title: Cortisol-secreting adrenocortical tumours in dogs and their relevance for human medicine.
abstract: Spontaneous cortisol-secreting adrenocortical tumours in pet dogs are an attractive animal model for their human counterparts. Adrenal morphology and function are similar in dogs and humans, and adrenocortical tumours have comparable clinical and pathological characteristics. Their relatively high incidence in pet dogs represents a potential source of adrenocortical tumour tissue to facilitate research. The molecular characteristics of canine cortisol-secreting adrenocortical tumours suggest that they will be useful for the study of angiogenesis, the cAMP/protein kinase A pathway, and the role of Steroidogenic Factor-1 in adrenal tumourigenesis. Pet dogs with spontaneous cortisol-secreting adrenocortical tumours may also be useful in clinical testing of new drugs and in investigating the molecular background of adrenocortical tumours.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 108, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: S.Galac@uu.nl.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Galac
mesh_terms: D000306:Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004285:Dogs; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D054339:Steroidogenic Factor 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D054339:Steroidogenic Factor 1; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Adrenal; Animal model; Canine; Cushing's syndrome