Endocrine Abstracts

Adrenocortical Carcinoma (Adrenal Cancer or ACC) is a rare malignancy. It requires multidisciplinary care to manage the multiple endocrine and oncologic manifestations of the disease. We will use the recently published international ACC Guidelines to illustrate essential components of the standard of care work-up, diagnosis, and management of ACC. As an understanding of genetics is becoming increasingly mainstream in cancer biology and care including adrenocortical carcinoma (...

The long range objective of my laboratory is to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which signaling pathways and downstream transcription factors coordinate the specification of adrenocortical cells within the adrenal gland in health and disease. Recent efforts examine the hypothesis that Wnt/βcatenin signaling maintains the functional capacity of the adrenal cortex though the regulation of undifferentiated adrenocortical cell fate. Dysregulation of this s...

The adrenal glands serve as central organs of the endocrine system by producing steroid hormone essential for organismal homeostasis. Mechanisms ensuring proper adrenal homeostasis and function are therefore crucial for maintaining human life. ACTH, released by the pituitary corticotrope, is required for the differentiation of the inner part of the adrenal cortex (the zona fasciculata) and the resultant stimulation of cortisol production. Perturbation of ACTH signaling can lea...

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and aggressive cancer that originates from steroidogenic cells within the adrenal cortex. The most common alteration in ACC patients is inactivation of the transmembrane E3 ubiquitin-ligase Zinc and Ring Finger 3 (ZNRF3), which is responsible for inhibiting the canonical WNT/Beta-catenin pathway. Using Cre/loxP strategy, we showed that inactivation of Znrf3 in the adrenal cortex resulted in an initial hyperplasia by 6-weeks, af...