Common and diverse elements of ion channels and receptors underlying electrical activity in endocrine pituitary cells.

ABSTRACT: The pituitary gland contains six types of endocrine cells defined by hormones they secrete: corticotrophs, melanotrophs, gonadotrophs, thyrotrophs, somatotrophs, and lactotrophs. All these cell types are electrically excitable, and voltage-gated calcium influx is the major trigger for their hormone secretion. Along with hormone intracellular content, G-protein-coupled receptor and ion channel expression can also be considered as defining cell type identity. While many aspects of the developmental and activity dependent regulation of hormone and G-protein-coupled receptor expression have been elucidated, much less is known about the regulation of the ion channels needed for excitation-secretion coupling in these cells. We compare the spontaneous and receptor-controlled patterns of electrica

SUBMITTER: Fletcher PA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5742314 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature