Endocrine Abstracts

The full-length retinoblastoma interacting zinc-finger protein (RIZ), codified by ten exons, has tumour suppressive and differentiating properties and is known to be a downstream effector in classical oestrogen target tissue. In many normal and malignant tissues alternative splicing isoforms, RIZ1 and RIZ2, frame-shift mutations and/or exon deletions have been found, but their oncogenic role is still debated. Although the presence of RIZ1 in the testis has been described, in g...

Prokineticins (Prok1 and Prok2) are chemokine-like peptides, which regulate through two G-protein-coupled receptors, ProkR1 and ProkR2, different physiological and pathological functions. Prok1 plays a significant role in tumour development and progression in several tissues. There are few data on the involvement of Prok1 and ProkR1 in testicular cancer. Aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of Prok1 and ProkR1 in a series of testicular germ cell tumours (GCT).<...

The effects in vitro and in vivo of somatostatin (SS) analogues are linked to the presence of specific binding sites on target cells. Estradiol (E2) may modulate the expression of SS receptors (SSTR) in some cell models, including breast cancer and pituitary cells. Aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of E2 on SSTR1-5 ligand binding domains (LBD) expression levels in prostate epithelial cells (PEC).Methods: We investigated the effe...

Context: Kallmann syndrome (KS) is a developmental disease associating congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH) and sense of smell impairment owing to olfactory structures (OS) aplasia/hypoplasia. Although rhinencephalic MRI allows to detect specific KS OS abnormalities useful to discriminate KS from normosmic CHH (nCHH), this technique is not efficient enough to study anterior skull bone structures.Objectives: To search for specific anterior skull...

Liver X receptors (LXRalfa and LXRalfa) act on the cholesterol homeostasis in several tissues, including adrenals. In particular, LXRalfa regulates the expression of several genes involved in the cholesterol efflux and storage and modulates glucocorticoid synthesis in mice. The level of the expression of LXRs in the human adrenal adenomas is unknown. We evaluated LXRalfa and LXRbeta mRNA levels in cortisol-secreting adenomas (CSA) and in the surrounding normal tissue, obtained...

Somatostatin (SS) receptors (SSR) expression may be modulated by estrogens in breast cancer cells. Aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of estradiol (E2) on SSR levels in prostate epithelial cells (PEC).Methods: We investigated the effects of E2 and SS-analogue SOM230 combined treatment on two PEC lines: EPN that expresses both ERalfa and beta and CPEC, showing no ERalfa and very low ERbeta expression. Cells starved in red ...

The stable somatostatin analog octreotide has been successfully used for imaging and treatment of a variety of human tumors. Octreotide treatment has been reported of limited value in pheochromocytoma (PHEO). PHEOs often express more than one somatostatin receptor, and it is uncertain by which receptor subtype the functional responses of octreotide are mediated. A recent study showed by immunohistochemical staining that vast majority of tumors (90%) were positive for sst(3), i...

Recently it has been shown that somatostatin (SST) might be of therapeutic value in the treatment of active Graves’ophthalmopathy (GO). SST and somatostatin receptors (sst) transcripts are expressed and functional in cultured orbital fibroblasts deriving from GO patients (FGO). Octreotide, the SST analogue currently used is able to inhibit in vitro growth and activity of FGO. New analogues with wider sst-affinity are now available for in vitro experim...

Introduction: The presence of truncated variant of somatostatin receptors (SSTR) has been demonstrated in pituitary tumours. These variants seems act as dominant negative of SSTR and induce the resistance to SST analogue (SSTA) treatment. A variant of SSTR5, sst5TMD4, has been found to disrupt SST signalling in breast cancer cells. In present study, we assayed the expression of sst5TMD4 in two non-transformed epithelial prostate cell lines (EPC): EPN, derived from a normal sur...

Erythrocytosis is a frequent adverse event associated with testosterone (T) administration in aged hypogonadal men, but the mechanisms involved remain poorly understood. T administration to aged men reduced hepcidin (Hpc) levels, a cytokine regulating iron availability, suggesting a potential role in deregulated erythropoiesis. Aim of present study was to evaluate the effects of T replacement therapy on Hpc levels in young hypogonadal men.Methods: Fifty-...