Expression of CYP11B1 and CYP11B2 in adrenal adenoma correlates with clinical characteristics of primary aldosteronism

A CRISPR-based high-throughput screening system identifies bromodomain inhibitors as transcriptional suppressors of CYP11B1

CYP11B1 encodes steroid 11β-hydroxylase, the final rate-limiting enzyme for cortisol biosynthesis in the adrenal cortex. Excessive cortisol production is a hallmark of Cushing's disease (CD). While direct enzymatic inhibitors have been explored, achieving specificity remains a challenge due to the high homology between CYP11B1 and CYP11B2, highlighting transcriptional suppression of CYP11B1 as an alternative therapeutic strategy. To identify transcriptional regulators of CYP11B1, we generated genome-edited H295R adrenal cells carrying a luciferase reporter knocked into the endogenous CYP11B1 locus. Using this reporter cell line, we established a high-throughput screening (HTS) platform and screened a focused chemical library targeting epigenetic-related factors, given the importance of epigenetic mechanisms in gene regulation. Among eight candidate compounds identified, we focused on JQ1, a bromodomain inhibitor. JQ1 significantly suppressed Forskolin-induced CYP11B1 promoter activity and mRNA expression without causing cytotoxicity, suggesting the involvement of epigenetic readers in the transcriptional regulation of steroidogenic genes. Furthermore, the reporter-based HTS platform developed here, when combined with our previously established CYP11B2-luciferase system, may facilitate the identification of compounds that selectively modulate adrenal steroidogenic pathways. These findings provide a foundation for the development of novel transcription-targeted therapies for CD.

Speculating suitability of partial adrenalectomy for lateralized primary aldosteronism: With emphasis on partial and complete success as optimistic outcomes

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common secondary hypertension. The best treatment for a lateralized PA is unilateral adrenalectomy. Recent studies explored partial adrenalectomy (pAdx) to reduce the risk of adrenal insufficiency. However, in cases involving multiple aldosterone-producing micronodules/nodules (mAPM/mAPN), pAdx cannot completely remove all origins of excess aldosterone and might not resolve hypertension. CYP11B2 immunohistochemical staining helps HISTALDO (Histopathology of PA) diagnosis, and adrenal specimens were categorized into various groups accordingly. To determine whether pAdx should be considered for lateralized PA, we focused on the success rate of classical (black + grey group) versus non-classical (white group) lateralized PA, and the percentage of co-existing mAPM/mAPN in lateralized PA. The visible tumor in imaging could be either non-functional (incidentaloma; white group), or with concurrent surrounding mAPM/mAPN (grey group) causing hypertension. Among 445 patients who underwent unilateral adrenalectomy, 390 were diagnosed with lateralized PA. There were 63 (30.73%) in the black, 79 (38.54%) in the grey, 63 (30.73%) in the white group. The overall complete clinical success rate was 51.28% in our lateralized PA patients; with 65.08% in the black, 50.63% in the grey, and 26.98% in the white group. The overall partial clinical success rate was 38.54%; with 28.57% in the black, 34.18% in the grey, and 53.97% in the white group. Were pAdx performed, significantly lower success rates would be achieved, especially for lateralized PA patients of the grey and white groups. We speculate that unilateral pAdx is not an appropriate option for the majority of lateralized PA patients. Our results show that unilateral partial adrenalectomy is not a good surgical option for the majority of lateralized PA patients. In clinically lateralized PA patients, no matter which group they are in the HISTALDO classification, they would benefit from unilateral total adrenalectomy.

Correlation of Histopathologic Subtypes of Primary Aldosteronism with Clinical Phenotypes and Postsurgical Outcomes

CONTEXT

Clinical implications of unilateral primary aldosteronism (PA) histopathology remain to be determined in various ethnic populations.

OBJECTIVE

We examined the histopathology of unilateral PA using CYP11B2 immunostaining in relation to clinical phenotypes and postsurgical outcomes.

METHODS

Patients consecutively operated for unilateral PA from 2010 to 2020 at 3 tertiary hospitals in South Korea were retrospectively enrolled. Adrenals with solitary aldosterone-producing adenomas and/or dominant aldosterone-producing nodules were classified as the classical and the others as the nonclassical groups. The classical group was subdivided into mixed or solitary group according to whether other aldosterone-producing lesions coexist or not.

RESULTS

Of the 240 cases, 124 were solitary, 86 mixed, and 30 nonclassical. Baseline serum potassium concentration was lower in the solitary group than the mixed or nonclassical group. Plasma aldosterone concentration after saline loading was the highest in the solitary group (median 31.65 ng/dL), followed by the mixed group (median 25.40 ng/dL), and the lowest in the nonclassical group (median 14.20 ng/dL). Solitary and mixed groups showed higher lateralization indices and lower contralateral indices than the nonclassical group. The contralateral index was lower in the solitary group than the mixed group. At 6 to 12 months after adrenalectomy, fewer antihypertensive medications were required for the solitary and mixed groups than the nonclassical group.

CONCLUSION

The solitary group, followed by the mixed group, was associated with more severe hyperaldosteronism and more suppressed aldosterone production from the contralateral side than the nonclassical group. Histopathologic phenotypes were related to the clinical manifestations and may suggest postoperative prognosis.

2023 Korean Endocrine Society Consensus Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Primary Aldosteronism

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is a common, yet underdiagnosed cause of secondary hypertension. It is characterized by an overproduction of aldosterone, leading to hypertension and/or hypokalemia. Despite affecting between 5.9% and 34% of patients with hypertension, PA is frequently missed due to a lack of clinical awareness and systematic screening, which can result in significant cardiovascular complications. To address this, medical societies have developed clinical practice guidelines to improve the management of hypertension and PA. The Korean Endocrine Society, drawing on a wealth of research, has formulated new guidelines for PA. A task force has been established to prepare PA guidelines, which encompass epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care. The Korean clinical guidelines for PA aim to deliver an evidence-based protocol for PA diagnosis, treatment, and patient monitoring. These guidelines are anticipated to ease the burden of this potentially curable condition.

Molecular and Epigenetic Control of Aldosterone Synthase, CYP11B2 and 11-Hydroxylase, CYP11B1

Aldosterone and cortisol serve important roles in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders. Epigenetics is a mechanism to control enzyme expression by genes without changing the gene sequence. Steroid hormone synthase gene expression is regulated by transcription factors specific to each gene, and methylation has been reported to be involved in steroid hormone production and disease. Angiotensin II or potassium regulates the aldosterone synthase gene, CYP11B2. The adrenocorticotropic hormone controls the 11b-hydroxylase, CYP11B1. DNA methylation negatively controls the CYP11B2 and CYP11B1 expression and dynamically changes the expression responsive to continuous stimulation of the promoter gene. Hypomethylation status of the CYP11B2 promoter region is seen in aldosterone-producing adenomas. Methylation of recognition sites of transcription factors, including cyclic AMP responsive element binding protein 1 or nerve growth factor-induced clone B, diminish their DNA-binding activity. A methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 cooperates directly with the methylated CpG dinucleotides of CYP11B2. A low-salt diet, treatment with angiotensin II, and potassium increase the CYP11B2 mRNA levels and induce DNA hypomethylation in the adrenal gland. A close association between a low DNA methylation ratio and an increased CYP11B1 expression is seen in Cushing's adenoma and aldosterone-producing adenoma with autonomous cortisol secretion. Epigenetic control of CYP11B2 or CYP11B1 plays an important role in autonomic aldosterone or cortisol synthesis.

Cardiovascular and metabolic characters of KCNJ5 somatic mutations in primary aldosteronism

BACKGROUND

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the leading cause of curable endocrine hypertension, which is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular and metabolic insults compared to essential hypertension. Aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) is a major cause of PA, which can be treated with adrenalectomy. Somatic mutations are the main pathogenesis of aldosterone overproduction in APA, of which KCNJ5 somatic mutations are most common, especially in Asian countries. This article aimed to review the literature on the impacts of KCNJ5 somatic mutations on systemic organ damage.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

PubMed literature research using keywords combination, including "aldosterone-producing adenoma," "somatic mutations," "KCNJ5," "organ damage," "cardiovascular," "diastolic function," "metabolic syndrome," "autonomous cortisol secretion," etc.

RESULTS

APA patients with KCNJ5 somatic mutations are generally younger, female, have higher aldosterone levels, lower potassium levels, larger tumor size, and higher hypertension cure rate after adrenalectomy. This review focuses on the cardiovascular and metabolic aspects of KCNJ5 somatic mutations in APA patients, including left ventricular remodeling and diastolic function, abdominal aortic thickness and calcification, arterial stiffness, metabolic syndrome, abdominal adipose tissue, and correlation with autonomous cortisol secretion. Furthermore, we discuss modalities to differentiate the types of mutations before surgery.

CONCLUSION

KCNJ5 somatic mutations in patients with APA had higher left ventricular mass (LVM), more impaired diastolic function, thicker aortic wall, lower incidence of metabolic syndrome, and possibly a lower incidence of concurrent autonomous cortisol secretion, but better improvement in LVM, diastolic function, arterial stiffness, and aortic wall thickness after adrenalectomy compared to patients without KCNJ5 mutations.

The Entity of Connshing Syndrome: Primary Aldosteronism with Autonomous Cortisol Secretion

Connshing syndrome (CoSh) (adrenal-related synchronous aldosterone (A) and cortisol (C) excess) represents a distinct entity among PA (primary hyperaldosteronisms) named by W. Arlt et al. in 2017, but the condition has been studied for more than 4 decades. Within the last few years, this is one of the most dynamic topics in hormonally active adrenal lesions due to massive advances in steroids metabolomics, molecular genetics from CYP11B1/B2 immunostaining to genes constellations, as well as newly designated pathological categories according to the 2022 WHO classification. In gross, PA causes 4-10% of all high blood pressure (HBP) cases, and 20% of resistant HBP; subclinical Cushing syndrome (SCS) is identified in one-third of adrenal incidentalomas (AI), while CoSh accounts for 20-30% to 77% of PA subjects, depending on the tests used to confirm autonomous C secretion (ACS). The clinical picture overlaps with PA, hypercortisolemia being mild. ACS is suspected in PA if a more severe glucose and cardiovascular profile is identified, or there are larger tumours, ACS being an independent factor risk for kidney damage, and probably also for depression/anxiety and osteoporotic fractures. It seems that one-third of the PA-ACS group harbours mutations of C-related lines like PRKACA and GNAS. A novel approach means we should perform CYP11B2/CYP11B1 immunostaining; sometimes negative aldosteronoma for CYP11B1 is surrounded by micronodules or cell clusters with positive CYP11B1 to sustain the C excess. Pitfalls of hormonal assessments in CoSh include the index of suspicion (check for ACS in PA patients) and the interpretation of A/C ratio during adrenal venous sample. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is the treatment of choice. Post-operative clinical remission rate is lower in CoSh than PA. The risk of clinically manifested adrenal insufficiency is low, but a synthetic ACTH stimulating testing might help to avoid unnecessary exposure to glucocorticoids therapy. Finally, postponing the choice of surgery may impair the outcome, having noted that long-term therapy with mineralocorticoids receptors antagonists might not act against excessive amounts of C. Awareness of CoSh improves management and overall prognosis.

Analysis of the miRNA expression from the adipose tissue surrounding the adrenal neoplasia

Background

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is characterized by several metabolic changes such as insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and adipose tissue (AT) inflammation. Mi(cro)RNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding small RNA molecules known to be critical regulators in several cellular processes associated with AT dysfunction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of some miRNAs in visceral and subcutaneous AT in patients undergoing adrenalectomy for aldosterone-secreting adrenal adenoma (APA) compared to the samples of AT obtained in patients undergoing adrenalectomy for non-functioning adrenal mass (NFA).

Methods

The quantitative expression of selected miRNA using real-time PCR was analyzed in surrounding adrenal neoplasia, peri-renal, and subcutaneous AT samples of 16 patients with adrenalectomy (11 patients with APA and 5 patients with NFA).

Results

Real-time PCR cycles for miRNA-132, miRNA-143, and miRNA-221 in fat surrounding adrenal neoplasia and in peri-adrenal AT were significantly higher in APA than in patients with NFA. Unlike patients with NFA, miRNA-132, miRNA-143, miRNA-221, and miRNA-26b were less expressed in surrounding adrenal neoplasia AT compared to subcutaneous AT in patients with APA.

Conclusion

This study, conducted on tissue expression of miRNAs, highlights the possible pathophysiological role of some miRNAs in determining the metabolic alterations in patients with PA.

Cerebro-Cardiovascular Risk, Target Organ Damage, and Treatment Outcomes in Primary Aldosteronism

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common type of endocrine hypertension, and numerous experimental and clinical evidence have verified that prolonged exposure to excess aldosterone is responsible for an increased risk of cerebro-cardiovascular events and target organ damage (TOD) in patients with PA. Therefore, focusing on restoring the toxic effects of excess aldosterone on the target organs is very important to reduce cerebro-cardiovascular events. Current evidence convincingly demonstrates that both surgical and medical treatment strategies would benefit cerebro-cardiovascular outcomes and mortality in the long term. Understanding cerebro-cardiovascular risk in PA would help clinical doctors to achieve both early diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, in this review, we will summarize the cerebro-cardiovascular risk in PA, focusing on the TOD of aldosterone, including brain, heart, vascular system, renal, adipose tissues, diabetes, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Furthermore, the various treatment outcomes of adrenalectomy and medical treatment for patients with PA will also be discussed. We hope this knowledge will help improve cerebro-cardiovascular prognosis and reduce the incidence and mortality of cerebro-cardiovascular events in patients with PA.