AUTHOR=Clark Barbara J. TITLE=ACTH Action on StAR Biology JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2016 YEAR=2016 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2016.00547 DOI=10.3389/fnins.2016.00547 ISSN=1662-453X ABSTRACT=
Adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) produced by the anterior pituitary stimulates glucocorticoid synthesis by the adrenal cortex. The first step in glucocorticoid synthesis is the delivery of cholesterol to the mitochondrial matrix where the first enzymatic reaction in the steroid hormone biosynthetic pathway occurs. A key response of adrenal cells to ACTH is activation of the cAMP-protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway. PKA activation results in an acute increase in expression and function of the