Basics:
The pituitary gland is responsible for producing adrenocorticotropic hormone, growth hormone, thyroid stimulating hormone, gonadotropins, and prolactin.
These hormones are essential for growth, fertility, lactation, metabolism, and the body’s response to stress.
Main areas of interest:
Pituitary gland development- including what makes pituitary cells divide, turn into hormone producing cells, and move so they can be in contact with the bloodstream.
Notch signaling and how cell-cell communication within the pituitary and from the brain to the pituitary influences pituitary formation.
Dwarfism- this is what results if the pituitary does not make growth hormone or thyroid stimulating hormone producing cells during development.
Pituitary tumors- this is what happens when pituitary cells don’t stop dividing or multiply inappropriately in response to environmental cues. Amazingly, one out of every five people harbor a pituitary tumor.
