Endocrine Abstracts

Obesity and adipokines are associated with a state of chronic low grade inflammation (Trayhurn & Wood 2004).In view of our findings that the adipokines resistin and fiaf (fasting-induced adipose factor) are also expressed in mouse brain and pituitary gland (Wiesner et al 2004), we tested the hypothesis that these factors would be induced in brain tissue following cerebral hypoxia/ischemia (H/I). Neonatal H/I (postnatal day 8; unilateral common c...

Activation of the human LH/CG receptor (LH/CGR) by lutropin (LH) and choriogonadotropin (CG) is essential in the human reproduction. Deletion of the Exon10 (LH/CGR-delExon10) resulting in a lack of 27 amino acids within the extracellular hinge-region of LH/CGR causes Leydig cell hypoplasia type II. To clarify why this deletion impairs LH but not CG action, we investigated the molecular determinants of LH/CGR activation elucidating the different behaviour of both hormones.<...

The lutropin receptor (LHR) is associated with reproduction and becomes activated by choriogonadotropin (CG) or lutropin (LH) resulting in different physiological functions with regard to differing signaling cascades. The underlying mechanisms in receptor/hormone interaction are not yet understood. CG is known to induce trans-activation at LHR oligomers (activates a second receptor), but details of LH mechanisms were not clarified yet.To study this issue...

Adipokines such as resistin and FIAF (fasting-induced adipose factor) are predominantly, but not exclusively, expressed in adipose tissue and may modulate insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism. We reported that resistin and fiaf mRNA, and resistin protein, are detectable in the mouse hypothalamus and pituitary gland (see eg. Wiesner et al. 2004). We are investigating the regulation of these genes in a novel hypothalamic neuronal cell line (n-1; Belsham ...