Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA.
J Endocrinol. 2019 Apr;241(1):R51-R63. doi: 10.1530/JOE-18-0632.
The X-zone is a transient cortical region enriched in eosinophilic cells located in the cortical-medullary boundary of the mouse adrenal gland. Similar to the X-zone, the fetal zone in human adrenals is also a transient cortical compartment, comprising the majority of the human fetal adrenal gland. During adrenal development, fetal cortical cells are gradually replaced by newly formed adult cortical cells that develop into outer definitive zones. In mice, the regression of this fetal cell population is sexually dimorphic. Many mouse models with mutations associated with endocrine factors have been reported with X-zone phenotypes. Increasing findings indicate that the cell fate of this aged cell population of the adrenal cortex can be manipulated by many hormonal and nonhormonal factors. This review summarizes the current knowledge of this transient adrenocortical zone with an emphasis on genes and signaling pathways that affect X-zone cells.
X-区是富含嗜酸性细胞的短暂皮质区域，位于小鼠肾上腺皮质-髓质交界处。与 X-区类似，人类肾上腺的胎儿区也是一个短暂的皮质隔室，构成了人类胎儿肾上腺的大部分。在肾上腺发育过程中，胎儿皮质细胞逐渐被新形成的成年皮质细胞取代，这些细胞发育成外皮质区。在小鼠中，这种胎儿细胞群的退化具有性别二态性。许多与内分泌因素相关的基因突变的小鼠模型都表现出 X-区表型。越来越多的研究结果表明，许多激素和非激素因素可以调节肾上腺皮质这个老化细胞群的命运。本文综述了这一短暂的肾上腺皮质区的最新知识，重点介绍了影响 X-区细胞的基因和信号通路。
