Endocrine Abstracts

ACRD presents with clinical features of hyperandrogenism in females similar to those of PCOS (acne, hirsutism, oligomenorrhea, infertility), and precocious puberty in males. Obesity also occurs in some cases. Increased cortisol clearance leads to an increased hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis drive resulting in elevated serum androgen levels and a decreased urinary cortisol metabolite: cortisone metabolite ratio below 0.5 (normal adult range 0.7–1.3). These observations...

The melanocortin-2-receptor accessory protein (MRAP) is a type I integral transmembrane protein required for the functional expression of the melanocortin-2-receptor (MC2R).Here we have investigated the expression and biochemical properties of mouse MRAP. Initially, mouse MRAP and MC2R tissue expression were determined by RT-PCR, being only present in the adrenal gland and fat tissue. Then, by in situ hybridisation studies using a full-length MRAP...

It is well established that the use of therapeutic glucocorticoids to treat inflammatory disease has detrimental effects on bone and we have proposed that these clinical effects are determined by intracellular glucocorticoid generation (inactive cortisone/prednisone to cortisol/prednisolone) by 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11b-HSD1). We have recently shown that glucocorticoids and cytokines are able to act cooperatively to upregulate the action of 11b-HSD1, a fi...

Many glucocorticoid (Gc) actions are of rapid onset, and therefore require acute regulation of intracellular signalling cascades. We have previously identified rapid Gc-dependent activation of the caveolae specific integral membrane protein caveolin, and the cytosolic kinase PKB in the lung epithelial cells, A549.Immunofluorescence studies demonstrate the appearance of activated glucocorticoid receptor (P-ser211-GR) localised to focal points around the c...