Endocrine Abstracts

Obesity, insulin resistance and high cholesterol levels are hallmarks of the metabolic syndrome. The molecular players involved in the onset of the metabolic syndrome are mostly unknown. In this context the three pseudokinases of the tribbles family have emerged as potential candidates. Among them, TRB3 has been described as a negative regulator of Akt, a key player in insulin signal transduction. However, the biological functions of TRB family members remain largely unknown. ...

Disruption of the balance in energy homeostasis and substrate metabolism can lead to obesity and the metabolic syndrome on one hand and body wasting in cachexia associated with cancer and other chronic diseases on the other hand. Indirect evidence suggests that prostaglandins (PGs), products of the cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway, are involved in the regulation of metabolic processes under physiological conditions or during disease, in particular cancer cachexia. However, the dir...