The neurohypophysis: fishing for new insights.

The neurohypophysis is a neurovascular interface through which the brain regulates peripheral organs to maintain homeostasis. The molecular mechanisms underlying its formation are poorly understood, although the emergence of new genetic and imaging tools has begun to yield new insights. In a recent study, researchers discovered that, in embryonic zebrafish, oxytocin secreted from hypophyseal axons serves as a local angiogenic cue that pulls in nearby blood vessels.