Endocrine Abstracts

Genome-wide association studies have identified nearly 250 loci carrying genetic variants associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) susceptibility, which are often located within pancreatic islet transcriptional enhancers. Due to the complex nature of transcriptional enhancers, assigning risk variants to true disease susceptibility effector genes has remained a challenge. In this study, we applied promoter capture Hi-C to create a genome-wide map of promoter-enhancer interactions ...

Coupling the release of pituitary hormones to the developmental stage of the oocyte is essential for female fertility. It is thought to require estrogen to have simultaneous positive and negative feedback effects on two spatially-distinct regions of the hypothalamus, the arcuate nucleus and ‘AVPV’ nucleus. However, the mechanistic basis for this differential effect is not known. Therefore, we mapped the genomic binding of the estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) in bot...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that repress protein production post-transcriptionally. MiRNAs play crucial roles in metabolism, endocrine cells development and in processes altered in T2D, such as insulin secretion. MiR-125b controls proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation of various cell types, although its role in β-cells remains unclear. Recent studies show an association between high levels of circulating miR-125b and hyperglycaemia (HbA1c) in predi...

Introduction: Pancreatic β-cells control glucose homeostasis by secreting insulin in response to high glucose. MiRNAs regulate β-cell function and contribute to β-cell failure in type 2 diabetes. MiR-184 regulates β-cell compensatory expansion during pregnancy and obesity and its expression is reduced by glucose through unknown mechanisms. AMPK is a suggested target of antidiabetic drugs and an important energy sensor. Its β-cell-selective inactivation...