Lloyd R V, Jin L, Fields K, Chandler W F, Horvath E, Stefaneanu L, Kovacs K
Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor.
Am J Pathol. 1991 Sep;139(3):553-64.
To study the relationship between null cell adenomas, oncocytomas and gonadotroph adenomas, we analyzed 32 surgically removed formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded pituitary tumors for the expression of pituitary hormone messenger RNAs (mRNAs) by in situ hybridization (ISH). Most tumors were also analyzed for chromogranin A mRNA. To identify the cell type constituting the tumors and to assess hormone content, all tumors were investigated by histology, transmission electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. Most null cell adenomas (6/11) and gonadotroph adenomas (9/10) expressed the mRNAs for alpha-subunit of glycoprotein hormones whereas only 2/11 oncocytomas expressed alpha-subunit mRNA. FSH beta and/or LH beta mRNA were present in most null cell and gonadotroph adenomas but only in a few oncocytomas. Prolactin (PRL) mRNA was detected in two null cell tumors and in one gonadotroph adenoma, whereas GH and POMC mRNA were present in one null cell adenoma. Chromogranin A mRNA, which codes for the major secretory granule protein, was present in 25/26 tumors including all tumors that were negative for pituitary hormone mRNAs, indicating adequate preservation of specific mRNA transcripts in the paraffin-embedded sections of tumor cells. These results indicate that null cell adenomas and gonadotroph adenomas are closely related neoplasms and that oncocytomas may represent a functionally defective form of null cell adenoma characterized by mitochondrial abundance, which has retained the capacity to synthesize the major secretory granule protein chromogranin A. Although the cytogenesis of null cell adenomas and oncocytomas is not clear, it can be suggested that these two tumor types are derived from a pluripotential precursor cell that is capable of undergoing multidirectional differentiation and synthesizing various hormones, mainly glycoproteins.
为研究无功能性细胞腺瘤、嗜酸细胞瘤和促性腺激素细胞腺瘤之间的关系，我们通过原位杂交（ISH）分析了32例手术切除的经福尔马林固定、石蜡包埋的垂体肿瘤中垂体激素信使核糖核酸（mRNA）的表达情况。大多数肿瘤还分析了嗜铬粒蛋白A mRNA。为确定构成肿瘤的细胞类型并评估激素含量，所有肿瘤均通过组织学、透射电子显微镜和免疫组织化学进行研究。大多数无功能性细胞腺瘤（6/11）和促性腺激素细胞腺瘤（9/10）表达糖蛋白激素α亚基的mRNA，而只有2/11的嗜酸细胞瘤表达α亚基mRNA。大多数无功能性细胞和促性腺激素细胞腺瘤中存在促卵泡激素（FSH）β和/或促黄体生成素（LH）β mRNA，但只有少数嗜酸细胞瘤中存在。在2例无功能性细胞肿瘤和1例促性腺激素细胞腺瘤中检测到催乳素（PRL）mRNA，而生长激素（GH）和促肾上腺皮质激素原（POMC）mRNA存在于1例无功能性细胞腺瘤中。编码主要分泌颗粒蛋白的嗜铬粒蛋白A mRNA存在于26例肿瘤中的25例，包括所有垂体激素mRNA阴性的肿瘤，表明肿瘤细胞石蜡包埋切片中特定mRNA转录本保存良好。这些结果表明，无功能性细胞腺瘤和促性腺激素细胞腺瘤是密切相关的肿瘤，嗜酸细胞瘤可能代表无功能性细胞腺瘤的一种功能缺陷形式，其特征为线粒体丰富，且保留了合成主要分泌颗粒蛋白嗜铬粒蛋白A的能力。虽然无功能性细胞腺瘤和嗜酸细胞瘤的细胞发生尚不清楚，但可以推测这两种肿瘤类型源自一种多能前体细胞，该前体细胞能够进行多向分化并合成各种激素，主要是糖蛋白。
