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Chronic stress--the key to parturition?
journal contribution
posted on 1995-01-01, 00:00 authored by I C McMillen, I D Phillips, J T Ross, J S Robinson, Julie OwensJulie OwensIt is clear that the timing of parturition is dependent on a cascade of endocrine signals from an intact fetal hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis. What is not known, however is the nature or source of the central neural stimulation which results in the stimulation of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) synthesis and secretion in late gestation. The changes which occur in the synthesis and posttranslational processing of the ACTH precursor, proopiomelanocortin (POMC), in the fetal anterior pituitary before birth and the consequence of these changes for expression of the corticosteroidogenic enzymes in the fetal adrenal are described in this review. Evidence for the functional heterogeneity of corticotrophic cell types in the fetal sheep pituitary and the proposal that there is a maturational change in the populations of corticotrophic cells in late gestation are discussed. Finally, the development of cortisol negative feedback in the late gestation fetal hypothalamo-pituitary axis and the relevance of chronic stress to the timing of parturition are also discussed.
History
Journal
Reproductive, fertility and developmentVolume
7Issue
3Pagination
499 - 507Publisher
CSIROLocation
Clayton, Vic.Publisher DOI
ISSN
1031-3613Language
engPublication classification
C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
1995, CSIROUsage metrics
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No categories selectedKeywords
Adrenocorticotropic HormoneAnimalsBlood GlucoseFemaleLabor, ObstetricPituitary GlandPregnancyPro-OpiomelanocortinProtein Processing, Post-TranslationalRNA, MessengerSheepStress, PhysiologicalScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineDevelopmental BiologyReproductive BiologyZoologyHYPOTHALAMUSPITUITARYADRENALFETUSPROOPIOMELANOCORTINACTHCORTISOLCORTICOTROPIN-RELEASING FACTORARGININE VASOPRESSINHYPOGLYCEMIACORTICOTROPHMESSENGER-RIBONUCLEIC-ACIDFETAL SHEEP PITUITARYCORTICOTROPIN-RELEASING HORMONELATE-GESTATIONANTERIOR-PITUITARYPARAVENTRICULAR NUCLEUSADRENOCORTICOTROPIN SECRETIONGENE-EXPRESSIONOVINE FETUSESADRENAL AXIS
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