title: Colocalization of growth hormone (GH) and glycoprotein subunit alpha in GH-producing pituitary adenomas in acromegalic patients.
abstract: Thirty-one consecutive cases of pituitary adenoma in acromegalic patients were studied by immunohistochemistry. All adenomas contained cells immunoreactive with the anti-alpha-subunit of gonadotropic hormones (alpha; 0.6-53% of tumor cells) as well as with anti-growth hormone (GH; 4-74% of tumor cells). In serial section study, most cells immunoreactive with anti-alpha were identical to cells immunoreactive with anti-GH. There was a positive correlation between the percentages of cells immunoreactive for alpha in GH cells [alpha (%)/GH(%)] and those for prolactin (PRL) in immunoreactive tumor cells (PRL(%)/[PRL(%) + GH(%)]) in mixed GH cell-PRL cell adenomas, suggesting that the alpha-subunit may play a role in emergence of PRL cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Furuhata
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kameya
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuruta
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Naritaka
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toya
mesh_terms: D000172:Acromegaly / Q000378:metabolism*; D000236:Adenoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D015292:Glycoprotein Hormones, alpha Subunit / Q000378:metabolism*; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D015292:Glycoprotein Hormones, alpha Subunit; D013006:Growth Hormone