Located on top of the kidneys like two tiny caps, the adrenal glands play a fundamental role in the endocrine system. We have previously described the human adrenal gland proteome and now it is time to shed light on proteins specific for the medullary compartment of the adrenal gland. These proteins are essential for the synthesis of two major stress coping hormones - adrenaline and noradrenaline...Read more

In a recent publication in Endocrinology, researchers from the Human Protein Atlas have performed a comprehensive analysis of the gene expression landscape of the adrenal glands to define genes with different degrees of "specific" expression compared to 31 other normal human organs and tissue types. The analysis showed that only 253 genes (approximately 1% of all putative protein coding genes) showed some level of adrenal gland specific expression pattern.

The adrenal gland is a composite endocrine organ with vital functions that include the synthesis and release of glucocorticoids and catecholamines...Read more