Endocrine Abstracts

The activity of certain hypothalamic neuronal populations is altered by changes in glucose. in-vitro studies have identified several glucose-sensitive neuronal populations in hypothalamic regions controlling energy homeostasis. Subsets of orexigenic arcuate nucleus Neuropeptide Y (NPY)-releasing neurones are known to be glucose responsive. These neurones may allow glucose to influence appetite. Cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript (CART) is a neurotransmitter ab...

Agouti-related protein (AgRP) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) are co-localised in hypothalamic arcuate nucleus neurons that have been implicated in the regulation of energy balance. Both AgRP and NPY stimulate food intake when administered into the third ventricle and are up-regulated in states of negative energy balance e.g. fasting. AgRP/NPY neurones are thought to play a role in the integration of information received from circulating satiety factors and signals of energy store st...

(This poster is based on OC25)...

Cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript (CART) was originally isolated from rat brain but CART is also synthesized and stored in the anterior pituitary. The localisation and factors regulating pituitary CART synthesis are largely unknown.Using a specific assay for the pituitary form of CART, CART(55-102), CART-immunoreactivity was detectable in the medium of the corticotroph cell line, AtT-20 (1.73 ± 0.54 fmols per millilitre per 24h) but not in control medium....

(Will also be presented as a Steroids poster)Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating-hormone (alpha-MSH) is an agonist at the melanocortin-3-receptor (MC3-R) and the MC4-R. It stimulates corticosterone release from rat adrenal glomerulosa cells. The receptor mediating this effect is unidentified since only MC2-R and MC5-R have been reported to be expressed in the adrenal and alpha-MSH is a poor agonist at these receptors. Agrp, an endogenous antagonist at the MC3-R...

Background: The novel peptide prokineticin-2 (PK2) has recently been implicated in the regulation of a number of physiological processes; including regulating gastrointestinal motility, spermatogenesis, neurogenesis and circadian rhythms. PK2 is a cysteine rich protein which mediates its effects via the prokineticin receptors which are expressed in several hypothalamic nuclei known to regulate food intake. We therefore hypothesised that PK2 may be an important endogenous regul...