Endocrine Research 

About: Endocrine Research is an academic journal published by Informa. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Adrenal cortex & Aldosterone. It has an ISSN identifier of 0743-5800. Over the lifetime, 1567 publications have been published receiving 24779 citations.

Haplotype analysis of CYP11B2.

Abstract: Polymorphisms affecting the synthesis of aldosterone or its regulation may have effects on blood pressure For example, an autosomal dominant form of human hypertension, glucocorticoid suppressible hyperaldosteronism, is caused by recombination between the genes for aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) and steroid 11 beta-hydroxylase (CYP11B1), creating a chimeric gene in which the CYP11B1 promoter and CYP11B2-specific coding sequences are juxtaposed Thus, aldosterone synthesis is improperly regulated We have begun an analysis of the human CYP11B2 and CYP11B1 genes to see if frequent polymorphisms exist and if they are correlated with differences in blood pressure We have found frequent polymorphisms in CYP11B2 One in the promoter influences binding of the transcriptional regulatory protein, SF-1 Another is a gene conversion in intron 2 so that most of the intron has a sequence corresponding to CYP11B1 These polymorphisms are in linkage disequilibrium, defining 3 haplotypes Blacks and whites differ significantly (p < 0001) in the frequency with which these haplotypes occur Further studies are required to determine if the observed differences between blacks and whites in blood pressure and in aldosterone levels can be explained in part by these allelic differences in CYP11B2 or by other polymorphisms in linkage disequilibrium on these haplotypes

Androgen receptor phosphorylation.

Abstract: Phosphorylation of transcription factors plays an important role in regulation of gene expression. DNA-binding, transactivation activity, and subcellular trafficking of specific transcription factors have been shown to be regulated by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation. Steroid hormone receptors are phospho-proteins, and mutations in phosphorylation sites significantly affect the transactivation capacity of these ligand-dependent transcription factors. At present, it is unknown which amino acid residues of the human androgen receptor are phosphorylated and whether phosphorylation of particular sites is a prerequisite for proper androgen receptor function. The aim of our future research is to map all phosphorylation sites in the human androgen receptor, and to analyze their importance by mutational analysis in vitro and in vivo using a number of functional assays.

A brief survey of pineal gland-immune system interrelationships.

Abstract: The present paper summarizes evidence that support the hypothesis of the existence of bilateral interactions between pineal gland and the immune system. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments show that the pineal gland, via its hormone melatonin, enhances immune function. Mechanisms involved in this immunostimulatory effect are not well understood, but some evidence suggests the existence of specific binding sites for melatonin on immune cells. Moreover, the release of opioid peptides and interleukin-2 by T-helper cells may also participate in this mechanism by activating, at least natural killer activity and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Some immune signals, i.e., gamma-interferon, may be involved in regulating pineal function, thereby representing a regulatory mechanism in the opposite direction. The physiological and clinical significance of these data remains to be studied.

Prenatal treatment in congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency: up-date 88 of the French multicentric study.

Abstract: A multicentric study of prenatal treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) resulting from 21-hydroxylase deficiency in 43 pregnancies at risk for CAH is presented. The mothers were given dexamethasone per os, 0.5 mg either 12-hourly or 8-hourly. From the analysis of the results obtained in the present study and review of the literature, it would appear that the first condition for successful prevention of female virilization in utero (a total of 6 cases) is to start treatment as early as possible, no later than the 7th week. The dose of dexamethasone should be related to maternal size: 20 μg/kg/day (in 2 or 3 fractioned) doses would seem to be both efficient and safe. Adrenal suppression of both maternal and fetal adrenal function should be controlled by appropriate hormonal determinations. Finally, the advantages of early prenatal diagnosis or no prenatal diagnosis are discussed.

Aldosterone in obesity

Abstract: Plasma aldosterone levels were measured in adults whose body mass index ranged from lean to obese. Blood was drawn while subjects rested supine for 30-90 minutes. Aldosterone was higher in obese subjects, but could not be explained by renin or K+. The best predictors of plasma aldosterone were abdominal obesity measured as waist/hip ratio or by CT scan, and insulin resistance measured by insulin or oral glucose tolerance tests, or euglycemic clamp. In one cohort, these correlations were limited to women; in the other, they were also found in men. In the women with a strong correlation between aldosterone and visceral fat, aldosterone also correlated with cortisol and DHEA-S. The data are consistent with an effect of visceral fat on adrenal steroidogenesis. Visceral adipocytes have a high rate of triglyceride turnover, and their circulation drains directly to the liver. In an experiment based on these characteristics, rat hepatocytes responded to fatty acids by releasing an unidentified secretagogue that stimulated aldosterone production by rat adrenal glomerulosa cells. The clinical data suggest that aldosterone participates in hypertension associated with the "Insulin Resistance Syndrome". The adrenal in viscerally obese subjects may be driven by a secretagogue released from the liver by fatty acids from abdominal adipocytes.