Endocrine Abstracts

Nur77 is an orphan nuclear receptor included in the NR4A family. This protein has been studied as a transcriptional regulator of glucose metabolism in different tissues. We aimed to investigate the endogenous role of Nur77 on energy and metabolic homeostasis. For this purpose, we used male and female Nur77-deficient mice and their wild-type littermates. We challenged them to standard diet and high fat diet, and analyzed different parameters involved in energy balance (food int...

Introduction: Krüpel-like factor 4 (KLF4) is a zinc-finger-type transcription factor expressed in a range of tissues that plays multiple functions. KLF4 is expressed in neural stem cells and is critical to neuronal differentiation. Recent evidence suggests that KLF4 also plays an important role in the central regulation of energy balance. In vitro studies show that KLF4 is a transcriptional regulator of agouti–related protein (AgRP), essential to the hyperph...

Introduction: Endoglin is a transmembrane auxiliary receptor for transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) that is predominantly expressed on proliferating endothelial cells. It plays a wide range of physiological roles but its importance on energy balance or insulin sensitivity has been unexplored.Material and methods: Heterozygous deficient mice (HZ) were fed standard chow or high fat diet during 16 weeks. Blood glucose levels were measured after ...

Objectives: Premature estrogen deficiency and menopause are associated with increases in body weight and fat mass. Ovariectomized (OVX) mice also show reduced locomotor activity. Because glucose-dependent-insulinotropic-polypeptide (GIP) is known to play an important role both in fat metabolism and locomotor activity, we hypothesized that effects of estrogen on the regulation of body weight, fat mass and spontaneous physical activity could be mediated in part by GIP signaling....

Aims (objectives): Energy intake and expenditure are regulated by different signals. One of the molecules implicated is islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP or amylin), one of the major secretory products of β-cells of the pancreatic islets of Langerhans. It is a peptide that inhibits insulin and glucagon secretion, and can also act through the brain decreasing food intake and inhibiting gastric emptying. In this study, we investigated the potential effects of the chronic cent...

Introduction: p53 is a transcription factor involved in many biological functions such as stress, ageing, and metabolism. Although there is a large body of evidence showing that p53 promotes fatty acid catabolism while it inhibits anabolism through the regulation of gene expression, the possible contribution of p53 to the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains to be elucidated. Also, the anthracycline doxorubicin is an important chemotherapeutic agent...

Background and Aim: Hepatic thyroid hormone (TH) signalling plays an important role in onset and progression of liver diseases. Patients with altered thyroid hormone regulation in the liver, leading to a local hypothyroid, are at higher risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Treatment with thyroid hormones proved to be a promising therapy for these patients, slowing the progression of NAFLD to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a more advanced stage o...

Background and Aim: Altered hepatic thyroid hormone (TH) signalling is associated with the onset and progression of liver diseases. Local hepatic hypothyroidism is related to a higher incidence of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NASH) in humans and animal models. Thyroid hormone treatment proved to be a promising therapy, slowing the progression of NAFLD to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a more advanced stage of the disease characterized by inflammation an...

RF-amide-related peptide-3 (RFRP-3), the mammalian orthologue of the avian gonadotropin-inhibiting hormone (GnIH), has been proposed as major inhibitory signal for the reproductive axis, acting via the NPFF1 receptor (NPFF1R). In addition, RFRP-3 has been recently suggested to modulate feeding, with reported orexigenic actions; a function that might contribute to the integrative control of energy homeostasis and reproduction. However, characterisation of the metabolic effects ...

Introduction: Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is an orexigenic neuropeptide which is located in the lateral hypothalamus and regulate the energy balance. MCH deficient mice are hypophagic, lean and do not develop hepatosteatosis when fed on high fat diet. The MCH increases food intake and adiposity, so we sought to investigate the role of the MCH on adipocyte and hepatic metabolism.Methods: MCH were chronically administered into the lateral ventricle...