Imaging endocrinology in animal models of endocrine disease

Publication date: June 2018Source: Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 32, Issue 3Author(s): Patrice Mollard, Marie SchaefferEndocrine organs secrete a variety of hormones involved in the regulation of a multitude of body functions. Although pancreatic islets were discovered at the turn of the 19th century, other endocrine glands remained commonly described as diffuse endocrine systems. Over the last two decades, development of new imaging techniques and genetically-modified animals with cell-specific fluorescent tags or specific hormone deficiencies have enabled in vivo imaging of endocrine organs and revealed intricate endocrine cell network structures and plasticity. Overall, these new tools have revolutionized our understanding of endocrine function. The overarching aim of this Review is to describe the current mechanistic understanding that has emerged from imaging studies of endocrine cell network structure/function relationships in animal models, with a particular emphasis on the pituitary gland and the endocrine pancreas.
Source: Best Practice and Research Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism - Category: Endocrinology Source Type: research