Relationship between ring finger protein 1 expression and KNOSP grading in pituitary adenomas

Objective To study ring finger protein 1 (RING1) gene expression in pituitary adenomas and its association with KNOSP grading. Methods Sixty human hypophysis cerebri adenoma tissue specimens, accepted surgery and conformed by pathology in our hospital from January 2011 and December 2013, were chosen in our study; KNOSP grade I-II was noted 17 specimens and KNOSP grade III-IV was noted in 43 specimens. Immunohistochemical staining was employed to detect the expressions of RING1 and Ki-67 in pituitary adenomas. Results Specimens from KNOSP grade III-IV had significantly larger numbers of RING1 and Ki-67 positive cells than those from KNOSP grade I-II (P 0.05); RING1 expression percentage in specimens from KNOSP grade III-IV (76.7%) was significantly higher than that in those from grade I-II (47.1%, P<0.05). Conclusion RING1 expression is positively correlated with KNOSP grading, and deeper study about RING1 could help to find new treatment target of pituitary adenoma. Key words: Pituitary adenoma; Ring finger protein 1; Nuclear proliferation-associated antigen; KNOSP grading