Leccia Felicia, Batisse-Lignier Marie, Sahut-Barnola Isabelle, Val Pierre, Lefrançois-Martinez A-Marie, Martinez Antoine
UMR6293, GReD, INSERM U1103, CNRS, Clermont Université , Clermont-Ferrand , France.
UMR6293, GReD, INSERM U1103, CNRS, Clermont Université, Clermont-Ferrand, France; Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolic Diseases Department, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, School of Medicine, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2016 Jul 15;7:93. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2016.00093. eCollection 2016.
Adrenal cortex tumors are divided into benign forms, such as primary hyperplasias and adrenocortical adenomas (ACAs), and malignant forms or adrenocortical carcinomas (ACCs). Primary hyperplasias are rare causes of adrenocorticotropin hormone-independent hypercortisolism. ACAs are the most common type of adrenal gland tumors and they are rarely "functional," i.e., producing steroids. When functional, adenomas result in endocrine disorders, such as Cushing's syndrome (hypercortisolism) or Conn's syndrome (hyperaldosteronism). By contrast, ACCs are extremely rare but highly aggressive tumors that may also lead to hypersecreting syndromes. Genetic analyses of patients with sporadic or familial forms of adrenocortical tumors (ACTs) led to the identification of potentially causative genes, most of them being involved in protein kinase A (PKA), Wnt/β-catenin, and P53 signaling pathways. Development of mouse models is a crucial step to firmly establish the functional significance of candidate genes, to dissect mechanisms leading to tumors and endocrine disorders, and in fine to provide in vivo tools for therapeutic screens. In this article, we will provide an overview on the existing mouse models (xenografted and genetically engineered) of ACTs by focusing on the role of PKA and Wnt/β-catenin pathways in this context. We will discuss the advantages and limitations of models that have been developed heretofore and we will point out necessary improvements in the development of next generation mouse models of adrenal diseases.
肾上腺皮质肿瘤分为良性类型,如原发性增生和肾上腺皮质腺瘤(ACA),以及恶性类型或肾上腺皮质癌(ACC)。原发性增生是促肾上腺皮质激素非依赖性皮质醇增多症的罕见病因。ACA是最常见的肾上腺肿瘤类型,很少具有“功能性”,即产生类固醇。当具有功能性时,腺瘤会导致内分泌紊乱,如库欣综合征(皮质醇增多症)或康恩综合征(醛固酮增多症)。相比之下,ACC极为罕见但具有高度侵袭性,也可能导致分泌过多综合征。对散发性或家族性肾上腺皮质肿瘤(ACT)患者的基因分析导致了潜在致病基因的鉴定,其中大多数基因参与蛋白激酶A(PKA)、Wnt/β-连环蛋白和P53信号通路。小鼠模型的建立是一个关键步骤,以牢固确立候选基因的功能意义,剖析导致肿瘤和内分泌紊乱的机制,并最终提供用于治疗筛选的体内工具。在本文中,我们将通过关注PKA和Wnt/β-连环蛋白通路在此背景下的作用,概述现有的ACT小鼠模型(异种移植和基因工程模型)。我们将讨论迄今为止已开发模型的优缺点,并指出肾上腺疾病下一代小鼠模型开发中必要的改进。