Endocrine Abstracts

Epidemiological and preclinical studies propose that metformin, a first-line drug for type- 2 diabetes, exerts direct antitumoral activity. Although several clinical trials are currently ongoing, the molecular mechanisms of this effect are unknown. The AMP-activated kinase-dependent pathway, and the down-stream effectors (e.g. mTOR) are considered the main effectors. Several studies reported the involvement of, in metformin metabolic activity. Nevertheless, contrasting evidenc...

Somatic mutations in splicing factor 3 subunit B1 (SF3B1) were found in about 20% of PRL-secreting PitNETs. SF3B1 is involved in pre-mRNA splicing and required for assembly of the U2 complex, which is critical for branch site recognition and the early stages of spliceosome assembly. Patients with mutant prolactinomas showed higher PRL levels and shorter progression-free survival compared to wild-type patients. Aims of the present study were: 1) to characterize the genetic prof...