Kim Alex C, Barlaskar Ferdous M, Heaton Joanne H, Else Tobias, Kelly Victoria R, Krill Kenneth T, Scheys Joshua O, Simon Derek P, Trovato Alessia, Yang Wei-Hsiung, Hammer Gary D
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2200, USA.
Endocr Rev. 2009 May;30(3):241-63. doi: 10.1210/er.2008-0039. Epub 2009 Apr 29.
Scientists have long hypothesized the existence of tissue-specific (somatic) stem cells and have searched for their location in different organs. The theory that adrenocortical organ homeostasis is maintained by undifferentiated stem or progenitor cells can be traced back nearly a century. Similar to other organ systems, it is widely believed that these rare cells of the adrenal cortex remain relatively undifferentiated and quiescent until needed to replenish the organ, at which time they undergo proliferation and terminal differentiation. Historical studies examining cell cycle activation by label retention assays and regenerative potential by organ transplantation experiments suggested that the adrenocortical progenitors reside in the outer periphery of the adrenal gland. Over the past decade, the Hammer laboratory, building on this hypothesis and these observations, has endeavored to understand the mechanisms of adrenocortical development and organ maintenance. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of adrenal organogenesis. We present evidence for the existence and location of adrenocortical stem/progenitor cells and their potential contribution to adrenocortical carcinomas. Data described herein come primarily from studies conducted in the Hammer laboratory with incorporation of important related studies from other investigators. Together, the work provides a framework for the emerging somatic stem cell field as it relates to the adrenal gland.
长期以来，科学家们一直假设组织特异性（体细胞）干细胞的存在，并在不同器官中寻找它们的位置。肾上腺皮质器官稳态由未分化的干细胞或祖细胞维持这一理论可以追溯到近一个世纪前。与其他器官系统类似，人们普遍认为，肾上腺皮质的这些稀有细胞在需要补充器官之前一直保持相对未分化和静止状态，此时它们会进行增殖并最终分化。通过标记保留试验检测细胞周期激活以及通过器官移植实验检测再生潜力的历史研究表明，肾上腺皮质祖细胞位于肾上腺的外周。在过去十年中，哈默实验室基于这一假设和这些观察结果，努力了解肾上腺皮质发育和器官维持的机制。在这篇综述中，我们总结了目前关于肾上腺器官发生的知识。我们提供了肾上腺皮质干/祖细胞的存在、位置及其对肾上腺皮质癌潜在贡献的证据。本文所述数据主要来自哈默实验室开展的研究，并纳入了其他研究人员的重要相关研究。这些工作共同为新兴的与肾上腺相关的体细胞干细胞领域提供了一个框架。
