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Updated: Jun 28, 2025
Spatial Profiling of Protein and RNA Expression in Tissue: An Approach to Fine-Tune Virtual Microdissection
Published on: July 6, 2022
Spatial Transcriptomic Analysis of Pituitary Corticotroph Tumors
Jeremie Oliver Piña1, Fabio R Faucz2, Cameron Padilla2
1Section on Craniofacial Genetic Disorders, Eunice Kennedy ShriverNational Institute of Child Health, and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Context:
Spatial transcriptomic (ST) analysis of tumors provides a novel approach to studying gene expression along with the localization of tumor cells in their environment to uncover spatial interactions.
Design:
We present ST analysis of corticotroph pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs) from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. ST data were compared to immunohistochemistry results. Gene expression profiles were reviewed for cluster annotations, and differentially expressed genes were used for pathway analysis.
Results:
Seven tumors were used for ST analysis. In situ annotation of tumor tissue was inferred from the gene expression profiles and was in concordance with the annotation made by a pathologist. Furthermore, relative gene expression in the tumor corresponded to common protein staining used in the evaluation of PitNETs, such as reticulin and Ki-67 index. Finally, we identified intratumor heterogeneity; clusters within the same tumor may present with different transcriptomic profiles, unveiling potential intratumor cell variability.
Conclusion:
Together, our results provide the first attempt to clarify the spatial cell profile in PitNETs.
