Development, Maintenance, and Function of the Adrenal Gland in Early Postnatal Proopiomelanocortin-Null Mutant Mice

• DOI: 10.1210/en.2004-1290
• Publication Date: 2005-02-25T01:31:55Z
• Authors: Jason Karpac; Dirk Ostwald; Stephanie Bui; Peggy Hunnewell; Malini Shankar; Ute Hochgeschwender
• Keywords: Proopiomelanocortin; Adrenal function; Null (SQL)

Adult mouse mutants homozygous for an engineered proopiomelanocortin (POMC)-null allele lack macroscopically distinct adrenal glands and circulating hormones. To understand the basis this defect, we compared development of primordia in POMC-null mice littermate controls. mutant are born with that morphologically indistinguishable from those their wild-type littermates. However, cells fail to proliferate postnatally adrenals atrophy until they have disappeared adult. While present, differentiated as evidenced by presence enzymes final steps synthesis corticosterone, aldosterone, catecholamines. contrast littermates, do not produce even response acute stimulation exogenous ACTH. They aldosterone; however, it is produced at reduced levels correlating size. Transplantation adrenalectomized littermates results normal morphology production both corticosterone aldosterone. These findings demonstrate POMC peptides required prenatal addition ACTH postnatal proliferation maintenance structures capable producing glucocorticoids mineralocorticoids.