SNPs in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor-interacting protein gene associated with sporadic non-functioning pituitary adenoma

The Role of Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Pituitary Adenomas Tumorigenesis

Pituitary adenomas (PAs) are among the most common intracranial neoplasms, but despite their histologically benign nature, these tumors sometimes grow large enough to cause symptoms of mass effect such as vision loss, headaches, or hypopituitarism. When they get this large, surgery will unfortunately not be curative and, other than prolactinomas, medical options are limited, and radiation has variable efficacy in controlling growth. Understanding the genetic perturbations, such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), that promote the formation or growth of functional and nonfunctional PAs is important because such genetic insights could improve the diagnosis and subsequent classification of PAs as well as unlock potential therapeutic targets outside contemporary standard of care. While there have been great strides in the research of SNPs as drivers of PA formation and maintenance, a comprehensive discussion of these genetic mutations has not been undertaken. In the present article, and with the goal of providing scientists and clinicians a central review, we sought to summarize the current literature on SNPs and their relationship to PA formation. Across multiple tumor types, such as nonfunctioning PAs, prolactinomas, corticotroph adenomas, somatotroph adenomas, thyrotropic adenomas, and gonadotroph adenomas, SNPs in cell surface receptors implicated in proliferation can be appreciated. Polymorphisms found in tumor suppressors and cell cycle regulators have also been identified, such as p53 SNPs in nonfunctioning PAs or cyclin D1 in prolactinomas. While the translational relevance of SNPs in the formation of PAs is still in the early stages, the use of wide-scale genomic analysis to identify patients at risk for developing PAs could yield therapeutic benefit in the future.

Associations of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) gene variants with pituitary adenoma

AIM

The aim was to evaluate the association of CETP (rs5882 and rs708272) single nucleotide polymorphisms with the presence, invasiveness, hormonal activity and recurrence of pituitary adenoma (PA).

METHODS

The study group included 142 patients with PA and the control group, 753 healthy subjects. The genotyping of CETP (rs5882 and rs708272) was performed using a real-time PCR method.

RESULTS

After statistical analysis we found that CETP rs708272 genotype G/A under the over-dominant model was associated with the decreased odds of PA (OR=0.637; 95%CI: 0.443-0.917; P=0.015), active PA (OR=0.538; 95%CI: 0.335-0.865; P =0.01) and non-recurrent PA (OR=0.602; 95% CI: 0.402 - 0.902; P =0.014). When compared to controls, the rs708272 genotype G/A was less frequent in the active PA subgroup (37.5% vs 52.7%, P =0.009) and the non-recurrent PA subgroup (40.2% vs 52.7%, P=0.013), while the rs5882 genotype A/A was less frequent in the non-recurrent PA subgroup (37.5% vs 46.2%, P=0.015).

CONCLUSION

Our study showed that CETP rs708272 genotype G/A may be associated with a decreased risk of PA.

Pathogenesis of non-functioning pituitary adenomas

The pathogenesis of non functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPA) is a complex process involving several factors, from molecular to genetic and epigenetic modifications, where tumor suppressor genes, oncogenes, cell cycle derangements have been demonstrated to play an important role. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have also been identified as possible players in NFPA tumorigenesis and pituitary stem cells have been investigated for their potential role in pituitary tumor initiation. However, a critical role for paracrine signalling has also been highlighted. This review focuses on the current knowledge on the involvement of these factors in NFPA pathogenesis.