Endocrine Abstracts

Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) is produced by the anterior pituitary gland and is a key hormone in the reproductive system. FSH is a heterodimeric glycoprotein composed with two extensively glycosylated protein subunits (α and β) N-glycosylated in two positions (Asn52 and Asn78in the FSHα subunit and Asn7 and Asn24 in the FSHβ subunit). Due to different glycosylation pattern, several FSH isoforms may different...

Introduction: Luteinizing hormone (LH) and human choriogonadotropin (hCG) regulate reproduction through binding the same receptor (LHCGR). They act via activation of G protein- and β-arrestin-dependent signals, resulting in ligand-specific pattern of signaling cascades and LHCGR internalization into endosomal vesicles. Previous studies differentiated the action of these two hormones in LH-related proliferative signals and hCG-related steroidogenic signals.Aim. We compared...

Introduction: Benzo[a]Pyrene (BaP) is an endocrine-disrupting chemical, which may impact reproduction. It is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon generated by the incomplete combustion of organic compounds. BaP may be accumulated in the environment, achieving effective concentrations in the nanomolar range and exerting genotoxic effects in long-term exposed humans.Aim: We evaluated the short-term impact of BaP on luteinizing-hormone (LH)/choriogonadotropin ...

Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) is produced by the anterior pituitary gland and it is a key hormone in the reproductive system. FSH is a heterodimeric glycoprotein composed with two extensively glycosylated protein sobunits (α and β) N-glycosylated in two positions (Asn52 and Asn78 in the FSHα subunit and Asn7 and Asn24 in the FSHβ subunit) giving rise to numerous isoforms of FSH. Glycosylation has been shown t...

About 50% of women have nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. In about 35% of women who have these symptoms, nausea and vomiting are clinically significant, worsening their living conditions and consisting in a case of gender gap. The severe form, hyperemesis gravidarum, ranges from 0.3 to 1.0% of cases and is characterized by persistent vomiting, gestational thyrotoxicosis, weight loss of more than 5%, ketonuria, hypokalemia and dehydration, although the pathophysiological me...

Introduction: Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is a glycoprotein that support reproduction by regulating ovarian follicular growth and development. Recent studies demonstrated that proliferative signals mediating folliculogenesis are mediated by the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) expressed in ovarian tissues throughout the follicular phase. In granulosa cells, GPER forms heteromers with FSHR, reprogramming cAMP-induced death signals to AKT-dependent, anti-apoptot...

Introduction: Type 5 phosphodiesterase (PDE5) inhibitors (PDE5i) lead to intracellular cyclic-guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) increase and are used for clinical treatment of erectile dysfunction. Studies found that cGMP may up/downregulate the growth of certain endocrine tumor cells, suggesting that the use of PDE5i could impact the risk of certain tumors, such as colorectal cancer.Aim: We evaluated if PDE5i may impact thyroid cancer cell growth in vi...

In the ovary, the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) forms heteromeric complexes with the follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), reprogramming FSH-induced signals and determining the follicular fate. Based on the structural similarity, we evaluated whether GPER interacts with the luteinizing hormone (LH)/choriogonadotropin (hCG) receptor (LHCGR) modulating gonadotropin-dependent signals. LHCGR-GPER heteromers were evaluated in transiently transfected HEK293 cell...

Thyroid cancer is the most common type of endocrine tumor and reaches the peak of incidence between the age of twenty and fifty years. It has 4-fold higher prevalence in females than males, suggesting that estrogens and their receptors could be involved in thyroid cancer pathogenesis. Previous studies demonstrated allosteric interference operated by G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) to molecules structurally similar to the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor (T...

Androgens are sex steroid hormones fundamental for human reproduction. In males, they are produced upon luteinizing hormone (LH) action through its specific receptor (LHCGR) expressed in Leydig cells, supporting spermatogenesis. The human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), acting on the same receptor but not expressed in men, is administered to improve testosterone synthesis in specific pathological contexts, such as hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and cryptorchidism. In vitro</e...