Absence of SIX3 mutations in patients with congenital hypopituitarism.

摘要

The pituitary gland acts as a master regulator of several physiological functions. Among other roles it controls stress response, growth, metabolism, homeostasis, and reproduction. The gland is a midline structure formed by three lobes (anterior, intermediate, and posterior), which have different embryonic tissue origins. The anterior pituitary contains five hormone producing cell types and derives from the oral ectoderm, while the intermediate and posterior lobes (posterior pituitary) are of neural origin and arise from the ventral diencephalon. The anterior pituitary is under control of the hypothalamus, via axonal connections residing in the posterior pituitary that are connected to the former via a portal system of blood vessels [Dattani, 2004; Zhu et al., 2007]. Aberrant functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis results in the clinical manifestation of hypopituitarism or hormone deficiencies in humans and animal models.