Proteomic analysis of human anterior pituitary gland

The regulation of pituitary function via the hypothalamus and via intra-pituitary connections represents a complex system. Though hormones secreted from the pituitary glands have been well studied, overall information of proteins expressed in the pituitary glands is very limited. Protein expression profiling of normal pituitary tissue may lead to discovery of novel proteins playing an important role in the physiology of pituitary glands and can lead to better understanding of pituitary gland diseases. We aimed to carry out systematic proteomic profiling of adenohypophysis from human pituitary glands using high-resolution Fourier transform mass spectrometer. A total of 2,175 proteins were identified in this study of which, 105 proteins were identified for the first time as compared to high throughput proteomic-based studies from human pituitary glands. The comprehensive list of proteins identified in this study will facilitate the better understanding the role of this important gland in health and disease.