Pluripotent tumor cells in benign pituitary adenomas associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1.
Analysis of human tumor cells in vitro enhances the study of numerous neoplastic conditions. However, it has been difficult to establish long-term cultures of adenoma cells, especially those of neuroendocrine origin, because the endocrine cells survive only briefly in culture, and fibroblasts overgrow the culture dish in 1 or 2 weeks. We describe cells isolated from pituitary adenomas in two patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 in which cells with a mesenchymal phenotype evolved from pituitary tumor cells. It appears that these poorly differentiated cells arose from multipotent adenoma cells. This represents a path of cell differentiation not observed previously in humans and may help explain the diverse nature of the benign tumors in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1.
Weil
R J
RJ
Surgical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
Huang
S
S
Pack
S
S
Vortmeyer
A O
AO
Tsokos
M
M
Lubensky
I A
IA
Oldfield
E H
EH
Zhuang
Z
Z
D000236:Adenoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D018761:Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
C105373:MEN1 protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019382:Human Growth Hormone