Cell Atlas at Single-Nuclei Resolution of the Adult Human Adrenal Gland and Adrenocortical Adenomas

The human adrenal glands are highly dynamic endocrine organs that are involved in the secretion of various hormones such as steroids and catecholamines. Here we present a single-nuclei and spatial transcriptomic analysis of healthy adult human adrenal glands to provide a complete adrenal gland atlas. With this, we show how such an atlas can be taken advantage when studying adrenocortical diseases, such as adrenocortical adenomas (ACA). Using nornal adrenal as reference, we showed a high intra-tumoural heterogeneity in the single-nuclei transcriptome of ACA, revealing the presence of specific cell populations associated with cortisol secretion and genetic background.