Cell and Tissue Research

, Volume 357, Issue 1, pp 309–321 | Cite as

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

  • Alejandro García-Godínez
  • Rubén Gerardo Contreras
  • Margarita González-del-Pliego
  • Elsa Aguirre-Benítez
  • Isabel Acuña-Macías
  • M. Teresa de la Vega
  • Dolores Martín-Tapia
  • Carmen Solano-Agama
  • M. Eugenia Mendoza-Garrido
Regular Article
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

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.

Keywords

Pituitary organization Claudins 2 and 4 Follicle-stellate cells Pituitary epithelium Pituitary endothelium 
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Notes

Acknowledgement

The authors are grateful to Dr. A. Pérez Torres and Dr. V. Tsutsumi for helpful discussions of the immunogold staining data. The authors thank Chem. Sirenia González-Pozos for her technical support with electron microscope management, Ms Claudia Arceo for her secretarial assistance and Mr Osbaldo Ríos for his technical assistance.

Supplementary material

441_2014_1827_Fig9_ESM.jpg (50 kb)
Fig. 1S

Immnufluorescence for claudin 2 and claudin 4 in kidney tissue. Kidney tissue was stained for claudin 2 (CLDN2, a, c) and claudin 4 (CLDN4, b, d) by the immunofluorescence method. Both claudins were shown by green fluorescence (a b), and nuclei were shown by blue fluorescence (c, d). The typical chicken fence array of CLDN 2(a) at the adhesion membrane border in tubular structures suggests that it corresponds to proximal tubules, while staining for CLDN 4 (b) was observed at the membrane border of tubular structures, suggesting that it belongs to distal tubules of the nephron. Bar 25 μm (JPEG 49 kb)

441_2014_1827_MOESM1_ESM.tif (2.1 mb)
High resolution image (TIFF 2167 kb)
441_2014_1827_Fig10_ESM.jpg (93 kb)
Fig. 2S

Double-immunofluorescence for S-100β protein and GFAP in primary cultures of glial cells and for E-cadherin and claudin 4 in MDCK cells. Glial cells, obtained from an infantile rat cerebellar cell culture, were stained by the double-staining immunofluorescence method for S-100β and were shown by red fluorescence (S100β a, c) and GFAP by green fluorescence (GFAP b, c) and the nuclei were shown by blue fluorescence (c). A mono-layered cell culture of MDCK cells was stained by the double-immunofluorescence method for E-cadherin and were shown by red fluorescence (Ecad d, f) and claudin 4 by green fluorescence (CLDN4 e, f) and nuclei by blue fluorescence (f), showing a typical chicken fence arrangement of E-cadherin (d) and claudin 4 (e) co-localizing (f). Bar 30 μm (JPEG 93 kb)

441_2014_1827_MOESM2_ESM.tif (3.6 mb)
High resolution image (TIFF 3641 kb)

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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014

Authors and Affiliations

  • Alejandro García-Godínez
    • 1
  • Rubén Gerardo Contreras
    • 1
  • Margarita González-del-Pliego
    • 3
  • Elsa Aguirre-Benítez
    • 3
  • Isabel Acuña-Macías
    • 2
  • M. Teresa de la Vega
    • 1
  • Dolores Martín-Tapia
    • 1
  • Carmen Solano-Agama
    • 1
  • M. Eugenia Mendoza-Garrido
    • 1
    • 4
  1. 1.Department of Physiology, Biophysics and NeuroscienceCINVESTAV-IPNMexico CityMexico
  2. 2.Department of PharmacologyCINVESTAV-IPNMexico CityMexico
  3. 3.Department of EmbryologyMedicine Faculty, UNAMMexico CityMexico
  4. 4.Department of Physiology, Biophysics and NeuroscienceCINVESTAV-IPNMexico CityMexico

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