Introduction to the year in basic science series...2009

This year represents the second, of what we expect to be an annual series, of articles based on The Endocrine Society annual meeting presentations that highlight recent advances in vibrant basic science areas in endocrinology. For ENDO 09, two general areas with broad appeal and significance to our members were chosen: neuroendocrinology and G protein-coupled receptors. The invited participants were charged with presenting and discussing important papers that were published approximately during the year leading up to the most recent annual meetings (June 2009) and to put them into broad perspective for the greater endocrine community. Two distinguished members, Jeffrey Blaustein and Robert Millar, continued on last year's successful features by synthesizing the top findings in their fields, and these articles are based on their annual meeting presentations. Interestingly, there were several points of intersection in these topics and chosen papers, as advances in the neuroendocrinology of reproduction have been coupled to identification and/or characterization of additional novel G protein-coupled receptors. In both presentations, fundamental basic science findings deriving from structural studies and signaling pathways are linked to broad endocrine physiology issues and to potential use in clinical treatment and therapeutics.