Functional studies, overexpression and silencing of LGR5 and treatment with its cognate ligand R-spondin-3, were performed on either the immortalized human adrenocortical H295R cell line or normal primary adrenal cells cultured from adrenalectomized adrenals of patients diagnosed with either primary hyperaldosteronism or pheochromocytoma. Here, LGR5 is linked to pheochromocytoma.