Endocrine Abstracts

Photoperiodic time measurement is achieved through a hypothalamic pacemaker that generates a circadian rhythm of photoinducibilty. The presence of light during the photoindicible phase of this rhythm induces photoperiodic responses. Coincidence of light and the photoinducible phase induces increased expression of TSH beta in pars tuberalis cells that results in a local increase in TSH in the adjacent medial basal hypothalamus (MBH). This in turn stimulates local ...

Now that the sequence of the entire human genome is known and the number of predicted genes is estimated, the next challenge is to assign biological function to each of the genes. A new and very powerful way for exploring gene function is offered by RNA interference (RNAi). In this method, the introduction of double-stranded RNA identical in sequence to that of the gene of interest inactivates the gene or, more precisely, 'interferes' with its function.T...