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Updated: Mar 20, 2026

Primary Culture of Rat Adrenocortical Cells and Assays of Steroidogenic Functions
Published on: March 12, 2019
ACTH Regulation of Adrenal SR-B1
Wen-Jun Shen1, Salman Azhar1, Fredric B Kraemer1
1The Division of Endocrinology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Abstract:
The adrenal gland is one of the prominent sites for steroid hormone synthesis. Lipoprotein-derived cholesterol esters (CEs) delivered via SR-B1 constitute the dominant source of cholesterol for steroidogenesis, particularly in rodents. Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulates steroidogenesis through downstream actions on multiple components involved in steroidogenesis. Both acute and chronic ACTH treatments can modulate SR-B1 function, including its transcription, posttranscriptional stability, phosphorylation and dimerization status, as well as the interaction with other protein partners, all of which result in changes in the ability of SR-B1 to mediate HDL-CE uptake and the supply of cholesterol for conversion to steroids. Here, we provide a review of the recent findings on the regulation of adrenal SR-B1 function by ACTH.
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