Abstract
We have studied 20 pineal parenchymal tumors (PPT) and 4 normal or cystic pineal glands both by light and electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry with antibodies against glial markers [glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and protein S-100] or neural/neuroendocrine markers [neurofilaments (NF), synaptophysin and chromogranin A]. Light microscopy revealed the cellular organization of pinealocytes in the normal gland and in different morphological types of pineal tumors (typical pineocytomas, PPT with intermediate differentiation, mixed PPT exhibiting elements of both pineocytoma and pineoblastoma and pineoblastomas). Immunohistochemistry showed the presence of GFAP and protein S-100 in interstitial cells in nonneoplastic pineal gland. Cell processes were labeled with anti-synaptophysin and anti-NF antibodies. No immunoreactivity was found for chromogranin A in non-neoplastic pineal gland. In pineocytomas, GFAP and protein S-100 were observed in interstitial cells. Synaptophysin and NF were present in the large rosettes of pineocytomas. Synaptophysin, NF and chromogranin A were present in pineocytomas with a lobular arrangement of cells. Anti-chromogranin A immuno-reactivity was also seen in lobular areas of some PPT with intermediate differentiation. Analysis of normal human pineal gland by electron microscopy showed the presence of vesicle-crowned rodlets (VCR or synaptic ribbons), fibrous filaments (F), paired twisted filaments but few dense-core vesicles (DCV) in normal pinealocytes. Tumoral pineal cells appeared to differentiate either towards a neurosensory pathway characterized by the presence of sensory cells elements (VCR and F), or towards a neuroendocrine pathway, with the occurrence of many DCV. Immunogold labeling demonstrated the presence of chromogranin A in neurosecretory granules.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bhatnagar KP (1992) The ultrastructure of mammalian pinealocytes: a systematic investigation. Microsc Res 21: 85–115
Borit A, Blackwood W (1979) Pineocytoma with astrocytomatous differentiation. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 38: 253–258
Borit A, Blackwood W, Mair WGO (1980) The separation of pineocytoma from pineoblastoma. Cancer 45: 1408–1418
Coca S, Vaquero J, Escandon J, Moreno M, Peralba J, Rodriguez J (1992) Immunohistochemical characterization of pineocytomas. Clin Neuropathol 6: 298–303
Collin JP (1979) Recent advances in pineal cytochemistry. Evidence of the production of indoleamines and proteinaceous substances by rudimentary photoreceptor cells and pinealocytes of amniota. Prog Brain Res 52: 271–291
Collins VP (1987) Pineocytoma with neuronal differentiation demonstrated immunocytochemically. A case report. Acta Pathol Microbiol Immunol Scand 95: 113–117
De Girolami U, Schmidek H (1973) Clinicopathological study of 53 tumors of the pineal region. J Neurosurg 39: 455–463
De Girolami U, Zvaigzne O (1973) Modification of the Achucarro-Hortega pineal stain for paraffin embedded formalin-fixed tissue. Stain Technol 48: 48–50
Fukushima T, Tomonaga M, Sawada T, Iwasaki H (1990) Pineocytoma with neuronal differentiation. Case Report. Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo) 30: 63–68
Glasberg MR, Kirkpatrick JW, Neuwelt EA (1979) Pineal parenchymal tumors. A light and ultrastructural study. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 38: 314
Gould VE, Lee I, Wiedenmann B, Moll R, Chejfec G, Franke W (1986) Synaptophysin: a novel marker for neurons, certain neuroendocrine cells and their neoplasms. Hum Pathol 17: 979–983
Hammar S, Gould VE (1988) Neuroendocrine neoplasma. In: Azar HA (ed) Pathology of human neoplasms. An Atlas of diagnostic electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. Raven Press, New York, pp 333–404
Hasegawa A, Shimada H, Izumiyama N, Ohtsubo K (1991) Paired twisted filaments in human pinealocytes. Acta Pathol Jpn 41: 265–269
Hassoun J, Gambarelli D, Peragut JC, Toga M (1983) Specific ultrastructural markers of human pinealomas. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 62: 31–40
Hassoun J, Devictor B, Gambarelli D, Peragut JC, Toga M (1984) Paired twisted filaments: a new ultrastructural marker of human pinealomas? Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 65: 163–165
Hearn S (1987) Electron microscopic localization of chromagranin A in osmium-fixed neuroendocrine cells with a protein A-gold technique. J Histochem Cytochem 35: 795–801
Herrick M, Rubinstein (1979) The cytological differentiating potential of pineal parenchymal neoplasms (true pinealomas). A clinicopathological study of 28 tumours. Brain 102: 289–320
Huang SK, Klein DC, Korf HW (1992) Immunocytochemical demonstration of rod-opsin, S-antigen, and neuron-specific proteins in the human pineal gland. Cell Tissue Res 267: 493–498
Illum N, Korf HW, Julian K, Rasmussen T, Herning M, Krabbe S (1992) Concurrent uveoretinitis and pineocytoma in a child suggests a causal relationship. Br J Ophtalmol 76: 574–576
Karasek M, Reiter RJ (1992) Morphofunctional aspects of the mammalian pineal gland. Microsc Res 21: 136–157
Kleihues P, Burger PC, Scheithauer BW (1993) Histological typing of tumours of the central nervous system. World health organization. International histological classification of tumours, 2nd edn. Springer, Berlin
Kleinert R (1991) Immunohistochemical characterization of primitive neuroectodermal tumors and their possible relationship to the stepwise ontogenic development of the central nervous system. Acta Neuropathol 82: 508–515
Kline KT, Damjanov I, Moriber-Katz S, Schmidek H (1979) Pineoblastoma: an electron microscopic study. Cancer 44: 1692–1699
Korf HW, Klein DC, Zigler JS, Gery I, Schachenmayr W (1986) S-antigen-like immunoreactivity in a human pineocytoma. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 69: 165–167
Korf HW, White BH, Schaad NC, Klein DC (1992) Recoverin in pineal organs and retinae of various vertebrate species including man. Brain Res 595: 57–66
Kurumado K, Mori W (1976) Synaptic ribbon in human pinealocyte. Acta Pathol Jpn 26: 381–384
Kurumado K, Mori W (1977) A morphological study on the pineal gland of human embryo. Acta Pathol Jpn 27: 527–531
Lopes MBS, Gonzales Fernandez F, Scheithauer BW, Vandenberg SR (1993) Differential expression of retinal proteins in a pineal parenchymal tumor. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 52: 516–524
Lowenthal A, Flament-Durand J, Karcher D, Noppe M, Brion JP (1982) Glial cells identified by anti-alpha-albumin (anti-GFA) in human pineal gland. J Neurochem 38: 863–865
MacDowell EM, Trump BF (1976) Histologic fixatives suitable for diagnostic light and electron microscopy. Arch Pathol Lab Med 100: 405–414
Markesbery WR, Haugh RM, Young AB (1981) Ultrastructure of pineal parenchymal neoplasms. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 55: 134–149
Meiniel A (1981) New aspects of the phylogenetic evolution of sensory cell lines in th vertebrate pineal complex. In: Oksche A, Pevet P (eds) The pineal organ: photobiology, biochronometry, endocrinology. Elsevier, North Holland Biomedical Press, Amsterdam, pp 27–47
Mirshahi M, Faure JP, Brisson P, Falcon J, Guerlotte J, Collin JP (1984) S-antigen immunoreactivity in retinal rods and cones and pineal photosensitive cells. Biol Cell 52: 195–198
Møller M (1974) The ultrastructure of the human fetal pineal gland. I. Cell types and blood vessels. Cell Tissue Res 152: 13–30
Møller M (1976) The ultrastructure of the human fetal pineal gland. II. Innervation and cell junctions. Cell Tissue Res 169: 7–21
Nielsen SL, Wilson CB (1975) Ulstrastructure of a “pineocytoma”. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 34: 148–158
Okuda Y, Taomoto K, Saya H, Ijichi A, Kokunai T, Tamaki M, Matsumoto S (1988) Pineoblastoma with neuronal differentiation — Immunohistochemical and immunocytochemical studies. J Neurooncol 6: 193–198
Papasozomenos SCH (1983) Glial fibrillary acidic (GFA) protein-containing cells in the human pineal gland. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 42: 391–408
Perentes E, Rubinstein LJ, Herman MM, Donoso LA (1986) S-antigen immunoreactivity in human pineal glands and pineal parenchymal tumors. A monoclonal antibody study. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 71: 224–227
Petit A (1971) L'épiphyse d'un serpent: Tropodonotus natrix L. Etude structurale et ultrastructurale. Z Zellforsch 120: 94–119
Pévet P (1977) On the presence of different populations of pinealocytes in the mammalian pineal gland. J Neural Transm 40: 289–304
Pévet P (1979) Secretory processes in the mammalian pinealocytes under natural and experimental conditions. Prog Brain Res 52: 149–194
Redecker P, Bargstein G (1993) Synaptophysin-A common constituent of presumptive secretory microvesicles in the mammalian pinealocyte: a study of rat and gerbil pineal glands. J Neurosci Res 34: 79–96
Rorke LB, Gilles FH, Davis RL, Becker LE (1985) Revision of the world Health Organization classification of brain tumors for childhood brain tumors. Cancer 56: 1869–1886
Rubinstein LJ (1981) Cytogenesis and differentiation of pineal neoplasms. Hum Pathol 12: 441–448
Schild SE, Scheithauer BW, Schomberg PJ, Hook CC, Kelly PJ, Frick L, Robinow JS, Biskirk SJ (1993) Pineal parenchymal tumors. Clinical, pathologic and therapeutic aspects. Cancer 72: 870–880
Tapp E, Huxley M (1972) The histological appearance of the human pineal gland from puberty to old age. J Pathol 108: 137–144
Tracy PT, Hanigan WC, Kalyan-Raman UP (1986) Radiological and pathological findings in three cases of childhood pineocytomas. Child's Nerv Syst 2: 297–300
Vaquero J, Coca S, Martinez R, Escandon J (1990) Papillary pineocytoma. Case report. J Neurosurg 73: 135–137
Vaquero J, Ramiro J, Martinez R, Coca S, Bravo G (1990) Clinicopathological experience with pineocytomas: report of five surgically treated cases. Neurosurgery 27: 612–618
Varakis JN, Zurhein GM (1976) Experimental pineocytoma of the syrian hamster induced by a human papovavirus (JC): a light and electron microscopic study. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 35: 243–246
Wartenberg H (1968) The mammalian pineal organ: electron microscopic studies on the fine structure of pinealocytes, glial cells and on the perivascular compartment. Z Zellforsch 86: 74–97
Zimmerman BL, Tso MOM (1975) Morphologic evidence of photoreceptor differentiation of pinealocytes in the neonatal rat. J Cell Biol 66: 60–75
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Supported by grants from the Région Rhône Alpes and from INSERM (CJF 90-10)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jouvet, A., Derrington, E., Pialat, J. et al. Structural and ultrastructural characteristics of human pineal gland, and pineal parenchymal tumors. Acta Neuropathol 88, 334–348 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00310377
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00310377