Endocrine Abstracts

Metastasis is a multistep process responsible for the vast majority of endocrine cancer deaths. We have previously identified the proto-oncogene PBF to be upregulated in differentiated thyroid cancer, and recently PBF expression has been correlated with distant thyroid cancer metastasis at diagnosis. Further, PBF potently induces breast cancer cell invasion in vitro, and our recent in vivo data demonstrate that colorectal tumours with higher PBF protein expre...

Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) occur in multiple sites including, the pancreas, gastrointestinal tract, lung, thymus, parathyroid, adrenals and pituitary. Current treatments for advanced NETs such as surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, rarely achieve a cure due to metastases at presentation therefore additional therapeutic treatments are required. Identification of cell surface receptors or binding sites that are unique or up-regulated on tumour or neuroendocrine tissue coul...

AbstractBackground: β-cell apoptosis is a cardinal feature of type 1 diabetes. A20 is an important negative regulator of inflammation and apoptosis and protects against β-cell death in response to inflammatory cytokines, and β-cell rejection following islet transplantation1. Preliminary experiments showed rapid induction of A20 (15–60 min) in β-cells in response to treatment with TNFα. Experimenta...

Variation in the human glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene associates with relative glucocorticoid resistance, hypertension and increased cardiovascular disease risk. Mice heterozygous for a null GR mutation (GR+/−) are also glucocorticoid resistant with raised circulating glucocorticoid levels and elevated blood pressure in adulthood. We have characterised the cardiac phenotype of these mice throughout development and investigated their response to cardiovascul...

Background: Cystic fibrosis is an autosomal recessive disease characterised by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. The mutations alter fluid secretion in the lungs and digestive systems and the vast majority of patients die from pulmonary disease. CF-related diabetes (CFRD) is the most significant co-morbidity for patients with CF and accelerates lung decline. Recent evidence from animal and cell models has implicated a role for CF...

Normal placental and fetal growth are important for neonatal and lifelong health. Placental growth is influenced by endogenous microRNAs (miRs) which regulate translation of their target genes into proteins. Recently, plant miRs from ingested food have been detected in mammalian circulation; maternal fruit and vegetable intake is important for normal development but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. We hypothesised that miRNAs from maternal dietary fruit and v...