Is the adrenal cortex a target for gonadotropins?
Autor: | Ilpo Huhtaniemi, Maria Alevizaki, Sophie Bernichtein |
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Rok vydání: | 2008 |
Předmět: |
endocrine system
medicine.medical_specialty medicine.drug_class Endocrinology Diabetes and Metabolism Adrenocorticotropic hormone Biology Chorionic Gonadotropin Cushing syndrome Endocrinology Internal medicine medicine Animals Humans Receptor G protein-coupled receptor Adrenal cortex Luteinizing Hormone medicine.disease Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms medicine.anatomical_structure Adrenal Cortex Gonadotropin Luteinizing hormone Elevated gonadotropin levels hormones hormone substitutes and hormone antagonists |
Zdroj: | Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism. 19:231-238 |
ISSN: | 1043-2760 |
Popis: | The human adrenal cortex expresses low levels of luteinizing hormone/chorionic gonadotropin receptors (LHCGR), a characteristic gonad-specific G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR). LHCGR levels increase in the adrenal cortex after exposure to chronically elevated gonadotropins (e.g. after gonadectomy). In fact, heightened ectopic LHCGR levels are observed in a subclass of human adrenocortical tumors, and gonadotropin-responsive adrenocortical hyperplasia and tumors occur in several animal species. These findings suggest that adrenocortical responsiveness to LH/CG might be a physiological phenomenon that is amplified in the presence of elevated gonadotropin levels. Such increased gonadotropin action can induce pathologies ranging from adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-independent Cushing syndrome to malignant adrenal tumors. The authors review the current information on adrenocortical responses to gonadotropins in experimental animals and humans. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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