Endocrine Abstracts

Liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 (LEAP-2) has been recently characterized as an endogenous GHSR1a antagonist. LEAP-2 is produced mainly in the liver, and it was described that an acute ghrelin administration blocks food intake, GH release and normalize glucose levels during chronic caloric restriction. For this reason, it could be considered as a key endocrine factor in the regulation of systemic energy metabolism. Nevertheless, the exact mechanism of action is still un...

RET is a tyrosine kinase receptor activated by GDNF, NTN, ART and PSPN through GFRa1,2, 3 and 4 respectively. Activation of the receptor elicits intracellular pathways such us Ras/MAPK and PI3K/AKT leading to differentiation and proliferation. Our group has previously shown that RET is expressed specifically in the somatotroph cell population within the pituitary gland, both in rats and in humans. We have also shown that, in absence of its ligand GDNF, RET induces activation o...

p53 family controls several metabolic and cellular functions. The p63 member regulates lipid metabolism in hepatocytes and contributes to the development of liver steatosis. Here we show that p63 plays an important role in liver fibrosis. P63 is upregulated in patients with NASH, correlating positively with fibrosis score and collagen 1a1 expression. P63 expression is also increased in different animal models of diet-induced NASH and chemically induced liver fibrosis. Mice wit...