General and Comparative Endocrinology

Alex Schreiber is a comparative endocrinologist at St. Lawrence University where he holds the R. Sheldon ‘68 and Virginia H. Johnson Professorship in the Sciences. He teaches classes in endocrinology, cell biology, and physiology. His research addresses vertebrate metamorphosis, focusing on the influences of thyroid hormones and glucocorticoid stress hormones on amphibian development. He received a B.A. in biology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. After serving in the U.S. Peace Corps in Kenya, he went on to earn an M.S. in biology from Eastern Washington University studying the osmoregulatory physiology of migrating salmon under the tutelage of Dr. Ronald J. White. He then earned a PhD in zoology at the University of Rhode Island studying the endocrinology of flatfish metamorphosis with Dr. Jennifer Specker. He pursued postdoctoral research at the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Embryology, studying the molecular biology of amphibian metamorphosis in Dr. Donald Brown’s laboratory. His summers are spent in East Africa where he teaches classes in wildlife biology and high altitude physiology.

Foreword. Acknowledgments. Author Biography. List of Abbreviations. Introduction to Endocrinology. The Scope and Growth of Endocrinology. Fundamental Features of Endocrine Signaling. Evolution of Endocrine Signaling. Mechanisms of Hormone Action. Hormone Classes and Biosynthesis. Receptors. Receptor Binding Kinetics. Neuroendocrinology. Neurosecretion and Hypothalamic Control of the Pituitary. The Pituitary Gland and Its Hormones. Central Control of Biological Rhythms. Developmental Endocrinology. Thyroid Hormones. Development and. Insect Molting and Metamorphosis. Calcium/Phosphate Homeostasis, Skeletal Remodeling, and Growth. Stress, Blood Pressure, and Ion Balance. The Multifaceted Adrenal Gland. Adrenal Hormones and the Stress Response. Blood Pressure and Osmoregulation. Appetite, Digestion, and Metabolism. Digestion. Appetite. Energy Homeostasis. Metabolic Dysregulation and Disruption. Reproduction. Sexual Determination and Differentiation. Male Reproductive System. Female Reproductive System. The Timing of Puberty and Seasonal Reproduction. Pregnancy, Birth, and Lactation. Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals. EDCs: Assessing the Risk. Appendices: Endocrine-Related Nobel Prizes Awarded in the Last Century. Some Examples of Endocrine Breakthroughs Using Non- Mammalian Model Organisms. Classical and Modern Concepts in Endocrinology. Some Vertebrate and Arthropod Hormones and Their Characteristics. Some Diseases Associated with GPCR Dysfunction. Some Diseases Associated with Nuclear Receptor Dysfunction and Their Treatments. The 48 Known Members of the Human Nuclear Receptor Family Categorized According to Sequence Homology. Primary Enzymes of Steroid Hormone Biosynthesis. A Summary of Steps in Human Digestion. Failures in Contraceptive Function during the First Year of Use. Secondary Sexual Characteristics in Females and Males Associated with Puberty. Tanner Stages of Breast and Pubic Hair Development in Females. Tanner Stages of External Genitalia and Pubic Hair Development in Males. Classifications of Some Common Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals. Glossary. Index.