The role of stem cells in pituitary tumour formation.

Abstract

Pituitary tumours are intracranial neoplasms that pose significant clinical challenges due to their potential for recurrence, therapeutic resistance and resultant endocrine dysfunction and mass effects. In the normal anterior pituitary, resident pituitary stem cells (PSCs) contribute to tissue homeostasis and cellular turnover. The extent to which PSCs contribute to tumourigenesis is not known, but an increasing number of studies have been aiming to address this. In this review, we summarise current evidence implicating PSCs and tumour stem-like populations in pituitary tumour biology, including potential roles in tumour initiation, maintenance and progression. We outline practical criteria for defining tumour stem cells and evaluate findings from functional studies of human tumours, emerging single-cell and spatial transcriptomic datasets and murine lineage-tracing models. We also provide a curated overview of published single-cell RNA sequencing studies of pituitary tumours, highlighting reported stem/progenitor populations and transcriptional signatures across tumour subtypes and propose a framework for future genomic analyses. Finally, we discuss the translational implications of these findings, including the potential for targeting stem-like populations and their associated signalling pathways.