Endocrine Abstracts

Normal hypothalamo-pituitary development is critically dependent upon a complex genetic cascade that dictates organ commitment, cell differentiation, and cell proliferation within the anterior pituitary. Mutations in a number of transcription factors have been implicated in the aetiology of congenital hypopituitarism (CH) in mice and humans; resulting phenotypes and their inheritance may be highly variable. Mutations in genes implicated in early pituitary development may be as...

Although the notion of paracrine and autocrine signalling was already suggested more than 100 years ago, its full recognition dates from the last 30 years. Paracrine communication and autocrine loops have been shown to operate in all hormonal cell types and in folliculo-stellate cells and other non-hormonal cells during fetal and postnatal development and adulthood. More than 100 compounds have been identified that have, or may have, paracrine or autocrine actions, including t...

Despite considerable progress, the pathogenesis of pituitary tumours is largely unknown. Aberrant expression of oncogenes or tumour suppressors is thought to play a role in pituitary tumour initiation. The originating tumour cells may express abnormal patterns of growth factor receptors and may release excessive amounts of growth factors or angiogenic factors, which contribute in auto-/paracrine manner to the different speed and degree of progression of pituitary tumours. Here...

The importance of cell cycle regulation in pituitary biology has been suggested from the fact that many gene-targeted mouse models of cell cycle mutations develop diverse pituitary pathologies. The retinoblastoma protein (pRb)/cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (Cdk4) pathway, one of the major mitogen-sensor routes in the cell, seems to be critical in the control of pituitary cell proliferation. Both inactivation of pRb or hyperactivation of Cdk4 result in pituitary hyperplasias or tum...