{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,27]],"date-time":"2026-09-27T03:54:33Z","timestamp":1790481273385,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","content-domain":{"domain":["eje.bioscientifica.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[1997,12,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>This study analyzed the structural differences of the carbohydrate chains of circulating free alpha-submit (alpha-SU) hypersecreted in various non-tumoral (primary hypothyroids, postmenopausal women, patients with chronic uremia, normal fetuses) and tumoral (gut carcinoids, TSH-, GH- and pure alpha-secreting pituitary adenomas) clinical conditions. Carbohydrate structures of free alpha-SU were investigated by means of lectin affinity chromatography using Concanavalin A (Con-A), which allows the separation of free alpha-SU in three different fractions (unbound = UB, weakly bound = WB and firmly bound = FB) depending on the nature and maturation of glycosylated chains. The concentrations of alpha-SU in serum and in Con-A fractions were measured by a sensitive and specific IRMA. Free alpha-SU hypersecreted from postmenopausal women, primary hypothyroids, and patients with chronic uremia showed similar binding patterns to Con-A, the percentage of UB fractions (UB: 44.5 +\/- 1.9%, 39.5 +\/- 3.8%, 48.2 +\/- 5.6% respectively) being higher than both WB and FB fractions (WB: 33.2 +\/- 1.4%, 30.7 +\/- 4.6%, 28.5 +\/- 2.1%; FB: 22.3 +\/- 0.7%, 29.8 +\/- 6.6%, 23.3 +\/- 4.2% respectively). In normal fetuses the amount of UB fraction was very high (UB: 70.7 +\/- 5.4%). Free alpha-SU from patients with TSH- and GH-secreting adenomas showed a binding pattern to Con-A significantly different from that observed in postmenopausal women taken as controls, the WB fractions being significantly higher (WB: 56.9 +\/- 16.8% and 71 +\/- 12.4% respectively, P &lt; 0.001). A typical pattern of elution on Con-A, characterized by a prevalence of immature alpha-SU molecules eluted in the FB fraction, was found in patients with pure alpha-secreting adenomas. This chromatographic behavior was significantly different from that seen in the controls, as well as in other pituitary tumors and in gut carcinoids (FB: 41.8 +\/- 5.0%, 22.3 +\/- 0.7%, 16.8 +\/- 6.6%, 10.6 +\/- 2.0% respectively). Moreover, in these latter patients the pattern of free alpha-SU binding was exactly the opposite of that observed in pure alpha-secreting adenomas, with a prevalence of mature alpha-SU molecules (UB: 59.1 +\/- 4.4 vs 18.3 +\/- 7.2%). In conclusion, our data on Con-A affinity chromatography clearly demonstrate that carbohydrate branching of circulating free alpha-SU varies in patients with pituitary adenomas as compared with patients with gut carcinoids or other non-tumoral conditions. Moreover, the finding of a greater proportion of circulating free alpha-SU forms that firmly bind to Con-A in patients with pure alpha-secreting adenomas, seems to be pathognomonic of non-functioning pituitary adenomas.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1530\/eje.0.1370709","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2005,1,24]],"date-time":"2005-01-24T21:34:41Z","timestamp":1106602481000},"page":"709-714","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1530\/crossmarkpolicy-1","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Unique binding pattern to concanavalin A lectin of glycoprotein hormones alpha-subunit hypersecreted by non-functioning pituitary adenomas"],"prefix":"10.1093","author":[{"given":"C","family":"Asteria","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"L","family":"Persani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M","family":"Ferrari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"P","family":"Beck-Peccoz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","container-title":["European Journal of Endocrinology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/eje.bioscientifica.com\/view\/journals\/eje\/137\/6\/709.xml","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/eje.bioscientifica.com\/view\/journals\/eje\/137\/6\/709.xml","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,14]],"date-time":"2023-02-14T16:24:41Z","timestamp":1676391881000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/ejendo\/article\/137\/6\/709\/6755356"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[1997,12,1]]},"references-count":0,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1530\/eje.0.1370709","relation":{},"ISSN":["0804-4643","1479-683X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0804-4643","type":"print"},{"value":"1479-683X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[1997,12,1]]}}}