ABSTRACT
Objective: To screen for differentially expressed genes associated with the development and progression of human growth hormone adenoma, so as to lay a foundation for future study. Methods: The whole genome oligonucleotide microarray (Affymetrix 133 plus 2.0) was used to examine gene profiles of 8 growth homone adenoma samples and 2 normal pooled pituitary samples. Differentially expressed genes were subjected to bioinformatics analysis. Real-time qPCR was used to verify the microarray result of a randomly selected candidate gene. Results: A total of 187 up-regulated genes and 899 down-regulated genes associated with growth hormone adenoma were screened out, with their functions mainly associated with molecular binding, apoptosis/tumor, metabolism, signal transduction, cell cycle, and transportation activities. Conclusion: Microarray technology can be used for preliminary screen of growth hormone adenoma associated genes. The development and progression of growth homone adenoma are complex processes involving multiple genes, molecules, and pathways.