Endocrine Abstracts

Growth hormone (GH)-producing pituitary cells (somatotropes) comprise a fundamental regulator for a plethora of relevant physiological functions, including somatic growth and whole-body metabolism, by controlling the function of different endocrine/non-endocrine targets. Synthesis and release of GH has been classically thought to be primarily regulated by central, dual neuroendocrine signals: i.e. GH-releasing hormone and somatostatin. However, it is progressively becoming evi...

Endocrine-related cancers comprise a complex group of heterogeneous pathologies whose development and progression are profoundly conditioned by endocrine–metabolic deregulations. The well-known capacity of somatostatin (SST) to inhibit hormone secretion and cell proliferation in a wide variety of cell types, coupled to the ubiquitous expression of SST receptors (ssts) in normal and tumoral tissues, has led SST analogs (SSAs) to be extensively used in clinical practice for...

Prostate cancer (PC), the most commonly diagnosed malignancy among men, is a complex and heterogeneous disease that is highly influenced by the endocrine environment, which makes difficult the identification of novel therapeutic biomarkers to treat this pathology. Somatostatin (SST) is a pleiotropic neuropeptide that exerts its multiple biological functions, including tumor cell regulation, through a family of receptors (named sst1-5). Particularly, in this study we have found...

Obesity (Ob) is a chronic endocrine-metabolic disease and one of the most serious and complex threats for the human health, which is associated with an increased incidence of some types of cancers such as prostate cancer (PC), the second most common cancer in men worldwide. Interestingly, metformin (Met), an antidiabetic drug, might represents a very promising opportunity to treat Ob and PC as some retrospective clinical studies have shown that the incidence of PC is lower in ...

Somatostatin (SST) and its related peptide cortistatin (CORT) exert multiple physiological actions through binding to a family of G-protein coupled receptors (sst1–sst5), commonly bearing seven transmembrane domains (TMDs). However, we have recently discovered that human, pig and rodent sst5 gene also generate, through non-canonical alternative splicing, novel truncated albeit functional sst5 variants that lack one o more TMDs. Our studies indicate that truncated sst5 var...

Secretion of GH by pituitary somatotropes is primarily stimulated by GHRH and ghrelin and inhibited by SST through the activation of specific receptors (GHRH-R, GHS-R and Sstr1-5, respectively). However, we have previously shown that SST, at low doses, can also stimulate GH release, directly and specifically, in primary pituitary cell cultures from baboons (Papio anubis) and pigs. To determine whether these primary regulators of GH release can also regulate directly the...

Kisspeptins (Kp), a peptide family encoded by Kiss1 gene, and their receptor Kiss1r were first identified by their anti-metastatic actions but have emerged as key regulators of the reproductive axis, where they integrate sexual, metabolic and seasonal cues to control hypothalamic GnRH release. Recent data indicates that some actions of Kps may be effected directly at the pituitary (PIT), since Kissr1 is expressed in the PIT and Kp stimulate luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion d...

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a growing cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the molecular mechanisms associated with the pathological progression from MAFLD to HCC are still to be fully elucidated. The genomic and transcriptomic profile of HCC samples have been widely described; however, the proteomic landscape of MAFLD-derived HCC samples is mostly unknown. Here, we sought to perform the first quantitative proteomic analysis of HCC samples from ...

Non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs), mainly gonadotroph pituitary adenomas (GPAs), are the second most common type of PAs. Given the lack of symptoms secondary to hormone hypersecretion, NFPAs are often diagnosed when they cause mass effects. At this stage they are invasive (50% of cases), they cannot be completely resected and often recur. Despite their frequency, no standard of care drug treatment currently exists for these tumors. SSAs (somatostatin agonists) like oc...

Pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs) are mostly benign lesions originating from the anterior pituitary and represent 10–15% of all the intracranial neoplasms. PitNETs can be classified in non-secretory, clinically non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs), and secretory, comprising prolactin (PRL), growth hormone (GH) and adrenocoticotropic hormone (ACTH) PitNETs. Surgical resection is the first line treatment for PitNETs, whereas chemotherapy and radiotherapy are p...