Anterior and intermediate pituitary tissues express claudin 4 in follicle stellate cells and claudins 2 and 5 in endothelial cells

Follicle-stellate cells are pituitary non-granular cells that are arranged between secretory cells or organized in follicles with small lumens. Cells from the follicles exhibit the typical phenotype of a transporting epithelium, including apical microvilli with a cilium and tight junctions. Freeze-f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cell and tissue research 2014-07, Vol.357 (1), p.309-321
Main Authors: García-Godínez, Alejandro, Contreras, Rubén Gerardo, González-del-Pliego, Margarita, Aguirre-Benítez, Elsa, Acuña-Macías, Isabel, de la Vega, M. Teresa, Martín-Tapia, Dolores, Solano-Agama, Carmen, Mendoza-Garrido, M. Eugenia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
anterior pituitary
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
blood vessels
Cell culture
Cells, Cultured
Cellular biology
Claudins - biosynthesis
Electric properties
electrical resistance
electron microscopy
endothelial cells
Endothelial Cells - metabolism
Endothelium
epithelium
hormone secretion
Human Genetics
Male
messenger RNA
microvilli
Molecular Medicine
phenotype
Pituitary gland
Pituitary Gland - cytology
Pituitary Gland - metabolism
Proteins
Proteomics
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Regular Article
tight junctions
tubulin
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Summary:Follicle-stellate cells are pituitary non-granular cells that are arranged between secretory cells or organized in follicles with small lumens. Cells from the follicles exhibit the typical phenotype of a transporting epithelium, including apical microvilli with a cilium and tight junctions. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy images show that the tight junctions consist of 5–7 anastomosing strands and that cultured follicle-stellate cells develop a trans-epithelial electrical resistance characteristic of “tight” epithelia. Here, we investigate the molecular composition of the tight junction from follicle stellate cells. We found that the rat anterior pituitary lobe expresses mRNAs for claudins 2, 4 and 5; the proteins of all these claudins are observed in the anterior lobe, whereas the intermediate lobe expresses claudins 2 and 5 and the posterior lobe contains only claudin 5. Follicle-stellate cells, identified by their protein marker S100β, expresses claudin 4 in the apical membrane, in co-localization with dipeptidyl-peptidase and near acetylated β-tubulin. Claudin 4 partially co-localizes with E-cadherin, indicating that a fraction of the protein is located in the basolateral domain. Follicle-stellate-enriched cell cultures develop patches of polygonal cells expressing claudin 4 and E-cadherin, encircled by extensive monolayers of fusiform cells. Claudin 2 stains specifically blood vessels, identified by claudin 5 and VE-cadherin labels. Thus, follicles in the anterior pituitary consist of “tight” epithelia that can carry out intense vectorial transport, together with a high cation movement in blood vessels, possibly related to the ion requirements of excitable secretory cells for hormone secretion.
ISSN:0302-766X
1432-0878
DOI:10.1007/s00441-014-1827-7