Endocrine Abstracts

Cyclic AMP sensitizes human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) to progesterone and promotes differentiation into decidual cells, a process indispensable for pregnancy. Our studies have shown that cAMP enhances progesterone responses, at least in part, by attenuating ligand-dependent sumoylation of the progesterone receptor (PR). In fact, decidualization is associated with global hyposumoylation and redistribution of SUMO-1 conjugates into distinct nuclear foci. This altered pat...

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent the largest family of signaling receptors in nature. Their diversity means they play key physiological roles and their dysfunction underlies many pathological conditions, thus they are the focus of many drug design programs due to their primary biological and clinical importance. Our objective is to understand the fundamental mechanisms regulating hormone signaling via GPCRs. Disruption of GPCRs regulation in humans underlies many ...

It is well established that the interaction between an implanting embryo and the endometrium is essential for successful implantation and there is a variety of locally secreted factors within the uterine environment which underlies this maternal–fetal cross-talk. Human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) is a glycoprotein hormone secreted by the embryo and is essential during early stages of pregnancy to maintain progesterone production from the corpus luteum. Its receptor (LH/...