Open AccessExpression and Alternative Splicing of Pit-1 Messenger Ribonucleic Acid in Pituitary Adenomas
Author(s) -
Kazuya Hamada,
Toru Nishi,
Jun Ichi Kuratsu,
Yukitaka Ushio
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
neurosurgery/neurosurgery online
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.485
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1081-1281
pISSN - 0148-396X
DOI - 10.1097/00006123-199602000-00026
Subject(s) - adenoma , messenger rna , acromegaly , pituitary tumors , pituitary adenoma , gene expression , pituitary gland , alternative splicing , rna splicing , endocrinology , hormone , beta (programming language) , thyroid , medicine , pituitary neoplasm , gene , rna , biology , growth hormone , genetics , computer science , programming language
Twenty-eight human pituitary adenomas were analyzed for the expression of Pit-1 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) by using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis of frozen-section mRNA. Pit-1 mRNA was detected in all functioning tumors and in 9 of 11 nonfunctioning tumors. Pit-1 beta, which is a more active isoform of transcriptional factor for growth hormone than Pit- alpha and which arises from an alternative splicing mechanism, was detected in 14 of 17 functioning tumors and in 5 of 11 nonfunctioning tumors. The transcript that corresponds to Pit-1T, which increases thyroid-stimulating hormone beta promoter activity in rat thyrotropic tumor cells, was not found. There was no significant difference in the total Pit-1 (alpha+beta) mRNA expression level between functioning tumors and nonfunctioning tumors. Growth hormone-producing tumors and other pituitary adenomas also showed no significant difference in the Pit-1 beta/Pit-1 alpha expression ratio. Our data suggest that the major role of Pit-1 gene in pituitary adenoma might not be involved in the regulation of hormone production.