1
|
Acharya KD, Nettles SA, Lichti CF, Warre-Cornish K, Polit LD, Srivastava DP, Denner L, Tetel MJ. Dopamine-induced interactions of female mouse hypothalamic proteins with progestin receptor-A in the absence of hormone. J Neuroendocrinol 2020; 32:e12904. [PMID: 33000549 PMCID: PMC7591852 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Neural progestin receptors (PR) function in reproduction, neural development, neuroprotection, learning, memory and the anxiety response. In the absence of progestins, PR can be activated by dopamine (DA) in the rodent hypothalamus to elicit female sexual behaviour. The present study investigated mechanisms of DA activation of PR by testing the hypothesis that proteins from DA-treated hypothalami interact with PR in the absence of progestins. Ovariectomised, oestradiol-primed mice were infused with a D1-receptor agonist, SKF38393 (SKF), into the third ventricle 30 minutes prior to death. Proteins from SKF-treated hypothalami were pulled-down with glutathione S-transferase-tagged mouse PR-A or PR-B and the interactomes were analysed by mass spectrometry. The largest functional group to interact with PR-A in a DA-dependent manner was synaptic proteins. To test the hypothesis that DA activation of PR regulates synaptic proteins, we developed oestradiol-induced PR-expressing hypothalamic-like neurones derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). Similar to progesterone (P4), SKF treatment of hiPSCs increased synapsin1/2 expression. This SKF-dependent effect was blocked by the PR antagonist RU486, suggesting that PR are necessary for this DA-induced increase. The second largest DA-dependent PR-A protein interactome comprised metabolic regulators involved in glucose metabolism, lipid synthesis and mitochondrial energy production. Interestingly, hypothalamic proteins interacted with PR-A, but not PR-B, in an SKF-dependent manner, suggesting that DA promotes the interaction of multiple hypothalamic proteins with PR-A. These in vivo and in vitro results indicate novel mechanisms by which DA can differentially activate PR isoforms in the absence of P4 and provide a better understanding of ligand-independent PR activation in reproductive, metabolic and mental health disorders in women.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Cheryl F. Lichti
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110
| | - Katherine Warre-Cornish
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, The Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Lucia Dutan Polit
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, The Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Deepak P. Srivastava
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, The Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Larry Denner
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555
| | - Marc J. Tetel
- Neuroscience Department, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA 02481
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
O'Connell LA, Hofmann HA. Genes, hormones, and circuits: an integrative approach to study the evolution of social behavior. Front Neuroendocrinol 2011; 32:320-35. [PMID: 21163292 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2010.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2010] [Revised: 12/03/2010] [Accepted: 12/09/2010] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Tremendous progress has been made in our understanding of the ultimate and proximate mechanisms underlying social behavior, yet an integrative evolutionary analysis of its underpinnings has been difficult. In this review, we propose that modern genomic approaches can facilitate such studies by integrating four approaches to brain and behavior studies: (1) animals face many challenges and opportunities that are ecologically and socially equivalent across species; (2) they respond with species-specific, yet quantifiable and comparable approach and avoidance behaviors; (3) these behaviors in turn are regulated by gene modules and neurochemical codes; and (4) these behaviors are governed by brain circuits such as the mesolimbic reward system and the social behavior network. For each approach, we discuss genomic and other studies that have shed light on various aspects of social behavior and its underpinnings and suggest promising avenues for future research into the evolution of neuroethological systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A O'Connell
- Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Section of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78705, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Holder MK, Hadjimarkou MM, Zup SL, Blutstein T, Benham RS, McCarthy MM, Mong JA. Methamphetamine facilitates female sexual behavior and enhances neuronal activation in the medial amygdala and ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2010; 35:197-208. [PMID: 19589643 PMCID: PMC2815004 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2009] [Revised: 05/29/2009] [Accepted: 06/08/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Methamphetamine (MA) abuse has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Users of MA report dramatic increases in sexual drive that have been associated with increased engagement in risky sexual behavior leading to higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies. The ability of MA to enhance sexual drive in females is enigmatic since related psychostimulants like amphetamine and cocaine appear not to affect sexual drive in women, and in rodents models, amphetamine has been reported to be inhibitory to female sexual behavior. Examination of MA's effects on female sexual behavior in an animal model is lacking. Here, using a rodent model, we have demonstrated that MA enhanced female sexual behavior. MA (5mg/kg) or saline vehicle was administered once daily for 3 days to adult ovariectomized rats primed with ovarian steroids. MA treatment significantly increased the number of proceptive events and the lordosis response compared to hormonally primed, saline controls. The effect of MA on the neural circuitry underlying the motivation for sexual behavior was examined using Fos immunoreactivity. In the medial amygdala and the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, nuclei implicated in motivated behaviors, ovarian hormones and MA independently enhance the neuronal activation, but more striking was the significantly greater activation induced by their combined administration. Increases in dopamine neurotransmission may underlie the MA/hormone mediated increase in neuronal activation. In support of this possibility, ovarian hormones significantly increased tyrosine hydroxylase (the rate limiting enzyme in dopamine synthesis) immunoreactivity in the medial amygdala. Thus our present data suggest that the interactions of MA and ovarian hormones leads to changes in the neural substrate of key nuclei involved in mediating female sexual behaviors, and these changes may underlie MA's ability to enhance these behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mary K Holder
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland Baltimore School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
| | - Maria M. Hadjimarkou
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland, 21201
| | - Susan L. Zup
- Department of Physiology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland, 21201
| | - Tamara Blutstein
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland, 21201
| | - Rebecca S. Benham
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland, 21201
| | - Margaret M. McCarthy
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland, 21201.,Department of Physiology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland, 21201
| | - Jessica A. Mong
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland, 21201.,Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland, 21201
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
|
5
|
Donadio MVF, Kunrath A, Corezola KL, Franci CR, Anselmo-Franci JA, Lucion AB, Sanvitto GL. Effects of acute stress on the day of proestrus on sexual behavior and ovulation in female rats: Participation of the angiotensinergic system. Physiol Behav 2007; 92:591-600. [PMID: 17573075 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2006] [Revised: 04/26/2007] [Accepted: 05/02/2007] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Physical or emotional stress can affect the female reproductive physiology and angiotensin II (Ang II) is a hormone that participates in the stress response and also in the control of reproductive hormones. The present study aimed at evaluating the effects of acute stress in the morning and afternoon of proestrus on sexual behavior and ovulation and the participation of Ang II in the stress-induced effects. Female rats with regular estrous cycles were used. Several different stress protocols were tested in the morning and in the afternoon of proestrus: restraint stress 10 min; restraint stress 1 h and ether stress, respectively. The participation of Ang II was evaluated by injecting Ang II receptor antagonists (losartan and PD123319) 15 min before stress. The lordosis quotient was recorded and the number of oocytes was counted. Plasma levels of luteinizing hormone, progesterone, prolactin and corticosterone were measured. All types of stress in the morning of proestrus induced a reduction in the number of oocytes. Restraint stress (1 h) in the afternoon of proestrus induced a significant reduction in the lordosis quotient. Peripheral and central losartan, but not PD123319, injections partly reverted the effects of stress on ovulation in the morning of proestrus. Acute stress in the morning of proestrus also reduced luteinizing hormone, progesterone and prolactin surges later on the same day. In conclusion, acute stress on the day of proestrus can affect female reproductive physiology. Moreover, the angiotensinergic system, through AT(1) receptors, participates in the effects of acute stress in the morning of proestrus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Márcio Vinícius Fagundes Donadio
- Laboratório de Neuroendocrinologia do Comportamento, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brasil
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
López HH, Wurzel G, Ragen B. The effect of acute bupropion on sexual motivation and behavior in the female rat. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2007; 87:369-79. [PMID: 17586031 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2007.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2007] [Revised: 05/15/2007] [Accepted: 05/17/2007] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Recent clinical studies have suggested that the atypical antidepressant, bupropion (Wellbutrin), may stimulate sexual desire in women. Two experiments were conducted, testing the effect of acute bupropion administration on the sexual motivation and copulatory behavior of female rats. In the first experiment, 63 sexually-experienced, female Long-Evans rats were tested in a runway for their motivation to approach an empty goalbox, a nonestrous female, and an adult male. Both latency to approach and time spent in close proximity to the targets were used as dependent variables. Subjects were tested in both a nonestrous (OVX) and estrous (OVX+15 microg estradiol+500 microg progesterone) state, and following administration of 0.0, 7.5, or 15 mg/kg bupropion hydrochloride (subcutaneous, 45 min prior to testing). Results indicated that pre-treatment with ovarian hormones significantly increased the sexual motivation of the subjects. Bupropion treatment had no significant effect, either stimulatory or inhibitory, on subjects' socio-sexual motivation. In the second experiment, 60 female subjects were paired with an adult male for a thirty-minute copulatory test. Subjects were tested under one of three hormonal conditions: nonestrous (no hormones), 15 mug estradiol, or 15 microg estradiol+500 microg progesterone. Subjects were also pre-treated with either physiological saline or 15 mg/kg bupropion. Results indicated that while hormonal administration had a strong effect on female sexual behavior, bupropion treatment did not significantly affect either lordosis or the emission of hop-darts. Males paired with bupropion-treated females successfully achieved a greater number of ejaculations and demonstrated significantly shortened post-ejaculatory intervals. It is possible that bupropion treatment enhanced female attractiveness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hassan H López
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Program, Skidmore College, 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Germain P, Staels B, Dacquet C, Spedding M, Laudet V. Overview of nomenclature of nuclear receptors. Pharmacol Rev 2007; 58:685-704. [PMID: 17132848 DOI: 10.1124/pr.58.4.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 449] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Nuclear receptor pharmacology has, to a certain extent, led the way, compared with other receptor systems, in the appreciation that ligands may exert very diverse pharmacology, based on their individual chemical structure and the allosteric changes induced in the receptor/accessory protein complex. This can lead to very selective pharmacological effects, which may not necessarily be predicted from the experience with other agonists/partial agonists/antagonists. If this is the case, then drug discovery may be back to drug-specific pharmacology (where each drug may have an original profile), rather than specific-drug pharmacology (where agents specific for a receptor have a distinct profile). As functional selectivity is indeed a crucial mechanism to be considered when going through the drug discovery development process, then initial screens using reconstituted systems may not show the appropriate pharmacology, simply because the required stoichiometry of corepressors and coactivators may not be present to select the best compounds; therefore, multiple effector systems are necessary to screen for differential activation, and, even then, screening with in vivo pathophysiological models may ultimately be required for the selection process-a massive but necessary task for pharmacologists. Thus, the characterization of nuclear receptors and their associated proteins and the ligands that interact with them will remain a challenge to pharmacologists.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Germain
- Department of Cell Biology and Signal Transduction, Institut de Genetique et de Biologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), 1 rue Laurent Fries, BP 10142, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, France.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Mendez P, Wandosell F, Garcia-Segura LM. Cross-talk between estrogen receptors and insulin-like growth factor-I receptor in the brain: cellular and molecular mechanisms. Front Neuroendocrinol 2006; 27:391-403. [PMID: 17049974 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2006.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2006] [Revised: 08/11/2006] [Accepted: 09/01/2006] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggests that insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and estradiol interact to regulate neural function. In this review, we focus on the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in this interaction. The expression of estrogen receptors (ERs) and IGF-I receptor is cross-regulated in the central nervous system and many neurons and astrocytes coexpress both receptors. Furthermore, estradiol activates IGF-I receptor and its intracellular signaling. This effect may involve classical ERs since recent findings suggest that ERalpha may affect IGF-I actions in the brain by a direct interaction with some of the components of IGF-I signaling. In turn, IGF-I may regulate ER transcriptional activity in neuronal cells. In conclusion, ERs appear to be part of the signaling mechanism of IGF-I, and IGF-I receptor part of the mechanism of estradiol signaling in the nervous system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Mendez
- Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), E-28002 Madrid, Spain
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Millan MJ. Multi-target strategies for the improved treatment of depressive states: Conceptual foundations and neuronal substrates, drug discovery and therapeutic application. Pharmacol Ther 2006; 110:135-370. [PMID: 16522330 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2005.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 388] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2005] [Accepted: 11/28/2005] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Major depression is a debilitating and recurrent disorder with a substantial lifetime risk and a high social cost. Depressed patients generally display co-morbid symptoms, and depression frequently accompanies other serious disorders. Currently available drugs display limited efficacy and a pronounced delay to onset of action, and all provoke distressing side effects. Cloning of the human genome has fuelled expectations that symptomatic treatment may soon become more rapid and effective, and that depressive states may ultimately be "prevented" or "cured". In pursuing these objectives, in particular for genome-derived, non-monoaminergic targets, "specificity" of drug actions is often emphasized. That is, priority is afforded to agents that interact exclusively with a single site hypothesized as critically involved in the pathogenesis and/or control of depression. Certain highly selective drugs may prove effective, and they remain indispensable in the experimental (and clinical) evaluation of the significance of novel mechanisms. However, by analogy to other multifactorial disorders, "multi-target" agents may be better adapted to the improved treatment of depressive states. Support for this contention is garnered from a broad palette of observations, ranging from mechanisms of action of adjunctive drug combinations and electroconvulsive therapy to "network theory" analysis of the etiology and management of depressive states. The review also outlines opportunities to be exploited, and challenges to be addressed, in the discovery and characterization of drugs recognizing multiple targets. Finally, a diversity of multi-target strategies is proposed for the more efficacious and rapid control of core and co-morbid symptoms of depression, together with improved tolerance relative to currently available agents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark J Millan
- Institut de Recherches Servier, Centre de Recherches de Croissy, Psychopharmacology Department, 125, Chemin de Ronde, 78290-Croissy/Seine, France.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Sosa C, Abecia JA, Forcada F, Viñoles C, Tasende C, Valares JA, Palacín I, Martin GB, Meikle A. Effect of undernutrition on uterine progesterone and oestrogen receptors and on endocrine profiles during the ovine oestrous cycle. Reprod Fertil Dev 2006; 18:447-58. [PMID: 16737638 DOI: 10.1071/rd05138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2005] [Accepted: 01/22/2006] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In the present study, it was investigated whether undernutrition affected the binding capacity, immunoreactivity and mRNA expression for uterine oestrogen and progesterone receptors (ER and PR, respectively) in sheep, as well as whether the responses were associated with changes in plasma concentrations of progesterone (P4), oestradiol (E2), glucose, fatty acids, insulin, leptin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I during the oestrous cycle. Twenty ewes were fed either 1.5 (C) or 0.5 (L) times their maintenance requirements and were killed on Day 5 or 14 of the cycle (Day 0 = oestrus). Compared with Group C, Group L had higher concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids and lower concentrations of insulin, leptin and IGF-I. Group L also had higher plasma concentrations of P4 during the final days of the luteal phase. At oestrus in both treatment groups, there were peaks in the concentrations of glucose, insulin and IGF-I. For ER and PR, transcript expression, binding capacity and immunoreactivity were higher on Day 5 than on Day 14 of the cycle. The binding capacities for ER and PR were lower in Group L than in Group C on Day 5. Group C showed more immunoreactive staining for ER than did Group L in two of five cell types, whereas no effect of treatment was observed for PR immunoreactivity. There was more PR mRNA in the uterine horn contralateral to the corpus luteum in Group C than in Group L ewes. We conclude that undernutrition impairs steroid receptor expression and binding capacity. This may alter the uterine environment and help explain the reductions in embryo survival.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C Sosa
- Animal Production and Food Science, Veterinary Faculty, University of Zaragoza, Miguel Servet 177, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Teodorov E, Moraes AP, Felicio LF, Varolli FM, Bernardi MM. Perinatal maternal exposure to picrotoxin: Effects on sexual behavior in female rat offspring. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2005; 81:935-42. [PMID: 16098570 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2005.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2003] [Revised: 06/30/2005] [Accepted: 07/07/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
A previous study in our laboratory showed that perinatal maternal picrotoxin exposure (0.75 mg/kg) in rats improved heterosexual behavior in male offspring. In the present study, we examined the effects of this maternal treatment on sexual behavior in the female offspring. The dams received 0.75 mg/kg picrotoxin treatment (PT) once a day on the 18th and 21st day of pregnancy, 2 h after parturition and once a day during the first 4 days of lactation. The results showed that (1) at birth, the body weight and anogenital distance were not modified by treatment; (2) female sexual behavior was improved in experimental animals. These results demonstrate that perinatal picrotoxin exposure improves adult sexual behavior in female rat offspring as suggested by increase in the lordosis quotient.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E Teodorov
- Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Dr. Orlando Marques de Paiva, 87, CEP:05508-900, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
12
|
Kudwa AE, Dominguez-Salazar E, Cabrera DM, Sibley DR, Rissman EF. Dopamine D5 receptor modulates male and female sexual behavior in mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2005; 180:206-14. [PMID: 15696326 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-005-2150-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2004] [Accepted: 12/07/2004] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Dopamine exerts its actions through at least five receptor (DAR) isoforms. In female rats, D5 DAR may be involved in expression of sexual behavior. We used a D5 knockout (D5KO) mouse to assess the role of D5 DAR in mouse sexual behavior. Both sexes of D5KO mice are fertile and exhibit only minor disruptions in exploratory locomotion, startle, and prepulse inhibition responses. OBJECTIVE This study was conducted to characterize the sexual behavior of male and female D5KO mice relative to their WT littermates. METHODS Female WT and D5KO littermates were ovariectomized and given a series of sexual behavior tests after treatment with estradiol benzoate (EB) and progesterone (P). Once sexual performance was optimal the dopamine agonist, apomorphine (APO), was substituted for P. Male mice were observed in pair- and trio- sexual behavior tests. To assess whether the D5 DAR is involved in rewarding aspects of sexual behavior, WT and D5KO male mice were tested for conditioned place preference. RESULTS Both WT and D5KO females can display receptivity after treatment with EB and P, but APO was only able to facilitate receptivity in EB-primed WT, not in D5KO, mice. Male D5KO mice display normal masculine sexual behavior in mating tests. In conditioned preference tests, WT males formed a conditioned preference for context associated with either intromissions alone or ejaculation as the unconditioned stimulus. In contrast, D5KO males only showed a place preference when ejaculation was paired with the context. CONCLUSIONS In females, the D5 DAR is essential for the actions of dopamine on receptivity. In males, D5 DAR influences rewarding aspects of intromissions. Taken together, the work suggests that the D5 receptor mediates dopamine's action on sexual behavior in both sexes, perhaps via a reward pathway.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A E Kudwa
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Virginia Medical School, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Mills RH, Sohn RK, Micevych PE. Estrogen-induced mu-opioid receptor internalization in the medial preoptic nucleus is mediated via neuropeptide Y-Y1 receptor activation in the arcuate nucleus of female rats. J Neurosci 2004; 24:947-55. [PMID: 14749439 PMCID: PMC6729811 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1366-03.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The endogenous peptides beta-endorphin (beta-END) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) have been implicated in regulating sexual receptivity. Both beta-END and NPY systems are activated by estrogen and inhibit female sexual receptivity. The initial estrogen-induced sexual nonreceptivity is correlated with the activation and internalization of mu-opioid receptors (MORs), in the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN). Progesterone reverses the estrogen-induced activation/internalization of MOR and induces the sexual receptive behavior lordosis. To determine whether NPY and endogenous opioids interact, we tested the hypothesis that estrogen-induced MOR activation is mediated through NPY-Y1 receptor (Y1R) activation. Retrograde tract tracing demonstrated Y1Ron beta-END neurons that projected to the MPN. Sex steroid modulation of MOR in the MPN acts through NPY and the Y1R. Estradiol administration or intracerebroventricular injection of NPY activated/internalized Y1R in the arcuate nucleus and MOR in the MPN of ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Moreover, the selective Y1R agonist [Leu31, Pro34]-Neuropeptide Y (LPNY) internalized MOR in the MPN of OVX rats. The Y1R antagonist (Cys31, Nva34)-Neuropeptide Y (27-36)2 prevented estrogen-induced Y1R and MOR activation/internalization. NPY reversed the progesterone blockade of estradiol-induced Y1R and MOR internalization in the arcuate nucleus and MPN, respectively. Behaviorally, LPNY inhibited estrogen plus progesterone-induced lordosis, and the MOR-selective antagonist D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-d-Trp-Orn-Thr-Pen-Thr amide reversed LPNY-induced inhibition of lordosis. These results suggest that a sequential sex steroid activation of NPY and MOR circuits regulates sexual receptivity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard H Mills
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|