Endocrine Abstracts

Transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily Vanilloid, member 5 (TRPV5) is a member of the TRP superfamily. TRPV5, which functions as a tetramer, is localized to apical membranes of distal convoluted tubules (DCT) and connecting tubules (CNT) of the kidney, and is involved in vitamin D-regulated calcium reabsorption. Mice with a targeted deletion of Trpv5 (Trpv5−/−) develop severe hypercalciuria, compensatory hyperabsorption of dietary ...

The modulation of pancreatic islet mass represents a novel therapeutic approach for the management of diabetes mellitus. G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) regulate beta-cell expansion and proliferation, and the objective of this study was to assess whether the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), which is an abundantly expressed beta-cell GPCR, may influence islet mass and systemic glucose homeostasis, and thus represent an exploitable drug target in some forms of diabetes. We c...

Cushing’s syndrome, which is characterised by excessive circulating glucocorticoid (GC) concentrations, may be due to ACTH-dependent or -independent causes that include anterior pituitary and adrenal cortical tumours, respectively. In the course of our phenotype-driven screens of mouse mutants induced by the chemical mutagen N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU), we observed a mutant mouse with obesity, hyperglycaemia and low bone mineral density, features that ar...