About this Research Topic
Despite having very different physiological functions, the eye and the pituitary share similar positions in the body. The pituitary gland is located in the center of the mammalian head, connected to the hypothalamus, and is composed of an anterior and a posterior lobe. The anterior lobe is composed of different specialized cell-types that produce hormones with several functions in the body such as growth, metabolism and reproduction, whereas the eye has an important role in receiving visual outputs and then sending them to the brain. Due to the spatial orientation of the optic nerve, located above the pituitary gland, many endocrine disorders have characteristic eye manifestations. During development of the mammalian head, multiple signals involved in the formation of the pituitary gland, also have a role in eye development. In humans, the pituitary gland develops between the 5th and 7th week of gestation, whereas the optic cup, which in turn will become the retina, begins forming at four weeks gestation.
The morphogenesis of the mammalian head is a complex process. Many genes coding for transcription factors and signaling molecules interact in complicated networks, tightly regulated by activators and inhibitors of the pathways. Disruptions of these pathways during development, leads to multiple congenital disorders of human relevance. This special edition Research Topic aims to unveil molecular mechanisms and identify gene candidates involved in the regulation of development of the eye and the pituitary gland, that might have implications in endocrine disorders with ocular commitment.
The many academic areas of interest covered in this publication include, but are not limited to:
• Omics approaches to molecular targets associated to eye and pituitary development
• Higher resolution technologies applied to model human endocrine disorders with ocular commitment
• Therapeutic strategies for uncommon ocular-pituitary syndromes
•Identification of candidate molecules involved in signaling pathways during formation of pituitary and eye structures
The morphogenesis of the mammalian head is a complex process. Many genes coding for transcription factors and signaling molecules interact in complicated networks, tightly regulated by activators and inhibitors of the pathways. Disruptions of these pathways during development, leads to multiple congenital disorders of human relevance. This special edition Research Topic aims to unveil molecular mechanisms and identify gene candidates involved in the regulation of development of the eye and the pituitary gland, that might have implications in endocrine disorders with ocular commitment.
The many academic areas of interest covered in this publication include, but are not limited to:
• Omics approaches to molecular targets associated to eye and pituitary development
• Higher resolution technologies applied to model human endocrine disorders with ocular commitment
• Therapeutic strategies for uncommon ocular-pituitary syndromes
•Identification of candidate molecules involved in signaling pathways during formation of pituitary and eye structures
Keywords: eye, pituitary gland, congenital disorders, development, signaling
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