Endocrine Abstracts

Cell developmental studies have frequently used the hypophysis as a model for complex differentiation pathways. Nevertheless, many of this work has been focused on the hormone-producing cell types of the anterior pituitary (AP), whereas the so-called folliculo-stellate cells (FS cells) have often been ignored in these studies. FS cells form an enigmatic, non-hormone-secreting cell group. Initially designated as supportive cells, they were soon found to be the putative source o...

Numerous growth factors, oncogenes, tumour suppressor genes and hormonal influences have been implicated in pituitary tumorigenesis. We have demonstrated that the PI3K-Akt pathway is upregulated in pituitary tumours and since Akt is a major downstream signalling molecule of growth factor-liganded tyrosine kinase receptors it is possible that an abnormality at this level could be the primary driver of pituitary tumorigenesis. The serine/threonine kinase B-Raf functions as a dow...

Somatic mutations of the αs subunit of G proteins were initially reported by Landis and collaborators in 1989 in somatotroph tumors characterized by markedly high cAMP levels. These mutations are localized at two critical sites concerning the intrinsic guanosine triphosphatase activity of the protein leading to a constitutive activation of the adenylyl cyclase. The mutated protein has been named the gsp oncogene. On the other hand, Gsα mRNA level varied among ...

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...