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Guo Z, Nanba K, Udager A, McWhinney BC, Ungerer JPJ, Wolley M, Thuzar M, Gordon RD, Rainey WE, Stowasser M. Biochemical, Histopathological, and Genetic Characterization of Posture-Responsive and Unresponsive APAs. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2020; 105:5855173. [PMID: 32516371 PMCID: PMC7426003 DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgaa367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE Posture-responsive and posture-unresponsive aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs) account for approximately 40% and 60% of APAs, respectively. Somatic gene mutations have been recently reported to exist in approximately 90% of APAs. This study was designed to characterize the biochemical, histopathologic, and genetic properties of these 2 types of APA. METHODS Plasma levels of aldosterone and hybrid steroids (18-oxocortisol and 18-hydroxycortisol) were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Immunohistochemistry for CYP11B2 (aldosterone synthase) and CYP17A1 (17α-hydroxylase) and deoxyribonucleic acid sequencing (Sanger and next-generation sequencing) were performed on APA tissue collected from 23 posture-unresponsive and 17 posture-responsive APA patients. RESULTS Patients with posture-unresponsive APA displayed higher (P < 0.01) levels of hybrid steroids, recumbent aldosterone and cortisol, larger (P < 0.01) zona fasciculata (ZF)-like tumors with higher (P < 0.01) expression of CYP17A1 (but not of CYP11B2) than patients with posture-responsive APA (most of which were not ZF-like). Of 40 studied APAs, 37 (92.5%) were found to harbor aldosterone-driving somatic mutations (KCNJ5 = 14 [35.0%], CACNA1D = 13 [32.5%], ATP1A1 = 8 [20.0%], and ATP2B3 = 2 [5.0%]), including 5 previously unreported mutations (3 in CACNA1D and 2 in ATP1A1). Notably, 64.7% (11/17) of posture-responsive APAs carried CACNA1D mutations, whereas 56.5% (13/23) of posture-unresponsive APAs harbored KCNJ5 mutations. CONCLUSIONS The elevated production of hybrid steroids by posture-unresponsive APAs may relate to their ZF-like tumor cell composition, resulting in expression of CYP17A1 (in addition to somatic gene mutation-driven CYP11B2 expression), thereby allowing production of cortisol, which acts as the substrate for CYP11B2-generated hybrid steroids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeng Guo
- Endocrine Hypertension Research Centre, University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Greenslopes and Princess Alexandra Hospitals, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Kazutaka Nanba
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, US
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, National Hospital Organization Kyoto Medical Center, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Aaron Udager
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, US
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, Ann Arbor, MI, US
- Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, US
| | - Brett C McWhinney
- Department of Chemical Pathology, Pathology Queensland, Queensland Health, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Jacobus P J Ungerer
- Department of Chemical Pathology, Pathology Queensland, Queensland Health, Brisbane, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Martin Wolley
- Endocrine Hypertension Research Centre, University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Greenslopes and Princess Alexandra Hospitals, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Moe Thuzar
- Endocrine Hypertension Research Centre, University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Greenslopes and Princess Alexandra Hospitals, Brisbane, Australia
- Department of Endocrinology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Richard D Gordon
- Endocrine Hypertension Research Centre, University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Greenslopes and Princess Alexandra Hospitals, Brisbane, Australia
| | - William E Rainey
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, US
- Division of Metabolism, Endocrine, and Diabetes, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, US
| | - Michael Stowasser
- Endocrine Hypertension Research Centre, University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Greenslopes and Princess Alexandra Hospitals, Brisbane, Australia
- Correspondence and Reprint Requests: Professor Michael Stowasser (MBBS, FRACP, PhD), Hypertension Unit, Princess Alexandra Hospital, 199 Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Queensland, 4102, Australia. E-mail:
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