• Florence Lefranc, Tatjana Mijatovic, Christine Decaestecker, Herbert Kaltner, Sabine André, Jacques Brotchi, Isabelle Salmon, Hans-Joachim Gabius, and Robert Kiss.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Erasmus University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium.
• Neurosurgery. 2005 Apr 1; 56 (4): 763-76.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to identify biological markers that may be involved in the adhesiveness of craniopharyngiomas to optical chiasms and/or pituitary stalks.MethodsWe determined the complete pattern of integrin expression in three craniopharyngiomas by means of a complementary deoxyribonucleic acid microarray. We quantitatively determined the levels of immunohistochemical expression of the different integrins in a series of 37 cases and the pattern of immunohistochemical expression of 10 extracellular matrix components (acting as integrin ligands) in 7 optical chiasms and 11 pituitary stalks. We also quantitatively (computer-assisted microscopy) determined the levels of immunohistochemical expression of galectin-1, -3, -4, -7, and -8 in 50 adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas.ResultsThe present study shows that at both the ribonucleic acid and protein levels, adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas express the alpha2, alpha6, alpha(v), beta1, beta5, and beta8 integrin subunits, whereas optical chiasms and pituitary stalks express vitronectin, thrombospondin, and various forms of collagens.ConclusionOur data suggest that at least part of the adhesiveness of craniopharyngiomas to the surrounding tissue, such as optical chiasms and pituitary stalks, could be explained by the interactions between alpha(2beta1) integrin expressed by craniopharyngiomas and collagens on the one hand, and vitronectin expressed by the surrounding tissue on the other hand. In addition, a Cox regression analysis has revealed that the levels of galectin-4 contribute significant information toward the delay in recurrence independently of surgical status.

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