Sexual dimorphism in adrenal gland development and tumorigenesis

Abstract Sexual dimorphismis not only a matter of gonadalsex or secondary sexual characteristics, it also deals with slight differences, the consequences of which may be important since, as we know, the devil is in the detail. Sex determination leads to male or female genetic programmingthat will influence many biological and/or pathological processes. The adrenal glandis a good example of a non-reproductive sexually dimorphicorgan, and the majority of adrenal lesions occur in females. Little is known about the mechanism behind this prevalence but recent publications suggest the involvement of gonadalhormones and the potentially protective role of androgens. The scarcity of aggressive adrenal lesions has lead researchers to develop animal models able to recapitulate female prevalence to investigate the mechanism hidden behind this dimorphism.