Expression of Eag1 K+ channel and ErbBs in human pituitary adenomas: cytoskeleton arrangement patterns in cultured cells

• Published in: International journal of clinical and experimental pathology Vol. 6; no. 3; pp. 458 - 468
• Main Authors: del Pliego, Margarita González, Aguirre-Benítez, Elsa, Paisano-Cerón, Karina, Valdovinos-Ramírez, Irene, Rangel-Morales, Carlos, Rodríguez-Mata, Verónica, Solano-Agama, Carmen, Martín-Tapia, Dolores, de la Vega, María Teresa, Saldoval-Balanzario, Miguel, Camacho, Javier, Mendoza-Garrido, María Eugenia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States e-Century Publishing Corporation 01-01-2013
• Subjects: Adenoma - metabolism; Adenoma - pathology; Adenoma - surgery; Adult; Aged; Cells, Cultured; Cytoskeleton - metabolism; Cytoskeleton - pathology; ErbB Receptors - metabolism; Ether-A-Go-Go Potassium Channels - metabolism; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Original; Pituitary Neoplasms - metabolism; Pituitary Neoplasms - pathology; Pituitary Neoplasms - surgery; Receptor, ErbB-2 - metabolism; Pituitary adenomas; invasion; cell culture; cytoskeleton; Eag1; ErbBs
• ISSN: 1936-2625

Pituitary adenomas can invade surrounded tissue, but the mechanism remains elusive. Ether à go-go-1 (Eag1) potassium channel and epidermal growth factor receptors (ErbB1 and ErbB2) have been associated to invasive phenotypes or poor prognosis in cancer patients. However, cells arrange their cytoskeleton in order to acquire a successful migration pattern. We have studied ErbBs and Eag1 expression, and cytoskeleton arrangements in 11 human pituitary adenomas. Eag1, ErbB1 and ErbB2 expression were studied by immunochemistry in tissue and cultured cells. The cytoskeleton arrangement was analyzed in cultured cells by immunofluorescence. Normal pituitary tissue showed ErbB2 expression and Eag1 only in few cells. However, Eag1 and ErbB2 were expressed in all the tumors analyzed. ErbB1 expression was observed variable and did not show specificity for a tumor characteristic. Cultured cells from micro- and macro-adenomas clinically functional organize their cytoskeleton suggesting a mesenchymal pattern, and a round leucocyte/amoeboid pattern from invasive clinically silent adenoma. Pituitary tumors over-express EGF receptors and the ErbB2 repeated expression suggests is a characteristic of adenomas. Eag 1 was express, in different extent, and could be a therapeutic target. The cytoskeleton arrangements observed suggest that pituitary tumor cells acquire different patterns: mesenchymal, and leucocyte/amoeboid, the last observed in the invasive adenomas. Amoeboid migration pattern has been associated with high invasion capacity.