Endocrine Abstracts

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is secreted via exocytosis; however, the precise molecular mechanism underlying the exocytosis of AVP is unknown. To better understand the mechanisms of AVP secretion, here we study to identify proteins that bind with a 25 kDa synaptosomal-associated protein (SNAP25), a protein that plays a crucial role in exocytosis, in the posterior pituitary. Embryonic stem (ES) cell-derived AVP neurons were established to investigate the functions of the identifi...

Central diabetes insipidus (CDI) is a rare condition caused by various underlying diseases including inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, neoplasms (such as germinomas and craniopharyngiomas), infiltrative diseases (such as Langerhans cell histiocytosis), neurosurgery, trauma, and genetic defects in vasopressin synthesis. However, up to 15% of CDI causes remain idiopathic, although, a recent report showed idiopathic CDI is a very uncommon condition. An autoimmune process invo...