (red) and vasopressin (green) in the supraoptic (A,A′) and paraventricular nuclei (B,B′) of the rat anterior hypothalamus. (C) Intense staining of Narp terminals in the rat posterior pituitary. The intermediate lobe of the pituitary is essentially devoid of Narp. Scattered Narp cell body staining can be seen in the surrounding anterior pituitary. (D,D′) Narp (red) co-localizes with the alpha-subunit (green) in the anterior pituitary.