Article
Critical Care Medicine
Arno Teblick, Sarah Vander Perre, Lies Pauwels, Sarah Derde, Tim Van Oudenhove, Lies Langouche, Greet van den Berghe
Summary: The study revealed significantly elevated plasma concentrations of POMC in sepsis patients from acute to prolonged illness, along with ACTH-cortisol dissociation. Similar findings were confirmed in a mouse model, with alterations in hypothalamic CRH and AVP, as well as adrenocortical structure and steroidogenic activity.
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Brian J. Koos, Jeffrey A. Gornbein
Summary: This metabolomics study identified a high-accuracy model for predicting gestational diabetes mellitus in early pregnancy. The research showed that certain metabolites were independently associated with gestational diabetes mellitus and could be used as predictive markers. This finding contributes to future studies on early therapeutic interventions for gestational diabetes mellitus.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Lifang Zhang, Qingyun Shi, Yiyao Sun
Summary: This study found that key genes related to appetite regulation, NPY and POMC, were expressed abnormally in the hypothalamus of SGA newborns, which may contribute to adulthood weight gain, obesity, and endocrine disorders.
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
James R. Occean, Agaz H. Wani, Janelle Donglasan, Allison E. Aiello, Sandro Galea, Karestan C. Koenen, Annie Qu, Derek E. Wildman, Monica Uddin
Summary: This study explored the potential role of DNA methylation in stress-relevant genes, particularly in Nuclear Factor of Activated T Cells 1 (NFATC1), as a mechanism linking different trauma types with the risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The results showed that all five trauma types were associated with altered methylation levels at specific CpG sites in NFATC1, indicating their potential involvement in the development of PTSD. Furthermore, the methylation levels at these CpG sites partially mediated the relationship between certain trauma types and the risk for PTSD. These findings suggest that NFATC1 5-mC may play a significant role in the biological embedding of trauma and the subsequent development of PTSD.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Wen Huang, Jin Zhou, Juanjuan Guo, Wen Hu, Guanghui Chen, Bin Li, Yajie Wen, Yimin Jiang, Kaili Fu, Huichang Bi, Yuanzhen Zhang, Hui Wang
Summary: Prenatal dexamethasone exposure can have lasting adverse effects on bile acid metabolism in offspring by affecting placental BA transporters and inducing imbalanced fetal-placental-maternal BA circulation, leading to increased levels of primary BAs in fetal serum.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Dingmei Zhang, Kexin Liu, Wen Hu, Xiaoqian Lu, Li Li, Qi Zhang, Hegui Huang, Hui Wang
Summary: This study confirmed that dexamethasone induces cell autophagy by activating the GR- FOXO1 pathway in utero, inhibiting hepatocyte proliferation and causing liver dysplasia in offspring rats.
Article
Neurosciences
Jessica R. Ivy, Roderic N. Carter, Jin-Feng Zhao, Charlotte Buckley, Helena Urquijo, Eva A. Rog-Zielinska, Emma Panting, Lenka Hrabalkova, Cara Nicholson, Emma J. Agnew, Matthew W. Kemp, Nicholson N. Morton, Sarah J. Stock, Caitlin Wyrwoll, Ian G. Ganley, Karen E. Chapman
Summary: The late gestational increase in glucocorticoids helps in the maturation of the fetal heart, particularly in the switch from carbohydrate to fatty acid oxidation. Excessive use of exogenous glucocorticoids may interfere with normal fetal heart development and pose potential clinical risks.
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2021)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Julietta A. Sheng, Natalie J. Bales, Sage A. Myers, Anna I. Bautista, Mina Roueinfar, Taben M. Hale, Robert J. Handa
Summary: This review discusses the regulation and development of the HPA axis, as well as the impact of abnormal development on neurodevelopmental pathologies in adulthood, particularly during the maternal-fetal stage.
FRONTIERS IN BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Developmental Biology
Avery C. Kramer, Thomas Jansson, Tracy L. Bale, Theresa L. Powell
Summary: Altered placental function may mediate the link between the maternal environment and fetal growth and development, through nutrient sensing, modulation of transporters, and changes in extracellular vesicles. Maternal diet and stress can also influence fetal development and metabolism, and fetal growth restriction may increase the risk of chronic disease later in life.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Kathleen Liedtke Kolb, Ana Luiza Sprotte Mira, Eduardo Delabio Auer, Isabela Dall Oglio Bucco, Carla Eduarda de Lima e Silva, Priscila Ianzen dos Santos, Valeria Bumiller-Bini Hoch, Luana Caroline Oliveira, Aline Borsato Hauser, Jennifer Elisabeth Hundt, Alan R. Shuldiner, Fabiana Leao Lopes, Teide-Jens Boysen, Andre Franke, Luis Felipe Ribeiro Pinto, Sheila Coelho Soares-Lima, Gabriela Canalli Kretzschmar, Angelica Beate Winter Boldt
Summary: The polymorphisms of the NR3C1 gene may be associated with the susceptibility to MetS in the Mennonite population, independently of DNA methylation and gene expression.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yanni Zhang, Qiulei Xi, Ming Zhong, Yi Jiang, Qiulin Zhuang, Zuoyou Ding, Shanjun Tan, Junjie Wang, Hao Liu, Zhige Zhang, Ben Zhou, Guohao Wu
Summary: Cachexia is common in cancer patients and its molecular basis is still unclear. This study investigated the regulatory pathway of tumors on appetite-inhibiting neurons (POMC) in the hypothalamus. Results showed that the tumor-expressed SEMA3D is positively related to POMC expression. Knocking out SEMA3D in mice increased food intake and body weight, and reduced muscle and fat catabolism. SEMA3D enhances POMC neuron activity by activating NRP2 and PlxnD1 expression. This research reveals that SEMA3D may play a vital role in appetite suppression and catabolic metabolism.
Article
Biology
Yuping Zhou, Baoxia Gu, Geraldine Brichant, Jay Prakash Singh, Huan Yang, Hao Chang, Yanding Zhao, Chao Cheng, Zhong-Wu Liu, Myles H. Alderman, Lingeng Lu, Xiaoyong Yang, Xiao-Bing Gao, Hugh S. Taylor
Summary: A study found that mice offspring exposed to estriol (E-3) during pregnancy had increased fertility and better pregnancy outcomes. These offspring also showed decreased anxiety and increased exploratory behavior. E-3 acts on estrogen receptors, recruiting epigenetic modifiers to alter gene expression and affect organ development and brain function.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Berthold Hocher, Yong-Ping Lu, Christoph Reichetzeder, Xiaoli Zhang, Oleg Tsuprykov, Jan Rahnenfuhrer, Li Xie, Jian Li, Liang Hu, Bernhard K. Kraemer, Ahmed A. Hasan
Summary: The study suggests that paternal genetic defects, such as eNOS deficiency, may alter the epigenome of sperm without transmitting the paternal genetic defect itself. In later life, wild-type male offspring of +/- eNOS fathers developed increased fasting insulin and increased insulin after glucose load.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kazunori Kageyama, Yasumasa Iwasaki, Makoto Daimon
Summary: This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms of CRF regulation in the hypothalamus during stress and stress resilience, highlighting the central role of CRF in regulating the stress response. The involvement of ACTH, glucocorticoids, various regulatory factors, and different CRF receptors in stress resilience are discussed.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
William A. Thompson, Mathilakath M. Vijayan
Summary: The ubiquitous use of antidepressants, such as venlafaxine, has led to increased concentrations of these pharmaceuticals in waterways, impacting neural development in zebrafish embryos. Early developmental exposure to venlafaxine disrupts the functioning of the hypothalamus-pituitary-interrenal axis in zebrafish, affecting cortisol levels and responses to stress across multiple generations. This study suggests that venlafaxine is an endocrine disruptor with potential long-term and generational consequences on stress axis activity.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Thanuja Gali Ramamoorthy, Tiffany-Jayne Allen, Alison Davies, Erika Harno, Charlotte Sefton, Christopher Murgatroyd, Anne White
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBESITY
(2018)
Review
Physiology
Erika Harno, Thanuja Gali Ramamoorthy, Anthony P. Coll, Anne White
PHYSIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2018)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Jonathan R. Wray, Alison Davies, Charlotte Sefton, Tiffany-Jayne Allen, Antony Adamson, Philip Chapman, Brian Y. H. Lam, Giles S. H. Yeo, Anthony P. Coll, Erika Harno, Anne White
MOLECULAR METABOLISM
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ghazala Begum, Rahul Reddy, Kamal M. Yakoub, Antonio Belli, David J. Davies, Valentina Di Pietro
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Biophysics
Pradip Nirbhavane, Gajanand Sharma, Bhupinder Singh, Ghazala Begum, Marie-Christine Jones, Saaeha Rauz, Rachel Vincent, Alastair K. Denniston, Lisa J. Hill, O. P. Katare
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES B-BIOINTERFACES
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gareth B. Kitchen, Thomas Hopwood, Thanuja Gali Ramamoorthy, Polly Downton, Nicola Begley, Tracy Hussell, David H. Dockrell, Julie E. Gibbs, David W. Ray, Andrew S. Loudon
Summary: Robust inflammatory responses are crucial for survival after respiratory infections, and Epigenetic factors are increasingly being recognized as important determinants of immune responses. EZH2 acts differently in macrophages and neutrophils, affecting inflammatory responses and chemotaxis. Targeting EZH2 may have implications for mucosal immunity and conditions driven by pulmonary neutrophil influx.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Eline S. van der Valk, Lotte Kleinendorst, Patric J. D. Delhanty, Bibian van der Voorn, Jenny A. Visser, M. M. van Haelst, Laura C. G. de Graaff, Martin Huisman, Anne White, Shosuke Ito, Kazumasa Wakamatsu, Yolanda B. de Rijke, Erica L. T. van den Akker, Anand M. Iyer, Elisabeth F. C. van Rossum
Summary: Patients with a novel POMC gene variant presented with obesity, hyperphagia, and hypocortisolism, related to an ACTH defect at the prohormone convertase 2 cleavage site. The study demonstrated that adequate cleavage of ACTH to alpha-MSH and d-alpha-MSH is also crucial for feeding control in humans.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mehdi Boutagouga Boudjadja, Isabella Culotta, Gabriela C. De Paula, Erika Harno, Jenna Hunter, Joao Paulo Cavalcanti-de-Albuquerque, Simon M. Luckman, Matthew Hepworth, Anne White, Gabriella Aviello, Giuseppe D'Agostino
Summary: This study reveals the immunoregulatory functions of hypothalamic AgRP neurons in negative energy balance and endotoxemia. Endotoxemia sustains the activity of AgRP neurons and reduces their sensitivity to inhibitory signals. The study also highlights the role of endogenous glucocorticoids in this process.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Ilaria Coppola, Bas Brouwers, Leanne Walker, Ceyhun Alar, Sandra Meulemans, Anne White, Bruno Ramos-Molina, John W. M. Creemers
Summary: This study investigates the role of FURIN in hypothalamic neurons controlling glucose and feeding. The researchers found that FURIN plays an important role in the cleavage of POMC and is involved in the regulation of feeding behavior and glucose homeostasis. The deletion of FURIN in mice resulted in hyperphagia, increased body weight, and altered POMC processing. These findings challenge the previous understanding of POMC cleavage and have implications for understanding the mechanisms of glucose and feeding regulation.
MOLECULAR METABOLISM
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Timothy S. Jarvela, Surbhi, Manita Shakya, Tomas Bachor, Anne White, Malcolm J. Low, Iris Lindberg
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Charlotte Sefton, Alison Davies, Tiffany-Jayne Allen, Jonathan R. Wray, Rosemary Shoop, Antony Adamson, Neil Humphreys, Anthony P. Coll, Anne White, Erika Harno