Effects of neuromedin-U on immature rat adrenocortical cells: in vitro and in vivo studies.

Neuromedin U (NMU) is a brain-gut peptide, that in the peripheral organs and tissues acts via a G protein-coupled receptor, called NMUR1. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction showed the expression of NMUR1 mRNA in either cortex and medulla or dispersed zona glomerulosa and zona fasciculata-reticularis cells of the immature rat adrenals. Accordingly, immunocytochemistry demonstrated the presence of NMUR1-like immunoreactivity in the cortex and medulla of immature adrenals. NMU8 administration to immature rats was found to raise aldosterone, but not corticosterone, plasma concentration, without altering adrenal growth. Conversely, the exposure to NMU8 markedly enhanced the proliferative activity of immature rat inner adrenocortical cells in primary in vitro culture, without significantly affecting their corticosterone secretion. Collectively, our findings suggest that adrenals of immature rats may be a target for circulating NMU. However, the physiological significance and relevance of the adrenal effects of NMU remain to be ascertained.

Up-regulation of adrenomedullin receptor gene expression in activated local stem cells during rat adrenal regeneration.

Previous studies showed that adrenomedullin (AM) gene expression was up-regulated in the regenerating rat adrenal cortex after enucleation and contra-lateral adrenalectomy, the effect being significant at day 1 after surgery and peaking between days 3 and 7. Using the same experimental model, we investigated by real time-polymerase chain reaction the mRNA expression of the AM receptor components: calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CRLR) and receptor activity-modifying proteins (RAMP)2 and 3. At time 0 (60 min after enucleation; control group), the CRLR mRNA content was approximately 2- and 5-fold higher than that of RAMP2 and RAMP3, respectively. No significant changes in CRLR mRNA expression were observed in relation to the time elapsed from enucleation. RAMP2 and RAMP3 mRNAs did not exhibit significant changes at day 1 after surgery, but underwent a marked increase between days 3 and 7. The mRNA content of the two RAMPs decreased at days 14 and 28, although remaining significantly higher than that of the controls. These findings indicate that the AM receptor subtypes AM1-R (CRLR-RAMP2) and AM2-R (CRLR-RAMP3) are up-regulated in enucleated adrenals, and the hypothesis is advanced that this effect depends on the increased local production of AM. The concerted increase in AM and its receptor expression would greatly improve the autocrine-paracrine mechanism(s) by which AM favors proliferation of zona glomerulosa stem cells during adrenal regeneration.

Up-regulation of adrenomedullin gene expression in the regenerating rat adrenal cortex.

Adrenomedullin (AM) is an endogenous regulatory peptide that exerts growth-promoting action in several normal and neoplastic tissues, and we investigated whether its gene expression changes during rat adrenal regeneration after enucleation and contra-lateral adrenalectomy. Regenerating adrenals were collected at day 0 (just after enucleation; control rats), 1, 3, 7, 14 and 28 after surgery. The immunocytochemical assay of PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) index confirmed that the early stages of regeneration can be divided into an initial differentiation period (from day 0 to day 3) and a subsequent high proliferative period (days 5 and 7) followed by a decrease in the proliferation activity. Real time-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) demonstrated that AM mRNA expression underwent a marked rise at day 1 of regeneration, attained a maximum level at days 3 and 5, and then declined from day 7, returning to the control value at days 14 and 28. Western blotting showed that AM protein expression was moderately elevated at day 1, was maximal between days 3 and 7, and then decreased at days 14 and 28, although remaining significant over the control value. Taken together, our findings indicate that the increase in the AM gene transcription and translation may be considered one of the early events in the enucleation-induced activation of local adrenocortical stem cells, conceivably favoring both the differentiation and proliferation stages of regeneration. The mechanism underlying this adrenocortical stem cell response does not seem to involve ACTH, because real time-PCR demonstrated that it also occurred in animals whose contralateral adrenal glands were spared, and consequently the level of circulating ACTH was in the normal range. It remains to be investigated whether the enucleation-induced relative hypoxia, ensuing from disruption of the vascular bed, and the local release of inflammatory cytokines may be involved in the up-regulation of AM gene expression in regenerating adrenal glands.

Neuropeptide Y and glucocorticoid secretion from guinea pig adrenal gland: an in vivo and in vitro study.

The effects of neuropeptide Y (NPY) on adrenal glucocorticoid secretion are controversial, and we have investigated this issue in guinea pigs, where, like in humans and cows, the main glucocorticoid hormone is cortisol. In vivo experiments showed that prolonged NPY administration markedly lowered cortisol plasma concentration not only in normal guinea pigs, but also in animals whose hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and renin-angiotensin system had been pharmacologically interrupted by the simultaneous administration of dexamethasone and captopril. In vitro experiments ruled out the possibility that in vivo glucocorticoid anti-secretagogue action of NPY can ensue from a direct effect on the adrenal gland. In fact, NPY did not affect cortisol secretion from dispersed guinea pig inner adrenocortical cells. In contrast, NPY raised cortisol production from adrenal slices containing medullary tissue, and this effect was blocked by the beta-adrenoceptor antagonist l-alprenolol. This finding, coupled with the demonstration that NPY enhanced catecholamine release from guinea pigadrenomedullary tissue, strongly suggests that NPY may stimulate glucocorticoid secretion in this species through an indirect mechanism involving catecholamines, that in a paracrine manner promote the secretion of inner adrenocortical cells. In light of these observations, the conclusion is drawn that the in vivo effects of NPY are mediated by mechanism(s) independent of either the suppression of the main adrenal agonists ACTH and angiotensin-II or the direct inhibition of adrenal secretion. The possibility merits an investigation into whether NPY enhances the production of peptides, which, like leptin, inhibit adrenal glucocorticoid secretion acting as circulating hormones.

IGF-I enhances cortisol secretion from guinea-pig adrenal gland: in vivo and in vitro study.

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I is a ubiquitously synthesized peptide that, along with IGF-II, acts via the IGF-R type I receptor. IGF-I and its receptor are expressed in the adrenal gland of humans and bovines, the secretion of which they seem to stimulate. As in humans and cows, the main glucocorticoid hormone secreted by guinea-pig adrenals is cortisol, and hence we have studied the adrenocortical effects of IGF-I in this species. In vivo experiments showed that prolonged IGF-I administration raised the plasma concentration of cortisol in both normal and dexamethasone/captopril-treated guinea pigs, thereby ruling out the possibility that IGF-I may act by activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the renin-angiotensin system. In vitro experiments demonstrated that IGF-I enhanced basal, but not maximally agonist [ACTH and angiotensin-II (Ang-II)]-stimulated, cortisol secretion from freshly dispersed guinea-pig inner adrenocortical cells. The IGF-I immuno-neutralization suppressed the IGF-I secretagogue effect, without altering the cortisol response to both ACTH and Ang-II. IGF-I raised cyclic-AMP and inositol triphosphate release from dispersed guinea-pig cells, and the effect was reversed by the adenylate cyclase inhibitor SQ-22536 and the phospholipase-C (PLC) inhibitor U-73122. SQ-22536, U-73122, the protein kinase (PK) A inhibitor H-89 and the PKC inhibitor calphostin-C decreased by approximately 50% the cortisol response of dispersed cells to IGF-I, and the combined exposure to SQ-22536 and U-73122 abolished it. We conclude that IGF-I stimulates glucocorticoid secretion from guinea-pig adrenocortical cells, acting via selective receptors coupled to both the adenylate cyclase/PKA- and PLC/PKC-dependent signaling cascades.

Metabolic activity of rat hepatocytes cultured on homologous acellular matrix and transplanted into Gunn rats.

The metabolic activity of hepatocytes cultured on homologous acellular matrix (HAM) and transplanted into rats genetically incapable of bilirubin conjugation (Gunn rats) has been investigated. Hepatocytes from Wistar male rats were seeded on HAM and cultured for 9 days, and the proliferation rate and albumin mRNA expression were assayed daily. HAM alone or HAM plus hepatocytes (cultured for 3 days) were implanted in a subcutaneous pocket of the dorsal region of Gunn rats. No immunosuppression therapy was used. Blood samples were collected weekly and rats were sacrificed 10 weeks after surgery. Hepatocytes cultured on HAM displayed a higher proliferation rate than those cultured on plastic, and albumin mRNA expression was detected in hepatocytes seeded on HAM, but not on plastic. Serum bilirubin concentrations did not differ from baseline values in both the sham-operated control and HAM transplanted rats. On the contrary, in rats transplanted with HAM plus hepatocytes, circulating bilirubin levels decreased from week 4-7, and then plateaued until week 10. Histology did not evidence signs of rejection, but only a mild degree of inflammation around the implanted patches. It is concluded that hepatocytes seeded on HAM and transplanted into Gunn rats are able to metabolize bilirubin for at least two months, without signs of rejection even in the absence of immunosuppressive therapy.

Estradiol and resveratrol stimulating effect on osteocalcin, but not osteonectin and collagen-1alpha gene expression in primary culture of rat calvarial osteoblast-like cells.

Evidence is available that some endocrine disruptors, acting as selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), interfere with osteoblast differentiation and function. Therefore, we investigated whether 17beta-estradiol, bisphenol-A (BSP), silymarin, genistein, resveratrol, procymidone, linurone and benzophenone-3 (BP3) modulate differentiation of rat calvarial osteoblast-like (ROB) cells in primary in vitro culture. Disruptors were added at day 18 of culture and cells were harvested 48 h later. Real time-PCR revealed that estradiol and resveratrol enhanced osteocalcin mRNA expression in ROB cells, while other disruptors were ineffective. The expression of osteonectin and collagen-1alpha was not affected by any disruptor. Estradiol, resveratrol, genistein and BSP stimulated the proliferative activity of ROB cells. In contrast, procymidone and linurone inhibited the proliferative activity, and silymarin and BP3 were ineffective. The conclusion is drawn that i) only resveratrol is able, like estradiol, to stimulate the specialized functions of ROB cells, and ii) the proliferative activity of ROB cells is more sensitive to endocrine disruptors, some of which could probably act via a mechanism independent of their SERM activity.

Leptin and leptin receptors in the prostate and seminal vesicles of the adult rat.

Leptin is an adipose tissue-secreted hormone that acts via specific receptors (Ob-R), of which six isoforms are at present recognized (from Ob-Ra to Ob-Rf). Ob-Rb is the only isoform able to activate JAK-STAT and MAPK signaling cascades. A large body of evidence suggests that leptin and its receptors are involved in prostate physiology and pathophysiology in humans, but studies on the leptin system in the rat prostate are lacking. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction showed the expression of mRNAs of leptin, Ob-Ra, Ob-Rb, Ob-Rc, Ob-Re and Ob-Rf in adult rat seminal vesicles and prostate (coagulating, dorsal, ventral and lateral lobes). Western blotting demonstrated the presence in these specimens of the Ob-Rb protein, and immunocytochemistry revealed that Ob-Rb was mainly located in their epithelial-cell component. Collectively, these findings strongly suggest that leptin and Ob-R may be involved in the autocrine-paracrine functional regulation of the epithelial cells of adult rat seminal vesicles and prostate.

Effects of proadrenomedullin N-terminal 20 peptide on the rat pituitary-adrenocortical axis under basal and stressful conditions.

Proadrenomedullin N-terminal 20 peptide (PAMP) derives, along with adrenomedullin (AM), from prepro-AM. AM has been reported to modulate the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and this study aimed at ascertaining whether PAMP exerts similar effects. PAMP was subcutaneously administered to non-stressed and stressed rats, and the plasma concentrations of ACTH and corticosterone were measured by radioimmune assay. In non-stressed rats, PAMP raised ACTH and corticosterone blood levels at 60 min, and ACTH plasma concentration at 120 min. Ether and cold stresses increased the plasma levels of both ACTH and corticosterone, and PAMP dampened HPA axis response to cold stress, without affecting that to ether stress. The conclusion is drawn that PAMP i) stimulates rat HPA axis, through a mechanism similar to that of ether stress; and ii) interferes with the neural pathways involved in the cold stress-induced activation of HPA axis.

Atrial natriuretic peptide enhances cortisol secretion from guinea-pig adrenal gland: evidence for an indirect paracrine mechanism probably involving the local release of medullary catecholamines.

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is a regulatory hormone widely expressed, along with its receptors, in organs and body tissues. ANP is well known to inhibit aldosterone secretion from mammalian adrenals, but its effect on glucocorticoid-hormone production is controversial. In vivo experiments showed that prolonged ANP administration raised the plasma concentration of cortisol in both normal and dexamethasone/captopril-treated guinea pigs (i.e. in animals with pharmacologically interrupted hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and renin-angiotensin system). ANP did not affect cortisol secretion from dispersed guinea pig zona fasciculata-reticularis cells, but enhanced catecholamine release from adrenomedullary cells. ANP stimulated cortisol output from guinea pig adrenal slices containing medullary chromaffin tissue, and the beta-adrenoceptor antagonist l-alprenolol blocked this effect. The conclusion is drawn that ANP, when the structural integrity of the adrenal gland is preserved, is able to enhance glucocorticoid secretion in guinea pigs, through an indirect mechanism involving the rise in the catecholamine release, which in turn, acting in a paracrine manner, stimulate secretion of inner adrenocortical cells.

Main accessory sulcus of the liver.

It has been proposed that the superficial part of the portal fissures weakens the surface hepatic parenchyma, allowing the development of accessory sulci caused by diaphragmatic pressure. To evaluate the relationship of the sulci in the antero-superior surface of the right liver with the right portal fissure, macroscopic post mortem examination of 85 livers was carried out and radio-opaque resins were injected into the portal and hepatic venous systems to obtain vascular casts. After formalin fixation, the 85 livers also underwent CT and MR scans and 3D image elaboration. Diaphragmatic sulci were found in 32 cases. We studied the sulci located in the right liver, i.e., those that lay to the right of the line of Cantlie. They were found in 28 instances and in 16 cases they were multiple. In the livers with a single sulcus, it extended between the anterior and right surfaces of the right liver and showed a curved course downward and forward, toward the inferior margin. In the cases with multiple sulci, one sulcus always showed a course similar to that of the single sulci. The 28 sulci, with similar position and course, showed variable characteristics (mean length=7.6 +/- 2.7 cm, mean width=0.8 +/- 0.7 cm, mean depth=1.4 +/- 0.8 cm). Both radiological images and corrosion casts showed a correspondence between these sulci and the right hepatic vein and the right portal fissure in 71% of cases. These sulci may represent the variable expression (cranial, intermediate, or caudal portions) of a potential sulcus, the main accessory sulcus (MAS), that develops along a theoretically predictable course corresponding to the superficial part of the right portal fissure. The high prevalence of location of the MAS at the level of the upper part of the right portal fissure can be ascribed to the presence at this level of the watershed between the roots of the tributaries of the hepatic veins coming from segments VIII and VII, draining respectively into the middle and right hepatic veins. Thus, the coexistence of the two portal and hepatic venous boundaries may represent a further predisposition to the effects of diaphragmatic pressure. The MAS may represent a marking for the right portal fissure, and hence a superficial reference for the deep course of the right hepatic vein.

Acellular liver matrix improves the survival and functions of isolated rat hepatocytes cultured in vitro.

Alternative approaches to overcome the shortage of donors for liver transplantation may be the use of hepatocytes for bioartificial devices or transplantation. Therefore, the setting-up of new in vitro culture techniques allowing the long-term survival and functional maintenance of hepatocytes represents a formidable challenge. Aim of this study was to obtain a liver homologous acellular matrix (HAM) able to support viability and metabolic functions of rat hepatocytes in primary culture. HAMs were prepared by sequential incubation of rat liver slices in deoxycholic acid and DNase solutions. Dispersed rat hepatocytes were obtained by collagenase digestion and mechanical disaggregation. Isolated hepatocytes were seeded on uncoated and collagen- or HAM-coated tissue culture plastic wells. Cultures were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the viability of hepatocytes and their ability to produce albumin and urea were assessed. The viability of freshly dispersed hepatocytes was about 98%. Hepatocytes seeded on HAM exhibited a significantly higher viability and a markedly lower apoptotic rate than those grown on plastic or collagen. Accordingly, albumin and urea nitrogen productions were significantly higher in HAM-cultured hepatocytes. SEM showed that hepatocytes seeded on HAM displayed a clustered organization, and were well anchored to the matrix and morphologically stable. Taken together, these findings indicate that HAM strongly improves viability and functional activity of rat hepatocytes cultured in vitro.

New experimental models for the in vitro reconstitution of human bladder mucosa.

This study describes two experimental models for the in vitro reconstitution of the human bladder mucosa (neo-bladder): human urothelial stabilized cell lines were cultured on three-dimensional matrices, collagen or platelet-fibrin gels, containing murine fibroblast 3T3-J2 cells. Low-density seeding (2x10(4) cells/ml) of both normal (TCA-48) and neoplastic cell lines (TCA-47) on collagen matrix gave rise to isolated papillar colonies, while high-density seeding (3.75x10(6) cells/ml) led to the formation of wide pluristratified epithelial sheets, resembling the normal transitional epithelium. In contrast, high-density seeding (5x10(5) cells/ml) on platelet-fibrin matrix did not allow the formation of epithelial sheets: only isolated voluminous colonies of normal TCA-48 cells, and sparse and small colonies of neoplastic TCA-47 could be observed. Growth assays and cytotoxicity reduction tests showed that the growth inhibitory effect of platelet-fibrin gel on urothelial cells was probably due to the aspecific activation of the complement contained in the plasmatic fraction, whose precipitation forms fibrin-glue. Collectively, these findings allow us to draw the following conclusions: i) neobladders obtained by culturing urothelial cells on collagen matrix reproduce normal bladder mucosa and could be utilized in pharmacological studies; and ii) platelet-fibrin gels, that specifically inhibit neoplastic urothelial cell growth, could be used as scaffolds in surgical bladder reconstitution.

Effect of ghrelin on the apoptotic deletion rate of different types of cells cultured in vitro.

Evidence indicates that ghrelin, an endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor, controls the growth of several human and rat cell types cultured in vitro. Hence, we have investigated, by using both TUNEL and ELISA assays, the effects of 10(-8) M ghrelin on the basal apoptotic deletion rate of rat osteoblasts and thymocytes, rat and human adrenocortical cells, human umbilical vein endothelial cells, and human aldosteronoma cells cultured in vitro, as well as of the human adrenocortical carcinoma-derived cell lines NCI-H295 and SW-13. Both assays consistently showed that ghrelin did not affect apoptotic rate of normal rat and human cells, but significantly enhanced apoptotic deletion in aldosteronoma, NCI-H295 and SW-13 cell cultures. Due to the central role of apoptosis in the control of tumor growth, these findings, if confirmed in other tumor cell types, could suggest an antitumoral action of ghrelin.

Effects of prolonged cholecystokinin administration on rat pituitary-adrenocortical axis: role of the CCK receptor subtypes 1 and 2.

Many lines of evidence indicate that cholecystokinin (CCK) and its receptors, named CCK1-R and CCK2-R, are expressed in the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the function of which they acutely stimulate. However, the role of endogenous CCK system in the regulation of HPA axis is still unknown. To address this issue we investigated the effect of the prolonged (6-day) administration of CCK, CCK-R antagonists (CCK-RAs) and pentagastrin (PG), a CCK2-R agonist, on adult rat HPA axis. Semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction showed that CCK treatment lowered the expression of CCK1-R and CCK2-R mRNAs in the pituitary, but not adrenal gland. ACTH plasma concentration was not affected by any treatment. Neither CCK nor PG administration induced significant changes in the blood levels of aldosterone and corticosterone. CCK1-RA, although being per se ineffective, in the presence of CCK raised plasma levels of aldosterone and corticosterone; conversely, CCK2-RA, either alone or in the presence of agonists, lowered the blood concentrations of the two hormones. CCK, but not PG, treatment decreased relative adrenal weight, and morphometry showed that CCK-induced adrenal atrophy was coupled to decreases in the volume of adrenocortical zones, which in turn mainly depended on the lowering in the volume and number of adrenocortical cells. PG administration raised and CCK2-RA per se decreased the volume and number of adrenocortical cells. Taken together, these findings allow us to draw the following main conclusions: i) the prolonged exposure to elevated CCK concentrations down-regulates CCK-R expression in the pituitary gland, which accounts for the lack of effect of CCK on ACTH secretion; ii) adrenal CCK1-Rs and CCK2-Rs inhibit and stimulate, respectively, corticosteroid secretion; and iii) endogenous CCK system plays a minor role in the physiological regulation of rat HPA axis, its main effect being the CCK2-R-mediated maintenance of adrenocortical-cell number.

Ghrelin, an endogenous ligand for the growth hormone-secretagogue receptor, is expressed in the human adrenal cortex.

Ghrelin is an endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R), which was originally isolated from rat stomach. Ghrelin and GHS-R are also expressed in several peripheral tissues, including adrenal glands, and this prompted us to study ghrelin expression and ghrelin-binding site localization in the human adrenal cortex, and the possible effect of this peptide on corticosteroid-hormone secretion. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and radioimmune assay (RIA) showed sizeable expression of ghrelin mRNA and protein in six human adrenal cortexes. Autoradiography evidenced abundant [125I]ghrelin binding sites in the adrenal zona glomerulosa and outer zona fasciculata. However, ghrelin (10(-6) M) did not significantly affect either basal or agonist (ACTH and angiotensin-II)-stimulated early and late steps of steroid-hormone synthesis from adrenocortical slices (as measured by quantitative high pressure liquid chromatography). Since zona glomerulosa is the cambium layer involved in the growth maintenance of adrenal cortex, the present coupled RT-PCR, RIA and autoradiographic findings could suggest the involvement of ghrelin in the autocrine-paracrine regulation of human adrenal growth.

Effects of prolonged exendin-4 administration on entero-insular axis of normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

The effects of the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist exendin-4 (EX4) and antagonist EX4(9-39) EX4-A on entero-insular axis have been investigated in normoglycemic and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Rats were administered daily subcutaneous injections of 1 nmol/kg EX4 and/or EX4-A for 7 days, and were decapitated 3 h after the last injection. In STZ-untreated rats, EX4 reduced body-weight (BW) gain and raised glycemia, and the effects were prevented by EX4-A; conversely, EX4 did not alter plasma concentrations of insulin, glucagon and leptin. STZ-treated rats displayed body and hematochemical alterations typical of experimental diabetes: decrease in BW and insulin blood level, coupled with normal glucagon plasma concentration and marked hyperglycemia. In diabetic rats, both EX4 and EX4-A decreased BW gain, thereby suggesting a mechanism at least in part independent of GLP-1 receptors. EX4 did not alter glucagon blood level, but decreased glycemia and raised insulin and leptin plasma levels. These effects were annulled by EX4-A, which indicates that they occur through the activation of GLP-1 receptors. Collectively, our findings add support to the view that EX4 can be considered an important therapeutical tool to improve glucose metabolism in diabetes.

Adrenomedullin and its receptors are expressed in the zona glomerulosa of immature and adult rat adrenals: evidences of upregulation of ADM system in immature glands.

Evidence has been provided that adrenomedullin (ADM) stimulates the proliferative activity of adult rat adrenal zona glomerulosa (ZG). However, the selective ADM receptor antagonist ADM(22-52), although being able to block ADM effect, was per se ineffective. In contrast, in the companion paper, we showed that ADM(22-52) depresses the proliferation rate of ZG in 20-day-old rats, suggesting the involvement of endogenous ADM system in adrenal maturation. Hence, we investigated by semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and radioimmune assay the expression of ADM system in adult and immature rat ZG. ProADM mRNA and ADM-immunoreactivity were both more elevated in immature- than adult-rat ZG. Plasma ADM concentration did not show significant age-related differences. ADM acts via two subtypes of ADM(22-52)-sensitive receptors: the L1 receptor (L1-R) and the calcitonin-receptor-like-receptor (CRLR), the latter behaves as selective ADM receptor only in the presence of the receptor-activity-modifying proteins (RAMPs)2 and 3. L1-R expression was enhanced in immature rat ZG, while CRLR and RAMP(2,3) expression did not display significant differences. It is concluded that the endogenous ADM system located in the ZG is upregulated in immature rats, and plays an important autocrine-paracrine role in the maintenance of the elevated growth rate during adrenal maturation.