抄録
Inhibin α and βA subunit messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels were measured quantitatively by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in human pituitary adenomas. The inhibin α subunit mRNA levels were undetectably low in cultured adenoma tissues, but βA mRNA were 0.383±0.074 in 3 GH adenomas, 0.672±0.140 in 3 prolactinomas and 0.957±0.414 molecules/cell in 3 non-functioning adenomas. The addition of 10-8M activin A decreased the βA mRNA levels within 4h in 1 of 3 GH adenomas, 2 of 3 prolactinomas and 2 of 3 non-functioning adenomas, though the decreases were not statistically significant. The results showed an abundance of βA subunit mRNA compared with a subunit mRNA in all human pituitary adenomas and a local role for activin in its own production through inhibin βA mRNA subunit expression.
