Although TSH is the major regulator of thyroid growth and function, the role of TSH in thyroid cell growth in vitro is controversial. Recent studies have shown that a number of growth factors, cytokines, vitamins, hormones and other reagents including iodide, lithium or retinoids modulate proliferation of cultured thyroid cells. Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) stimulate growth of thyroid cel...

Bone growth and development are products of the complex interactions of genetic and environmental factors. Longitudinal bone growth depends on the growth plate. The growth plate has 5 different zones-each with a different functional role-and is the final target organ for longitudinal growth. Bone length is affected by several systemic, local, and mechanical factors. All these regulation systems...

T ranscripts are drawn to—or repulsed by— extracellular signals, report < A r t R e f d o i = " 1 0. 1 0 8 3 / j c b. 2 0 0 7 0 3 2 0 9 " > Willis et al.< / A r t R e f > Unique sets of mRNAs, the fi ndings show, are brought to or warded off from axon sites in contact with neuronal growth factors. Axons have their own translational machinery that allows them to respond to stimuli rapidly. Store...

Many of the originally identified cardiovascular 'growth factors' have been demonstrated to exert a diverse variety of actions within the cardiovascular system, the majority of which are unrelated to their initially proposed mechanism of action. Interestingly, several of these growth factors have been demonstrated to protect the cardiomyocyte from the detrimental effects of acute ischaemia-repe...

What are they? Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are a family of small (20–30 kDa) intercellular signalling proteins which are frequently found to be glycosylated. The first draft of the human genome identified 29 potential FGF genes, and so far transcripts have been identified for 23 of them. Two FGFs have been identified in Caenorhabditis elegans (Let-756 and Egl-17) while Drosophila appears o...

Growth of 79 children with diabetes was analysed at diagnosis and again after one to 10.7 years of treatment with insulin. Both sexes were tall at onset, whereas at the last observation boys alone showed significant growth retardation. Height standard deviation score (SDS), however, showed no significant fall either in 32 subjects reassessed after five years of disease or in 18 subjects examine...

This particular edition is edited by Dr. Maurice Scanlon of Cardiff, a well-known figure in the field, and provides a reasonably comprehensive update of recent progress in neuroendocrinology. Among the chapter topics are the investigation of hypothalmic pituitary disease, current approaches to radiology of the region and medical and surgical management of pituitary adenomas. There is also a cha...

Overview GFs3 may be defined as polypeptides that stimulate cell prolif eration through binding to specific high-affinity cell membrane receptors. These GFs differ from the well-known polypeptide hormones such as insulin and adrenocorticotropic hormone not only in the response elicited but also in the mode of delivery from the secreting to the responding cell. GFs do not usually act in an endoc...

Growth factors, defined as polypeptides that stimulate cell proliferation, are major growth-regulatory molecules for cells in culture and probably also for cells in vivo. Nontransformed cells show an absolute requirement for growth factors for proliferation in culture and generally more than one growth factor is required. Under usual culture conditions, growth factors are more rapidly depleted ...