Expression of leukemia inhibitory factor and leukemia inhibitory factor receptor in the canine pituitary gland and corticotrope adenomas

Expression of leukemia inhibitory factor and leukemia inhibitory factor receptor in the canine pituitary gland and corticotrope adenomas. Hanson JM, Mol JA, Meij BP. Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. [email protected] Domest Anim Endocrinol. 2010 May;38(4):260-71. Epub 2009 Dec 6. Abstract Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is a pleiotropic cytokine of the IL-6 family that activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and promotes corticotrope cell differentiation during development. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of LIF and its receptor (LIFR) in the canine pituitary gland and in corticotrope adenomas, and to perform a mutation analysis of LIFR. Using immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and quantitative expression analysis, LIF and LIFR expression were studied in pituitary glands of control dogs and in specimens of corticotrope adenoma tissue collected through hypophysectomy in dogs with pituitary-dependent hypercortisolism (PDH, Cushing's disease). Using sequence analysis, cDNA was screened for mutations in the LIFR. In the control pituitary tissues and corticotrope adenomas, there was a low magnitude of LIF expression. The LIFR, however, was highly expressed and co-localized with ACTH(1-24) expression. Cytoplasmatic immunoreactivity of LIFR was preserved in corticotrope adenomas and adjacent nontumorous cells of pars intermedia. No mutation was found on mutation analysis of the complete LIFR cDNA. Surprisingly, nuclear to perinuclear immunoreactivity for LIFR was present in nontumorous pituitary cells of the pars distalis in 10 of 12 tissue specimens from PDH dogs. These data show that LIFR is highly co-expressed with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) in the canine pituitary gland and in corticotrope adenomas. Nuclear immunoreactivity for LIFR in nontumorous cells of the pars distalis may indicate the presence of a corticotrope adenoma. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. PMID: 20036483 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Publication Types, MeSH Terms, SubstancesPublication Types: Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH Terms: ACTH-Secreting Pituitary Adenoma/chemistry ACTH-Secreting Pituitary Adenoma/ultrastructure ACTH-Secreting Pituitary Adenoma/veterinary* Animals Cell Nucleus/chemistry Cosyntropin/analysis Cytoplasm/chemistry DNA, Complementary/analysis Dog Diseases/metabolism* Dogs Female Fluorescent Antibody Technique Immunohistochemistry Leukemia Inhibitory Factor/analysis* Male Mutation Pituitary Gland/chemistry* Pituitary Gland/ultrastructure Pituitary Neoplasms/chemistry Pituitary Neoplasms/ultrastructure Pituitary Neoplasms/veterinary* Polymerase Chain Reaction Receptors, OSM-LIF/analysis* Receptors, OSM-LIF/genetics Sequence Analysis, DNA alpha-MSH/analysis Substances: DNA, Complementary Leukemia Inhibitory Factor Receptors, OSM-LIF Cosyntropin alpha-MSH LinkOut - more resourcesFull Text Sources: Elsevier Science EBSCO OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center Swets Information Services Medical: Adrenal Diseases - Genetic Alliance Pituitary Tumors - MedlinePlus Health Information Benign Tumors - MedlinePlus Health Information Molecular Biology Databases: COSYNTROPIN - HSDB