Hormone Receptors in Growth and Reproduction [antikvár]

PrefaceWe have acquired a substantial amount of knowledge of the chemistry, the biology, and the structure-function relationships of the gonadotropins, growth hormone, and prolactin. The gonadotropic hormones and their receptors are vital to all aspects of reproduction. These hormones originate in the pituitary gland from a variety of cell types and act on different target organs. Each gonadotropic hormone (follicle stimulating, luteinizing, chorionic gonadotropic, and thyroid stimulating hormones) consists of a superficially located hormone-nonspecific a-subunit non-covalently coupled to a (3-subunit, which is specific to each hormone. The two subunits are the products of separate genes. Alternating homologous and nonhomologous areas in the amino acid sequences of the (3-subunits of the various hormones suggest that they are the product of a parent gene mutation. The hormones bind specifically to receptors in cell membranes of the target organ and are then internalized to provoke cell response. There is evidence that the a-subunits of the gonadotropins play a vital role in the interaction of each hormone to its specific receptor. The details of the molecular interaction, such as the factors involved in hormone binding and in the activation of the G-protein in the elaboration of cAMP, as well as post hormone-receptor binding events in the cell, are not completely understood. Understanding the regulation of the receptors by a single or multiple hormone(s) is, therefore, indispensible to the optimum physiological effectiveness of the hormones. Any derangement in the quantity, quality, or in the various cascading steps in the mechanism of action of these hormones at the receptor sites results in endocrine disorders.This volume is arranged in four sections: the chemistry of hormones and receptors; physiological consequences of hormone-receptor interaction; the regulation of receptors; and, the clinical aspects of receptors. Scientists, clinical investigators, and physicians assembled in an effort to integrate and to evaluate the new and rapidly expanding knowledge of the mechanisms of action of the gonadotropins and growth hormones, with special reference to the interactions of specific receptors at target sites.The science of hormone-receptor interaction is a rapidly growing area of research with vital clinical applications for normal and abnormal states of growth and reproduction. Several new approaches to contraception and fertility regulation and to the control of normal and abnormal growth are based on the mechanisms of hormone receptor interaction. The deliberations of this volume add to our understanding of the precise molecular details of the interaction of hormones and their receptor sites. This understanding is imperative for earlier diagnosis and timely and improved management of disorders of reproduction and growth, especially those related to target organ failure.Brij B. Saxenav