1. ¹Department of Pathology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan
2. ²Department of Neurosurgery, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan

Correspondence: R. Y. Osamura, Department of Pathology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan. e-mail: osamura@is.icc.u-tokai.ac.jp; fax: 81-463-91-1370.

Accepted 4 April 2001.

Abstract

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an important cytokine in cell proliferation and differentiation in several organs. It has also been reported that IL-6 plays a role in secretion or release of pituitary hormones in pituitary hormone–secreting cells and pituitary adenomas, but convincing data in situ have not yet been reported. In this study, we examined the participation of IL-6 in the production of pituitary hormones and the differences between human normal pituitary glands and pituitary adenomas by determination of the localization or expression of IL-6, IL-6 receptor (IL-6R, gp80), and the signal-transducing subunit (gp130) of the receptor using immunohistochemical staining and RT-PCR. IL-6 was mainly expressed in ACTH- and FSH/LH-secreting cells in normal pituitary glands, as shown by double staining. gp 80 and gp130 were coexpressed in almost all GH- and PRL-secreting cells and in approximately 30% of FSH/LH-secreting cells. RT-PCR showed that IL-6 mRNA was expressed in only one of all the pituitary adenomas examined, whereas gp 80 and gp 130 mRNAs were detected in all these pituitary adenomas. In conclusion, IL-6 was mainly expressed in ACTH- and FSH/LH-secreting cells, and the receptors were expressed in GH-, PRL- and FSH/LH-secreting cells in human normal pituitary glands. Furthermore, our data emphasized that the mechanism of IL-6 function in human pituitary adenoma cells is distinct from that in normal pituitary cells.