Journal
JOURNAL OF THE ENDOCRINE SOCIETY
Volume 7, Issue 12, Pages -Publisher
ENDOCRINE SOC
DOI: 10.1210/jendso/bvad131
Keywords
adrenal cortex; primary aldosteronism; spatial transcriptomics; RNA; steroid hormones
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This study investigated the cell differentiation model in the human adrenal cortex and characterized aldosterone-producing micronodules (APMs) using spatially resolved in situ transcriptomics. The findings supported the centripetal differentiation model in humans and identified heterogeneity between APMs.
The human adrenal gland consists of concentrically organized, functionally distinct regions responsible for hormone production. Dysregulation of adrenocortical cell differentiation alters the proportion and organization of the functional zones of the adrenal cortex leading to disease. Current models of adrenocortical cell differentiation are based on mouse studies, but there are known organizational and functional differences between human and mouse adrenal glands. This study aimed to investigate the centripetal differentiation model in the human adrenal cortex and characterize aldosterone-producing micronodules (APMs) to better understand adrenal diseases such as primary aldosteronism. We applied spatially resolved in situ transcriptomics to human adrenal tissue sections from 2 individuals and identified distinct cell populations and their positional relationships. The results supported the centripetal differentiation model in humans, with cells progressing from the outer capsule to the zona glomerulosa, zona fasciculata, and zona reticularis. Additionally, we characterized 2 APMs in a 72-year-old woman. Comparison with earlier APM transcriptomes indicated a subset of core genes, but also heterogeneity between APMs. The findings contribute to our understanding of normal and pathological cellular differentiation in the human adrenal cortex.
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