Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41591811›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of clinical investigation2026

Rho/ROCK signaling and α-catenin mediate β-catenin-driven hyperplasia in the adrenal cortex via adherens junctions.

Mesut Berber, Betul Haykir, Nick A Guagliardo, Vasileios Chortis, Kleiton Silva Borges, Paula Q Barrett, Felix Beuschlein, Diana L Carlone, David T Breault

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of clinical investigation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Mesut BerberDivision of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Betul HaykirDivision of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Nick A GuagliardoDepartment of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
Vasileios ChortisDivision of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Kleiton Silva BorgesDivision of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Paula Q BarrettDepartment of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
Felix BeuschleinDepartment of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Clinical Nutrition, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Diana L CarloneDivision of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
David T BreaultDivision of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Funding

Rosettes in Adrenal Development, Maintenance and DiseaseR01DK123694 · NIDDK · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · PI David T Breault · 2019 to 2026
$5.6M
NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK123694
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

How β-catenin (βCat) mediates tissue hyperplasia is poorly understood. To explore this, we employed the adrenal cortex as a model system given its stereotypical spatial organization and the important role βCat plays in homeostasis and disease. For example, excessive production of aldosterone by the adrenal cortex (primary aldosteronism [PA]) is a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and is associated with βCat gain of function (βCat-GOF). Adherens junctions (AJs) connect the actin cytoskeletons of adjacent zona glomerulosa (zG) cells via a cadherin-βCat-α-catenin complex and mediate aldosterone production. Whether βCat-GOF drives zG hyperplasia, a key feature of PA, via AJs is unknown. Here, we showed that aldosterone secretagogues (K+ and AngII) and βCat-GOF mediated AJ formation via Rho/ROCK/actomyosin signaling. In addition, Rho/ROCK inhibition led to altered zG rosette morphology and decreased aldosterone production. Mice with zG-specific βCat-GOF demonstrated increased AJ formation and zG hyperplasia, which was blunted by Rho/ROCK inhibition and deletion of α-catenin (αCat). βCat also impacted AJ formation independently of its role as a transcription factor. Furthermore, analysis of human aldosterone-producing adenomas revealed high levels of βCat expression were associated with increased membranous expression of K-cadherin. Together, our findings identified Rho/ROCK signaling and αCat as key mediators of AJ formation and βCat-driven hyperplasia.

Indexed as

Adherens JunctionsAdrenal Cortexalpha Cateninbeta Cateninrho-Associated Kinasesrho GTP-Binding ProteinsSignal TransductionAldosteroneAnimalsHumansHyperaldosteronismHyperplasiaMaleMiceMice, KnockoutZona GlomerulosaAldosteronealpha Cateninbeta CateninCTNNB1 protein, humanCTNNB1 protein, mouserho-Associated Kinasesrho GTP-Binding ProteinsCardiologyDevelopmentEndocrinologyHypertensionSignal transductionTight junctions

Identifiers

PMID41591811
PMCPMC12987613

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.