Endocrine Abstracts

While prolactin (PRL) is known as the pituitary hormone of lactation, accumulating evidence shows that PRL acts on many tissues and in many pathophysiological conditions. The major isoform, 23 kDa PRL, acts via a membrane receptor, the prolactin receptor (PRL-R), a member of the hematopoietic cytokine superfamily, and for which the mechanism of activation has been elucidated. The aim of this symposium is to present and discuss data supporting actions of PRL in hyperprolactinem...

Background: The reserve pool of primordial follicles (PMF) is finely regulated by molecules implicated in follicular growth or PMF survival. Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH), produced by granulosa cells of growing follicles, is known for its inhibitory role in the initiation of PMF growth. We observed in a recent in vivo study that injection of AMH into mice seemed to induce an activation of autophagy, a cytoplasmic lysosomal-dependent degradation system, which is im...

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) exhibit broad spectrum of biological activities in various tissues, including bone, cartilage, blood vessels, heart, kidney, neurons, liver and lung. BMPs are members of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family that bind to type II and type I serine-threonine kinase receptors, and transduce signals through Smad and non-Smad signalling pathways. BMPs together with other intraovarian growth factors are intimately involved in re...