Molecular Advances in Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumors: From Growth Control to Plasticity and Evolutionary Pathogenesis

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to the Special Issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences entitled “Molecular Advances in Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumors: From Growth Control to Plasticity and Evolutionary Pathogenesis.”

Pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs) are common intracranial neoplasms and remain a significant cause of morbidity due to hormonal dysregulation and complex clinical management. Despite their prevalence, progress in understanding PitNET pathogenesis has been relatively slow, partly due to their heterogeneous biological behavior and molecular diversity.

Recent advances have demonstrated that PitNET development and progression are governed by multiple interconnected molecular pathways beyond cell proliferation alone, involving cellular plasticity, intrinsic heterogeneity, and diverse genetic and epigenetic programs. Emerging evidence highlights the relevance of processes such as cell death regulation, autophagy, stemness, senescence, mitochondrial function, and metabolic reprogramming in shaping tumor growth and developmental dynamics.

This Special Issue aims to integrate molecular, genetic, epigenetic, cellular, and clinical insights to advance current understanding of PitNET growth control, plasticity, and evolutionary pathogenesis. By bringing together high-quality original research and review articles spanning basic, translational, and clinical approaches, fully aligned with the scope of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, this focused collection seeks to refine tumor classification, improve prognostic stratification, and ultimately contribute to better clinical outcome prediction in pituitary tumor management.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Molecular and signaling pathways in pituitary tumors
• Cellular plasticity and tumor heterogeneity
• Epigenetic and regulatory growth control mechanisms
• Experimental models and translational approaches

We would be honored if you would consider contributing your work to this Special Issue.

We look forward to your participation.

Prof. Dr. Ana Lucía De Paul
Dr. Liliana del Valle Sosa
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the Special Issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.