Estrogens are the key hormones regulating the development and function of reproductive
organs in all vertebrates. Recent evidence indicates that estrogens play important roles in …

The gonads have long been considered endocrine glands, producing sex steroids such as
estrogens, androgens, and progesterone (P4) for the sole purpose of sexual differentiation …

Background: Exposure to the environmental endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA) is
ubiquitous and associated with the increased risk of diabetes and obesity. However, the …

Objective The transcription factors (TF) Foxa2 and Pdx1 are key regulators of beta-cell (β-
cell) development and function. Mutations of these TFs or their respective cis-regulatory …

The β-cell–enriched MAFA transcription factor plays a central role in regulating glucose-
stimulated insulin secretion while also demonstrating oncogenic transformation potential in …

Our understanding of the intracrine (or local) regulation of estrogen and other steroid
synthesis and degradation expanded in the last decades, also thanks to recent …

The prevalence of obesity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes has dramatically
increased worldwide over the last few decades. Although genetic predisposition and lifestyle …

Background Defining the transcriptome and the genetic pathways of pancreatic cells is of
great interest for elucidating the molecular attributes of pancreas disorders such as diabetes …

Incomplete reprogramming of somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) may
be responsible for the heterogeneity in differentiation capacity observed among iPSC lines …

Pancreatic progenitors derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are now in
clinical trials for insulin replacement in patients with type 1 diabetes. Animal studies indicate …