Single-cell transcriptomics of elderly mouse anterior pituitary in steady-state conditions and after transgenically inflicted local damage

The mouse pituitary gland houses a stem cell compartment which is known to suffer from an inflammatory phenotype at middle age (12-15 months), a process commonly referred to as 'inflammaging'. Here, we investigate the aging pituitary stem cell phenotype by using single-cell RNA-sequencing interrogations of old (24-26 months) normal pituitary. Moreover, we enriched our endeavor by including pituitary damaged state in the single-cell interrogation of old mice. In particular, local damage was inflicted by diphtheria toxin (DT)-triggered endocrine cell-ablation injury using the GHCre/iDTR mouse model (expressing Cre recombinase under control of the growth hormone (Gh) promoter, as well as Cre-inducible (floxed) DT receptor (iDTR)).