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International review of physiology, Vol. 16. Endocrine physiology II
BOOK REVIEWS
409
survey our current understanding of the regulation of ACTH by CRF and vassopressin, underscoring the rationale for the belief that the secretion of the particular pituitary hormone may be inhibited or stimulated by more than one hypothalamic substance in the physiological setting. Curt Sandman, Abba Kastin, and Lyle Miller examine the central nervous system actions of MSH and other related peptides. In their interesting discussion they develop the idea that these peptides play an important but subtle role in behavior. They also detail the methodological and theoretical limitations of the current efforts to unravel this fascinating subject. J. C. Job contributes a short but wellwritten chapter on the neuroendocrine control of the onset of puberty, underscoring the provocative but poorly understood clinical syndromes that may cajole the interested basic scientist to pursue the many unanswered questions in this area. Such questions, for example, as: What role do extrahypothalamic structures play in the timing of the onset of puberty? What role does pulsatile LH-RH secretion play in the conditioning of the pituitary of the prepubertal animal to respond to the feedback effect of gonadal hormones’? The book closes with a review of the physiology of vasopressin, oxytocin, and the neurophysins by C. R. N. Edwards, T.
Chard, and Alan G. Robinson, respectively. These are all well-written contributions emphasizing the experimental basis for our current concepts of each control system. The vasopressin chapter is a highly readable account of the physiology of this hormone. Edwards details the metabolism and assay methods for vasopressin together with an engaging parley of the neurophysiological control and peripheral effects of this complex system. In the concise and well-ordered chapter on oxytocin, T. Chard discusses the role of this hormone in parturition. He carefully summarizes the evidence for the release of maternal and fetal oxytocin during labor and discusses the physiological mechanisms that contribute to the timing of this process in a variety of mammalian species. In summary, Clinical Neuroendocrinologq’ is a collection of lucid and concise reviews addressing the neural regulation of the anterior and posterior pituitary glands. I recommend this text for the interested zoologist and I enthusiastically recommend this text for those who are either engaged in research in mammalian neuroendocrinology or may be charged with teaching organ systems physiology.
INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF PHYSIOLOGY, Vol. 16. ENDOCRINE PHYSIOLOGY II. Edited by S. M. McCann. University Park Press, Baltimore. $13.75. 301 p. 1977. This volume contains seven reviews: The neurohypophysis, by B. A. Cross and J. B. Wakerley; The hypothalamic hypophysiotropic hormones, by L. Krulich and C. P. Eawcett; The hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenocortical system, by A. Brodish and J q R. Lymangrover: Glucagon physiology in
health and disease, by R. Sherwin and P. Felig; The hormonal control of sodium excretion, by F. G. Knox and J. A. DiazBuxo; Hormonal regulation of mineral metabolism, by L. G. Raisz, G. R. Mundy, J. W. Dietrich, and E. M. Canalis; and Cyclic nucleotides in mode of hormone action, by J. N. Fain and F. R. Butcher. The reviews range from excellent to good. The coverage is restricted to mammals and is not comparative. Although the copyright is 1977, references dated 1976 are
ROBERT Department of Physiology Univrrsity of Washington Seattle. Washingtorr
A. STEINER
and Biophysics
410
BOOK
very rare; the authors in some cases indicate that their articles were completed in the latter months of 1975. Considering that the literature reviewed is, at the time of this book review, at least 3 years old, it is unfortunate that the topics reviewed were the same as those covered in 1974 in Vol. 5 of this series. In the review on “the neurohypophysis,” the electrophysiological activity characterizing oxytocin and vasopressin cells, and the relationships between the electrophysiological activity and secretion of the hormones are interestingly presented. Mechanisms of hormone synthesis and release are briefly covered, but, as a result of the brevity, there are shortcomings to this coverage. For example, the possible roles of the neurophysins are not discussed, aside from saying that “the hormones are stored in granules in association with carrier proteins-neurophysin I for oxytocin and neurophysin II for vasopressin.” In the discussion of mechanisms of hormone release, the depolarization of the terminal and “movement of calcium into the neurosecretory terminal” are described as if they are separate events. Fortunately, mechanisms of hormone release are thoroughly discussed elsewhere in the volume. The review on “hypothalamic hypophysiotropic hormones” (HHH) seems to start slowly and with some self-duplication, as discussion on the distribution of HHH and origin of HHH inevitably overlaps. However, the coverage of these areas is thorough and it is effective in introducing the balance of the review, which deals with functions and regulation of secretion of HHH. The analysis of the literature is very well balanced and bluntly honest. The authors also include enough physiology about the various pituitary hormones to provide a perspective for the effects of HHH and the interaction of HHH and target gland hormones in the pituitary. Effects of pharmacological alterations of various neurotransmitters on HHH secretion are also re-
REVIEWS
viewed. A problem with the latter coverage is that little background is given on whether the neurotransmitters are found in the hypothalamus and whether physiological changes in neurotransmitter physiology occur in association with HHH secretion. This problem, however, does not greatly detract from this excellent review. “The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system” is an excellent, critical review. The review of the nature and actions of corticotropin releasing hormone overlaps with the previous chapter, which is an inevitable problem with the topic selection for the chapters. Readers will need a figure handy showing the amino acid sequence of corticotropin (ACTH) and melanocyte-stimulating hormone in order to follow review of the complexities of the relationships between structure and function. The mechanism of action of ACTH, and the role of cyclic AMP and ions, in adrenal function and steroidogenesis are examined in depth, providing a critical view of the larger field of mechanisms of hormone action. It is intriguing that differences in the predominate steroids secreted between species may be related to structural differences in ACTH. Among other coverage in this review, the authors provide a welcome critical appraisal of the value of various assays for ACTH, and the problem of levels of assayed hormone vs levels of biologically active hormone. “Glucagon physiology in health and disease” deals largely with the human, which in some aspects is a problem if one is not familiar with conditions in certain diseases. Nevertheless, the review deals very well with glucagon secretion and catabolism, and the dynamics between glucagon and insulin in a variety of situations, such as following a high protein or carbohydrate meal. The role of glucagon in normal glucose homeostasis and in causing diabetes is also reviewed. The initial part of “the hormonal control of sodium excretion” is a good general re-
BOOK REVIEWS
view of the involvement of various segcnents of the kidney tubule in sodium reab$,orption. The balance of the review is on the involvement of various hormones and other substances in regulation of sodium excretion. Although there is much valuable mformation in this latter section, in a number of cases it is difficult to know what species were used in the work reviewed. Also, much of the work in this section is based on the human, often in some disease s.tate. “Hormonal regulation of mineral metabolism” deals primarily with parathyroid hormone, calcitonin, and vitamin D. In e:ach case the chemistry, structure-activity relationships, sites and modes of action, regulation of secretion, metabolism, and related topics are dealt with, although the coverage for parathyroid hormone and vitamin D is more extensive than for calcitonin. Assay techniques for each hormone are also critically reviewed. Those readers not flamiliar with the molecular structure of vitamin D are advised to have such information handy in order to follow all the steps in ifs synthesis and metabolism. Coverage of other hormones influencing mineral metabolism touches on effects of various other hormones, but in some cases, e.g., growth hormone and somatomedin, it is too brief to be highly useful. In “cyclic nucleotides in mode of hormone action.” activation of the cyclase en-
411
zymes, levels of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP in tissues, factors that alter tissue cyclic nucleotide levels, and effects the cyclic nucleotides have on tissues are reviewed. Hypotheses on the actions and functions of cyclic nucleotides, and the interactions of cyclic GMP and cyclic AMP, are discussed. The actions of cyclic nucleotides in specific tissues are reviewed in detail to provide models. Assay methods for cyclic nucleotides are briefly, but clearly, reviewed. Although the review may be difficult to follow in places because of the weight and detail of the material, this is an admirable coverage of a difficult and complex field. This book, in fact the whole series, is a must for university and college libraries. If readers are specifically interested in the topics reviewed, the price ($13.75) is right for having it on your own bookshelf. If endocrinology as a whole is reviewed in this series, and each volume is the same reasonable price as this one, then buying each volume on endocrine physiology will be a personal must as a reference collection. However, in making your decision, keep in mind that the coverage of endocrine physiology in this volume is restricted to mammals: future volumes will hopefully encompass comparative endocrinology. R. E. PETER
409
survey our current understanding of the regulation of ACTH by CRF and vassopressin, underscoring the rationale for the belief that the secretion of the particular pituitary hormone may be inhibited or stimulated by more than one hypothalamic substance in the physiological setting. Curt Sandman, Abba Kastin, and Lyle Miller examine the central nervous system actions of MSH and other related peptides. In their interesting discussion they develop the idea that these peptides play an important but subtle role in behavior. They also detail the methodological and theoretical limitations of the current efforts to unravel this fascinating subject. J. C. Job contributes a short but wellwritten chapter on the neuroendocrine control of the onset of puberty, underscoring the provocative but poorly understood clinical syndromes that may cajole the interested basic scientist to pursue the many unanswered questions in this area. Such questions, for example, as: What role do extrahypothalamic structures play in the timing of the onset of puberty? What role does pulsatile LH-RH secretion play in the conditioning of the pituitary of the prepubertal animal to respond to the feedback effect of gonadal hormones’? The book closes with a review of the physiology of vasopressin, oxytocin, and the neurophysins by C. R. N. Edwards, T.
Chard, and Alan G. Robinson, respectively. These are all well-written contributions emphasizing the experimental basis for our current concepts of each control system. The vasopressin chapter is a highly readable account of the physiology of this hormone. Edwards details the metabolism and assay methods for vasopressin together with an engaging parley of the neurophysiological control and peripheral effects of this complex system. In the concise and well-ordered chapter on oxytocin, T. Chard discusses the role of this hormone in parturition. He carefully summarizes the evidence for the release of maternal and fetal oxytocin during labor and discusses the physiological mechanisms that contribute to the timing of this process in a variety of mammalian species. In summary, Clinical Neuroendocrinologq’ is a collection of lucid and concise reviews addressing the neural regulation of the anterior and posterior pituitary glands. I recommend this text for the interested zoologist and I enthusiastically recommend this text for those who are either engaged in research in mammalian neuroendocrinology or may be charged with teaching organ systems physiology.
INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF PHYSIOLOGY, Vol. 16. ENDOCRINE PHYSIOLOGY II. Edited by S. M. McCann. University Park Press, Baltimore. $13.75. 301 p. 1977. This volume contains seven reviews: The neurohypophysis, by B. A. Cross and J. B. Wakerley; The hypothalamic hypophysiotropic hormones, by L. Krulich and C. P. Eawcett; The hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenocortical system, by A. Brodish and J q R. Lymangrover: Glucagon physiology in
health and disease, by R. Sherwin and P. Felig; The hormonal control of sodium excretion, by F. G. Knox and J. A. DiazBuxo; Hormonal regulation of mineral metabolism, by L. G. Raisz, G. R. Mundy, J. W. Dietrich, and E. M. Canalis; and Cyclic nucleotides in mode of hormone action, by J. N. Fain and F. R. Butcher. The reviews range from excellent to good. The coverage is restricted to mammals and is not comparative. Although the copyright is 1977, references dated 1976 are
ROBERT Department of Physiology Univrrsity of Washington Seattle. Washingtorr
A. STEINER
and Biophysics
410
BOOK
very rare; the authors in some cases indicate that their articles were completed in the latter months of 1975. Considering that the literature reviewed is, at the time of this book review, at least 3 years old, it is unfortunate that the topics reviewed were the same as those covered in 1974 in Vol. 5 of this series. In the review on “the neurohypophysis,” the electrophysiological activity characterizing oxytocin and vasopressin cells, and the relationships between the electrophysiological activity and secretion of the hormones are interestingly presented. Mechanisms of hormone synthesis and release are briefly covered, but, as a result of the brevity, there are shortcomings to this coverage. For example, the possible roles of the neurophysins are not discussed, aside from saying that “the hormones are stored in granules in association with carrier proteins-neurophysin I for oxytocin and neurophysin II for vasopressin.” In the discussion of mechanisms of hormone release, the depolarization of the terminal and “movement of calcium into the neurosecretory terminal” are described as if they are separate events. Fortunately, mechanisms of hormone release are thoroughly discussed elsewhere in the volume. The review on “hypothalamic hypophysiotropic hormones” (HHH) seems to start slowly and with some self-duplication, as discussion on the distribution of HHH and origin of HHH inevitably overlaps. However, the coverage of these areas is thorough and it is effective in introducing the balance of the review, which deals with functions and regulation of secretion of HHH. The analysis of the literature is very well balanced and bluntly honest. The authors also include enough physiology about the various pituitary hormones to provide a perspective for the effects of HHH and the interaction of HHH and target gland hormones in the pituitary. Effects of pharmacological alterations of various neurotransmitters on HHH secretion are also re-
REVIEWS
viewed. A problem with the latter coverage is that little background is given on whether the neurotransmitters are found in the hypothalamus and whether physiological changes in neurotransmitter physiology occur in association with HHH secretion. This problem, however, does not greatly detract from this excellent review. “The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system” is an excellent, critical review. The review of the nature and actions of corticotropin releasing hormone overlaps with the previous chapter, which is an inevitable problem with the topic selection for the chapters. Readers will need a figure handy showing the amino acid sequence of corticotropin (ACTH) and melanocyte-stimulating hormone in order to follow review of the complexities of the relationships between structure and function. The mechanism of action of ACTH, and the role of cyclic AMP and ions, in adrenal function and steroidogenesis are examined in depth, providing a critical view of the larger field of mechanisms of hormone action. It is intriguing that differences in the predominate steroids secreted between species may be related to structural differences in ACTH. Among other coverage in this review, the authors provide a welcome critical appraisal of the value of various assays for ACTH, and the problem of levels of assayed hormone vs levels of biologically active hormone. “Glucagon physiology in health and disease” deals largely with the human, which in some aspects is a problem if one is not familiar with conditions in certain diseases. Nevertheless, the review deals very well with glucagon secretion and catabolism, and the dynamics between glucagon and insulin in a variety of situations, such as following a high protein or carbohydrate meal. The role of glucagon in normal glucose homeostasis and in causing diabetes is also reviewed. The initial part of “the hormonal control of sodium excretion” is a good general re-
BOOK REVIEWS
view of the involvement of various segcnents of the kidney tubule in sodium reab$,orption. The balance of the review is on the involvement of various hormones and other substances in regulation of sodium excretion. Although there is much valuable mformation in this latter section, in a number of cases it is difficult to know what species were used in the work reviewed. Also, much of the work in this section is based on the human, often in some disease s.tate. “Hormonal regulation of mineral metabolism” deals primarily with parathyroid hormone, calcitonin, and vitamin D. In e:ach case the chemistry, structure-activity relationships, sites and modes of action, regulation of secretion, metabolism, and related topics are dealt with, although the coverage for parathyroid hormone and vitamin D is more extensive than for calcitonin. Assay techniques for each hormone are also critically reviewed. Those readers not flamiliar with the molecular structure of vitamin D are advised to have such information handy in order to follow all the steps in ifs synthesis and metabolism. Coverage of other hormones influencing mineral metabolism touches on effects of various other hormones, but in some cases, e.g., growth hormone and somatomedin, it is too brief to be highly useful. In “cyclic nucleotides in mode of hormone action.” activation of the cyclase en-
411
zymes, levels of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP in tissues, factors that alter tissue cyclic nucleotide levels, and effects the cyclic nucleotides have on tissues are reviewed. Hypotheses on the actions and functions of cyclic nucleotides, and the interactions of cyclic GMP and cyclic AMP, are discussed. The actions of cyclic nucleotides in specific tissues are reviewed in detail to provide models. Assay methods for cyclic nucleotides are briefly, but clearly, reviewed. Although the review may be difficult to follow in places because of the weight and detail of the material, this is an admirable coverage of a difficult and complex field. This book, in fact the whole series, is a must for university and college libraries. If readers are specifically interested in the topics reviewed, the price ($13.75) is right for having it on your own bookshelf. If endocrinology as a whole is reviewed in this series, and each volume is the same reasonable price as this one, then buying each volume on endocrine physiology will be a personal must as a reference collection. However, in making your decision, keep in mind that the coverage of endocrine physiology in this volume is restricted to mammals: future volumes will hopefully encompass comparative endocrinology. R. E. PETER