Existence of long-lasting experience-dependentplasticity in endocrine cell networks

摘要

Experience-dependent plasticity of cell and tissue function is critical for survival by allowingorganisms to dynamically adjust physiological processes in response to changing or harshenvironmental conditions. Despite the conferred evolutionary advantage, it remains unknownwhether emergent experience-dependent properties are present in cell populations organizedas networks within endocrine tissues involved in regulating body-wide homeostasis. Herewe show, using lactation to repeatedly activate a specific endocrine cell network in situ in themammalian pituitary, that templates of prior demand are permanently stored through stimulusevoked alterations to the extent and strength of cell – cell connectivity. Strikingly, followingrepeat stimulation, evolved population behaviour leads to improved tissue output. As such,long-lasting experience-dependent plasticity is an important feature of endocrine cell networksand underlies functional adaptation of hormone release.