- Email: [email protected]
Central regulation of the endocrine system
BOOK REVIEWS
pins, (3) when estrogen secretion begins during follicular maturation, (4) the role of the very high levels of steroid hormones in follicular fluid, (5) interactions of gonadotropins, steroid hormones, and their receptors in controlling follicular maturation, (6) species differences in ovarian function and regulation, (7) ovarian biology in species with short or long ovarian cycles, (8) biology of the luteal-follicular shift. Unfortunately, most of the papers in this symposium deal only with questions about (5) above. Papers in Sections II and III relate to the role of gonadotropins and steroid hormones in regulating follicular maturation and corpus luteum function and the mechanism of action of these hormones. Oocyte maturation is covered in Section IV, including inhibition of oocyte maturation by intrafollicular substances. Follicular nonsteroidal regulators of ovarian function are discussed in Section V. In Sections VI, VII, and VIII, biology of the corpus luteum, including luteinization, luteolysis, and luteal desensitization, is covered. Finally, Section IX deals with clinical applications in the area of contraceptive development. Each see-. tion includes a helpful discussion by the participating scientists. In the last paper in the book, Irving Rothchild discusses the contributions of the symposium in relation to research needs. This enlightening essay should be read by any scientist interested in ovarian function. He concludes that, although the papers in the book are well done, most do not supply us with guidelines for new research. He goes on to discuss topics that were ignored in the symposium, possibly because they represent a physiological, “whole body” approach and not molecular endocrinology. Rothchild then discusses the “fad” of molecular reproductive endocrinology. Speaking of *‘molecularologists,” he concludes that “the solution to the puzzle about how the ovary is regulated will probably not be solved by them.” He also is
421
“worried that if the trend [molecular reproductive endocrinology] continues the number of whole body physiologists left in the field will fall below a critical mass!” The message is that the scientific approach of molecular endocrinology will not contribute as much as some expect toward our goal of understanding how ovaries work, unless the whole organism is considered. I might add that the comparative biology, including comparative endocrinology, of ovarian function must remain a valuable approach, for a knowledge of the evolutionary history of this organ will help to clarify the extant mammalian systems. In this regard, the next ovarian workshop will take more into account comparative aspects of ovarian function. RICHARD Department
E. JONES
of EnvironmentaL Population and Organismic Biology University of Colorado. Boulder
Central Regulation of the Endocrine System. Edited by KJELL FUXE, TOMAS HSKFELT, AND ROLF LUFT. Plenum, New York/London, 1979. xiii + 555 pp., ill., subject index, $47.50.
This book describes the proceedings of the Nobel Foundation Symposium 42 on Principles of the Central Regulation of the Endocrine System held in Stockholm, Sweden, June 7-9, 1978. There were six sessions consisting of: (1) The peptidergic neuron (the biochemistry, presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms in peptidergic transmission), (2) Transmitter and neuropeptide synaptic mechanisms, (3) Hormonal control of peptidergic neurons, (4) Interactions between hormones and neurotransmitters in the control of peptidergic neurons, (5) Controls of peptidergic neurons in humans, and (6) Reporters’ overviews. There is no doubt that we are currently in the midst of an explosion of interest in the neuropeptides, and this book reflects this interest since most of the 27 papers deal with central neuropeptides. Many of the contributors represent a good
422
BOOK REVIEWS
portion of the major laboratories of neuroendocrinology world-wide, and they chose to use the opportunity to review previous work, as well as speculate on future directions. The papers in the Reporters’ Overviews Session are especially interesting if one proceeds directly to the appropriate reporter’s remarks after reading the papers of a particular session. Their efforts to underline important concepts, debate an issue, and unify the sometimes diverse papers of a session helped to provide a personal viewpoint not found in the numerous proceedings with similar topics covered in recent years. Also, in this regard, there is now appearing some overlap in the contributions found in this symposium and other neuroendocrine symposia. Nevertheless, this volume is especially timely in light of the awarding of the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Guillemin and Schally . The papers are of high quality relating to important issues in neuroendocrinology making this a valuable book to be included in the libraries of neurobiologists in general, and neuroendocrinologists in particular. GERALD P. KOZLOWSKI University
of Texus
Department of Physiology Southwestern Medical School Health Science Center at Dallas Dallas, Texas 75235
Major Sex Determining Genes. Monographs on Endocrinology, Vol. 11. By SUSUMU OHNO. Springer-Verlag, Berlin/Heidelberg/New York, 1979. 140 pp., $19.50.
The mechanism of sex determination and sex differentiation in animals and man remains a major unresolved biological problem despite much active research in the last few decades. Although it is known that sex in animals is expressed at the genetic, gonadal, body, and psychosocial level, the exact mechanisms of gonadal sex differentiation in various patterns of sexuality remain unclear and a general, basic mechanism common to all vertebrates has yet to be found. Ohno’s recent monograph on
“Major Sex Determining Genes” is a phenomenal attempt to explain the mechanism of determination of gonadal sex and body sex in mammals with special references to the operation of the major sex genes and their products. The book comprises 13 chapters in 3 parts. Part I contains 3 chapters of some detailed and enlightening introductory accounts on the biology and evolutionary significance of sexual dimorphism, male supremacy, and polygamous mating in birds and mammals. Part II forms the main section of the book and deals with various aspects of gonadal sex determination with special emphasis on the chromosomal mechanism of hetero- and homogametic sex and its relationship to the H-Y antigen expression during gonadogenesis in mammals. Chapters 4 and 5 discuss the evolution of the mammalian genomes and sex chromosomes and the need for master regulatory genes that control a large number of subsidiary regulatory systems of structural genes as cohesive units. A concept is formulated that sex determination in mammals may depend on a simple mechanism involving only two master regulatory gene products: a plasma membrane antigen and a nuclear-cytosol steroid receptor protein. Following a brief and concise description of the process of initial differentiation of the primary sex organs and the probable action of H-Y antigen in Chap. 6, Ohno proposes a testisorganizing function for the H-Y antigen and, in Chap. 7, examines extensively a number of mammalian species and individuals relevant to the subject to substantiate his hypothesis that the gonadal sex determination may be governed not by the presence or absence of the Y-chromosome but by the expression or nonexpression of the H-Y antigen. These examples include X0 males of the mole vole, fertile XY and XYY females of the wood lemming, XX males and XY females in man and other mammals, etc. Accounts on Moscona
pins, (3) when estrogen secretion begins during follicular maturation, (4) the role of the very high levels of steroid hormones in follicular fluid, (5) interactions of gonadotropins, steroid hormones, and their receptors in controlling follicular maturation, (6) species differences in ovarian function and regulation, (7) ovarian biology in species with short or long ovarian cycles, (8) biology of the luteal-follicular shift. Unfortunately, most of the papers in this symposium deal only with questions about (5) above. Papers in Sections II and III relate to the role of gonadotropins and steroid hormones in regulating follicular maturation and corpus luteum function and the mechanism of action of these hormones. Oocyte maturation is covered in Section IV, including inhibition of oocyte maturation by intrafollicular substances. Follicular nonsteroidal regulators of ovarian function are discussed in Section V. In Sections VI, VII, and VIII, biology of the corpus luteum, including luteinization, luteolysis, and luteal desensitization, is covered. Finally, Section IX deals with clinical applications in the area of contraceptive development. Each see-. tion includes a helpful discussion by the participating scientists. In the last paper in the book, Irving Rothchild discusses the contributions of the symposium in relation to research needs. This enlightening essay should be read by any scientist interested in ovarian function. He concludes that, although the papers in the book are well done, most do not supply us with guidelines for new research. He goes on to discuss topics that were ignored in the symposium, possibly because they represent a physiological, “whole body” approach and not molecular endocrinology. Rothchild then discusses the “fad” of molecular reproductive endocrinology. Speaking of *‘molecularologists,” he concludes that “the solution to the puzzle about how the ovary is regulated will probably not be solved by them.” He also is
421
“worried that if the trend [molecular reproductive endocrinology] continues the number of whole body physiologists left in the field will fall below a critical mass!” The message is that the scientific approach of molecular endocrinology will not contribute as much as some expect toward our goal of understanding how ovaries work, unless the whole organism is considered. I might add that the comparative biology, including comparative endocrinology, of ovarian function must remain a valuable approach, for a knowledge of the evolutionary history of this organ will help to clarify the extant mammalian systems. In this regard, the next ovarian workshop will take more into account comparative aspects of ovarian function. RICHARD Department
E. JONES
of EnvironmentaL Population and Organismic Biology University of Colorado. Boulder
Central Regulation of the Endocrine System. Edited by KJELL FUXE, TOMAS HSKFELT, AND ROLF LUFT. Plenum, New York/London, 1979. xiii + 555 pp., ill., subject index, $47.50.
This book describes the proceedings of the Nobel Foundation Symposium 42 on Principles of the Central Regulation of the Endocrine System held in Stockholm, Sweden, June 7-9, 1978. There were six sessions consisting of: (1) The peptidergic neuron (the biochemistry, presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms in peptidergic transmission), (2) Transmitter and neuropeptide synaptic mechanisms, (3) Hormonal control of peptidergic neurons, (4) Interactions between hormones and neurotransmitters in the control of peptidergic neurons, (5) Controls of peptidergic neurons in humans, and (6) Reporters’ overviews. There is no doubt that we are currently in the midst of an explosion of interest in the neuropeptides, and this book reflects this interest since most of the 27 papers deal with central neuropeptides. Many of the contributors represent a good
422
BOOK REVIEWS
portion of the major laboratories of neuroendocrinology world-wide, and they chose to use the opportunity to review previous work, as well as speculate on future directions. The papers in the Reporters’ Overviews Session are especially interesting if one proceeds directly to the appropriate reporter’s remarks after reading the papers of a particular session. Their efforts to underline important concepts, debate an issue, and unify the sometimes diverse papers of a session helped to provide a personal viewpoint not found in the numerous proceedings with similar topics covered in recent years. Also, in this regard, there is now appearing some overlap in the contributions found in this symposium and other neuroendocrine symposia. Nevertheless, this volume is especially timely in light of the awarding of the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Guillemin and Schally . The papers are of high quality relating to important issues in neuroendocrinology making this a valuable book to be included in the libraries of neurobiologists in general, and neuroendocrinologists in particular. GERALD P. KOZLOWSKI University
of Texus
Department of Physiology Southwestern Medical School Health Science Center at Dallas Dallas, Texas 75235
Major Sex Determining Genes. Monographs on Endocrinology, Vol. 11. By SUSUMU OHNO. Springer-Verlag, Berlin/Heidelberg/New York, 1979. 140 pp., $19.50.
The mechanism of sex determination and sex differentiation in animals and man remains a major unresolved biological problem despite much active research in the last few decades. Although it is known that sex in animals is expressed at the genetic, gonadal, body, and psychosocial level, the exact mechanisms of gonadal sex differentiation in various patterns of sexuality remain unclear and a general, basic mechanism common to all vertebrates has yet to be found. Ohno’s recent monograph on
“Major Sex Determining Genes” is a phenomenal attempt to explain the mechanism of determination of gonadal sex and body sex in mammals with special references to the operation of the major sex genes and their products. The book comprises 13 chapters in 3 parts. Part I contains 3 chapters of some detailed and enlightening introductory accounts on the biology and evolutionary significance of sexual dimorphism, male supremacy, and polygamous mating in birds and mammals. Part II forms the main section of the book and deals with various aspects of gonadal sex determination with special emphasis on the chromosomal mechanism of hetero- and homogametic sex and its relationship to the H-Y antigen expression during gonadogenesis in mammals. Chapters 4 and 5 discuss the evolution of the mammalian genomes and sex chromosomes and the need for master regulatory genes that control a large number of subsidiary regulatory systems of structural genes as cohesive units. A concept is formulated that sex determination in mammals may depend on a simple mechanism involving only two master regulatory gene products: a plasma membrane antigen and a nuclear-cytosol steroid receptor protein. Following a brief and concise description of the process of initial differentiation of the primary sex organs and the probable action of H-Y antigen in Chap. 6, Ohno proposes a testisorganizing function for the H-Y antigen and, in Chap. 7, examines extensively a number of mammalian species and individuals relevant to the subject to substantiate his hypothesis that the gonadal sex determination may be governed not by the presence or absence of the Y-chromosome but by the expression or nonexpression of the H-Y antigen. These examples include X0 males of the mole vole, fertile XY and XYY females of the wood lemming, XX males and XY females in man and other mammals, etc. Accounts on Moscona