title: Stem cells and their role in pituitary tumorigenesis.
abstract: The presence of adult pituitary stem cells (PSCs) has been described in murine systems by comprehensive cellular profiling and genetic lineage tracing experiments. PSCs are thought to maintain multipotent capacity throughout life and give rise to all hormone-producing cell lineages, playing a role in pituitary gland homeostasis. Additionally, PSCs have been proposed to play a role in pituitary tumorigenesis, in both adenomas and adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas. In this manuscript, we discuss the different approaches used to demonstrate the presence of PSCs in the murine adult pituitary, from marker analyses to genetic tracing. In addition, we review the published literature suggesting the existence of tumor stem cells in mouse and human pituitary tumors. Finally, we discuss the potential role of PSCs in pituitary tumorigenesis in the context of current models of carcinogenesis and present evidence showing that in contrast to pituitary adenoma, which follows a classical cancer stem cell paradigm, a novel mechanism has been revealed for paracrine, non-cell autonomous tumor initiation in adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma, a benign but clinically aggressive pediatric tumor.
authors.affiliation: Developmental Biology and Cancer Program, Birth Defects Research Centre, Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carreno
authors.affiliation: Developmental Biology and Cancer Program, Birth Defects Research Centre, Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jose Mario
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Meljem
authors.affiliation: Developmental Biology and Cancer Program, Birth Defects Research Centre, Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haston
authors.affiliation: Developmental Biology and Cancer Program, Birth Defects Research Centre, Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: j.martinez-barbera@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Juan Pedro
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Martinez-Barbera
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D063646:Carcinogenesis / Q000473:pathology; D003397:Craniopharyngioma / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D019899:Paracrine Communication; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000166:cytology* / Q000473:pathology; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: Adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma; Cancer stem cell; Pituitary; Pituitary adenoma; Stem cell