Regulation of Proliferative Processes in Rat Adrenal Cortex by Transcriptional Factor PRH under Conditions of Developmental Exposure to Endocrine Disruptor DDT

The effects of endocrine disrupters of transcriptional control of morphogenesis are poorly studied. Changes in the expression of transcriptional factor PRH and proliferation of adrenal cortical cells were analyzed in pubertal and postpubertal rats exposed prenatally and postnatally to low doses of endocrine disrupter DDT. In rats exposed to DDT, the expression of PRH and proliferation of adrenal cortical cells differed from those in control rats. Association between these parameters was weakened in the zona glomerulosa and zona reticularis and was absent in the zona fasciculata. These findings suggest that exposure to DDT in pre- and postnatal periods impairs the regulation of proliferative processes by transcriptional factor PRH in all zones of rat adrenal cortex, which can be a mechanism of the disruptive action of DDT.