Adrenal cortex ontogenesis

During the early phases of development, adrenal glands share a common origin with kidneys and gonads. The action of diverse transcription factors, signalling pathways and endocrine signals is required for the individualization of the adrenal primordium and its subsequent differentiation into an adult adrenal gland, with massive remodelling taking place around the time of birth in humans. Here I summarize the most important steps by which the adrenal cortex is shaped and present an overview of the current understanding of the genes and molecular pathways implicated in adrenal development and involved in the pathogenesis of its congenital diseases. Evidence is accumulating that some pivotal factors acting during adrenocortical development also play an important role to regulate the growth of adrenocortical tumors, representing promising therapeutical targets for a biology-oriented therapy. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.