Originally published as JHC exPRESS on September 17, 2007. doi:10.1369/jhc.7A7311.2007
Volume 55 (12): 1265-1271, 2007 Copyright ©The Histochemical Society, Inc. Neuronal Differentiation and Expression of Neural Epitopes in Pituitary Adenomas
Department of Pathology, Division of Neuropathology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York (MDJ,PB,DW), and Cedars–Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California (XF) Correspondence to: Mahlon Johnson, MD, PhD, Dept. of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Ave., Box 626, Rochester, NY 14623. E-mail: mahlon_johnson{at}urmc.rochester.edu
Neural transdifferentiation is increasingly recognized in neural crest and neural stem cell tumors. Neuronal differentiation has been anecdotally described primarily in somatotroph cell adenomas associated with acromegaly, but its prevalence in adenomas and relationship to adenoma type has not been completely established. In this study we performed a retrospective morphological and immunohistochemical analysis of neurofilament, phosphoneurofilament, Neu-N, class III tubulin, and Hu in WHO grade I pituitary adenomas. Limited numbers of cells with neuronal features and neuron-associated epitopes may be more common in pituitary adenomas than previously recognized. These may occur in many forms of adenomas including somatotroph, lactotroph, mixed somatotroph and lactotroph, null cell/gonadotroph cell and, rarely, corticotroph cell adenomas. (J Histochem Cytochem 55:1265–1271, 2007)
Key Words: pituitary adenoma neuronal differentiation neurofilament phosphoneurofilament Neu-N anti-Hu ganglion cells class III tubulin
THERE IS GROWING INTEREST in divergent neuronal differentiation in cells of neoplastic processes of the central nervous system (Perry et al. 2002
The presence of ganglion cells in pituitary adenomas has long been recognized in association with growth hormone (GH) or prolactin-secreting adenomas. These nerve cells have been designated as neuronal choristoma (Rhodes et al. 1982
Twenty seven cases classified by World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines (Al-Shraim and Asa 2006
Sections were scored as exhibiting morphological features of neurons (+) if their size was more than twice the size of the diameter of adenoma cells, and if they exhibited abundant cytoplasm with or without obvious Nissl substance, and prominent nucleoli. Cells with expanded somas relative to other adenoma cells and prominent nucleoli were designated "possible" neurons. Adenomas without these features were designated (–). Immunoreactivity to each antibody was also scored as "+" (1 or less cell per x10 field), "++" (>1 to scattered cells per x10 field), or absent (–). In cases of discordance between reviewers, the negative designation was accepted over "rare" immunoreactive cells.
Results are listed in Table 2 . Three somatotroph cell adenomas had morphological neuronal transdifferentiation (Figure 1 and Figure 2 ), and two had cells suspicious for transdifferentiation. Of these, 80% showed neurofilament immunostaining, 100% displayed PNF (Figure 1 and Figure 2), and one showed Neu-N immunoreactivity. All exhibited tubulin and one exhibited Hu immunostaining. Possible morphological evidence of neuronal transdifferentiation was found in two mixed GH and prolactin cell adenomas. These tumors displayed multiple tumor markers. In mixed GH and prolactin cell adenomas, three of four adenomas displayed PNF. All displayed tubulin, but none showed Hu immunoreactivity. One adenoma with possible morphological evidence suggestive of neuronal differentiation also displayed Neu-N. Neither lactotroph adenomas exhibited possible neuronal transdifferentiation, but both displayed some cells with PNF and tubulin immunostaining. In the null cell adenomas, morphological evidence of neuronal differentiation was limited, but 5/10 (50%) displayed NF and 7/10 (70%), including the cases with suspicious morphology, displayed PNF, eight of nine displayed tubulin (88%), and one displayed Neu-N immunostaining. None of the corticotroph cell adenomas exhibited easily recognized morphology consistent with neuronal transdifferentiation, but one displayed PNF, tubulin, and Hu immunostaining (Figure 3 ).
Findings presented here suggest that cells with neuronal features and expression of neuronal-associated epitopes may be more common in pituitary adenomas than previously recognized and occur not only in GH cell adenomas but also other types such as lactotroph, null cell, gonadotroph cell, and corticotroph cell adenomas. These findings are consistent with growing recognition of neuronal transdifferentiation in other neural crest tumors. The infrequent recognition of neuronal forms may, in part, be due to (1) infrequent immunohistochemical evaluation for its presence; (2) prominent nucleoli, particularly GH secreting adenomas, obscuring its presence; (3) widespread synaptophysin immunoreactivity that may obscure the presence of coexisting small neurons; and (4) the presence of intermediately differentiated neuronal forms (as seen in ganglion cell tumors) that are difficult to recognize.
A previous study found neurofilament protein in stroma of a tumor with "incomplete neuronal differentiation" (Thodou et al. 2004 Neu-N immunostaining was seen in only a few adenomas, all of which had other evidence of neuronal differentiation. Three of five also displayed phosphoneurofilament immunoreactivity in cells with neuronal features. This suggests that, in most cases, the neuron-like cells do not express Neu-N and/or are not terminally differentiated.
Anti-Hu antibodies react against RNA-binding proteins that are expressed early in the development of the nervous system and are associated with neuronal differentiation and function (Gultekin et al. 1998
Rare or scattered class III ß-tubulin expression was seen in 88% of cases. Using a high dilution, the antibody reacted with cells exhibiting neuronal morphology but also in larger cells and some cells without overt neuronal differentiation. Expression was seen in all of the adenomas displaying phosphoneurofilament immunoreactivity and in an additional 33% of cases where phosphoneurofilament was not seen (Furuhata et al. 1993
The origin of cells exhibiting neuronal features is not certain. Previous studies have suggested that they represent metaplasia of adenoma cells. Transdifferentiation of pituitary cells has also been described. Hormonal changes during pregnancy stimulate lactotroph cell hyperplasia and convert somatotrophs to prolactin-secreting cells (Vidal et al. 2001
The clinical significance of the finding of neuronal differentiation in pituitary adenomas remains to be established. Nonetheless, in some malignant neuroepithelial tumors such as neuroblastomas and medulloblastomas, neuronal differentiation is associated with a better prognosis (Hedborg et al. 1995
Received for publication July 2, 2007; accepted August 23, 2007
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