Molecular biology and its application in paediatric endocrinology.
Recent advances in molecular biology and genetics have paved the way to a greater understanding of molecular mechanisms of human disease and, in particular, endocrine disorders. For example, new information concerning the structure and function of different receptors and intracellular signalling has allowed precise definition of the molecular defects involved in various disorders such as McCune-Albright syndrome, growth hormone insensitivity syndromes. Although these conditions might be rare, their susceptibility to analysis was due largely to availability and progress of the molecular biological methods. The aim of this review article is to introduce the language of molecular biology by means of a selected group of endocrine disorders.
Mullis
P E
PE
Medical University Kinderklinik, Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland.
Wagner
J K
JK
D001483:Base Sequence; D002648:Child; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D004700:Endocrine System Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008967:Molecular Biology / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009710:Nucleotide Mapping; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000639:trends; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014158:Transcription, Genetic