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Review
. 2022 Aug 29:13:931389.
doi: 10.3389/fendo.2022.931389. eCollection 2022.

Disorders of the adrenal cortex: Genetic and molecular aspects

Georgia Pitsava  1   2 , Andrea G Maria  2 , Fabio R Faucz  2   3
Affiliations
Review

Disorders of the adrenal cortex: Genetic and molecular aspects

Georgia Pitsava et al. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Adrenal cortex produces glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids and adrenal androgens which are essential for life, supporting balance, immune response and sexual maturation. Adrenocortical tumors and hyperplasias are a heterogenous group of adrenal disorders and they can be either sporadic or familial. Adrenocortical cancer is a rare and aggressive malignancy, and it is associated with poor prognosis. With the advance of next-generation sequencing technologies and improvement of genomic data analysis over the past decade, various genetic defects, either from germline or somatic origin, have been unraveled, improving diagnosis and treatment of numerous genetic disorders, including adrenocortical diseases. This review gives an overview of disorders associated with the adrenal cortex, the genetic factors of these disorders and their molecular implications.

Keywords: adrenal cortex; adrenal tumors; aldosterone secretion; cortisol secretion; genetics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of activation of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling pathway in normal adrenocortical cells.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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