Document Type

Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.3389/fendo.2020.605068

Journal Title

Frontiers in Endocrinology

Publication Date

2020

Abstract

The pituitary gland controls many important physiological processes in vertebrates, including growth, homeostasis, and reproduction. As in mammals, the teleost pituitary exhibits a high degree of plasticity. This plasticity permits changes in hormone production and secretion necessary to meet the fluctuating demands over the life of an animal. Pituitary plasticity is achieved at both cellular and population levels. At the cellular level, hormone synthesis and release can be regulated via changes in cell composition to modulate both sensitivity and response to different signals. At the cell population level, the number of cells producing a given hormone can change due to proliferation, differentiation of progenitor cells, or transdifferentiation of specific cell types. Gonadotropes, which play an important role in the control of reproduction, have been intensively investigated during the last decades and found to display plasticity. To ensure appropriate endocrine function, gonadotropes rely on external and internal signals integrated at the brain level or by the gonadotropes themselves. One important group of internal signals is the sex steroids, produced mainly by the gonadal steroidogenic cells. Sex steroids have been shown to exert complex effects on the teleost pituitary, with differential effects depending on the species investigated, physiological status or sex of the animal, and dose or method of administration. This review summarizes current knowledge of the effects of sex steroids (androgens and estrogens) on gonadotrope cell plasticity in teleost anterior pituitary, discriminating direct from indirect effects.

Comments

The definitive article is available on the website of Frontiers in Education at: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2020.605068/full.

Publisher Statement

© 2020 Fontaine, Royan, von Krogh, Weltzien and Baker.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).

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