Endocrine Abstracts

It is well documented that inappropriate exposure to glucocorticoids (GCs) in early life stunts growth and predisposes the individual to metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes. Evidence suggests that these programming actions involve alterations in GC receptor expression. However, the precise mechanisms remain to be determined. As GCs are known to modify both the neuroendocrine control of growth hormone (GH) secretion and the peripheral effects of GH on growth and meta...

Common features for cytokine receptors are the presence of truncated receptors and production of soluble receptor. mRNAs encoding truncated growth hormone and leptin receptors (GHR and ObR) have been detected. The truncated GHR1-279 has a dominant negative action on the full-length receptor (GHRfl). GH is internalised very rapidly by cells expressing GHRfl. In contrast, the GHR1-279 showed delayed and reduced internalisation of GH. This could explain its dominant negative acti...

Coordinated interaction between the neuroendocrine and immune systems is of paramount importance in regulating the host's response to inflammation and anoxic stress. Adenosine, released under such conditions in high concentration, modulates a number of inflammatory processes and can regulate the activity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Although adenosine receptors (ARs) have been described in the pituitary gland, the distribution of the receptor subtypes (A1, ...

The association between thyrotoxicosis and osteoporosis has been recognised for over 100 years. Clinical studies in hyperthyroidism reveal a state of high bone turnover with activation of both osteoclasts and osteoblasts.A longitudinal clinical study was performed in patients with thyrotoxicosis to study changes in serum and urinary biochemical markers of bone turnover and in bone mineral density. Bone density increased by 6% following 1 year of treatmen...

Ectopic secretion of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), from sites such as small cell lung cancer (SCLC), results in severe Cushing's syndrome. ACTH is cleaved from pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC). The syndrome occurs when the highly tissue-specific promoter of POMC is activated. This promoter lies within a defined CpG island. CpG islands are usually considered to be unmethylated in all tissues. We hypothesised that changes in promoter DNA methylation might direct aberrant express...