Endocrine Abstracts

The rate of bone growth is controlled by highly regulated activities of chondrocytes within the epiphyseal growth plate. Such activities allow rate of growth to function as a variable during postnatal development. Simplistically, growth rate is determined by the number of cells within the proliferative zone which is regulated by their rate of proliferation and also their rate of differentiation into the hypertrophic phenotype. In turn, a strong positive correlation exists betw...

The SOCS3 gene encodes an E3 ubiquitin ligase component that targets inflammatory cytokine receptor components for proteolytic degradation. Our research in this area is aimed at determining the molecular control of SOCS3 gene induction by cyclic AMP in vascular endothelial cells (VECs) as a new route for anti-inflammatory drug action. We found initially that cyclic AMP activates the guanine nucleotide exchange factor, EPAC1, to mobilise C/EBP transcription factors to induce SO...

Growth retardation is often observed in patients suffering from chronic diseases. Factors involved in growth delay are multiple. They can be divided into two groups: those due to the disease itself and those due to treatments. Under nutrition is frequently reported in chronically ill children, due to an imbalance between decreased caloric intake and increased energy requirements. Malabsorption, dehydration, chronic anaemia, inflammation also impact growth, as well as steroid t...