title: Presence of kisspeptin-like immunoreactivity in human adrenal glands and adrenal tumors.
abstract: Kisspeptins are neuropeptides which activate the hypothalamo-pituitary gonadal axis and are considered to play important physiological roles in the reproduction. Kisspeptins have also been reported to stimulate the aldosterone secretion from the adrenal cortex. However, the expression of kisspeptins in human adrenal glands and adrenal tumors has not been clarified yet. We, therefore, studied the presence of kisspeptin-like immunoreactivity (LI) in human adrenal glands and adrenal tumors (adrenocortical adenomas, adrenocortical carcinomas, and pheochromocytomas) by radioimmunoassay and immunocytochemistry. Kisspeptin-LI was detected in all the tissues examined; normal portions of adrenal glands (3.0 +/- 2.3 pmol/g wet weight, n = 21, mean +/- SD), aldosterone-producing adenomas (4.6 +/- 3.3 pmol/g wet weight, n = 10), cortisol-producing adenomas (2.7 +/- 1.4 pmol/g wet weight, n = 14), adrenocortical carcinomas (1.7 +/- 0.2 pmol/g wet weight, n = 4), and pheochromocytomas (1.8 +/- 0.8 pmol/g wet weight, n = 6). There was no significant difference in kisspeptin-LI levels among them. Immunocytochemistry showed positive kisspeptin-immunostaining in normal adrenal glands, with stronger immunostaining found in the medulla. Furthermore, positive kisspeptin-immunostaining was found in all types of adrenal tumors examined; adrenocortical adenomas, adrenocortical carcinomas, and pheochromocytomas. The intensity of kisspeptin-immunostaining in these adrenal tumors was, however, not so strong as that in normal adrenal medulla. The present study has shown for the first time the presence of kisspeptin-LI in adrenal glands and adrenal tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Applied Medical Science, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan. ktaka-md@mail.tains.tohoku.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Itaru
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shoji
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shibasaki
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hiraishi
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Kiriko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morimoto
authors.forename: Fumitoshi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.forename: Sadayoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Kazuhito
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Totsune
mesh_terms: D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D059648:Kisspeptins; D011869:Radioligand Assay; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C106628:KISS1 protein, human; D059648:Kisspeptins; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins