Table 1 Immune studies of PAs
From: Research advances on the immune research and prospect of immunotherapy in pituitary adenomas
Cell type and marker | Conclusion/distribution | Ref. | Population | Methods | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CD3 (T cells) | FPAs > NFPAs; GH adenomas > ACTH adenomas > PRL adenomas. | 67; 48 | Immunohistochemistry | 2020; 2016 | |
CD4 (T cells) | FPAs > NFPAs; GH adenomas > non-GH adenomas. T cell phenotype was the CD4+ memory resting phenotype. May have angiogenic effects. | 24; 134; 35; 48 | Immunohistochemistry | 2020 ;2020; 2015; 2016 | |
CD8 (T cells) | GH adenomas > non-GH adenomas. Positively correlated with serum PRL and intratumoral immunostaining of PRL and GH. Cavernous sinus invasion > non-invasive tumors. The number of CD8+ lymphocytes was positively correlated with the number of CD68+ macrophages. FPAs > NFPAs (especially GHomas). Cushing pituitary tumors had higher CD8+ T cells. | 134; 191; 35; 27; 64; 115 | Immunohistochemistry; Computational approach; RNA-seq.; | 2020; 2018; 2015; 2019; 2020; 2020 | |
FOXP3 (regulatory T cells) | AIP-mutated GH tumors > sporadic ones and NPG. Cavernous sinus invasion > non-invasive tumors. May have angiogenic effects. | 24; 27; 15 | Immunohistochemistry | 2020; 2019; 2019 | |
CD20 (B cells) | FPAs > NFPAs (especially GHomas). May have angiogenic effects. | 24; 115 | Immunohistochemistry; RNA-seq. | 2020; 2020 | |
CD45 (lymphocytes) | The CD45 staining in pituitary adenomas was significantly greater than that in normal pituitary. There was no statistically significant difference among the various secretory types. High (MIB-1 > 3%) proliferative indices > low (MIB-1 ≤ 3%) proliferative indices. | 48; 72 | Immunohistochemistry | 2016; 2010 | |
CD68 (macrophages) | The numbers of CD68+ cells showed a positive correlation with the tumor sizes and Knosp classification grades. Sparsely granulated GH and null cell tumors > densely granulated GH and ACTH tumors. AIP-mutated GH tumors > sporadic ones and NPG. The number of CD8+ lymphocytes was positively correlated with the number of CD68+ macrophages. Gonadotroph PitNETs present an increased CD68+ macrophage signature compared to somatotroph, lactotroph, and corticotroph PitNETs. The percentage of CD68+ and CD163+ infiltrating macrophages was significantly associated with the aggressiveness of gonadotropin tumors. Macrophages and NK cells are positively correlated. M2 macrophages > M1 macrophages. In the PA stroma, CD68+ macrophages > CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells. | 35; 134; 28;35; 64; 115; 15 | Immunohistochemistry; Computational approach; flow cytometry | 2021; 2020; 2020; 2015; 2020; 2020; 2019 | |
CD147 | Invasion tumors > non-invasive tumors. | [55] | 55 | Immunohistochemistry | 2005 |
CD163 | The most abundant type of immune cell in PitNETs, and mainly CD163 +. | [14] | 45 | immunohistochemistry | 2019 |
NK cells | Macrophages and NK cells are positively correlated. | [52] | 115 | Immunohistochemistry; RNA-seq. | 2020 |
Neutrophils | PitNETs contained fewer neutrophils. NF-PitNETs had more neutrophils than somatotropinomas. | [14] | 45 | Immunohistochemistry | 2019 |
CTLA-4 | There was no significant difference in CTLA-4 expression among tumor subtypes. | [52] | 115 | Immunohistochemistry; RNA-seq. | 2020 |
PD-1 | NFPAs>FPAs (especially GHomas). High (MIB-1 > 3%) proliferative indices > low (MIB-1 ≤ 3%) proliferative indices. | 48; 115 | Immunohistochemistry | 2016; 2020 | |
PD-L1 | FPAs > NFPAs (especially GHomas). Positively correlated with serum PRL and intratumoral immunostaining of PRL and GH. The score tended to be higher (p = 0.050) in the cavernous sinus invasion group. There was no difference between primary and recurrent adenomas. | 67; 191; 48; 27; 115; 55. | Immunohistochemistry; RNA-seq. | 2020; 2018; 2016; 2019; 2020; 2020 |