title: STAT3-Ser/Hes3 Signaling: A New Molecular Component of the Neuroendocrine System?
abstract: The endocrine system involves communication among different tissues in distinct organs, including the pancreas and components of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis. The molecular mechanisms underlying these complex interactions are a subject of intense study as they may hold clues for the progression and treatment of a variety of metabolic and degenerative diseases. A plethora of signaling pathways, activated by hormones and other endocrine factors have been implicated in this communication. Recent advances in the stem cell field introduce a new level of complexity: adult progenitor cells appear to utilize distinct signaling pathways than the more mature cells in the tissue they co-reside. It is therefore important to elucidate the signal transduction requirements of adult progenitor cells in addition to those of mature cells. Recent evidence suggests that a common non-canonical signaling pathway regulates adult progenitors in several different tissues, rendering it as a potentially valuable starting point to explore their biology. The STAT3-Ser/Hes3 Signaling Axis was first identified as a major regulator of neural stem cells and, subsequently, cancer stem cells. In the endocrine/neuroendocrine system, this pathway operates on several levels, regulating other types of plastic cells: (a) it regulates pancreatic islet cell function and insulin release; (b) insulin in turn activates the pathway in broadly distributed neural progenitors and possibly also hypothalamic tanycytes, cells with important roles in the control of the adrenal gland; (c) adrenal progenitors themselves operate this pathway. The STAT3-Ser/Hes3 Signaling Axis therefore deserves additional research in the context of endocrinology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine III, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nikolakopoulou
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine III, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Poser
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine III, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Masjkur
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine III, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fernandez Rubin de Celis
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine III, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Toutouna
authors.affiliation: Department of Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology, King's College London, UK.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Andoniadou
authors.affiliation: Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, USA.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: McKay
authors.affiliation: 1st Department of Pediatrics, University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Aghia Sophia Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chrousos
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine III, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ehrhart-Bornstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine III, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Bornstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine III, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Androutsellis-Theotokis
mesh_terms: D053687:Adult Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C495457:HES3 protein, human; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; C494086:STAT3 protein, human; D014157:Transcription Factors