The relationship between pituitary tumour transforming gene (PTTG) expression and in vitro hormone and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion from human pituitary adenomas.
Pituitary tumours (12 somatotroph, five lactotroph, five corticotroph and 18 non-functioning) were studied by cell culture, measuring the basal secretion of anterior pituitary hormones and VEGF in vitro.
We investigated expression of the angiogenic vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor KDR/Flk-1 in 103 human pituitary tumors, and we assessed functional relationships between these genes in vitro.