Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Pituitary adenomas are monoclonal neoplasms that may be either functional (hormone-secreting) or non-functional. The processes associated with pituitary tumor development and progression are mostly unknown. Remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell adhesion were suggested to be involved in pituitary tumorigenesis. Heparanase, an endoglycosidase capable of degrading heparan sulfate, the main polysaccharide constituent of the ECM, is implicated in diverse...