Neuropeptides are evolutionarily ancient mediators of neuronal signalling in nervous systems. With recent advances in genomics/transcriptomics, an increasingly wide range of species has become accessible for molecular analysis. The deuterostomian invertebrates are of particular interest in this regard because they occupy an 'intermediate' position in animal phylogeny, bridging the gap between t...

Numerous investigators have established the important r61e played by t,he endocrine glands in the regulation of fat metabolism in the intact animal. The administration to fasting rats of anterior pituitary growth hormone and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) (1) has been shown to increase both the concentration of ket,one bodies in the blood and the rate of their excretion. Adrenalectomy, on t...

Obesity increases incidence and mortality of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Mechanisms underlying this association are poorly understood. Suitable animal models are needed to elucidate potential mechanisms for this association. To determine the effects of obesity on mammary tumor growth, nonovariectomized and ovariectomized C57BL/6 mice of various body weights (lean, overweight, and obe...