Single-cell and spatial transcriptomic sequencing of growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenomas

Growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenomas (GHPA) involve complex and variable molecular biological mechanisms. To date, the cellular heterogeneity of GHPA remains unclear, and there are no well-defined pathological markers to predict the aggressiveness or prognosis of GHPA patients. In this era of molecular pathology, there is an urgent need to identify new molecular markers associated with GHPA invasiveness and prognosis. In this study, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (10X Genomics scRNA-seq) on tumor samples from 10 GHPA patients (J001-J010). Among these tumors, three were non-invasive, while the others were invasive. Additionally, spatial transcriptomic sequencing (10x Genomics, PN-1000184) was conducted on four tumor samples (J002, J003, J009, J010). J002 was a non-invasive tumor, whereas J003, J009, and J010 were invasive tumors with increasing levels of invasiveness. This research explored the tumor heterogeneity and cell subtypes in GHPA, providing a basis for developing personalized treatment plans for GHPA patients.