Endocrine Abstracts

The benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) represents an enlargement of the epithelial and fibromuscular parts of the prostate. Although androgens per se do not cause BPH, an intact androgen metabolism is a prerequisite for the normal fetal and pubertal development of the prostate. Furthermore, growth factors play a role in the development of BPH. Animal experiments have shown that the prostate – similar to other organs of the reproductive tract – undergoes a neonatal st...

Male- or female-like neural control of gonadal function and reproductive behaviour is determined by sex-specific activation of estrogen receptors (ER) in the developing brain during a limited, critical period during ontogenesis. Exposure of the neonatal female brain to inappropriately high estrogen concentrations results in irreversible defeminization of neuroendocrine function which is manifested by disturbed cyclic ovarian activity and decreased female sexual receptivity in ...

Efficiency of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling is modulated by a variety of co-activators, including the transcription intermediary factor 2 (TIF-2). Although TIF-2 has been shown to amplify GR signaling in different cellular models and contexts, its system-physiological relevance has not been comprehensively examined. The present work investigated the role of TIF-2 in GR-mediated regulation of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity in mice. Experiments were d...