Related Experiment Videos
Clonal origin of pituitary adenomas
L B Jacoby1, E T Hedley-Whyte, K Pulaski
1Neurosurgical Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
Journal of Neurosurgery
|November 1, 1990
Summary
Benign pituitary tumors, common in neurosurgery, originate from a single cell. X chromosome inactivation studies confirm these tumors are monoclonal, suggesting a single genetic mutation initiates their development.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Oncology
- Genetics
Background:
- Benign pituitary adenomas are common neurosurgical tumors causing diverse clinical syndromes due to hormone secretion.
- Understanding the cellular origin of these tumors is crucial for comprehending their development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether benign pituitary adenomas arise from a single cell (monoclonal) or multiple cells (polyclonal).
- To determine the cellular origin of pituitary tumors across different hormonal subtypes.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of X chromosome inactivation patterns in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from three distinct pituitary adenoma subtypes in women.
- Utilizing immunohistochemistry to identify hormone content within the tumors.
Main Results:
- All three examined pituitary tumors, regardless of hormonal subtype, exhibited a single active X chromosome in all cells.
- This consistent pattern of X chromosome inactivation indicates that each tumor originated from a single progenitor cell.
Conclusions:
- Clinically significant pituitary tumors are monoclonal in origin.
- The development of pituitary adenomas likely initiates from a genetic mutation in a single cell.