Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London, London, United Kingdom.
Curr Top Dev Biol. 2013;106:239-312. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-416021-7.00007-9.
The adrenal gland controls a plethora of crucial physiological functions, and dysfunction is associated with severe morbidity. Because of the vital importance of appropriate adrenal function, the development and function of the gland have been intensively studied, and these investigations have revealed fascinating developmental origins and a remarkable remodeling and regenerative capacity in the adult. This chapter, focusing on the adrenal cortex, will describe our current understanding of the development and maintenance of the adrenal gland, which has been advanced over recent years by the use of sophisticated genetic models in the study of both normal function and disease. This work has shed light on the transcriptional networks and signaling pathways involved in development and maintenance of the gland and in its pathology; these are discussed in the light of the wealth of physiological information gathered in studies of human and rodent adrenal development and function.
肾上腺控制着大量至关重要的生理功能，功能障碍与严重的发病率有关。由于适当的肾上腺功能至关重要，因此对腺体的发育和功能进行了深入研究，这些研究揭示了其引人入胜的发育起源和成年后的显著重塑和再生能力。本章主要关注肾上腺皮质，将描述我们对近年来利用复杂的遗传模型在正常功能和疾病研究中对肾上腺发育和维持的理解。这些研究揭示了涉及腺体发育和维持及其病理的转录网络和信号通路；这些通路是根据人类和啮齿动物肾上腺发育和功能研究中收集的大量生理学信息来讨论的。
