Skip to main content
Log in

Silver-staining nucleolar organizer region quantification in pituitary adenomas

  • Clinical Research
  • Published:
Endocrine Pathology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) are segments of DNA, encoding for ribosomal RNA. They are associated with argyrophilic proteins and, thus, they can be localized through silver staining. A correlation has been shown between the number, the size, or the intranuclear localization of AgNORs, and the proliferative activity of cells. The aim of this study was to examine numerous features of AgNORs in pituitary adenomas and to relate them to immunohistochemical typing of tumor. Histologic slides from 32 pituitary tumors and one normal pituitary were silver-stained and analyzed with a computerized system for microscopic image analysis, supported by an AgNORmeter95 program. All the tumors were also immunocyto chemically characterized. We have found that gonadotropinomas, when compared with plurihormonal adenomas, revealed a lower proportion of nuclei with a single AgNOR and a higher percentage of marginal dots. Recurrent adenomas, when compared with primary adenomas, showed a higher proportion of nuclei with three AgNOR dots, a larger total area of dots in the nuclei, and a higher standard deviation of the AgNOR dot area in the nucleus. Adenomas immunopositive for prolactin, when compared with immunonegative ones, showed a larger mean area of the AgNOR dot, a larger area of the biggest dot in the nucleus, and a higher proportion of nuclei within a single dot. These results suggest that the estimated parameters of AgNOR dots differ according to tumor aggressiveness and to the hormone immunopositivity of pituitary adenomas.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Derenzini M, Trere D. AgNOR proteins as a parameter of the rapidity of cell proliferation. Zentralbl Pathol 140:7–10, 1994.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Trere D. Critical analysis of the methods commonly employed in the assessment of cell proliferation: advantages of the NOR silverstaining technique in routine cyto-histopathology. Anal Cell Pathol 5:191–201, 1993.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. McNicol AM, Colgan J, McMeekin W, Teasdale GM. Nucleolar organiser regions in pituitary adenomas. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 77:547–549, 1989.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Bayindir C, Dogan O, Unal F, Dervisoglu S. Nucleolar organizer regions in pituitary gland adenomas. Cytopathology 3:223–229, 1992.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Shibuya M, Saito F, Miwa T, Davis RL, Wilson CB, Hoshino T. Histochemical study of pituitary adenomas with Ki-67 and anti-DNA polymerase alpha monoclonal antibodies, bromodeoxyuridine labeling, and nucleolar organizer region counts. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 84:178–183, 1992.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Uma B, Chacko G, Chandy MJ. Argyrophilic nucleolar organizer region proteins (AgNORs) as an index of clinical and radiological invasiveness in pituitary adenomas. Br J Neurosurg 12:582–584, 1998.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Stefaneanu L, Horvath E, Kovacs K. Argyrophil organizer region (AgNORs) in adenohypophysial cells and adenomas of the human pituitary. Modern Pathol 2:192–199, 1989.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Ploton D, Menager M, Jeanneson P, Himber G, Pigeon F, Adnett JJ. Improvement in the staining and visualization of the argyrophylic proteins of the nucleolar organizer regions at the optical level. Histochem J 18:5–14, 1986.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Howat AJ, Giri DD, Cotton DWK, Slater DN. Nucleolar organizer regions in Spitz nevi and malignant melanomas. Cancer 63:474–478, 1989.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Ahiskali R, Alican Y, Ekicioglu G, Çevik I, Küllü S, Akdas A. Evaluation of three different AgNOR counting methods in advanced carcinoma of the prostate. Prostate 26:105–110, 1995.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Klencki M, Slowinska-Klencka D, Lewinski A. Quantitative analysis of argyrophilic nucleolar organising regions (AGNORs) with specialised Windows95/NT application. Computers in Medicine 5th ed. Kacki E, ed., Lodz: Polish Society of Medical Informatics. Vol. I:81–84, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Hufnagl P, Guski H, Schultz HJ. Measuring of AgNORs using image analysis. Zentralbl Pathol 140:31–35, 1994.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Jewell SD, Cordial CR. Silver staining of nucleolar organizer regions. J Histotechnol 19:241–256, 1996.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Ghadially FN. Diagnostic electron microscopy of tumors. London: Butterworths, 1985.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Montironi R, Braccischi A, Scarpelli M. Value of quantitative nucleolar features in the preoperative cytological diagnosis of follicular neoplasias of the thyroid. J Clin Pathol 44:509–514, 1991.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Montironi R, Scarpelli M, Braccischi A. Quantitative analysis of nucleolar margination in diagnostic cytopathology. Virch Arch [A] 419:505–512, 1991.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Szymas J, Hufnagl P, Liebert W. Invasive pituitary macroadenomas and nucleolar organizer region (AgNOR) counts. E J Pathol 981-07.txt, 1998.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marek Pawlikowski MD, PhD.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Słowińska-Klencka, D., Klencki, M., Dedecjus, M. et al. Silver-staining nucleolar organizer region quantification in pituitary adenomas. Endocr Pathol 11, 173–178 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1385/EP:11:2:173

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/EP:11:2:173

Key Words

Navigation