The GH binding protein (GHBP), which exists in many vertebrates, is a circulating high affinity binding protein corresponding to the extracellular domain of the GH receptor (GHR). In humans, rabbits, and several other species, the GHBP is generated by proteolysis of the GHR and shedding of its extracellular domain. We previously showed that GHBP shedding is inducible by the phorbol ester phorbo...

Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) is an aggressive neoplasm with a low frequency of occurrence in the digestive tract. We present a series of eight patients diagnosed with LCNEC of the colon and rectum. Grossly, tumors were presented as endophytic/ulcerative, annular and polypoid masses, with a gray-white color and necrosis in most cases. Histologically, they were high-grade tumors co...

The goal of this study was to test whether the "loss of the complexity" hypothesis can be applied to compare the metabolic patterns of mouse models with known differences in metabolic and endocrine function as well as life span. Here, we compare the complexity of locomotor activity and metabolic patterns (energy expenditure, VO₂, and respiratory quotient) of the long-lived growth hormone recept...

Growth hormone (GH)-inducible suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS/CIS proteins) inhibit GH receptor (GHR) signaling to STAT5b via phosphotyrosine-dependent binding interactions with the tyrosine kinase JAK2 (SOCS-1) and/or the cytoplasmic tail of GHR (CIS and SOCS-3). Presently, we investigate the mechanism of CIS inhibition and CIS's role in down-regulating GHR-JAK2 signaling to STAT5b in ...

Growth hormone receptor/binding protein knockout (GHR-KO) mice live approximately 40% longer than their normal siblings do. These mice have dramatically reduced plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and enhanced insulin sensitivity. We examined the expression level of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) and retinoid X receptors family genes in the livers of normal...

Various central nervous system (CNS) tissues express both growth hormone (GH) and its receptor (GHR), including those involved in memory and cognition. Studies show the presence of GHR in the pituitary, choroid plexus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, pituitary and the spinal cord during development and, to a lesser extent, in adults. This expression implies a role of GH signaling in growth, developm...

By use of RNase protection assays, hepatic growth hormone receptor (GHR) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) mRNA abundances were measured in sheep fetuses after experimental manipulation of fetal plasma thyroid hormone concentrations by fetal thyroidectomy (TX) and exogenous infusion of triiodothyronine (T(3)) and cortisol. TX abolished the normal prepartum rise in hepatic GHR abundance b...

Ghrelin is a gut peptide that stimulates food intake and increases body fat mass when administered centrally or peripherally. In this study, ghrelin was overexpressed in neurons using the neuron-specific enolase (NSE) promoter sequences and mouse ghrelin cDNA (NSE-Ghr). Ghrelin expression in NSE-Ghr brain tissues was increased compared with wild-type mice. Ghrelin expression was also increased ...

Spatial working memory (WM) processing has 3 distinct phases: encoding, maintenance, and retrieval and its dysfunction is a core feature in schizophrenia. We examined phase-specific brain activations associated with spatial WM in first-degree relatives of schizophrenia (genetic high risk, GHR), ultra-high risk (UHR) subjects, patients with schizophrenia, and healthy controls. We used an event-r...

Although growth hormone (GH) receptor (GHR) mRNA and protein are present in fetal tissues such as the lung, there is little evidence that GH mediates growth in the fetus. We have identified functional responses to GH in fetal rat lung epithelia and suggest a possible role for GHR in the developing lung. GHR mRNA in lung extracts was high before birth at day 16 of gestation (16f), decreased to l...