Endocrine Abstracts

Adipose tissue is a highly active metabolic organ which, together with its classical role as energy storage depot, releases a wide variety of bioactive molecules with signaling properties, the adipokines, that play central roles in the regulation of energy metabolism and homeostasis, immunity and inflammation. Alterations in both adipokine production and lipid metabolism have been proposed to underlie the metabolic and cardiovascular disorders associated to excess body fat acc...

Several Rab proteins control secretory granule trafficking and, hence, hormone release, by regulating the activity of different components of the secretory granule transport machinery. Particularly, Rab18 inhibits secretory granule movement, which leads to reduced neuropeptide and hormone secretion in PC12 pheochromocytoma cells and ACTH-secreting ATt20 cells, respectively, but how this GTPase accomplishes its role and the identity of the proteins that regulate Rab18 activity ...

It is now widely accepted that the kisspeptins (kps) and their receptor kiss1r play an essential role in the neuroendocrine regulation of the reproductive axis by stimulating hypothalamic GnRH secretion. However, kiss1 and kiss1r expression in tissues distinct from, but related to, the hypothalamus, prompted us to propose that these molecules may exert regulatory functions in additional places of the neuroendocrine system, such as the pituitary and two of its phy...

Ghrelin was isolated from stomach by its ability to stimulate growth hormone (GH) release through the GH-secretagogue receptor (GHS-R1a). However, ghrelin/GHS-R expression in multiple tissues and tumor types suggested additional roles for this tandem. Ghrelin, a 28-aminoacid peptide, requires a unique O-acylation at its Ser-3 residue to bind GHS-R1a and release GH. Conversely, unacylated ghrelin (UAG), initially considered inactive, seems to play distinct metabolic role...

Ghrelin is a 28-aa peptide originally isolated from stomach but present also in many tissues, including hypothalamus and pituitary, where it stimulates growth hormone (GH) release through the ghrelin/GH secretagogue receptor (GHS-R). Ghrelin also increases food intake and adiposity and could play a key integrative role in the endocrine–metabolic interface. Although its primary pituitary cell target are somatotropes, ghrelin also modulates other pituitary cell types, speci...

The neuropeptide somatostatin (SRIF) exerts a wide variety of actions through five SRIF receptors (sst1-5). However, not all SRIF actions can be explained by activation of the known sst. In this context, our research group has identified two novel isoforms of sst subtype 5 (sst5A) named sst5B and sst5C expressed in human and pig. These isoforms are generated by splicing of cryptic introns within the coding sequence, which alters the open reading frame, and results in new, trun...

It is widely accepted that, in addition to serving as a repository for energy reserves, adipose tissue is an active endocrine organ that secretes a variety of signalling molecules, the adipokines, which play important roles in the regulation of metabolism, energy balance, feeding behaviour, vascular homeostasis and immunity. In particular, leptin, resistin and adiponectin have been implicated in energy and glucose homeostasis. Additional neuroendocrine functions have also been...