title: Study on the expression levels of CXCR4, CXCL12, CD44, and CD147 and their potential correlation with invasive behaviors of pituitary adenomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the factors of CXCR4, CXCL12, CD44, and CD147 as early potential diagnostic biomarkers by determining their expression levels in invasive and non-invasive pituitary adenomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fresh pituitary adenoma specimens were collected from 35 pituitary adenoma (21 invasive and 14 non-invasive) patients who underwent surgical treatment in our Neurosurgery Department between January and April of 2009. The expression levels of CXCR4, CXCL12, CD44, and CD147 were evaluated firstly by flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy in single cell suspensions, and then by immunohistochemical staining of paraffin tissue sections.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Flow cytometric analyses showed that the percentage of CXCR4- and CXCL12-positive cells from invasive pituitary adenomas (IPA) was significantly higher in the single cell suspensions than that from non-invasive pituitary adenomas (nIPA) (P<0.05). Immunohistochemical staining revealed that CXCR4 and CXCL12 staining index scores of the invasive pituitary adenomas were significantly higher than those of the non-invasive pituitary adenomas (P<0.05). In contrast, neither flow cytometry nor immunohistochemical staining demonstrated significant difference between CD44 and CD147 expression levels, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Expression levels of CXCR4 and CXCL12 are correlated with the invasiveness of pituitary adenomas. Therefore, rather than CD44 and CD147, CXCR4 and CXCL12 may potentially serve as biomarkers for early detection of pituitary adenomas.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Neurosurgery, Key Laboratory of Endocrinology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: Yan Guo
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lian
authors.forename: Ren Zhi
authors.initials: RZ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zu Yuan
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Ren
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D051928:CD47 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12 / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C497483:CD44 protein, human; D051928:CD47 Antigen; C497894:CD47 protein, human; C515255:CXCL12 protein, human; C527276:CXCR4 protein, human; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4
keywords: CXCR4, CXCL12, CD44, and CD147; Flow cytometry; Immunohistochemistry; Invasiveness; Pituitary adenoma