{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,27]],"date-time":"2026-09-27T05:41:47Z","timestamp":1790487707738,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,21]],"date-time":"2021-01-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1611187200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000265","name":"Medical Research Council","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["MR\/N002970\/1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["MR\/N002970\/1"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000265","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Endocrinol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Adrenal androgens are fundamental mediators of ovarian folliculogenesis, embryonic implantation, and breast development. Although adrenal androgen function in target tissues are well characterized, there is little research covering the role of androgen-signaling within the adrenal itself. Adrenal glands express AR which is essential for the regression of the X-zone in male mice. Female mice also undergo X-zone regression during their first pregnancy, however whether this is also controlled by AR signaling is unknown. To understand the role of the androgen receptor (AR) in the female adrenal, we utilized a <jats:italic>Cyp11a1<\/jats:italic>-Cre to specifically ablate AR from the mouse adrenal cortex. Results show that AR-signaling is dispensable for adrenal gland development in females, and for X-zone regression during pregnancy, but is required to suppress elevation of corticosterone levels post-partum. Additionally, following disruption to adrenal AR, aberrant spindle cell development is observed in young adult females. These results demonstrate sexually dimorphic regulation of the adrenal X-zone by AR and point to dysfunctional adrenal androgen signaling as a possible mechanism in the early development of adrenal spindle cell hyperplasia.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fendo.2020.599869","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,21]],"date-time":"2021-01-21T07:54:52Z","timestamp":1611215692000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":16,"title":["Androgen Receptor Is Dispensable for X-Zone Regression in the Female Adrenal but Regulates Post-Partum Corticosterone Levels and Protects Cortex Integrity"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Anne-Louise","family":"Gannon","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"O\u2019Hara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ian J.","family":"Mason","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anne","family":"J\u00f8rgensen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hanne","family":"Frederiksen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Curley","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Milne","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sarah","family":"Smith","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rod T.","family":"Mitchell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lee B.","family":"Smith","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1210\/endo.140.7.6859","article-title":"Development of functional zonation in the rat adrenal cortex","volume":"140","author":"Mitani","year":"1999","journal-title":"Endocrinology"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fnins.2016.00238","article-title":"Functional zonation of the adult mammalian adrenal cortex","volume":"10","author":"Vinson","year":"2016","journal-title":"Front Neurosci"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1016\/S0015-0282(02)02985-0","article-title":"Androgen production in women","volume":"77","author":"Burger","year":"2002","journal-title":"Fertility Sterility"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"48","DOI":"10.1210\/jcem.85.1.6265","article-title":"Effects of aging on adrenal function in the human: responsiveness and sensitivity of adrenal androgens and cortisol to adrenocorticotropin in premenopausal and postmenopausal women","volume":"85","author":"Parker","year":"2000","journal-title":"J Clin Endocrinol Metab"},{"key":"B5","article-title":"Adrenal Androgens and Aging","volume-title":"Endotext","author":"Lois","year":"2000"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.0404372101","article-title":"Subfertility and\u00a0defective folliculogenesis in female mice lacking androgen receptor","volume":"101","author":"Hu","year":"2004","journal-title":"Proc\u00a0Natl Acad Sci U S A"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/molehr\/gam080","article-title":"Hormone control and expression of androgen receptor coregulator MAGE-11 in human endometrium during the window of receptivity to embryo implantation","volume":"14","author":"Bai","year":"2007","journal-title":"MHR-Basic Sci Reprod Med"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1210\/me.2012-1107","article-title":"Minireview: the androgen receptor in breast tissues: growth inhibitor, tumor suppressor, oncogene","volume":"26","author":"Hickey","year":"2012","journal-title":"Mol Endocrinol"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1210\/endo-103-4-1103","article-title":"Rat adrenal androgen receptor: a possible mediator of androgen-induced decrease in rat adrenal weight","volume":"103","author":"Rifka","year":"1978","journal-title":"Endocrinology"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1210\/endo-127-6-3180","article-title":"Immunohistochemical localization of the androgen receptor in rat and human tissues","volume":"127","author":"Sar","year":"1990","journal-title":"Endocrinology"},{"key":"B11","article-title":"The adrenal X-zone of mice: genetic analysis of its development with recombinant-inbred strains","volume":"46","author":"Janat","year":"1986","journal-title":"Exp Biol"},{"key":"B12","first-page":"159","article-title":"Dickson A. 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