Endocrine Abstracts

The function of stem cells in the anterior pituitary gland, their role in homeostasis during life and possible involvement in pituitary tumours remain largely unknown. We have previously shown that cells exclusively within the Sox2+ compartment of the mouse pituitary have progenitor/stem cell properties in culture where they can self-renew and terminally differentiate. To address if these cells act as stem cells in vivo, we generated an inducible Sox2-C...

The 21-hydroxylase (21OH) gene, CYP21A2, encodes the 21OH steroidogenic enzyme which is the primary autoantigen in autoimmune Addison’s disease (AAD). It is located on chromosome 6p21, in a copy number repeat termed RCCX, adjacent to the 21OH pseudogene (CYP21A1P). CYP21A1P is highly homologous to CYP21A2 but contains an 8 bp deletion in exon 3 (707-714delGAGACTAC) which results in a frameshift. The predicted protein product is...

High protein diets suppress appetite and facilitate weight loss, but are difficult to adhere to. Understanding the mechanisms by which protein suppresses appetite may establish targets for more acceptable interventions to treat or prevent obesity. Of particular interest is the concept of functional foods or novel products, which aim to potentiate satiety.Receptor systems that respond to amino acids have been identified. However, the specific mechanisms r...

Background/aims: The transcription factor neurogenin 3 (NGN3) is required for pancreatic islet cell specification from multipotent progenitor cells; yet we have limited understanding of the downstream genetic program it directly initiates. A 3 Mb centromeric region on chromosome 20p contains a number of genes activated downstream of NGN3 including INSM1 and NKX2.2. We proposed that NGN3 alters the expression of other genes within this region as poten...

Diabetes is one of the main health problems in the world, thus it is well worthwhile to explore alternate treatments made from natural extracts. Cnidoscolus chayamansa, is an endemic plant from the Southeastern of Mexico known for its easy and cheap growing requirements. C. chayamansa contains dihydromyricetin a flavonoid that is believed exerts hypoglycemic effects. We obtained a hydro-ethanolic extract from the leaves of C. chayamansa (EEC), optimi...

The insulin signalling system including the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase (IRTK) is evolutionarily ancient and appears in the first multicellular organisms (Cnidarians). The Drosophila melanogaster genome contains seven genes for insulin-like peptides (ILPs) that are expressed in neurosecretory cells in a highly tissue- and stage-specific pattern, DILP1-7. There is however only one IRTK (dIR). This system is important in the regulation of metabolism, growth, reprod...

Introduction: A highly polymorphic microsatellite, comprising a variable length of a cytosine–adenosine (CA) repeat sequence, has been identified in the promoter region of IGF-I gene. The number of CA repeats ranges between 10 and 24 and the most common allele in the Caucasian population contains 19 CA (192 bp) repeats. Several studies investigated the relationship between this polymorphism and IGF-I levels, with conflicting results. Aim of this study was to investigate t...

Background: Generously supported by IPSEN)-->Hypopituitarism is considered to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and early death in humans. However, some studies showed that most patients with isolated GH deficiency or combined pituitary hormonal deficiency due to gene mutations (PROP 1, GH receptors gene, GH-1 gene) can survive to advanced age.Aim: To collect clinical data on patients with congenital ...

Due to the rarity of autoimmune Addison’s disease (AAD), it has proved difficult to gather large case cohorts for genetic studies. Linkage analysis offers a powerful means of identifying genetic susceptibility loci but has never been applied to AAD because of the scarcity of families containing ≥2 affected individuals. We collected DNA from 23 such families to perform the first linkage study in AAD.We genotyped 117 samples (50 cases, 67 contro...

The pituitary gland is a central regulator of growth, homeostasis and reproduction. It is in turn regulated by the hypothalamus, which generates a number of releasing factors (GHRH, TRH, GnRH, CRH) and the inhibitory hormone somatostatin. The pituitary gland consists of the anterior and posterior lobes, both of which have separate developmental origins. The anterior lobe derives from the oral ectoderm, whilst the posterior lobe derives from the neuroectoderm. The anterior pitu...