Endocrine Abstracts

The family of urocortins (UCNs) exert important pathophysiological actions in the control of peripheral homeostatic mechanisms, through activation of the type 2-corticotropin releasing hormone receptor (CRH-R2). This G-protein coupled receptor preferentially binds urocortins (UCN, UCNII and UCNIII) than CRH. In most tissues, CRH-R2 activation leads to increased cAMP production. In this study we used HEK293 cells stably overexpressing recombinant CRH-R2β receptors to inves...

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is key in energy homeostasis. Catecholamines are critically involved in the regulation of BAT-thermogenesis, yet current research has focussed on noradrenaline and adrenaline. Some evidence suggests a role of dopamine (DA) in BAT-thermogenesis but the intracellular mechanisms have not been addressed. We applied our extensively characterised murine brown adipocyte cell line to address these questions.D1-like and D2-like receptor...

Introduction: Adrenal carcinomas are rare aggressive endocrine tumours with an incidence of 1–1.7 per 1 000 000. Sixty percent of patients present with symptoms of excess hormone secretion, most commonly as hypercortisolism, with or without virilisation due to accompanying androgen secretion. Tumours without clinical hormonal excess most often present with symptoms such as abdominal discomfort or back pain due to tumour growth.Case report: A 72-year...

In addition to well established role in coordinating mammalian adaptive responses to stressful stimuli, the family of “stress” peptides that includes corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) and urocortins (Ucns) are emerging as important regulators of the homeostatic mechanisms regulating energy balance and metabolism. CRH acting through specific G-protein coupled receptors, CRH-R1 and R2 can target multiple peripheral tissues such as skeletal muscle and adipose tissue...

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and its related peptides, the urocortins (UCNs) mediate their effects by binding to two types of GPCRs, CRH-R1 and CRH-R2. In most target tissues, the adenylyl cyclase/cAMP/PKA and the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) are the two main pathways mediating the biological effects of CRH-Rs. For most multi-signal G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), there is considerable level of ‘cross-talk’ between different signalling cascad...

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and urocortins (UCN) bind to two types of GPCRs (CRH-R1 and CRH-R2), activating a plethora of signalling cascades, including the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) pathways. Although previous studies have identified that CRH directly regulates adrenal steroidogenesis1, the second messenger systems and downstream effectors remain poorly defined. The adrenal cell line H295R, which express both CRH-Rs1 was used to...

Orexin-A (OR-A) and orexin-B (OR-B) play an important role in the regulation of energy balance and the control of sleep-wake cycle. They act via G-protein coupled receptors, namely orexin receptor-1 (OX1R) and orexin receptor-2 (OX2R). OX2R has equal affinity for both OR-A and OR-B, whilst OX1R has a 10-fold greater affinity for OR-A. Orexin-mediated functions have been extensively explored, however, the intracellular signalling pathways remain poorly understood. Using HEK-293...

Obesity is linked to the development of insulin resistance, diabetes and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and the metabolic syndrome. Adipose tissue-derived proteins so termed ‘adipokines’ have been implicated in cardiovascular disease and the metabolic syndrome although the molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. Adiponectin, unlike other adipokines, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-atherogenic, and insulin-sensitising effects. Import...

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening inflammatory condition and a leading cause of death in hospitals. It arises when a microbial infection triggers prolonged and uncontrolled systemic inflammation resulting in progressing organ dysfunction. Recent experimental data suggest a possible involvement of ferroptosis – an iron-dependent form of regulated necrosis – in sepsis-mediated damage of many vital organs. However, its role in adrenal gland dysfunction and/or dam...

The increasing prevalence of obesity is paralleled by related metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Extensive efforts across disciplines are made to reveal underlying mechanisms and develop effective therapies against obesity and its comorbidities. Since PET–CT studies provided evidence for functional brown adipose tissue (BAT) in adult humans, this specialized thermogenic compartment of adipocytes is in the focus of current r...