Sequencing of murine corticotrophs from male POMC-GFP mice subjected to chronic restraint stress

Stress-related illness represents a major burden on health and society. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying stress responses is an important step to understanding these diseases and designing treatments. Corticotrophs of the anterior pituitary play a central role in the generation of hormonal stress responses, by secreting the stress hormone ACTH in response to stressful stimuli. However, it is poorly understood how they change in response to chronic stress, and whether they return to their original state after the stress has ended. We performed bulk RNA-sequencing of FACS-sorted corticotrophs from male POMC-GFP mice before or after exposure to chronic stress, and after 4 or 12 weeks of recovery, to determine the effect of chronic stress (and of recovery) on corticotrophs transcriptome. This revealed extensive differential gene expression, especially during the recovery period.