In three of the GEO databases (GSE10927, GSE75415 and GSE12368), the cytosolic HSP90 (HSP90B1 and/or HSP90AA1 and HSP90AB1) and their clients belonging to the PI3K family (AKT2) were significantly overexpressed (P < 0.01) in the ACC tissues (Fig. 1b, 1d, Supplementary Fig. 2) compared to the normal adrenal and adrenocortical adenoma (ACA) tissue samples, irrespective of tumor stage. Here, HSP90AA1 is linked to adrenal cortex adenoma.