Hormone-secreting cells within the anterior pituitary gland may form organized and interdigitated networks that adapt to changing endocrine conditions in different physiological contexts. For gonadotropes, this might reflect a strategy to cope with acute changes throughout different female reproductive stages. The current study examined gonadotropes in female mice at characteristically different hormonal stages: prepubertal, postpubertal, and lactating. Gonadotrope plasticity was examined at the level of the whole population and single cells at different stages by imaging both fixed and live pituitary slices. The use of a model animal providing for the identification of selectively fluorescent gonadotropes allowed the particular advantage of defining cellular plasticity specifically for gonadotropes. In vivo analyses of gonadotropes relative to vasculature showed significantly different gonadotrope distributions across physiological states. Video microscopy studies using live slices ex vivo demonstrated pituitary cell plasticity in the form of movements and protrusions in response to GnRH. As positive feedback from rising estradiol levels is important for priming the anterior pituitary gland for the LH surge, experiments provide evidence of estradiol effects on GnRH signaling in gonadotropes. The experiments presented herein provide new insight into potential plasticity of gonadotropes within the anterior pituitary glands of female mice.
