Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Bilateral macronodular adrenal disease (BMAD, former PBMAH) is a rare cause of Cushing’s syndrome. The few morphologic descriptions of BMAD mention multinodular hyperplastic adrenal glands composed of clear spongiocytic cells and fewer compact eosinophilic cells without any morphologic variation. The discovery of ARMC5 and KDM1A mutations argues for genetic heterogeneity. The aim of this work was to describe the morphological and immunohist...

ARMC5 is a tumor suppressor gene responsible for 20 to 40% of Primary Bilateral Macronodular Adrenal Hyperplasia (PBMAH) with a function that remains unclear. Based on pathway analysis from RNAseq results obtained on zebrafish models of transient Armc5 up- and down-regulation, we identified transcriptional alterations of several members of SIRT1 (sirtuin (silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog) 1) signaling in our models and hypothesized that ARM...

Introduction: Primary Bilateral Macronodular Adrenal Hyperplasia (PBMAH) is a rare cause of ACTH-independent Cushing syndrome. It is characterized by the development of supracentimetric nodules resulting in increased adrenal volume and weight. Its presentation is clinically, radiologically and biologically heterogeneous. Morphological descriptions of PBMAH are rare. Although the initial description highlights that multinodular hyperplastic adrenal glands are made of a majority...

Introduction: Bilateral macronodular adrenal disease (BMAD) is a genetically heterogeneous disease that can be caused by ARMC5 or KDM1A alterations. Indeed, a germline and somatic event leading to a bi-allelic inactivation of ARMC5 or KDM1A are responsible for 20 and 1% of BMAD cases, respectively. Genetic analysis identified three molecular groups: ARMC5, KDM1A and no genetic cause known to date. Although there is a high h...

Background: Germline mutations of ARMC5 (Armadillo repeat containing 5 gene) were identified as a frequent cause of primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (PBMAH). ARMC5 is considered as a tumor suppressor gene regulating apoptosis and steroidogenesis by unknown mechanisms. The ARMC5 protein contains a N-terminal domain made of Armadillo (ARM) repeats and a C-terminal ‘Bric-a-Brac, Tramtrack, Broad-complex/Pox virus and Zinc finger (BTB/POZ)&...

Introduction: Germline inactivating ARMC5 (Armadillo repeat containing 5) mutations are responsible for Primary Bilateral Macronodular Adrenal Hyperplasia (PBMAH). ARMC5 presents the characteristics of a tumor suppressor gene. Mutations are observed in more than 85% of patients with a clear familial presentation and 20 to 25% of apparently sporadic cases. Genetic alterations are spread all over ARMC5 coding sequence and more than two-third of them ar...

Introduction: Alterations of the cAMP signaling pathway are described in adrenal tumors causing Cushing syndrome, specifically mutations in the gene coding for the protein kinase A (PKA) catalytic subunit alpha (PRAKCA) in cortisol producing adenomas (CPA) with overt Cushing syndrome.Materiel and Methods: Eight CPAs without PRKACA mutations were analyzed by whole exome sequencing. Direct sequencing of PRAKCB encoding for the catalytic subunit beta (C&#94...

Introduction: Adrenocortical Carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and aggressive tumor with poor prognosis. Up to now, CTNNB1 (βcatenin) and TP53 mutations were the most frequent alterations identified in ACC. By a combination of genomic approaches, we have recently analyzed a cohort of 122 ACC (European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumors, ENSAT). This work confirmed recurrent alterations in CTNNB1 and TP53 and revealed new genes not previous...

In the normal adrenal gland, serotonin (5-HT) stimulates cortisol secretion through activation of 5-HT4 receptors whereas, in some macronodular adrenal hyperplasia tissues, the corticotropic effect of 5-HT is mediated by ectopic 5-HT7 receptors. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of 5-HT in the control of cortisol secretion in PPNAD tissues from 12 patients by using molecular, immunohistochemical and pharmacological approaches. RT-PCR studies revealed ove...

ACTH-independent macronodular hyperplasia (AIMAH) affects both adrenals, and familial forms are reported, suggesting a genetic origin. Rare mutations have been reported in several genes, including Gs alpha (GNAS), Phosphodiesterase 11A (PDE11A), Fumarate Hydratase (FH), and the Glucocorticoids receptor (GR).Objective: To assess the prevalence known genes mutations, and identify new candidate genes in AIMAH.Design and methods: Germl...