UAMS receives $3 million grant for pituitary gland research
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A grant from the National Institute of Health to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences will help researchers explore promising pituitary gland treatments.
Officials said the $3 million grant will focus on the gland’s hormone production and manipulating a particular protein that controls cells’ behavior. They noted that current hormone replacement therapies cannot fully replicate the body’s natural hormonal cycles, highlighting the need for innovative approaches.
The pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain and no larger than a pea, produces hormones that regulate critical bodily processes, including growth, metabolism and stress response.
Researchers said cells within the gland have unique flexibility called plasticity to adjust which hormones are produced in response to changing conditions. A protein called Musashi plays a critical role in how the cells function in hormone production.
Officials said a further understanding of Musashi’s regulatory mechanisms could potentially lead to the design of small molecules that would force Musashi to help cells work more effectively, or even less effectively, to correct defective hormone production.
“Ultimately, the hope is that we could control pituitary function to compensate for hormone loss as we age,” UAMS Department of Neuroscience professor Melanie MacNicol said. “This could lead to new ways to restore hormone balance. An ability to control Musashi activity could be applicable to inhibit cancer cells from becoming resistant to treatments.”
The research team uses state-of-the-art messenger RNA (mRNA) and micro RNA (miRNA) sequencing alongside mass spectrometry to comprehensively analyze the gene expression and protein synthesis that govern pituitary cell function. Unlike traditional research that centers on gene transcription, the study explores how cells behave after the genetic instructions are copied from DNA into mRNA.
“The techniques we’re applying are cutting-edge,” MacNicol said. “They haven’t been applied to the pituitary before. That’s why people are excited about the project.”
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