Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: The pathogenesis of sporadic adrenocortical tumors is poorly elucidated. Considering the importance of the adrenal cortex at the immune-neuroendocrine interface and the known actions of immune mediators on adrenocortical cell functioning, we supposed that immune or inflammatory factors might be involved in the pathogenesis of these tumors. Gene expression patterns of various inflammatory and immune mediators were studied by a functional genomics/bioinformatics ap...

Introduction: MicroRNAs (miRNA) are non-coding RNA molecules involved in the posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression. MiRNAs bind mRNA molecules at their 3′ untranslated regions and induce translational repression or target degradation. MiRNAs play important roles in the pathogenesis of several neoplasms. There are no reports, however, on the possible involvement of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of adrenocortical tumors.Objective: To study s...

Introduction: The adrenal cortex is highly involved at the immune-neuroendocrine interface, and several cytokines are known to influence the proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and hormone production of adrenocortical cells. We therefore hypothesized that immune mediators might be involved in adrenal tumorigenesis, as well. Gene expression patterns of various inflammatory and immune mediators were studied by a functional genomics/bioinformatics approach.<p class="abs...