Endocrine Abstracts

The basic mechanisms underlying thyroid growth and proliferation in thyroid cancer are still incompletely characterized. Lithium inhibits GSK3beta and affects via phosphorylation the degradation of free beta-catenin, a potent transcription factor. Hence, using lithium as a model to modulate the wnt/beta-catenin pathway, we investigated its potential activation in-vitro in neoplastic human thyroid cell lines (FTC133, NPA).Our results show that lithium fun...

Background: Ghrelin was recently discovered as the natural ligand for the G protein-coupled growth hormone secretagogue receptor and induces GH release through GHS-R1a. The octanoylation of its third serine residue is responsible for GH release and receptor binding. A variant of ghrelin devoid of this modification, desoctanoyl-ghrelin, can neither bind to the receptor nor induce GH release. Ghrelin has also been shown to effect cellular proliferation, being pro-proliferative i...

C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is encoded by the Nppcgene and is abundant in the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary gonadotrophs. Nppc deletion leads to skeletal deformity, dwarfism, early death and female infertility. To investigate regulation of Nppcexpression and action in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, we investigated transcriptional regulation of the Nppc promoter in alphaT3-1 gonadotroph cells by transient transfection of reporter...

Type 2 diabetes is associated with insulin resistance, failure to suppress lipolysis and EGP and impaired FFA oxidation. It is not known which defect develops first.Eleven European women with previous gestational diabetes (PGDM) and normal glucose tolerance post-partum, as a high risk group for the development of Type 2 diabetes, and 11 matched controls (BMI 23.8±4.5 kg m-2 versus 24.6±4.9 kg m-2 respectively) were stu...

Aldosterone is an important cardiovascular hormone. Around 15 % of hypertensives have alteration in aldosterone regulation, defined by a raised ratio of aldosterone to renin (ARR). Studies of CYP11B2, the aldosterone synthase gene, focus on a single nucleotide polymorphism in the 5'promotor region (-344 C/T). We have shown that the T allele is associated with increased urinary excretion and plasma levels of aldosterone and is more common amongst hypertensives with a raised ARR...

Alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) is an agonist at the melanocortin 3 receptor (MC3-R) and MC4-R and stimulates corticosterone release from rat and human adrenal cells. Patients with Cushing's syndrome have elevated levels of serum alpha-MSH. Agouti related protein (AgRP) is an endogenous antagonist at the MC3-R and MC4-R and is expressed in the rat adrenal cortex. AgRP antagonises alpha-MSH-induced corticosterone release from rat and bovine adrenal cells. This ...

BackgroundPPAR-gamma agonists have been proposed as therapy to lower plasma ACTH in Cushing's disease. However, cyclical secretion may explain some of the 'responses' seen. In contrast, patients with Nelson's syndrome have continual high ACTH levels, and can present with pituitary mass effects and pigmentation. Since no established medical therapy exists, we assessed whether prolonged high-dose rosiglitazone therapy reduces circulating ACTH levels in Nel...