Handbook of Physiology A Critical, Comprehensive Presentation of Physiological Knowledge and Concepts : The Endocrine System

This provides a scholarly synthesis of the current knowledge of the vertebrate growth process and how it is controlled by hormones and growth factors. Like the other volumes of the Handbook of Physiology Series this text focuses on the considerable body of work that has emerged in the last 25 years. The book begins with an overview of the growth process and how it is assessed in the laboratory and the clinic, as well as the roles played by the various hormones in the growth of nonmammalian vertebrates, domestic animals and humans. A major section on the central role of growth hormone in the regulation of somatic growth follows, including chapters on structure-function relationships, gene expression, regulation of secretion, receptors, cell-signalling mechanisms, and their mechanisms of action related to somatic growth. The last section covers the cellular and molecular mechanisms of action of the thryoid gland and insulin on growth. This volume is valuable source for the student, teacher or researcher of the most up-to-date knowledge of how hormones regulate growth in vertebrate animals and humans.