Single-cell transcriptomic analysis reveals rich pituitary–Immune interactions under systemic inflammation

The pituitary gland plays a pivotal role in responding to stress. Single-cell RNA-sequencing reveals that systemic inflammatory stress significantly alters gene expression of all pituitary hormone-producing cells, with corticotropes displaying the strongest response. This leads to increased expression of numerous secretory factors as well as the classic pituitary hormones, and fosters extensive interactions between pituitary cells and immune cells.