Endocrine Abstracts

The hypothalamic peptide, nesfatin-1, derived from the precursor NEFA/nucleobindin2 (NUCB2), was recently identified as central anorexigenic molecule, acting in a leptin-independent manner. Yet, its potential involvement in the regulation of other biological functions gated by body energy status remains unexplored. We show herein that NUCB2/nesfatin-1 is involved in the control of female puberty. NUCB2/nesfatin mRNA and protein were detected at the hypothalamus of pubertal fem...

While female fertility is known to be sensitive to conditions of low body fuel reserves, the reproductive consequences of persistent energy excess remain ill defined. Yet, the pandemic proportions of obesity, and its potential impact on the gonadotropic axis, call for a better understanding of this phenomenon. Alike, the influence of ovarian hormones on the pathophysiology of obesity and its complications merits further investigation. In this work, we aimed to elucidate the me...

Mkrn3, the maternally imprinted gene encoding the makorin RING-finger protein-3, has recently emerged as putative pubertal repressor, as evidenced by central precocity caused by MKRN3 mutations in humans; yet, the molecular underpinnings of this key regulatory action remain largely unexplored. We report herein that the microRNA, miR-30, with three binding sites in a highly conserved region of its 3’-untranslated region (UTR), operates as repressor of Mkrn3 to control pube...