Endocrine Abstracts

Reproduction in mammals is centrally regulated by neuroendocrine neurons scattered in the hypothalamus and secreting the decapeptide GnRH (gonadotropin releasing hormone). During development, GnRH-secreting neurons originate in the olfactory placode – at least in rodents – and migrate along olfactory nerves (the vomeronasal and the terminalis) to gain access to the forebrain and reach their final destinations in the hypothalamus. Defects in the migration of these neu...

Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), a pleiotropic cytokine of the interleukine-6 superfamily, is involved in several functions including the control of reproduction at the embrionic-endometrial interface and the regulation of energy homeostasis. LIF activates a cell-surface receptor complex (LIF-Rs) composed of one ligand-specific low affinity LIF receptor β (LIFRβ) subunit and the gp130 subunit. Since little is known about the involvement of LIF in the modulation of t...

Idiopathic central hypogonadism (ICH) is a rare and heterogeneous disease due to defects of GnRH secretion or action. Depending on the association with a normal or defective sense of smell, ICH could be respectively identified as normosmic ICH (nICH) or Kallmann’s syndrome (KS). Recent experimental evidences indicate the involvement of the new PROK2/PROKR2 pathway in GnRH neuron maturation and function and mutations affecting these two genes have been described in some IC...

Idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH) is a rare and heterogeneous disease due to defects of GnRH secretion or action. IHH could be associated or not with anosmia respectively identifying the Kallmann’s syndrome (KS) or the normosmic IHH (nIHH). So far numerous causative genetic defects have been described, but very recent molecular genetic studies and animal models have opened novel perspectives. We are studying a series of 16 KS (14M,2F) and 18 nIHH (14M,4F). Al...