Reproductive Endocrinology: A Molecular Approach

Description

Molecular biology emerged from advances in biochemistry during the 1940s and 1950s, when the structure of the nucleic acids and proteins were elucidated. Beginning in the 1970s, with nucleic acid enzymology and the discovery of the restriction enzymes, the tools of molecular biology became widely available and applied in cell biology to study how genes are regulated. This new knowledge impacted endocrinology and reproductive biology since it was largely known that the secretion of the internal glands affected the phenotypes, and expression of genes. Modern reproductive biology encompasses every level of biological study from genomics to ecology, encompassing cell biology, biochemistry, endocrinology and general physiology. All of these disciplines require a basic knowledge, both as a tool and as an essential aid to a fundamental understanding of the principles of life in health and disease. Overall, molecular biology is central to scientific studies in all living matter, impacting disciplines such as medicine, related health sciences, veterinary, agriculture and environmental sciences. In this book, the basic biochemistry of nucleic acids and proteins are reviewed. Methodologies used to study signaling and gene regulation in the endocrine/reproductive system are also discussed. Topics include mechanisms of hormone action and several endocrine disorders affecting the reproductive system. Professionals in the medical, veterinary and animal sciences fields will find exciting and stimulating material enhancing the breadth and quality of their research. Content: Basis for molecular reproductive biology -- Introduction to the molecular organization of the endocrine/reproductive system -- Extracellular signaling receptors -- Molecules that transmit information into the cell: the intracellular signaling pathways -- Introduction to molecular biology: structure and function of the macromolecules of genetic information -- Regulation of gene expression -- Molecular basis of abnormal phenotype -- Tools of molecular reproductive biology -- Recombinant DNA technology -- Techniques for DNA analysis -- Analyzing gene expression -- DNA microarray analysis -- Computer assisted analysis of genes -- Introduction to gene therapy -- Molecular regulation of reproductive hormones -- GnRH-GnRH-receptor system in the mammalian female reproductive tract -- FSH: one hormone with multiple forms, or a family of multiple hormones -- FSH receptor: one receptor with multiple forms or a family of receptors -- Regulation of the early steps in gonadal steroidogenesis -- Prostaglandins and their mechanisms of action in the cyclic ovary -- Androgens: molecular basis and related disorders -- Leptin as a reproductive hormone -- Neurosteroids and sexual behavior and reproduction -- Molecular regulation of the reproductive organs and tissues -- Autocrine and paracrine regulation of the ovary -- Ovarian endocrine activity: role of follistatin, activin, and inhibin -- Hormonal and molecular regualtion of the cytochrome P450 aromatase gene expression in the ovary -- Epigenetic mechanisms of ovarian gene regulation -- Ovarian function and failure: the role of the oocyte and its molecules -- Molecular control of corpus luteum function -- Molecular landscape of spermatogonial stem cell renewal, meiotic sex chromosome inactivation, and spermatic head shaping.