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Emerging Molecular Views in Neuroendocrinology
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Emerging Molecular Views in Neuroendocrinology

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Neurobiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2025 | Viewed by 6328

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Katalin Köves

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Tűzoltó u. 58, H-1094 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: neuroendocrinology; centrifugal visual system;neuronal pathways

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The father of neuroendocrinology was Geoffrey Wingfield Harris, who was born on June 4, 1913, in London. Prior to Harris’s activities, Marshall had shown that the central nervous system plays a role in triggering ovulation. After this observation, Harris was the first to suggest that oxytocin plays a role in the initiation of labor. Later W. Bargmann and E. Scharrer proposed the magnocellular supraoptico–paraventriculo–neurohypophyseal system. Hypophyseal portal vessels were first characterized by D. Green and G. W. Harris. Harris also made the critical observation that blood flows from the hypothalamus to the anterior pituitary. This allows the delivery of substances produced by the brain, such as neuropeptides, neurotransmitters, growth factors, and interleukins, to the hormone-producing anterior pituitary cells. The recognition of peripheral hormone feedback to the hypothalamus (long-loop feedback) and pituitary hormone feedback to the hypothalamus (short-loop feedback) was another important development in neuroendocrine research. Further progress was made with the introduction of radioimmunoassay, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, as well as many other important molecular biological methods, including diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine methods for the diagnosis and therapy of neuroendocrine tumors (theranostics).

This Special Issue aims to review the current literature (including original and review papers) to advance our knowledge of basic and clinical neuroendocrine researchers.

Dr. Katalin Köves
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

  • neuropeptides
  • neurotransmitters
  • neural control of ovulation
  • molecular basis of neuroendocrine diseases
  • theranostics

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 5252 KiB  
Article
Nesfatin-1 Neurons in the Ventral Premammillary Nucleus Integrate Metabolic and Reproductive Signals in Male Rats
by Rege Sugárka Papp, Katalin Könczöl, Klaudia Sípos and Zsuzsanna E. Tóth
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(2), 739; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26020739 - 16 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 830
Abstract
The ability to reproduce depends on metabolic status. In rodents, the ventral premammillary nucleus (PMv) integrates metabolic and reproductive signals. While leptin (adiposity-related) signaling in the PMv is critical for female fertility, male reproductive functions are strongly influenced by glucose homeostasis. The anorexigenic [...] Read more.
The ability to reproduce depends on metabolic status. In rodents, the ventral premammillary nucleus (PMv) integrates metabolic and reproductive signals. While leptin (adiposity-related) signaling in the PMv is critical for female fertility, male reproductive functions are strongly influenced by glucose homeostasis. The anorexigenic peptide nesfatin-1 is a leptin-independent central regulator of blood glucose. Therefore, its integrative role in male rats can be assumed. To investigate this, we mapped the distribution of nesfatin-1 mRNA- and protein-producing cells in the PMv during postnatal development via in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Fos-nesfatin-1, double immunostaining was used to determine the combined effect of heterosexual pheromone challenge and insulin-induced hypoglycemia on neuronal activation in adults. We found that ~75% of the pheromone-activated neurons were nesfatin-1 cells. Hypoglycemia reduced pheromone-induced cell activation, particularly in nesfatin-1 neurons. Immuno-electron microscopy revealed innervation of PMv nesfatin-1 neurons by urocortin3-immunoreactive terminals, reportedly originating from the medial amygdala. Nesfatin-1 immunopositive neurons expressed GPR10 mRNA, a receptor associated with metabolic signaling, but did not respond with accumulation of phosphorylated STAT3 immunopositivity, a marker of leptin receptor signaling, in response to intracerebroventricular leptin treatment. Our results suggest that PMv nesfatin-1 neurons are primarily responsible for integrating reproductive and metabolic signaling in male rats. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Molecular Views in Neuroendocrinology)
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16 pages, 5341 KiB  
Article
Sex Differences in the Neuroendocrine Stress Response: A View from a CRH-Reporting Mouse Line
by Krisztina Horváth, Pál Vági, Balázs Juhász, Dániel Kuti, Szilamér Ferenczi and Krisztina J. Kovács
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(22), 12004; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252212004 - 8 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1278
Abstract
Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons within the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVH) play a crucial role in initiating the neuroendocrine response to stress and are also pivotal in coordination of autonomic, metabolic, and behavioral stress reactions. Although the role of parvocellular CRHPVH neurons in [...] Read more.
Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons within the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVH) play a crucial role in initiating the neuroendocrine response to stress and are also pivotal in coordination of autonomic, metabolic, and behavioral stress reactions. Although the role of parvocellular CRHPVH neurons in activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis is well established, the distribution and function of CRH-expressing neurons across the whole central nervous system are less understood. Stress responses activate complex neural networks, which differ depending on the type of stressor and on the sex of the individual. Because of the technical difficulties of localizing CRH neurons throughout the rodent brain, several CRH reporter mouse lines have recently been developed. In this study, we used Crh-IRES-Cre;Ai9 reporter mice to examine whether CRH neurons are recruited in a stressor- or sex-specific manner, both within and outside the hypothalamus. In contrast to the clear sexual dimorphism of CRH-mRNA-expressing neurons, quantification of CRH-reporting, tdTomato-positive neurons in different stress-related brain areas revealed only subtle differences between male and female subjects. These results strongly imply that sex differences in CRH mRNA expression occur later in development under the influence of sex steroids and reflects the limitations of using genetic reporter constructs to reveal the current physiological/transcriptional status of a specific neuron population. Next, we compared the recruitment of stress-related, tdTomato-expressing (putative CRH) neurons in male and female Crh-IRES-Cre;Ai9 reporter mice that had been exposed to predator odor. In male mice, fox odor triggered more c-Fos in the CRH neurons of the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, central amygdala, and anterolateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis compared to females. These results indicate that male mice are more sensitive to predator exposure due to a combination of hormonal, environmental, and behavioral factors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Molecular Views in Neuroendocrinology)
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Review

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22 pages, 669 KiB  
Review
Molecular Basis of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors
by Alesia Maluchenko, Denis Maksimov, Zoia Antysheva, Julia Krupinova, Ekaterina Avsievich, Olga Glazova, Natalia Bodunova, Nikolay Karnaukhov, Ilia Feidorov, Diana Salimgereeva, Mark Voloshin and Pavel Volchkov
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(20), 11017; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252011017 - 14 Oct 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2017
Abstract
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare well-differentiated neoplasms with limited therapeutic options and unknown cells of origin. The current classification of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors is based on proliferative grading, and guides therapeutic strategies, however, tumors within grades exhibit profound heterogeneity in clinical manifestation [...] Read more.
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare well-differentiated neoplasms with limited therapeutic options and unknown cells of origin. The current classification of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors is based on proliferative grading, and guides therapeutic strategies, however, tumors within grades exhibit profound heterogeneity in clinical manifestation and outcome. Manifold studies have highlighted intra-patient differences in tumors at the genetic and transcriptomic levels. Molecular classification might become an alternative or complementary basis for treatment decisions and reflect tumor biology, actionable cellular processes. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and epigenomic studies of pancreatic NETs to elucidate patterns shared between proposed subtypes that could form a foundation for new classification. We denote four NET subtypes with distinct molecular features, which were consistently reproduced using various omics technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Molecular Views in Neuroendocrinology)
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35 pages, 5189 KiB  
Review
History of the Development of Knowledge about the Neuroendocrine Control of Ovulation—Recent Knowledge on the Molecular Background
by Flóra Szabó, Katalin Köves and Levente Gál
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(12), 6531; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25126531 - 13 Jun 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1412
Abstract
The physiology of reproduction has been of interest to researchers for centuries. The purpose of this work is to review the development of our knowledge on the neuroendocrine background of the regulation of ovulation. We first describe the development of the pituitary gland, [...] Read more.
The physiology of reproduction has been of interest to researchers for centuries. The purpose of this work is to review the development of our knowledge on the neuroendocrine background of the regulation of ovulation. We first describe the development of the pituitary gland, the structure of the median eminence (ME), the connection between the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland, the ovarian and pituitary hormones involved in ovulation, and the pituitary cell composition. We recall the pioneer physiological and morphological investigations that drove development forward. The description of the supraoptic–paraventricular magnocellular and tuberoinfundibular parvocellular systems and recognizing the role of the hypophysiotropic area were major milestones in understanding the anatomical and physiological basis of reproduction. The discovery of releasing and inhibiting hormones, the significance of pulse and surge generators, the pulsatile secretion of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), and the subsequent pulsatility of luteinizing (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormones (FSH) in the human reproductive physiology were truly transformative. The roles of three critical neuropeptides, kisspeptin (KP), neurokinin B (NKB), and dynorphin (Dy), were also identified. This review also touches on the endocrine background of human infertility and assisted fertilization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Molecular Views in Neuroendocrinology)
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