Gene expression analysis of growth hormone producing somatotroph pituitary adenomas

The epithelial marker E-cadherin plays a crucial role in epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). Decreased protein content in somatotroph adenomas has been associated with increased tumor size, invasion, and poor response to somatostatin analog (SA) treatment, but the potential mechanisms of EMT progression in these adenomas are lacking. Adenomas from sixteen acromegalic patients, eight with high (tertile 3)and eight with low (tertile 1) expression of E-cadherin where four adenomas treated with SA in each group, were screened for expressional candidate genes using Affymetrix human Gene Plus 2.0 Arrays. Analyses were performed to identify EMT-related transcripts. Expression levels were examined in adenomas from sixteen acromegalic patients, eight with high (tertile 3) and eight with low (tertile 1) expression of E-cadherin where four adenomas were treated with SA in each group.