Folliculostellate cell network: A route for long-distance communication inthe anterior pituitary

All higher life farms critically depend on hormones being rhythmically rele ased by the anterior pituitary. The proper functioning of this master gland is dynamically controlled by a complex set of regulatory mechanisms that u ltimately determine the fine tuning of the excitable endocrine cells, all o f them heterogeneously distributed throughout the gland, Here, we provide e vidence for an intrapituitary communication system by which information is transferred via the network of nonendocrine folliculostellate (FS) cells. L ocal electrical stimulation of FS cells in acute pituitary slices triggered cytosolic calcium waves, which propagated to other FS cells by signaling t hrough gap junctions. Calcium wave initiation was because of the membrane e xcitability of FS cells, hitherto classified as silent cells, FS cell coupl ing could relay information between opposite regions of the gland. Because FS cells respond to central and peripheral stimuli and dialogue with endocr ine cells, the form of large-scale intrapituitary communication described h ere may provide an efficient mechanism that orchestrates anterior pituitary functioning in response to physiological needs.