title: Pluripotent tumor cells in benign pituitary adenomas associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Surgical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Weil
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pack
authors.forename: A O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Vortmeyer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsokos
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Lubensky
authors.forename: E H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Oldfield
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhuang
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: C105373:MEN1 protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019382:Human Growth Hormone