A conserved pituitary response to tissue loss controls regeneration across vertebrates
- 1Harvard University
Abstract
Regenerating complex tissues requires coordination between local cellular responses and body-wide systemic signals. As a central endocrine regulator, the pituitary is well positioned to coordinate this process. Here, we identify the pituitary as an injury-responsive regulator of axolotl limb and tilapia fin regeneration. Limb loss triggered sustained transcriptional responses in the axolotl pituitary. Single-cell transcriptomics linked pituitary loss to altered gene expression in prolactin- and growth hormone-responsive limb cells. Local disruption of the prolactin receptor impaired digit formation, whereas combined hormone treatment partially restored regeneration in hypophysectomized axolotls. In tilapia, pituitary removal impaired fin regeneration and prolactin-related signaling. Mouse digits differed from axolotls and tilapia in how and when they received pituitary signals during regeneration, suggesting pituitary-dependent regrowth is evolutionarily divergent among highly regenerative vertebrates.
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BibTeX
@misc{lopez2026conserved,
title = {{A conserved pituitary response to tissue loss controls regeneration across vertebrates}},
author = {N. Lopez and J. C. Paoli and D. Payzin-Dogru and H. Singer and T. Froitzheim and L. Landivar-Uriona and A. Zgouro and E. de Rezende and A. R. Moss and S. Y. C. Wu and B. K. Fox and R. S. Merlo and R. J. A. Chang and T. R. Goodearly and L. M. Shugart and A. Juarez and E. Chen and A. E. Striker and A. G. Luong and R. T. Kim and M. X. Thai and A. T. Harrington and T. Patel and M. Chen and A. S. Golding and M. J. Raymond and J. A. Lehoczky and A. P. Seale and J. P. Breves and J. L. Whited},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.31.762810},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.31.762810v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - A conserved pituitary response to tissue loss controls regeneration across vertebrates
AU - N. Lopez
AU - J. C. Paoli
AU - D. Payzin-Dogru
AU - H. Singer
AU - T. Froitzheim
AU - L. Landivar-Uriona
AU - A. Zgouro
AU - E. de Rezende
AU - A. R. Moss
AU - S. Y. C. Wu
AU - B. K. Fox
AU - R. S. Merlo
AU - R. J. A. Chang
AU - T. R. Goodearly
AU - L. M. Shugart
AU - A. Juarez
AU - E. Chen
AU - A. E. Striker
AU - A. G. Luong
AU - R. T. Kim
AU - M. X. Thai
AU - A. T. Harrington
AU - T. Patel
AU - M. Chen
AU - A. S. Golding
AU - M. J. Raymond
AU - J. A. Lehoczky
AU - A. P. Seale
AU - J. P. Breves
AU - J. L. Whited
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/31
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.31.762810
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.31.762810v1
AB - Regenerating complex tissues requires coordination between local cellular responses and body-wide systemic signals. As a central endocrine regulator, the pituitary is well positioned to coordinate this process. Here, we identify the pituitary as an injury-responsive regulator of axolotl limb and tilapia fin regeneration. Limb loss triggered sustained transcriptional responses in the axolotl pituitary. Single-cell transcriptomics linked pituitary loss to altered gene expression in prolactin- and growth hormone-responsive limb cells. Local disruption of the prolactin receptor impaired digit formation, whereas combined hormone treatment partially restored regeneration in hypophysectomized axolotls. In tilapia, pituitary removal impaired fin regeneration and prolactin-related signaling. Mouse digits differed from axolotls and tilapia in how and when they received pituitary signals during regeneration, suggesting pituitary-dependent regrowth is evolutionarily divergent among highly regenerative vertebrates.
ER -