Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) hypersecretion by corticotroph adenomas of the pituitary result in excess cortisol secretion, or Cushing disease. The clinical features of Cushing disease include central obesity, moon facies, 'buffalo hump,' diabetes, hypertension, fatigue, easy bruising, depression, and reproductive disorders. Cushing disease is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, mainly due to cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease and infections (summary by Perez-Rivas et al., 2015). Mutations in the USP8 gene, leading to an upregulated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR; 131550) pathway, have been identified in about 36 to 62% of corticotroph adenomas (summary by Mete and Lopes, 2017).

Glutathione synthetase deficiency, or 5-oxoprolinuria, is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized, in its severe form, by massive urinary excretion of 5-oxoproline, metabolic acidosis, hemolytic anemia, and central nervous system damage. The metabolic defect results in decreased levels of cellular glutathione, which overstimulates the synthesis of gamma-glutamylcysteine and its subsequent conversion to 5-oxoproline (Larsson and Anderson, 2001).