The insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are proteins with high sequence similarity to insulin. IGFs are part of a complex system that cells use to communicate with their physiologic environment. This complex system consists of two cell-surface receptors, two ligands, a family of seven high-affinity IGF-binding proteins, as well as associated IGFBP degrading enzymes, referred to collectively as proteases.
Insulin resistance (IR) is a pathological condition in which cells either fail to respond normally to the hormone insulin or downregulate insulin receptors in response to hyperinsulinemia.
Hirsutism is excessive body hair on parts of the body where hair is normally absent or minimal. The word is from early 17th century: from Latin hirsutus meaning "hairy". It usually refers to a male pattern of hair growth in a female that may be a sign of a more serious medical condition, especially if it develops well after puberty. Cultural stigma against hirsutism can cause much psychological distress and social difficulty. Discrimination based on facial hirsutism often leads to the avoidance of social situations and to symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), also called somatomedin C, is a hormone similar in molecular structure to insulin which plays an important role in childhood growth, and has anabolic effects in adults.
Acanthosis nigricans is a medical sign characterised by brown-to-black, poorly defined, velvety hyperpigmentation of the skin. It is usually found in body folds, such as the posterior and lateral folds of the neck, the armpits, groin, navel, forehead and other areas.
Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF-2) is one of three protein hormones that share structural similarity to insulin. The MeSH definition reads: "A well-characterized neutral peptide believed to be secreted by the liver and to circulate in the blood. It has growth-regulating, insulin-like and mitogenic activities. The growth factor has a major, but not absolute, dependence on somatotropin. It is believed to be a major fetal growth factor in contrast to insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which is a major growth factor in adults."
Pattern hair loss (also known as androgenetic alopecia (AGA)) is a hair loss condition that primarily affects the top and front of the scalp. In male-pattern hair loss (MPHL), the hair loss typically presents itself as either a receding front hairline, loss of hair on the crown (vertex) of the scalp, or a combination of both. Female-pattern hair loss (FPHL) typically presents as a diffuse thinning of the hair across the entire scalp.
The insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) receptor is a protein found on the surface of human cells. It is a transmembrane receptor that is activated by a hormone called insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and by a related hormone called IGF-2. It belongs to the large class of tyrosine kinase receptors. This receptor mediates the effects of IGF-1, which is a polypeptide protein hormone similar in molecular structure to insulin. IGF-1 plays an important role in growth and continues to have anabolic effects in adults – meaning that it can induce hypertrophy of skeletal muscle and other target tissues. Mice lacking the IGF-1 receptor die late in development, and show a dramatic reduction in body mass. This testifies to the strong growth-promoting effect of this receptor.
Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3, also known as IGFBP-3, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the IGFBP3 gene. IGFBP-3 is one of six IGF binding proteins that have highly conserved structures and bind the insulin-like growth factors IGF-1 and IGF-2 with high affinity. IGFBP-7, sometimes included in this family, shares neither the conserved structural features nor the high IGF affinity. Instead, IGFBP-7 binds IGF1R, which blocks IGF-1 and IGF-2 binding, resulting in apoptosis.
Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the IGFBP2 gene.
Calpain-10 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CAPN10 gene.
Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 4 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the IGFBP4 gene.
Autoimmune hypophysitis is defined as inflammation of the pituitary gland due to autoimmunity.
Breast development, also known as mammogenesis, is a complex biological process in primates that takes place throughout a female's life.
Neurogenin-3 (NGN3) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the Neurog3 gene.
Cyril Y. Bowers, M.D., emeritus professor of medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine, attended medical school at the University of Oregon and did an internship at the University of Washington. He then studied biochemistry at Cornell University and attended the postgraduate school of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. From 1961-2004 he was the director of the Section of Endocrinology & Metabolism in the department of medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine. Bowers has served on the editorial board of several endocrine journals, was a member of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Study Section for eight years and has written over 400 articles in peer-reviewed journals, including chapters in books and over 200 abstracts.
Leonid Poretsky is a Russian-born American endocrinologist. His research interests include mechanisms of insulin action in the ovary, endocrinological aspects of AIDS, and clinical outcomes in diabetes. He has authored over 100 publications and has served on the National Institutes of Health's review committees and on the editorial boards of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism and other endocrine journals.
Pierre De Meyts is a Belgian physician and biochemist known for his research on fine chemical and kinetic aspects of ligand-receptor interaction, subunit assembly, and specific metabolic effects of hormones typically causing receptor tyrosine kinase activation such as insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGFs). He has also studied receptor signalling for other peptide hormones such as growth hormone and relaxin, and key pathophysiological aspects of diabetes mellitus. De Meyts held professorial posts for over three decades at several European and United States institutions and currently is an emeritus professor in the Science Faculty at the Université catholique de Louvain. While living in Denmark (1990-2010) he occupied executive research positions at Novo Nordisk. De Meyts is also known as a science cartoonist.
Christos Socrates Mantzoros is a Greek American physician-scientist, practicing internist-endocrinologist, teacher and researcher. He is a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an adjunct professor at Boston University School of Medicine. He currently serves as the chief of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at the VA Boston Healthcare System, where he created de novo a leading academic division true to its tripartite mission and as the founding director of human nutrition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Harvard Medical School. Finally, he holds the editor-in-chief position of the journal Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental.
Steven Grinspoon is an American physician who is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Chief of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Metabolism Unit, and Director of the Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Harvard. In addition, he is the MGH Endowed Chair in Neuroendocrinology and Metabolism. His work investigates the neuroendocrine regulation of body composition, and physiologic consequences of fat distribution on cardiovascular disease and inflammation. He has investigated the effects of reduced growth hormone on metabolic dysregulation in obesity and was the first to propose the use of a Growth Hormone-releasing Hormone (GHRH) analogue to increase endogenous GH secretion on lipodystrophy and generalized obesity, which led to the FDA approval of Tesamorelin for excess visceral fat accumulation in HIV-infected patients. This work has now been extended to show robust effects on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). More recently, his research focuses on the inflammatory mechanisms by which ectopic fat and other metabolic perturbations contribute to HIV-Cardiovascular disease (CVD), and in this regard, he led the AHA State of the Science Conference on CVD in HIV. Additionally, he is leading the large multicenter REPRIEVE study, the first study of a primary prevention strategy for CVD in people living with HIV. He has also investigated increased Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS) activation and immune activation in relationship to visceral fat accumulation, and the mechanisms of subcutaneous adipose dysfunction involving DICER. Grinspoon has served on the Harvard faculty since 1995 and has been selected by the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians for his scientific contributions. He received the American Federation of Medical Research Investigator of the Year Award in 2005 and the Edward H. Ahrens Jr. Award for Patient Oriented Research in 2014 as well as the Endocrine Society Laureate Award for Translational Research in 2016. He has published over 330 articles and mentored over 40 trainees in his career. He was elected as a Member of the American Clinical and Climatological Association for his achievements in 2017. His work demonstrating the effects of Tesamorelin to reduce hepatic fat and fibrosis progression in NAFLD, published in Lancet HIV, was a finalist for the Clinical Research Forum’s top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Awards in 2020. In 2015, he became the Principal Investigator of the NIH-funded Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Harvard.
