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Review
. 2011 Apr 10;336(1-2):206-12.
doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2010.11.012. Epub 2010 Nov 20.

Adrenocortical stem and progenitor cells: unifying model of two proposed origins

Michelle A Wood  1 , Gary D Hammer
Affiliations
Review

Adrenocortical stem and progenitor cells: unifying model of two proposed origins

Michelle A Wood et al. Mol Cell Endocrinol. .

Abstract

The origins of our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which signaling pathways and downstream transcription factors coordinate the specification of adrenocortical cells within the adrenal gland have arisen from studies on the role of Sf1 in steroidogenesis and adrenal development initiated 20 years ago in the laboratory of Dr. Keith Parker. Adrenocortical stem/progenitor cells have been predicted to be undifferentiated and quiescent cells that remain at the periphery of the cortex until needed to replenish the organ, at which time they undergo proliferation and terminal differentiation. Identification of these stem/progenitor cells has only recently been explored. Recent efforts have examined signaling molecules, including Wnt, Shh, and Dax1, which may coordinate intricate lineage and signaling relationships between the adrenal capsule (stem cell niche) and underlying cortex (progenitor cell pool) to maintain organ homeostasis in the adrenal gland.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Adrenal Gland Organogenesis
Model of adrenal gland formation from the adrenogonadal primordium through zonation of the definitive cortex. Note colors of the respective cell types: adrenogonadal primordium, purple; fetal adrenal cells, red; gonadal cells, blue; neural crest/medullary cells, yellow; mesenchymal/capsular cells, green; definitive cortex, black; fully differentiated and zonated definitive cells, gray.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Unifying Model of Adrenocortical Stem/Progenitor Cells
A) Adrenal development from fetal adrenal to definitive adrenal. Note colors of respective zones: capsular cell, green; fetal zone, red; medulla, yellow; subcapsular/progenitor cell, black; definitive zone, gray. B) Definitive adrenal cells arise from fetal adrenal cells. Model based on work by Zubair, et al. (2006, . C) Definitive adrenal cells arise from capsular stem/progenitor cells (blue) or subcapsular stem/progenitor cells (black), based on work by King, et al. (2009), Huang, et al. (2010), and Ching, et al. (2009). D) Proposed unifying model of adrenal stem cells in which fetal adrenal cells give rise to a transition cell in the capsule which in turn gives rise to the definitive adrenal cells.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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