Endocrine Abstracts

Steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1, NR5A1) is a transcription factor that plays an essential role in the development of adrenal glands and gonads. Multiple level regulation of SF-1 activity is exerted by interaction with cofactors, post-translational modifications and epigenetic gene expression regulation. Our studies involving both cell lines and transgenic mouse studies showed that an increased SF-1 dosage activates adrenocortical cell proliferation and causes adrenocortical neopl...

The adrenal cortex is a dynamic organ that undergoes self-renewal. In the mouse it is divided into two concentric layers, the outer zona glomerulosa (ZG) and the inner zona fasciculata (ZF), that secrete aldosterone and corticosterone, respectively. Capsular and subcapsular stem/progenitor cells differentiate and migrate in a centripetal fashion to repopulate the gland until they reach the juxtamedullary region where they undergo senescence and apoptosis. Our lab has previousl...

Introduction: The human fetal adrenals (HFA) produce high levels of steroids. The gland is distinguishable from the 7th gestational week and can be separated in two zones: the fetal zone in the center which correspond of 80 % of the gland and the definitive zone in the periphery. At this time of the development, neural crest cells are reaching the adrenal primordium, producing catecholamines. A third zone, the transitional zone appears later in the early 2nd</s...