For the ninth year running, Endocrine News talks to editors from Endocrine Society publications to unearth the endocrine nuggets of 2023. Here, the editors of Endocrinology weigh in on what they think qualify as the year’s biggest discoveries in endocrine science.
Endocrinology Editor-in-Chief Carol A. Lange, PhD, professor of medicine (Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation) and pharmacology; Tickle Family Land Grant Endowed Chair of Breast Cancer Research; co-lead, Cellular Mechanisms of Cancer Program; and director, Molecular, Genetic, and Cellular Targets of Cancer Training Program at the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center in Minneapolis chose “Estradiol Augments Tumor-Induced Neutrophil Production to Promote Tumor Cell Actions in Lymphangioleiomyomatosis Models,” by Minor, B. M. N. et al. from the April issue of Endocrinology. Says Lange: “This is really a sweeping mechanistic and translational story that I predict will have a high impact on the field and on patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). Estrogen signaling promotes LAM via activation and expansion of neutrophils within the bone marrow, which in turn drive the disease.”
Lange’s other picks include another great mechanistic study that looks at “the other” estrogen receptor ligands as well as two papers from the John Blenis lab at Weill Cornell that explore “the intersection of aging, metabolism, and cancer and suggest we can modify diet to fight cancer in very impactful ways”:
“This is really a sweeping mechanistic and translational story that I predict will have a high impact on the field and on patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). Estrogen signaling promotes LAM via activation and expansion of neutrophils within the bone marrow, which in turn drive the disease.”
Carol A. Lange, PhD, editor-in-chief, Endocrinology
More From the Editors of Endocrinology
Several associate editors of Endocrinology also contributed. Hershel Raff, PhD, FAAAS, FAPS, professor of medicine, surgery, and physiology and professor of Pharmacy School, at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), and director of the Endocrine Research Laboratory at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center, in Milwaukee chose “Vasopressin Expressed in Hypothalamic CRF Neurons Causes Impaired Water Diuresis in Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency” from the August issue of Endocrinology by Yamagata, S. et al.
“Impaired free water excretion and hyponatremia are common clinical findings in patients with secondary adrenal insufficiency,” Raff says. “Using adrenalectomized AVP-floxed mice, this group demonstrated the novel finding that CRF neurons in the PVH are responsible for the pathogenesis of impaired water excretion in secondary adrenal insufficiency.”
“Current interest in the use GLP-1-, GLP-1/GIP- and GLP-1/GIP/GCG-agonist therapy for type 2 diabetes and obesity is extremely high,” Brubaker says. “This paper enhances our understanding of the actions of GLP-1 and GIP through elucidation of their differential receptor dynamics in pancreatic beta cells.”
David R. Grattan, PhD, of the University of Otago, in Dunedin, New Zealand, gave “Warm Responsive Neurons in the Hypothalamic Preoptic Area are Potent Regulators of Glucose Homeostasis in Male Mice,” by Deem, J. D. et al., published in Endocrinology in July, top billing. Grattan says, “This paper shows how elevation in ambient temperature can have dramatic effects on glucose homeostasis, mediated by specific thermoregulatory circuits in the hypothalamus. This provides mechanistic understanding for why glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes are more common in warmer climates. In a world threatened by global climate change, it is important to understand how rising temperature can influence these critical homeostatic circuits.”
Horvath is a Baltimore, Md.-based freelance writer, a frequent and prolific contributor to Endocrine News, and has compiled and written the annual “Eureka!” articles annually for nine years.
For the tenth year running, Endocrine News talks to editors from Endocrine Society publications to unearth the most impressive breakthroughs in endocrine science and research for 2024. This year, we also talk to some of the “scientists behind the science” to get their insights on their cutting-edge research. In Part V, the editors of The Journal of…
For the tenth year running, Endocrine News talks to editors from Endocrine Society publications to unearth the most impressive breakthroughs in endocrine science and research for 2024. This year, we also talk to some of the “scientists behind the science” to get their insights on their cutting-edge research. In Part IV, the editor-in-chief of The Journal of…