Endocrine Abstracts

Prostaglandin E (EP) receptors have been characterised in human myometrium from non-pregnant and pregnant (non-labouring) donors (Senior et al. 1991; 1993). However. the response to PGE2 in tissue taken at labour has not been investigated. The aim of the present study was to compare myogenic activity and the effects of PGE2 in myometrium from donors at different stages of the menstrual cycle and at pregnancy (labouring and non-labouring).<p cla...

Prostaglandin (PG) E2 acts through its receptors (EP1–4) to modulate myometrial contractions and cervical ripening at term gestation. Although uterine PGE2 biosynthesis is augmented with labour progression (Durn et al. 2008); functional EP1–4 receptors have yet to be determined. To characterise these receptors in gravid human myometrium, in vitro responses to selective and novel EP agonists were investigated b...

Efficiency of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling is modulated by a variety of co-activators, including the transcription intermediary factor 2 (TIF-2). Although TIF-2 has been shown to amplify GR signaling in different cellular models and contexts, its system-physiological relevance has not been comprehensively examined. The present work investigated the role of TIF-2 in GR-mediated regulation of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity in mice. Experiments were d...