Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, 2 Medical Center Drive, Stratford, NJ 08084, United States.
Department of Biology and Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Rutgers University, 311 North Fifth Street, Camden, NJ 08102, United States.
Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol. 2023 Jul;281:111424. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.111424. Epub 2023 Apr 18.
Herein we review our work involving dispersed adrenocortical cells from several lizard species: the Eastern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus), Yarrow's Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus jarrovii), Striped Plateau Lizard (Sceloporus virgatus) and the Yucatán Banded Gecko (Coleonyx elegans). Early work demonstrated changes in steroidogenic function of adrenocortical cells derived from adult S. undulatus associated with seasonal interactions with sex. However, new information suggests that both sexes operate within the same steroidogenic budget over season. The observed sex effect was further explored in orchiectomized and ovariectomized lizards, some supported with exogenous testosterone. Overall, a suppressive effect of testosterone was evident, especially in cells from C. elegans. Life stage added to this complex picture of adrenal steroidogenic function. This was evident when sexually mature and immature Sceloporus lizards were subjected to a nutritional stressor, cricket restriction/deprivation. There were divergent patterns of corticosterone, aldosterone, and progesterone responses and associated sensitivities of each to corticotropin (ACTH). Finally, we provide strong evidence that there are multiple, labile subpopulations of adrenocortical cells. We conclude that the rapid (days) remodeling of adrenocortical steroidogenic function through fluctuating cell subpopulations drives the circulating corticosteroid profile of Sceloporus lizard species. Interestingly, progesterone and aldosterone may be more important with corticosterone serving as essential supportive background. In the wild, the flux in adrenocortical cell subpopulations may be adversely susceptible to climate-change related disruptions in food sources and to xenobiotic/endocrine-disrupting chemicals. We urge further studies using native lizard species as bioindicators of local pollutants and as models to examine the broader eco-exposome.
在此，我们回顾了我们在几种蜥蜴物种的分散肾上腺皮质细胞方面的工作：东部围栏蜥蜴（Sceloporus undulatus）、雅罗的刺蜥蜴（Sceloporus jarrovii）、条纹高原蜥蜴（Sceloporus virgatus）和尤卡坦带壁虎（Coleonyx elegans）。早期的工作表明，与季节性与性别的相互作用相关，成年 S. undulatus 来源的肾上腺皮质细胞的类固醇生成功能发生了变化。然而，新的信息表明，两性在整个季节都在同一类固醇生成预算内运作。在去势和去卵巢的蜥蜴中进一步探讨了观察到的性别效应，一些蜥蜴得到了外源性睾酮的支持。总的来说，睾酮表现出抑制作用，尤其是在 C. elegans 的细胞中。生命阶段增加了肾上腺类固醇生成功能的这种复杂情况。当性成熟和未成熟的 Sceloporus 蜥蜴受到营养胁迫、蟋蟀限制/剥夺时，这种情况就显而易见了。皮质酮、醛固酮和孕酮的反应以及每种激素对促肾上腺皮质激素（ACTH）的敏感性呈现出不同的模式。最后，我们提供了强有力的证据表明存在多个不稳定的肾上腺皮质细胞亚群。我们得出的结论是，通过波动的细胞亚群，肾上腺皮质类固醇生成功能的快速（天）重塑驱动了 Sceloporus 蜥蜴物种的循环皮质甾醇谱。有趣的是，孕酮和醛固酮可能比皮质酮更重要，皮质酮作为必要的支持背景。在野外，肾上腺皮质细胞亚群的波动可能容易受到与气候变化相关的食物来源中断以及外来生物/内分泌干扰化学物质的影响。我们敦促进一步使用本地蜥蜴物种作为当地污染物的生物指标，并作为模型来研究更广泛的生态暴露组。
