Expression data from mouse adrenal glands extracted from wild-type (WT) and Cyp11b2tm1.1(cre)Brlt;Prkar1afl/fl(KO) adrenals

We demonstrate that PKA signalling drives zonal conversion within adult adrenocortical lineage in a sexually dimorphic manner. Our data establish that Prkar1a genetic ablation (leading to constitutive PKA activation) in the adult adrenocortical lineage leads to endocrine hyperactivity and accelerates adrenal cortex renewal. This results in increased zona fasciculata differentiation and final conversion into reticularis-like zone. This phenomenon relies partly on sex-dependent mechanisms of cortical renewal, on which the male androgenic milieu exerts a repressive action through induction of WNT signalling, which in turn antagonizes PKA signalling and cortical cell turnover. We used microarrays to analyse gene expression in response to Prkar1a gene ablation in the adult adrenocortical cell lineage in both female and male mice and explored the effects of orchidectomy (GDX). Adrenal glands were dissected from female KO (4), female WT (4), male KO (4), male WT (4), male KO GDX (4) and male WT GDX (4)