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Fig. 7
Cell-Autonomous Effect of the Oxytocin Receptor on the Pituitary Vasculature
(A–C) Genetic complementation of oxytocin receptor in the vascular endothelia of oxtlr-deficient embryos. Double transgenic embryos expressing an endothelial Gal4 driver (fli1:Gal4) and a fluorescent reporter protein (UAS:Kaede; green) were injected with transposon-based transgenic vector containing a multicistronic gene expression cassette (UAS:oxtlr-2A-EGFP) allowing simultaneous mosaic coexpression of the oxytocin receptor and EGFP in discrete vascular clones (red). These clones were detected by immunostaining with an anti-EGFP antibody that does not react with the Kaede protein followed by a secondary cy3-conjugated antibody. The asterisk (*) demarcates the location of the neurohypophysis.
(D) Schematic model describing the hypothalamohypophyseal neurovascular connection by local secretion of oxytocin (see text).
CaDI, caudal division of internal carotid; CrDI, cranial division of the internal carotid artery; OA, optic artery; PHS, primary head sinus; PLA, palatocerebral artery.
Reprinted from Developmental Cell, 21(4), Gutnick, A., Blechman, J., Kaslin, J., Herwig, L., Belting, H.G., Affolter, M., Bonkowsky, J.L., and Levkowitz, G., The hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin is required for formation of the neurovascular interface of the pituitary, 642-654, Copyright (2011) with permission from Elsevier. Full text @ Dev. Cell