Differentiation capacities of PS-clusters, adult pituitary stem/progenitor cell clusters located in the parenchymal-niche, of the rat anterior lobe

PLoS One. 2018 Apr 23;13(4):e0196029. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196029. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Pituitary endocrine cells are supplied by Sox2-expressing stem/progenitor cells in the anterior lobe of the adult pituitary. In relation to their microenvironment ("niche"), SOX2-positive cells exist in two types of niches; the marginal cell layer-niche and the parenchymal-niche. Recently, we isolated dense stem/progenitor cell clusters from the parenchymal-niche as parenchymal stem/progenitor cell (PS)-clusters. We classified these PS-clusters into three subtypes based on differences in S100β-expression (S100β-positive, -negative, and -mixed type), and reported that S100β-positive PS-clusters exhibited the capacity for differentiation into endocrine cells under 3-dimensional cultivation system. In the present study, we further characterized S100β-positive PS-clusters using an in vitro 2-dimensional cultivation system. The results demonstrated that S100β-positive PS-clusters in the 2-dimensional cultivation system proliferated more actively than S100β-negative clusters. Moreover, in 2-dimensional cultivation conditions, S100β-positive PS-clusters showed differentiation capacity into non-endocrine cells (Myogenin-, αSMA-, NG2-, or SOX17-positive cells) but not into endocrine cells, whereas S100β-negative PS-clusters did not. Collectively, PS-clusters were heterogeneous, exhibiting different proliferation and differentiation properties based on the difference in S100β-expression. Specifically, a part of SOX2-positive cells in the parenchymal-niche had capacities for differentiation into non-endocrine cells, and S100β-positive PS-clusters may be in more progressive stages toward differentiation than S100β-negative clusters.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Adult Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Biomarkers / metabolism
  • Cell Culture Techniques / methods*
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cell Plasticity
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Endocrine Cells / cytology
  • Endocrine Cells / metabolism
  • Pituitary Gland, Anterior / cytology*
  • Pituitary Gland, Anterior / metabolism
  • Rats
  • S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit / genetics
  • S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit / metabolism*
  • SOXB1 Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Stem Cell Niche

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit
  • S100b protein, rat
  • SOXB1 Transcription Factors
  • Sox2 protein, rat

Grants and funding

This work was partially supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI (grant numbers 16K18818 and 15J11564 to S.Y., 24580435 to T.K., and 26292166 to Y.K.); the MEXT-Supported Program for the Strategic Research Foundation at Private Universities; a research grant (A) to Y.K. from the Institute of Science and Technology, Meiji University; and Meiji University International Institute for BioResource Research (MUIIR). And, there are no conflicts of interest to declare. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.