Differential expression levels of β-catenin are associated with invasive behavior of both functional and non-functional pituitary neuroendocrine tumor (PitNET)

Jun 16, 2023Molecular biology reports

Levels of beta-catenin linked to invasive behavior in active and inactive pituitary tumors

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Circadian Biology on OpenScience ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Abstract

Pituitary tumor samples showed higher levels of β-catenin gene and protein expression compared to healthy pituitary tissues.

Both non-functioning and growth hormone-producing pituitary tumors exhibited significantly elevated β-catenin levels compared to healthy tissues.
No difference in β-catenin expression was found between non-functioning and growth hormone-producing tumors.
High β-catenin levels in invasive tumors suggest a potential association with tumor invasion.
The expression of β-catenin was consistently associated with the severity of pituitary neuroendocrine tumors.
A correlation between β-catenin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) was observed specifically in growth hormone-producing tumors.

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BACKGROUND: Although research continues to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying pituitary tumor pathogenesis, limited information is available on the potential role and expression profile of β-catenin in functional and non-functional pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs).

METHODS AND RESULTS: In the current study, 104 pituitary samples (tumors and cadaveric healthy pituitary tissues) were included and the gene and protein expression levels of β-catenin were assessed by Real-Time PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The correlation between expression level of β-catenin and tumor invasive feature and size as well as patient age, gender, and hormonal level was measured. The data showed that PitNET samples expressed higher levels of the β-catenin gene and protein compared to healthy pituitary tissues. Although there was no difference in β-catenin expression level between non-functioning (NF-PitNETs) and growth hormone-producing tumors (GH-PitNETs), both tumor types showed significantly elevated β-catenin levels compared to healthy pituitary tissues. The high level of β-catenin in the invasive functional and non-functional tumors is indicative of the association of β-catenin with PitNETs invasion. The expression pattern of the β-catenin gene and protein was consistently and significantly associated with these tumor types. The correlation between β-catenin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in GH-PitNETs indicates the potential relevance of β-catenin and IGF-1 for GH-PitNETs.

CONCLUSIONS: The simultaneous increase in the expression of β-catenin gene and protein level in PitNET tissues and their relationship to the tumor severity indicates the possible contributing role of β-catenin and its underlying signaling mediators in PitNET pathogenesis.

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Differential expression levels of β-catenin are associated with invasive behavior of both functional and non-functional pituitary neuroendocrine tumor (PitNET)

Abstract

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