Abstract
Abstract Tissue-resident immune cells are known to regulate local homeostasis, including but not limited to inflammation and tissue repair. Recent research has implicated the importance of the immune system in reproduction. However, little data exists delineating the role of the immune system in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, an important regulator of reproduction. The goal of this study was to apply conventional immunological techniques to assess the tissue-resident population of immune cells in the pituitary. We hypothesized that, like most tissues, a resident population of immune cells exists to promote homeostasis and may be dysregulated in disease. To test this, we prepared single cell suspensions of pituitary tissue from ~8–10 wk old wildtype male C57BL/6 mice and stained for CD45+ leukocytes and GnRHR+ gonadotropes. We found that 5–10% of the pituitary comprises CD45+ leukocytes. We designed an 11-color flow cytometry panel to immunophenotype subsets in the CD45+ population. Surprisingly, B cell and T cell populations, including CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, are underrepresented in the pituitary relative to mouse peripheral blood, spleen, and lymph nodes. B cells were ~9% of CD45+ cells while CD3+ T cells were ~ 15% of CD45+ cells. Conversely, approximately 40% of CD45+ cells in the pituitary are CD11b+ (likely macrophages) which constitute ~3% of all cells in the pituitary. The substantial presence of CD11b+ cells in the pituitary implicates a role for macrophages in pituitary homeostasis and function. Future work will focus on the role of pituitary tissue resident macrophages in the HPG axis.
Published Version
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