Abstract
The anterior pituitary is a complex organ consisting of five types of hormone-producing cells, non–hormone-producing cells such as folliculostellate (FS) cells and vascular cells (endothelial cells and pericytes). We have previously shown that FS cells and pericytes produce fibromodulin, a small leucine-rich proteoglycan (SLRP). SLRPs are major proteoglycans of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and are important in regulating cell signaling pathways and ECM assembly. However, the mechanism regulating fibromodulin expression in the anterior pituitary has not been elucidated. Here, we investigate whether fibromodulin expression is modulated by major anterior pituitary ECM components such as laminin and type I collagen. Using transgenic rats expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) specifically in FS cells, we examine fibromodulin expression in GFP-positive (FS cells) and GFP-negative cells (e.g., pericytes, endocrine cells and endothelial cells). Immunostaining and Western blot analysis were used to assess protein expression in the presence and absence of laminin or type I collagen. We confirmed fibromodulin expression in the pituitary and observed the up-regulation of fibromodulin in FS cells in the presence of ECM components. However, neither laminin nor type I collagen affected expression in GFP-negative cells. This suggests that laminin and type I collagen support the function of FS cells by increasing fibromodulin protein expression in the anterior pituitary.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Professor K. Inoue (Saitama University, Japan) for supplying the transgenic rats. We are grateful to M. Yatabe for her excellent technical assistance and to Professor Y. Hanazono and Y. Furukawa for their support in fluorescence-activated cell sorting. We also thank David Kipler, ELS of Supernatant Communications, for revising the language of the manuscript.
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This work was partly supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) (22590192) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan and by promotional funds for the Keirin Race of the Japan Keirin Association.
The authors have no conflicts of interest that might prejudice the impartiality of this research and have nothing to declare.
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Fig. S1
Effect of laminin and type I collagen on fibromodulin gene expression in anterior pituitary cells. Comparison of mRNA expression levels of fibromodulin in a mixture (GFP+ and GFP- cells) of anterior pituitary cells after 72-h incubation on uncoated (Un), laminin-coated (Lami), and type-I-collagen-coated (Col I) surfaces. Relative mRNA expression levels were quantified by the polymerase chain reaction and normalized against D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). Means ± SEM. n = 3. *P < 0.05 (JPEG 16 kb)
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Syaidah, R., Horiguchi, K., Fujiwara, K. et al. Laminin and collagen modulate expression of the small leucine-rich proteoglycan fibromodulin in rat anterior pituitary gland. Cell Tissue Res 354, 633–638 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-013-1698-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-013-1698-3