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Immunohistochemical Evaluation of the Post-Translational Processing of Chromogranin A in Human Pituitary Adenomas

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Abstract

Chromogranin A (CgA), pancreastatin (PST), intervening-peptide (IP) and WE-14 antisera were employed to investigate the proteolysis of CgA in 50 pituitary adenomas. All non-functioning (NF) pituitary tumours (n = 28) exhibited CgA immunoreactivity. PST, IP and WE-14 immunostaining was observed in 85%, 89% and 67%, respectively. CgA, PST and 1P immunostaining were comparable in the majority of NF tumours, while less intense WE-14 immunoreactivity was detected in a subpopulation of NF tumour cells. Approximately half of the functioning pituitary tumours expressed CgA immunoreactivity. Six of nine ACTH-secreting tumours displayed CgA and IP immunostaining; four of these tumours displayed PST immunoreactivity. WE-14 immunoreactivity was detected in one corticotroph tumour. Three of six growth hormone (GH) secreting tumours displayed CgA immunostaining, two exhibited PST and IP, and one exhibited WE-14 immunoreactivity. Clusters of WE-14 immunopositive cells were detected in one GH tumour. One of seven prolactinomas exhibited weak CgA immunostaining, while weak IP and WE-14 immunostaining was detected in an additional tumour. No PST immunostaining was detected in prolactinomas. Therefore CgA is a valuable marker of NF pituitary tumours, however it is a more sporadic marker of functioning adenomas. In general, the cellular pattern and intensities of CgA, PST and IP immunoreactivity were comparable in the majority of pituitary adenomas. In contrast, WE-14 immunostaining was observed in a subpopulation of tumour cells. The pathophysiological significance of the proteolysis of CgA to generate bioactive peptides in both NF and functioning pituitary adenomas remains to be established.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sir George E. Clark Metabolic Unit, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, Northern Ireland

    Anthony Patrick Heaney, Valeria Lyn Armstrong & A. Brew Atkinson

  2. Department of Medicine, Centre for Endocrine Research, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland

    William James Curry, Kathryn Margaret Pogue, Colin Fredrick Johnston & Keith Deans Buchanan

  3. Neuropathology Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Belfast, Northern Ireland

    Menakshi Mirakhur

  4. The Regional Endocrine Laboratory, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, Northern Ireland

    Brian Sheridan

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  1. Anthony Patrick Heaney
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  2. William James Curry
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  3. Kathryn Margaret Pogue
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  4. Valeria Lyn Armstrong
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  5. Menakshi Mirakhur
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  7. Colin Fredrick Johnston
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  8. Keith Deans Buchanan
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Heaney, A.P., Curry, W.J., Pogue, K.M. et al. Immunohistochemical Evaluation of the Post-Translational Processing of Chromogranin A in Human Pituitary Adenomas. Pituitary 3, 67–75 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009949623054

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