Pituitary adenomas: screening for G alpha q mutations

Mutant, guanosine triphosphatase-deficient, alpha-subunits of the G protein, Gs, gsp ocogene have been discovered in 40% of GH-secreting pituitary adenomas. Therefore, we hypothesized that a novel G protein class, G alpha q, involved in pituitary signal transduction, might be involved in pituitary tumorigenesis. Recombinant mutations of G alpha q result in constitutive activation of phospholipase C and have transforming activity. Therefore, we screened tumor samples from 37 pituitary adenomas for the presence of activating mutations of the G alpha q gene. Importantly, our sample contains 8 FSH and LH adenomas. In the pituitary gland, FSH and LH are linked to the GnRH-G alpha q signaling cascade, making these tumors a logical choice for screening for G alpha q mutations. Complementary DNA (cDNA) was synthesized by RT-PCR with G alpha q specific primers to exclude pseudogene transcripts. Fragments of G alpha q cDNA-encompassing residues (Arg183, Gln209) were screened by single-strand conformation polymorphism and then sequenced in both directions. No mutations were detected. We conclude that mutations in these regions of the G alpha q cDNA occur infrequently, if at all, in human pituitary adenomas. Alternative mechanisms underlying pituitary tumorigenesis should be explored.