Expression pattern of lncRNAs in pituitary adenomas

Non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) are a group of pituitary tumors lacking manifestations linked to high hormone production, such as acromegaly and Cushing's syndrome. NFPA carcinogenesis depends on several molecular players. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of molecular players whose role in tumorigenesis has just recently been recognized. In the current study, we appraised expressions of 5 lncRNAs, namely FGD5-AS1, ATP6V0E2-AS1, ARHGAP5-AS1, WWC2-AS2 and EPB41L4A-AS1 in NFPAs versus their corresponding non-tumoral samples. Expressions of ATP6V0E2-AS1, EPB41L4A-AS1, FGD5-AS1 and WWC2-AS2 were signifi-cantly increased in NFPA samples compared with adjacent non-tumoral samples (P values = 0.037, 0.007, 0.008 and 0.03, respectively). However, expression of ARHGAP5-AS1 was not different between NFPA samples and controls (P value = 0.62). EPB41L4A-AS1 and FGD5-AS1 could discriminate between NFPA samples and adjacent non-tumoral samples (P values = 0.03 and 0.04, respectively). However, the AUC values were not appropriate. There was a significant positive association between age of NFPA patients and invasiveness of NFPA (& chi;2 = 4.24, P value = 0.039). Moreover, there was a significant positive association between diseases duration and CSF leak (& chi;2 = 11.4, p value = 0.023). Finally, there was a significant positive association between tumor size and Knosp classification (& chi;2 = 11.5, p value = 0.02) and invasiveness of NFPA (& chi;2 = 6.12, p value = 0.04). The current study provides information about dysregulation of lncRNAs in NFPAs and warrants additional studies in this field.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the expression of 5 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) and found that the expression of ATP6V0E2-AS1, EPB41L4A-AS1, FGD5-AS1, and WWC2-AS2 was significantly increased in NFPAs. However, the expression of ARHGAP5-AS1 did not differ. Additionally, there were significant positive associations between age of NFPA patients and invasiveness of NFPA, diseases duration and CSF leak, as well as tumor size and Knosp classification and invasiveness of NFPA. This study provides valuable information on lncRNA dysregulation in NFPAs and calls for further research in this field.