Gonadotroph-cell pituitary adenomas

Article Abstract:

Adenomas are tumors in which the cells have the microscopic appearance of secretory cells. Pituitary adenomas are quite common and often go undetected; often, in anywhere from 1 to 25 percent of patients, pituitary adenomas may be found on autopsy in cases where there were no symptoms of pituitary disease. Gonadotroph adenomas arise from the cells within the pituitary that secrete the gonadotropins, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). The adenomas themselves may or may not secrete the hormones, and it has often been thought that secreting gonadotroph adenomas were more common among men than women. In contrast with some other hormone-secreting pituitary tumors, however, gonadotroph adenomas cause few clinical symptoms. Therefore, the reason such tumors are more frequently observed in men might be that it is simply easier to identify the elevated levels of follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone in men (since these hormones are involved in ovulation). This is especially true since at the age when most adenomas develop, most women have passed menopause and have elevated levels of these hormones anyway. In the February 28, 1991 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine researchers report the use of a new method to demonstrate that secreting gonadotroph adenomas are common among women as well. They observed the response of FSH and LH levels to an injection of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH). While TRH does not influence the LH or FSH levels of normal women or women with other types of pituitary adenoma, it can stimulate the release of FSH and LH in women with gonadotroph adenoma. Furthermore, it appears that simply measuring the hormones in the conventional way is not adequate. FSH, LH, and some other hormones share a molecular structure consisting of an alpha chain common to all with a beta chain which is similar, but distinct, in all. Only when the specific LH beta chain was measured could the response of the adenomas to TRH be measured. An advantage of this observation is that it may become possible to identify pituitary adenomas accurately prior to surgery. The FSH and LH responses may be used to monitor the response of the tumor to medical treatment and also to monitor the completeness of the surgical removal. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Physiological aspects, Gonadotropin, Gonadotropins, Adenoma, Luteinizing hormone, Pituitary gland, Thyrotropin releasing factor, Thyrotropin releasing hormone, editorial, Follicle-stimulating hormone

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New revelations about the role of STATs in stature

Article Abstract:

The case of a 16-year-old girl who was only four feet tall illustrates the role of a group of proteins called single transducer and activator of transcription (STATs) in growth. These proteins activate DNA transcription in the nucleus when stimulated by growth hormone. This girl had a mutation in the gene for one of the STAT proteins. She had inherited two copies of the mutation from her parents, who were first cousins.

Causes of, Growth disorders

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