Endocrine Abstracts

Pituitary hormones are released into the bloodstream in a pulsatile fashion in response to stimuli from their hypothalamic regulators. For efficient generation of hormone pulses, both the hypothalamic mechanisms and the pituitary target cells must exhibit a high degree of coordinated secretory activity. This is particularly important for the growth hormone (GH) axis since the target tissue responses are critically dependent on the temporal pattern of GH exposure, as well as th...

All higher life forms critically depend on hormones being rhythmically released by the anterior pituitary. The proper functioning of this gland is dynamically controlled by a complex set of regulatory mechanisms that ultimately determine the fine tuning of endocrine cells. Strikingly, the pituitary needs to retain its integrity in order secrete highly ordered hormone pulses (up to a thousand fold rise in hormone levels!) while it displays an apparently heterogeneous distributi...

Germ cell-somatic cell communication in the ovary is essential for follicle and oocyte development. This communication may take place via gap junctions or via paracrine mediated signalling through the secretion of growth factors. Over the past ten to fifteen years there has been a major change in how the oocyte is perceived within the context of the ovarian follicle. The original view of the oocyte as a passenger benefiting from the nutrients provided by gap-junction coupled s...

The two primary functions of the adult testis (sperm production and hormone production) need to be co-ordinated because sperm production is completely dependent on appropriate hormone (primarily testosterone) production. However, it is equally evident from animal studies that Leydig cell (LC) development and function are also affected by developmental and functional status of the seminiferous tubules. For example, development of the adult LC population is dependent on reduced ...