NETWORKS AND RHYTHMS IN ENDOCRINE GLANDS
Department: Physiology and Cancer
Research subject
Over past years the research objectives of our team have converged on a long-standing yet fundamental question in physiology: ‘how is the production and release of peptide hormones controlled?’
Whilst in vitro studies have provided important insight into these physiological processes and the mechanisms that are dysregulated in pathology, understanding how this translates into the living organism has been challenging, especially where cell-cell interaction and dynamics have key functional roles. This is particularly relevant for the hypothalamus-pituitary system which controls reproduction, body growth and metabolism as well as pancreatic islets and their key roles in diabetes. In addition to ex vivo studies, we have engaged a multi-disciplinary in vivo approach in animal models (Fig. 1) to explore the tissue integration of individual neuron/endocrine cell function (Fig. 1A) and its relationship with the vasculature (Fig. 1B) in health and disease.
Our strategy has been based on the development/adaptation of cellular in vivo imaging and cell activity manipulation techniques combined with newly-developed hormone assays, electrophysiological and functional studies in tractable animals with genetically-encoded fluorescent proteins/opsins, and data analysis/modelling.
Our team research is supported by grants from ANR, charities (FRM, FRC…), Investments for the Future Program « France-BioImaging », and H2020 EU program.
Aims of the team:
A. To decipher the hypothalamus-pituitary control of pituitary hormone pulses.
B. To elucidate the function of the endocrine-vascular unit in health and disease.
Team
Major publications
- Hoa, O., Lafont, C., Fontanaud, P., Guillou, A., Kemkem, Y., Kineman, R.D., Luque, R.M., Fiordelisio Coll, T., Le Tissier, P., Mollard, P. (2019) Imaging and manipulating pituitary function in the awake mouse. Endocrinology 160, 2271-2281.
- Romano, N., Guillou, A., Hodson, D. J., Martin, A. O., and Mollard, P. (2017) Multiple-scale neuroendocrine signals connect brain and pituitary hormone rhythms. PNAS 114, 2379-2382
Le Tissier, P., Campos, P., Lafont, C., Romano, N., Hodson, D. J., and Mollard, P. (2017) An updated view of hypothalamic-vascular-pituitary unit function and plasticity. Nature reviews. Endocrinology 13, 257-267 - Michau, A., Hodson, D. J., Fontanaud, P., Guillou, A., Espinosa-Carrasco, G., Molino, F., Peters, C. J., Robinson, I. C., Le Tissier, P., Mollard, P., and Schaeffer, M. (2016) Metabolism Regulates Exposure of Pancreatic Islets to Circulating Molecules In Vivo. Diabetes 65, 463-475
- Guillou, A., Romano, N., Steyn, F., Abitbol, K., Le Tissier, P., Bonnefont, X., Chen, C., Mollard, P., and Martin, A. O. (2015) Assessment of lactotroph axis functionality in mice: longitudinal monitoring of PRL secretion by ultrasensitive-ELISA. Endocrinology 156, 1924-1930