Endocrine

Jim Pierce Bi 145b Lecture 10, 2009-10

Endocrine System
The endocrine system is concerned with internal secretions endo- -crine
What makes up the endocrine system? (Actually quite a difficult question)

Endocrine System
Distance of Hormone Action
Autocrine Paracrine Endocrine

We typically leave out local hormones The grey area occurs because no hormone is purely local.

Endocrine System
The classic members:
Hypothalamus and Pituitary Gland Pineal Gland Endocrine Pancreas Thyroid Parathyroids Adrenals Gonads

Endocrine System
The classic members are useful for learning
They are important They provide order to learning They introduce key concepts (hormonal axis)

Remember that it is an artificial system

Organ Hormones (GI, Cardiac, Pulmonary) Cytokines (Immune Hormones) Orphan Endocrine Cells

Endocrine Key Concepts

Key Concept One:
For each hormone, what is the target cell and its receptor?
Single or Multiple Target Cells Single or Multiple Receptors

Endocrine Key Concepts

Key Concept Two:
What is the site of hormone release and its pathway to target tissue?
Focal: Hypothalamus Pituitary Global: Thyroid Hormone Body

Endocrine Key Concepts

Key Concept Three:
What effects do secretion, excretion, and degradation have on hormone levels?
Steady State Disequilibrium

Endocrine Key Concepts

Key Concept Four:
What computational structures exist to control and regulate hormonal levels?
AXIS Other Control Structures

Endocrine Key Concepts

Axis:
A linear control structure consisting of a series of cells each secreting one hormone to stimulate the subsequent cell.

Endocrine Key Concepts

Examples of Axes:
Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Hypothalamic Pituitary Thyroid Hypothalamic Fat axis Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone

Endocrine Key Concepts

Key Concept Five:
What other hormones act on similar targets with similar effects?
Redundancy Multiplicity

Endocrine Key Concepts

Key Concept Six:
How do these different hormones affect body metabolism?
Free Body Diagram

Endocrine Key Concepts

Its important to keep these ideas in mind when thinking about the endocrine system

Endocrine Pancreas
The majority of the pancreas is a secretory exocrine gland
A minority of the pancreas is an secretory endocrine gland These collections of endocrine cells are called the Islets of Langerhans

Endocrine Pancreas

Endocrine Pancreas
Islets contain:
Alpha Cells Beta Cells Delta Cells PP Cells - Glucagon - Insulin - Somatostatin - Pancreatic Polypeptide (15-20%) (65-80%) (3-10%) (< 1%)

Epsilon Cells Ghrelin? (<0.5%)

Alpha Cells - Glucagon

Beta Cells - Insulin

Delta Cells - Somatostatin

Endocrine Pancreas

Hypothalamus
Anatomy and Microanatomy
Lives in the Diencephalon

Inferomedial to Thalamus

Hypothalamus
Anatomy and Microanatomy

Hypothalamus
Hypothalamic Nuclei

Hypothalamus
Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) Somatostatin Dopamine

Pitutary Gland
Anatomy and Microanatomy
Lives in the Skull Base in its own compartment Sella Turcica

Pituitary Gland
Sella Turcica (Turkish Saddle) Located in Sphenoid Bone

Pituitary Gland
Gross View

Posterior

Anterior

Pituitary Gland
The gland consists of two grossly identifiable parts
Anterior Pituitary Posterior Pituitary

Pituitary Gland
Microscopically, there are many more parts
Posterior The functional division between anterior and posterior stays true. Anterior

Pituitary Gland
Posterior Pituitary
Has Neurons

Cell Bodies are in hypothalamus Synapses with Blood Vessels

Pituitary Gland
Anterior Pituitary
Has Endocrine Cells

Looks and Acts like a Gland Not Innervated

Pituitary Gland
The pituitary hangs off the hypothalamus Blood Supply is in three steps
Arterial supply arrives at the hypothalamus via the Circle of Willis

Pituitary Gland
Next, the venous drainage from the Hypothalamus goes to the Pituitary
This is called the Portal System Just like in the gut and liver

Pituitary Gland
After passing through the Portal System and carrying hypothalamic hormones to the pituitary
The venous blood, carrying pituitary hormones, returns to the systemic veins

Pituitary Gland
Just like the portal system of the gut gives the liver first crack at gut absorbed stuff
This portal system gives the pituitary first crack at secreted hypothalamic hormones

Pituitary Gland

Hypothalamus and Pituitary Gland

Together, they compare and contrast the classic endocrine and neuroendocrine systems Neuroendocrine System: Nerves release Neurotransmitters into blood Endocrine System: Hormones from one part of the body go to another

Posterior Pituitary
Cell Bodies in Hypothalamus
Supraoptic and Paraventricular Nuclei

Axons in the Pars tuberalis Synapse in the Pars nervosa

Posterior Pituitary
Histologically, its not that interesting (Looks like nerves)

Anterior Pituitary
Cell Bodies look like Glands

Anterior Pituitary
Depending on the stain
Some cells like stain: Chromophils
Acidophils Basophils Neutrophils

Some cells dont: Chromophobes

Anterior Pituitary
Why stain differently?
Each Cell produces one and only one hormone.

Different hormone peptides have different chemical properties

Pituitary Development
The two regions of pituitary have separate origins
Anterior = Endoderm Posterior = Neuroectoderm

Pituitary Gland

Pituitary Gland
Anterior lobe (adenohypophysis)
GH PRL ACTH TSH FSH LH Growth hormone Prolactin Adrenocorticotropic hormone Thyroid-stimulating hormone Follicle-stimulating hormone Luteinizing hormone

Pituitary Gland
Posterior lobe (neurohypophysis)
Oxytocin Antidiuretic hormone (ADH)

Pineal Gland
Pineal gland
Early Chordates histologically resembles eye Hypothesized to regulate day-night cycles

Pineal Gland
Located between superior colliculi In Humans 8 mm in size

Pineal Gland
Located inside Meninges Very Vascular

Pineal Gland
Secretes Melatonin

Thyroid Gland
Lives in the Neck
Derived from the Branchial Arches

Thyroid Gland
Consists of Lobes
Right and Left Isthmus Pyramidal

Thyroid Gland
Foramen Cecum inside the mouth develops into a small diverticulum
This is dragged towards the chest during body folding

Thyroid Gland
Foramen Cecum lies medial to 1st and 2nd arches

Thyroid Gland

Branchial Arches
Foramen Cecum becomes Thyroid Third and Fourth Arches become Parathyroids Third Arch becomes Thymus

Thyroid Gland
Pyramidal Lobe is the remnant Right and Left Lobes are the main gland

Thyroid Gland
Heavily Vascular (Like most glands)
Arterial Supply and Venous Drainage from Branchial Arches

Thyroid Gland
The gland consists of Thyroid Follicles
Cuboidal Epithelium Central Colloid Supportive Stroma Parafollicular Cells

Thyroid Gland
Thyroid Hormone
Thyroxine (T4) Triiodothyronine (T3)

C-Cells
Calcitonin

Parathyroids
Aptly named glands that live around thyroid:

Branchial Arches
Foramen Cecum becomes Thyroid Third and Fourth Arches become Parathyroids Third Arch becomes Thymus

Parathyroid Gland

Parathyroid

Secretes Parathyroid hormone (PTH)

Adrenal Glands
These are paired suprarenal glands Embryologically: Cortex forms first
Gonadal Ridge

Medulla forms second

Neural Crest Origin

Adrenal Glands
Histologically,
Its quite easy to see the difference between CORTEX and MEDULLA

Adrenal Glands

Adrenal Cortex

This should remind you of the kidney

Adrenal Medulla

Adrenal Glands
Adrenal cortex
Glucocorticoids - cortisol Mineralocorticoids - aldosterone Androgens (including testosterone)

Adrenal medulla
Epinephrine Norepinephrine

Gonads

Well save these for Reproduction Endocrinology

Orphan Endocrine Cells

APUD Cells
Amine Precursor Uptake and Decarboxylation A P U D

Generate tissue and organ levels of Traditional Neurotransmitters

Orphan Endocrine Glands

Heart
Atrial-natriuretic peptide (ANP)

Stomach and intestines

Gastrin Somatostatin Secretin Cholecystokinin (CCK) Neuropeptide Y

Liver
Insulin-like growth factor Angiotensinogen Thrombopoietin

Orphan Endocrine Glands

Kidney
Renin Erythropoietin (EPO) Calcitriol

Skin
Calciferol (vitamin D3)

Adipose tissue
Leptin

Questions?