Endocrine Abstracts

An atypical form of resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) leads to retarded growth and bone age in humans. Aberrant thyroid hormone levels (high T4, low T3, elevated rT3 and high/ normal TSH) indicate a defect in deiodinase-dependent thyroid hormone metabolism. Findings of reduced concentrations of plasma selenoproteins (SePP, GPx3) suggested a generalized defect of selenoprotein biosynthesis and led to the identification of mutations in the SECISBP2 gene. SECISBP2 is thought to...

Cathepsin K is a cysteine protease known for its importance in bone remodelling. Inhibitors of cathepsin K are in clinical trials for osteoporosis treatment, but side effects included altered levels of related cathepsins in peripheral organs and in the central nervous system (CNS). Importantly, cathepsin K has been identified not only in osteoclasts but also in most epithelia and, recently, in brain parenchyma. Lately, we have also shown that cathepsin K deficiency in mice ind...