Data for: Corticosteroid-binding globulin (SERPINA6) establishes postpubertal sex differences in rat adrenal development

Encoded by SerpinA6, plasma corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) transports glucocorticoids and regulates their access to cells. We determined how CBG influences plasma corticosterone and adrenal development in rats during the pubertal to adult transition using CRISPR/cas9 to disrupt SerpinA6 gene expression. In the absence of CBG, total plasma corticosterone levels were ∼80% lower in adult rats of both sexes, with a greater absolute reduction in females than in males. Notably, free corticosterone and adrenocorticotropic hormone were comparable between all groups. Between 30 and 90 days of age, wild-type female rats showed increases in adrenal weight and the size of the corticosterone-producing region, the zona fasciculata (zf), in tandem with increases in plasma CBG and corticosterone concentrations, whereas no such changes were observed in males. This sex difference was lost in rats without CBG, such that adrenal growth and zf expansion were similar between sexes. The sex-specific ef..., , Data included in the Supplemental data file:
Supplementary Figure 1: Plasma CBG and adrenal weight profiles
Supplementary Table 1: SerpinA6 mRNA levels in adrenal gland and liver
Supplementary Table 2: GO for CBG-dependent, sexually dimorphic genes
Supplementary Table 3: GO for CBG-independent, sexually dimorphic genes
Supplementary Table 4: GO biological processes for CBG-dependent genes (adult females)