Telomere length and Wnt/β-catenin pathway in adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas

Exploring the direct influence of growth hormone on adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma cells

PURPOSE

This study aims to investigate the impact of growth hormone therapy on the postoperative management of craniopharyngioma and to evaluate the direct influence of growth hormone (GH) on craniopharyngioma.

METHODS

The research involved the application of varying concentrations of growth hormone to stimulate and cultivate the adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma (ACP) cell line. It focused on assessing the influence of growth hormone on the growth, proliferation, and apoptosis of ACP cells, and explored changes in transcription levels following growth hormone treatment of ACP cells through transcriptome sequencing. The results shed light on the effects and underlying mechanisms through which growth hormone impacts ACP cells.

RESULTS

ACP cells were treated with different concentrations of growth hormone (0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 10 μg/ml) for 24, 48, and 72 hours. The CCK8 cell viability assay's results indicate that growth hormone stimulation does not significantly increase ACP cell proliferation. Furthermore, sequencing data analysis suggests that growth hormone does not promote the activation of pathways associated with craniopharyngioma proliferation. Immunofluorescence analysis confirmed the presence of GHR receptors on ACP cells. Moreover, flow cytometry experiments focusing on cell cycle and apoptosis in ACP cells show that growth hormone does not affect cell cycle progression or apoptosis.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that growth hormone can impact craniopharyngioma directly but it didn't promote the growth of ACP.

Epigenetic Control of Adamantinomatous Craniopharyngiomas

INTRODUCTION

Studies addressing the methylation pattern in adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma (ACP) are lacking.

OBJECTIVE

To identify methylation signatures in ACPs regarding clinical presentation and outcome.

METHODS

Clinical and pathology data were collected from 35 patients with ACP (54% male; 18.1 years [2-68]). CTNNB1 mutations and methylation profile (MethylationEPIC/Array-Illumina) were analyzed in tumoral DNA. Unsupervised machine learning analysis of this comprehensive methylome sample was achieved using hierarchical clustering and multidimensional scaling. Statistical associations between clusters and clinical features were achieved using the Fisher test and global biological process interpretations were aided by Gene Ontology enrichment analyses.

RESULTS

Two clusters were revealed consistently by all unsupervised methods (ACP-1: n = 18; ACP-2: n = 17) with strong bootstrap statistical support. ACP-2 was enriched by CTNNB1 mutations (100% vs 56%, P = .0006), hypomethylated in CpG island, non-CpG Island sites, and globally (P < .001), and associated with greater tumor size (24.1 vs 9.5 cm3, P = .04). Enrichment analysis highlighted pathways on signaling transduction, transmembrane receptor, development of anatomical structures, cell adhesion, cytoskeleton organization, and cytokine binding, and cell type-specific biological processes as regulation of oligodendrocytes, keratinocyte, and epithelial cells differentiation.

CONCLUSION

Two clusters of patients with ACP were consistently revealed by unsupervised machine learning methods, with one of them significantly hypomethylated, enriched by CTNNB1 mutated ACPs, and associated with increased tumor size. Enrichment analysis reinforced pathways involved in tumor proliferation and in cell-specific tumoral microenvironment.

Gut microbiota composition and metabolic characteristics in patients with Craniopharyngioma

BACKGROUND

Emerging evidence suggests that the gut microbiota is associated with various intracranial neoplastic diseases. It has been observed that alterations in the gut microbiota are present in gliomas, meningiomas, and pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (Pit-NETs). However, the correlation between gut microbiota and craniopharyngioma (CP), a rare embryonic malformation tumor in the sellar region, has not been previously mentioned. Consequently, this study aimed to investigate the gut microbiota composition and metabolic patterns in CP patients, with the goal of identifying potential therapeutic approaches.

METHODS

We enrolled 15 medication-free and non-operated patients with CP and 15 healthy controls (HCs), conducting sequential metagenomic and metabolomic analyses on fecal samples to investigate changes in the gut microbiota of CP patients.

RESULTS

The composition of gut microbiota in patients with CP compared to HCs show significant discrepancies at both the genus and species levels. The CP group exhibits greater species diversity. And the metabolic patterns between the two groups vary markedly.

CONCLUSIONS

The gut microbiota composition and metabolic patterns in patients with CP differ significantly from the healthy population, presenting potential new therapeutic opportunities.

The Challenging Management of Craniopharyngiomas in Adults: Time for a Reappraisal?

Simple Summary

Craniopharyngiomas (CPs) currently represent one of the most challenging diseases to deal with in the group of skull base tumors. Due to their location near, within, or surrounding the pituitary gland and stalk, CPs can be revealed by pituitary tumor syndrome and/or symptoms of hormonal deficiencies. Furthermore, surgery, which represents the first-line therapy, almost always results in hypopituitarism, diabetes insipidus and, in the case of hypothalamic involvement by the tumor, the occurrence of hypothalamic syndrome. The latter is characterized by intractable weight gain associated with severe morbid obesity, memory impairment, attention deficit, reduced impulse control and, eventually, increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. Recent progress made in the understanding of the molecular pathways involved in CPs tumorigenesis paves the way for promising alternative therapeutic approaches and diagnostic procedures. Taken together, they lay the groundwork for new paradigms in the management of CPs in adults.

Abstract

Craniopharyngiomas (CPs) are rare tumors of the skull base, developing near the pituitary gland and hypothalamus and responsible for severe hormonal deficiencies and an overall increase in mortality rate. While surgery and radiotherapy represent the recommended first-line therapies for CPs, a new paradigm for treatment is currently emerging, as a consequence of accumulated knowledge concerning the molecular mechanisms involved in tumor growth, paving the way for anticipated use of targeted therapies. Significant clinical and basic research conducted in the field of CPs will undoubtedly constitute a real step forward for a better understanding of the behavior of these tumors and prevent associated complications. In this review, our aim is to summarize the multiple steps in the management of CPs in adults and emphasize the most recent studies that will contribute to advancing the diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms.