Vrontakis M E, Sano T, Kovacs K, Friesen H G
Department of Physiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1990 Mar;70(3):747-51. doi: 10.1210/jcem-70-3-747.
Galanin is a 29-amino acid neuropeptide widely distributed in the central nervous system. Galanin-like immunoreactivity (galanin-LI) was investigated in 23 nontumorous human adenohypophyses and 27 pituitary adenomas. Galanin-LI was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections, using the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method. All 23 nontumorous pituitaries showed the presence of galanin-positive cells which were similar to the corticotrophs in shape, size, histological features, and distribution. Immunoreactivity based on the study of mirror sections was found to be present in the cytoplasm of corticotrophs, indicating that galanin-LI colocalizes with ACTH. Crooke's cells and basophilic cells spreading to the posterior lobe (basophil invasion) were also positive for galanin. No galanin-LI was seen in lactotrophs of the human pituitaries, including 4 estrogen-treated men and 4 pregnant women. Varying numbers of tumor cells in 13 of 18 corticotroph adenomas were positive for galanin. Galanin-LI and ACTH were coexpressed in the cytoplasm of the same adenoma cells. In 19 pituitary adenomas composed of cells other than corticotrophs, no galanin-LI was noted. This study is the first report providing evidence of the presence of galanin-LI in corticotrophs of the human pituitary.
甘丙肽是一种由29个氨基酸组成的神经肽，广泛分布于中枢神经系统。对23例非肿瘤性人类腺垂体和27例垂体腺瘤进行了甘丙肽样免疫反应性（甘丙肽-LI）研究。采用抗生物素蛋白-生物素-过氧化物酶复合物法，通过免疫组织化学对福尔马林固定石蜡包埋切片上的甘丙肽-LI进行检测。所有23例非肿瘤性垂体均显示存在甘丙肽阳性细胞，这些细胞在形状、大小、组织学特征和分布上与促肾上腺皮质激素细胞相似。基于镜像切片研究发现免疫反应性存在于促肾上腺皮质激素细胞的细胞质中，表明甘丙肽-LI与促肾上腺皮质激素共定位。克鲁克细胞和扩散至后叶的嗜碱性细胞（嗜碱性细胞浸润）对甘丙肽也呈阳性。在人类垂体的催乳素细胞中未见甘丙肽-LI，包括4例接受雌激素治疗的男性和4例孕妇。18例促肾上腺皮质激素腺瘤中有13例的不同数量肿瘤细胞对甘丙肽呈阳性。甘丙肽-LI和促肾上腺皮质激素在同一腺瘤细胞的细胞质中共表达。在19例由促肾上腺皮质激素细胞以外的细胞组成的垂体腺瘤中，未观察到甘丙肽-LI。本研究是首次报道提供人类垂体促肾上腺皮质激素细胞中存在甘丙肽-LI证据的报告。
