title: Does the calcification of adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma resemble the calcium deposition of osteogenesis/odontogenesis?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Calcification in adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma (ACP) is troublesome for surgical intervention. The aim of this study was to examine the osteogenic proteins that play important roles in the calcium deposition of the odontogenic/osteogenic tissues in craniopharyngioma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Craniopharyngiomas (n = 89) were investigated for the presence and expression pattern of the osteoinductive/odontoinductive factor bone morphogenetic protein-2 (Bmp2) and two osteoblastic differentiation makers, Runt-related transcription factor-2 (Runx2) and Osterix, using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Our results showed that Bmp2, Runx2 and Osterix levels increased in cases with high calcification and correlated positively with the degree of calcification in ACP, whereas they showed little or no expression in squamous papillary craniopharyngioma. In ACP, Bmp2 was expressed primarily in the stellate reticulum and whorl-like array cells; Runx2 and Osterix tended to be expressed in calcification-related epithelia, including whorl-like array cells and epithelia in/around wet keratin and calcification lesions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study indicated, for the first time, that osteogenic factor Bmp2 may play an important role in the calcification of ACP via autocrine or paracrine mechanisms. Given the presence of osteogenic markers (Runx2 and Osterix), craniopharyngioma cells could differentiate into an osteoblast-like lineage, and the process of craniopharyngioma calcification resembles that which occurs in osteogenesis/odontogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guang Zhou, China.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Song-Tao
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiao-Rong
authors.forename: Pan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jun
authors.forename: Deng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yong-Jian
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Huang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guang-Long
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yun-Tao
authors.forename: Ruan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jian
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xiang-Zhao
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jia-Ming
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015153:Blotting, Western; D055396:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D050659:Core Binding Factor Alpha 1 Subunit / Q000378:metabolism*; D003397:Craniopharyngioma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009805:Odontogenesis; D010012:Osteogenesis; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D000076182:Sp7 Transcription Factor; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C525718:BMP2 protein, human; D055396:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2; D050659:Core Binding Factor Alpha 1 Subunit; C493709:RUNX2 protein, human; D000076182:Sp7 Transcription Factor; C478163:SP7 protein, human; D014157:Transcription Factors; D002118:Calcium
keywords: Osterix; Runx2; adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma; bone morphogenetic protein-2; osteogenesis/odontogenesis