title: Expression and significance of glucocorticoid receptor alpha in meningiomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the expression of the glucocorticoid receptor alpha (GRalpha) and its significance in the occurrence and progress of meningiomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  By the use of flow cytometry, the proliferative index (PI), S-phase fraction (SPF) and DNA ploidy were detected to evaluate the proliferation of tumor cells in 58 meningioma specimens. The expressions of GRalpha in all meningiomas and seven normal dura samples were studied by means of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to compare the difference in GRalpha between meningiomas and normal dura. The relation between GRalpha and histological grades, PI, SPF and DNA ploidy were also analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean PI was 9.32%+/-4.41% while the mean SPF was 2.79%+/-2.43% in 58 meningioma specimens. DNA was diploid in 51 cases and aneuploid in the remaining seven cases, with the aneuploid rate being 12.1%. Nine of 58 meningiomas were GRalpha- negative and the rest were GRalpha-positive with a GRalpha-positive rate of 84.5%. The GRalpha-positive meningiomas included 13 '+', 15 '++', 9 '+++' and 12 '++++'. GRalpha was negative in normal dura samples. The GRalpha-positive rate of meningiomas was significantly greater than that of normal dura. There were no significant differences in PI and SPF among GRalpha-negative, GRalpha-weak positive and GRalpha-strong positive meningiomas. The difference in aneuploid rate between GRalpha-positive and GRalpha-negative meningiomas was also not significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GRalpha is of significance in meningiomas, which are a target tissue for glucocorticoid. However, GRalpha's expression had no obvious effect on the proliferative activity of meningiomas, so it may not be a major control of this process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, 247 Beiyuan Road, Jinan, ShanDong, 250033, China. drzhaoxu@126.com
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Liang Zhu
authors.initials: LZ
authors.lastname: Teng
authors.forename: Zhi Gang
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.forename: Sheng Cheng
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Wei
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004388:Dura Mater / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008579:Meningioma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011003:Ploidies; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000378:metabolism*; D016196:S Phase / Q000502:physiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; C411470:glucocorticoid receptor alpha