Functional differences between two structurally distinct types of steroidogenic cell in the avian adrenal gland

Abstract

There are two regions of steroidogenic cells in the duck adrenal gland. An outer, subcapsular zone (SCZ), consisting of cells with irregularly shaped nuclei, shows relatively little smooth endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria with shelf-like cristae. This region surrounds the inner zone (IZ) of the gland which is comprised of smaller cells with rounded nuclei, a more abundant smooth endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria with tubular cristae. When samples of tissue from these distinct regions of the gland are superfused in vitro with media containing concentrations of 1–24 ACTH ranging from 100 to 1000 ng per ml (0.034 to 0.34 μM) the steroidogenic cells in both zones release corticosterone in a dose-dependent manner. The dose-responsiveness of both the SCZ and the IZ cells over this range is a complex quadratic function of the 1–24 ACTH concentration in the medium and the semilogarithmic linear portions of the dose-response curves are restricted to a narrow midrange of ACTH concentrations. Throughout the dose-response range, however, the steroidogenic cells of the IZ are more responsive to corticotropic stimulation than are the cells of the SCZ. The cells of the two zones are further distinguished by their responses to a challenge for a second time with medium containing 1–24 ACTH; the responses of the IZ cells to a second challenge were greater than those of the SCZ cells, and at a high concentration of ACTH the SCZ slices showed no significant second response.