Endocrine Abstracts

Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) is produced by the anterior pituitary gland and is a key hormone in the reproductive system. FSH is a heterodimeric glycoprotein composed with two extensively glycosylated protein subunits (α and β) N-glycosylated in two positions (Asn52 and Asn78in the FSHα subunit and Asn7 and Asn24 in the FSHβ subunit). Due to different glycosylation pattern, several FSH isoforms may different...

Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) is produced by the anterior pituitary gland and it is a key hormone in the reproductive system. FSH is a heterodimeric glycoprotein composed with two extensively glycosylated protein sobunits (α and β) N-glycosylated in two positions (Asn52 and Asn78 in the FSHα subunit and Asn7 and Asn24 in the FSHβ subunit) giving rise to numerous isoforms of FSH. Glycosylation has been shown t...

About 50% of women have nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. In about 35% of women who have these symptoms, nausea and vomiting are clinically significant, worsening their living conditions and consisting in a case of gender gap. The severe form, hyperemesis gravidarum, ranges from 0.3 to 1.0% of cases and is characterized by persistent vomiting, gestational thyrotoxicosis, weight loss of more than 5%, ketonuria, hypokalemia and dehydration, although the pathophysiological me...

In the ovary, the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) forms heteromeric complexes with the follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), reprogramming FSH-induced signals and determining the follicular fate. Based on the structural similarity, we evaluated whether GPER interacts with the luteinizing hormone (LH)/choriogonadotropin (hCG) receptor (LHCGR) modulating gonadotropin-dependent signals. LHCGR-GPER heteromers were evaluated in transiently transfected HEK293 cell...

Thyroid cancer is the most common type of endocrine tumor and reaches the peak of incidence between the age of twenty and fifty years. It has 4-fold higher prevalence in females than males, suggesting that estrogens and their receptors could be involved in thyroid cancer pathogenesis. Previous studies demonstrated allosteric interference operated by G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) to molecules structurally similar to the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor (T...

Androgens are sex steroid hormones fundamental for human reproduction. In males, they are produced upon luteinizing hormone (LH) action through its specific receptor (LHCGR) expressed in Leydig cells, supporting spermatogenesis. The human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), acting on the same receptor but not expressed in men, is administered to improve testosterone synthesis in specific pathological contexts, such as hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and cryptorchidism. In vitro</e...

Thyroid cancer is the most common type of endocrine tumor and reaches the peak of incidence between the age of twenty and fifty years. It has 4-fold higher prevalence in females than males, suggesting that estrogens and their receptors could be involved in thyroid cancer pathogenesis. Previous studies demonstrated allosteric interference operated by G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) to molecules structurally similar to the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor (T...

Background: Follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) and G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) are expressed on the surface of granulosa cells, where they form heteromeric complexes, shifting FSH-induced signals to survival pathways and determining the follicular fate.Objectives: We evaluated whether GPER can interact with the luteinizing hormone (LH)/choriogonadotropin (hCG) receptor (LHCGR) and modulate the LH/hCG/dependent signalling pathways...

Serous ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of death among all gynaecological malignancies. Even though a hereditary component has been suggested, most ovarian carcinomas are sporadic and markers for a diagnosis at an early stage of the disease are still to be identified. Since gonadotropins may stimulate the growth of certain cancer cells, we aim to identify tumour markers linked to gonadotropin receptor-mediated pathways. Through an in silico and ex vivo<...

In assisted reproduction, poor ovarian response to controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) leads to poor oocyte yield and depends on the genetic background. We compared the expression of key-genes, coding proteins regulating follicular development, between small (<10 mm) and large ovarian follicles (>16 mm), assuming the size as a hallmark of follicle maturation and oocyte fate. Twenty-two patients undergoing COS were enrolled in a fertility clinics. Granulosa cells and folli...