Endocrine Abstracts

SUMOylation is a post-translational protein modification involved in the regulation of essential cell functions. Our group found several SUMO-1 and SUMO-2/3ylated proteins in human ejaculated spermatozoa (Marchiani et al. 2011). We showed that SUMO-1 is mainly present in live spermatozoa and the percentage of SUMOylated spermatozoa was inversely correlated with total and progressive motility. SUMOylated proteins are mainly located in the nucleus and in the midpiece. T...

CATSPER is a family of sperm-specific calcium channels activated by P in human spermatozoa (Lishko et al. 2011, Strunker et al. 2011). KO mice for CATSPER are infertile due to severe defects in sperm motility.We studied the involvement of CATSPER in human sperm motility and P responsiveness.Western blot analysis with an anti-CATSPER1 antibody demonstrated the presence of three major bands corresponding to CATSPER1...

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the leading causes of tumor death in Western countries. Modifications in expression and functional alterations that involve the androgen receptor (AR) have been implicated in the progression of PCa and in the development of androgen independence; however, the role of AR in these processes is still debated, as contrasting results have been reported in several studies evaluating the relation between AR expression and disease progression (Tamburrin...

Tests detecting sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) could be included in the clinical management of male infertility. TUNEL/PI is an innovative version of the TUNEL assay, and it is able to distinguish between two different populations: PI brighter and PI dimmer sperm. The aims of the study were to determine the average value of SDF in recruited men of proven fertility and to verify whether SDF discriminates between fertile and subfertile men independently from semen quality. In add...

PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) is one of the most common endocrine disorders and NAFLD (Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease) is one of its most dangerous metabolic consequences. The diagnosis of NAFLD is not a practical task and the condition is at risk of being overlooked. The use of simpler but still reliable surrogate markers is necessary to identify women with a high likelihood of NAFLD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical correlates of NAFLD Liver Fat Score ...