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Abaffy T, Lu HY, Matsunami H. Sex steroid hormone synthesis, metabolism, and the effects on the mammalian olfactory system. Cell Tissue Res 2023; 391:19-42. [PMID: 36401093 PMCID: PMC9676892 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-022-03707-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Sex steroid hormones influence olfactory-mediated social behaviors, and it is generally hypothesized that these effects result from circulating hormones and/or neurosteroids synthesized in the brain. However, it is unclear whether sex steroid hormones are synthesized in the olfactory epithelium or the olfactory bulb, and if they can modulate the activity of the olfactory sensory neurons. Here, we review important discoveries related to the metabolism of sex steroids in the mouse olfactory epithelium and olfactory bulb, along with potential areas of future research. We summarize current knowledge regarding the expression, neuroanatomical distribution, and biological activity of the steroidogenic enzymes, sex steroid receptors, and proteins that are important to the metabolism of these hormones and reflect on their potential to influence early olfactory processing. We also review evidence related to the effects of sex steroid hormones on the development and activity of olfactory sensory neurons. By better understanding how these hormones are metabolized and how they act both at the periphery and olfactory bulb level, we can better appreciate the complexity of the olfactory system and discover potential similarities and differences in early olfactory processing between sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatjana Abaffy
- Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Department, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710 USA
| | - Hsiu-Yi Lu
- Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Department, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710 USA
| | - Hiroaki Matsunami
- Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Department, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710 USA
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2
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Micarelli A, Cormano A, Caccamo D, Alessandrini M. Olfactory-Related Quality of Life in Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: A Genetic-Acquired Factors Model. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 21:ijms21010156. [PMID: 31881664 PMCID: PMC6981591 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21010156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 12/21/2019] [Accepted: 12/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic polymorphisms as well as environmental exposures to chemical compounds, iatrogenic, psychological, and physical trauma may play a pathophysiological role in multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) olfactory complaints, given that xenobiotic metabolism is influenced by sequence variations in genes of metabolizing enzymes. Thus, the aim of the present study was to depict-by means of multiple regression analysis-how different genetic conditions, grouped according to their function as well as clinical background and environmental exposure may interfere with those olfactory complaints referred by MCS patients. Therefore, MCS patients after gene polymorphism sequencing, the olfactory-related quality of life score-calculated by means of the Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorder in forty-six MCS patients-have been found to significantly rely on the phase I and II enzymes score and exposure to previous compounds and surgical treatments. The present work-implementing for the first time a genetic-acquired factors model on a regression analysis-further reinforces those theories, positing MCS as a complex, multifactorial, disease in which the genetic risk related to phase I and II enzymes involved in xenobiotic detoxification, olfactory, and neurodegenerative diseases play a necessary, but probably not sufficient role, along the pathophysiological route of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Micarelli
- Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine, EURAC Research, I-39100 Bolzano, Italy
- ITER Center for Balance and Rehabilitation Research (ICBRR), 02032 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | | | - Daniela Caccamo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Dental Sciences and Morpho-functional Imaging, Polyclinic Hospital University, 98124 Messina, Italy;
| | - Marco Alessandrini
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Translational Medicine, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Rome, Italy;
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3
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Gebhart VM, Rodewald A, Wollbaum E, Hertel K, Bitter T, Jirikowski GF. Evidence for accessory chemosensory cells in the adult human nasal cavity. J Chem Neuroanat 2019; 104:101732. [PMID: 31874203 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2019.101732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 12/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The existence of functionally relevant accessory olfactory organs in humans is still a matter of controversy. A vomeronasal organ (VNO) with sensory and non-sensory epithelia exists only in macrosmatic mammals. A similar structure is regularly observed in humans during fetal development. The postnatal persistence of a VNO like epithelial duct has been described in about 10 %. Here we studied tissue samples of nasal mucosa from adults. In all individuals we found epithelial cells in the lower part of the nasal septum which exhibited morphological features of sensory neurons and which showed immunostaining for olfactory marker protein OMP. These cells were interposed by ciliated cells, goblet cells and small intraepithelial capillaries. Only occasionally we found such cells within a morphologically defined epithelial duct. A clear separation of sensory and non-sensory epithelia could not be observed. In most cases we found OMP positive groups of cells either in epithelial cavities or just embedded in respiratory epithelium. With RT-PCR we could confirm the presence of OMP encoding mRNA thus supporting the idea of intrinsic expression of this protein in the nasal mucosa. We conclude that accessory chemosensory structures are regularly conserved in adult humans in the approximate anatomical location of the VNO of microsmatic animals. Their functional importance is yet to be determined.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrea Rodewald
- Institute of Anatomy II, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Enrico Wollbaum
- Institute of Anatomy I, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Kay Hertel
- Institute of Pathology, HELIOS Klinikum, Erfurt, Germany
| | - Thomas Bitter
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
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4
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Caldwell JD, Londe K, Ochs SD, Hajdu Z, Rodewald A, Gebhart VM, Jirikowski GF. Three steroid-binding globulins, their localization in the brain and nose, and what they might be doing there. Steroids 2019; 142:48-54. [PMID: 29246492 DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2017.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Revised: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Steroid-binding globulins (SBGs) such as sex hormone binding globulin, corticosteroid binding globulin, and vitamin-D binding protein are receiving increasing notice as being actively involved in steroid actions. This paper reviews data of all three of these SBGs, focusing on their presence and possible activity in the brain and nose. We have found all three proteins in the brain in limbic areas such as the paraventricular (PVN) and supraoptic nuclei (SON) as well as other areas of the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and medial preoptic area. There is also evidence that all three are made in the PVN and SON, in conjunction with the neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin. The localization of these three SBGs is more variable within areas of the main olfactory area and the vomeronasal organ. However, all three are found in the mucus of these areas, suggesting that one of their functions is to sequester aerosol steroids, such as pheromones, and deliver them to sensory cells and then to deeper sensory areas. In this manuscript, we present multiple models of SBG action including: A) SBG binding to a membrane receptor, B) this SBG receptor being associated with a larger protein complex including cytoplasmic steroid receptors, C) when the SBGs binds to their SBG receptors, second messengers within the cells respond, D) after SBG binding to its receptor, it releases its associated steroid into the membrane's lipid bilayer, from which it gains access into the cell only when bound by an internal protein, E) the SBG, possibly with its bound SBG receptor, is internalized into the cell from which it can gain access to numerous organelles and possibly the cell's nucleus or F) associate with intracellular steroid receptors, G) SBGs produced in target cells are released from those cells upon specific stimulation, and H) according to the Free Steroid Hypothesis steroids released from the extracellular SBG passively diffuse across the plasma membrane of the cell. These models move the area of steroid endocrinology forward by providing important paths of steroid activity within many steroid target cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- J D Caldwell
- Department of Pharmacology, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and Gibbs Research Center, 350 Howard Street, Spartanburg, SC, USA.
| | - K Londe
- Department of Pharmacology, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and Gibbs Research Center, 350 Howard Street, Spartanburg, SC, USA
| | - S D Ochs
- Department of Pharmacology, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and Gibbs Research Center, 350 Howard Street, Spartanburg, SC, USA
| | - Z Hajdu
- Department of Pharmacology, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and Gibbs Research Center, 350 Howard Street, Spartanburg, SC, USA
| | - A Rodewald
- Institute of Anatomy, Anatomy II, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - V M Gebhart
- Institute of Anatomy, Anatomy II, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - G F Jirikowski
- Institute of Anatomy, Anatomy II, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
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Rodewald A, Mills D, Gebhart VM, Jirikowski GF. Steroidal pheromones and their potential target sites in the vomeronasal organ. Steroids 2019; 142:14-20. [PMID: 28962851 DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2017.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2017] [Revised: 09/12/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Steroids are important olfactory signals in most mammalian species. The vomeronasal organ has been suspected to be the primary target of pheromones. In rat vomeronasal sensory neurons express steroid binding proteins and nuclear receptors. Some binding globulins were found also in single ciliated cells of the non-sensory vomeronasal epithelium. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed VDR in olfactory microvilli and DPB in apical membrane protrusions of supporting sells within the sensory epithelium. Pilot behavioral studies with dogs showed increased sniffing duration upon exposure to low concentrations of vitamin D while higher concentrations were less effective. It has been shown that vitamin D has pheromone-like properties in lizards. Our histochemical and behavioral observations indicate that the mammalian vomeronasal organ may be a vitamin D target. Olfactory functions of vitamin D involve most likely rapid membrane mediated effects rather than actions through nuclear receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Rodewald
- Institute of Anatomy II, University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
| | - Daniel Mills
- School of Life Science, University of Lincoln, UK
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6
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Wacker D, Ludwig M. The role of vasopressin in olfactory and visual processing. Cell Tissue Res 2018; 375:201-215. [PMID: 29951699 PMCID: PMC6335376 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-018-2867-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Neural vasopressin is a potent modulator of behaviour in vertebrates. It acts at both sensory processing regions and within larger regulatory networks to mediate changes in social recognition, affiliation, aggression, communication and other social behaviours. There are multiple populations of vasopressin neurons within the brain, including groups in olfactory and visual processing regions. Some of these vasopressin neurons, such as those in the main and accessory olfactory bulbs, anterior olfactory nucleus, piriform cortex and retina, were recently identified using an enhanced green fluorescent protein-vasopressin (eGFP-VP) transgenic rat. Based on the interconnectivity of vasopressin-producing and sensitive brain areas and in consideration of autocrine, paracrine and neurohormone-like actions associated with somato-dendritic release, we discuss how these different neuronal populations may interact to impact behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas Wacker
- School of STEM (Division of Biological Sciences), University of Washington Bothell, Bothell, WA, USA.
| | - Mike Ludwig
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
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7
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Zhou QH, Chen P, Peng H, Ouyang RY, Li DQ. Secondary Amenorrhea in a Patient with Common Variable Immunodeficiency. Chin Med J (Engl) 2017; 130:1257-1258. [PMID: 28485330 PMCID: PMC5443036 DOI: 10.4103/0366-6999.205860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Qian-Hui Zhou
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 139 Renming Middle Road,Changsha, Hunan 410011; Research Unit of Respiratory Disease, Central South University, 139 Renming Middle Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011; Treatment Center of Respiratory Disease, Central South University, 139 Renming Middle Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Ping Chen
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 139 Renming Middle Road,Changsha, Hunan 410011; Research Unit of Respiratory Disease, Central South University, 139 Renming Middle Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011; Treatment Center of Respiratory Disease, Central South University, 139 Renming Middle Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Hong Peng
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 139 Renming Middle Road,Changsha, Hunan 410011; Research Unit of Respiratory Disease, Central South University, 139 Renming Middle Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011; Treatment Center of Respiratory Disease, Central South University, 139 Renming Middle Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Ruo-Yun Ouyang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 139 Renming Middle Road,Changsha, Hunan 410011; Research Unit of Respiratory Disease, Central South University, 139 Renming Middle Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011; Treatment Center of Respiratory Disease, Central South University, 139 Renming Middle Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Dai-Qiang Li
- Department of Pathology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
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8
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The rat vomeronasal organ is a vitamin D target. J Chem Neuroanat 2017; 81:42-47. [PMID: 28159658 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2017.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2016] [Revised: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
We studied the expression of vitamin D receptor and of vitamin D binding protein in the rat vomeronasal organ. With immunofluorescence, in situ hybridization and with reverse transcriptase PCR we found both proteins in sensory as well as in non-sensory cells. Sensory neurons contained immunoreactivity for vitamin D3 receptor in nuclei, in portions of the cytoplasm, and in apical dendrites and their microvilli. Vitamin D binding protein was observed in sensory neuron axons and cytoplasm, mostly confined to dendrites. Colocalization appeared in the contact zone of supporting cells and sensory dendrites. Both proteins were also found in single ciliated cells within the non-sensory epithelium. Vitamin D binding protein was also localized in secretory vesicles in a portion of the vomeronasal glands. Our findings suggest that the rat vomeronasal organ is a vitamin D target.
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9
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Rodewald A, Gisder D, Gebhart V, Oehring H, Jirikowski G. Distribution of olfactory marker protein in the rat vomeronasal organ. J Chem Neuroanat 2016; 77:19-23. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2016.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2016] [Revised: 04/07/2016] [Accepted: 04/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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10
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Caldwell JD, Gebhart VM, Jirikowski GF. Estradiol's interesting life at the cell's plasma membrane. Steroids 2016; 111:4-11. [PMID: 27018128 DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2016.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Clearly, we have presented here evidence of a very complex set of mechanisms and proteins involved with various and intricate actions of steroids at the plasma membrane. Steroids do MUCH more at the plasma membrane than simply passing passively through it. They may sit in the membrane; they are bound by numerous proteins in the membrane, including ERs, SHBG, steroid-binding globulin receptors, and perhaps elements of cellular architecture such as tubulin. It also seems likely that the membrane itself responds graphically to the presence of steroids by actually changing its shape as well, perhaps, as accumulating steroids. Clara Szego suggested in the 1980s that actions of E2 at one level would act synergistically with its actions at another level (e.g. membrane actions would complement nuclear actions). Given the sheer number of proteins involved in steroid actions, just at the membrane level, it seems unlikely that every action of a steroid on every potential protein effector will act to the same end. It seems more likely that these multiple effects and sites of effect of steroids contribute to the confusion that exists as to what actions steroids always have. For example, there is confusion with regard to synthetic agents (SERMs etc.) that have different and often opposite actions depending on which organ they act upon. A better understanding of the basic actions of steroids should aid in understanding the variability of their clinical effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- J D Caldwell
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dept. of Pharmacology, Spartanburg, SC, USA.
| | - V M Gebhart
- Jena University Hospital, Inst. Anatomie II, Jena, Germany
| | - G F Jirikowski
- Jena University Hospital, Inst. Anatomie II, Jena, Germany
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11
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Xiao K, Chiba A, Sakuma Y, Kondo Y. Transient reversal of olfactory preference following castration in male rats: Implication for estrogen receptor involvement. Physiol Behav 2015; 152:161-7. [PMID: 26387625 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2015] [Revised: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 09/16/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
We examined the effects of the sex steroid milieu on sexual odor preference of sexually-experienced male rats using an alternate choice paradigm after endocrine manipulations. Gonadally intact (GI) males showed a male typical preference, i.e. spent longer time sniffing estrous females than males or ovariectomized females. At 1-2 weeks after orchidectomy (ORx), the males exhibited a transient preference for sexually vigorous males, a female typical preference pattern, followed by a total loss of preference after 4 weeks. Subcutaneous implantation of a Silastic capsule containing formestane (4-OHA), an aromatase inhibitor, had no effect on the preference of gonadally intact rats, but successfully prevented the emergence of the female typical preference after ORx. Capsules containing testosterone (T), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), or estradiol benzoate (EB), but not those with cholesterol (CH), restored masculine typical preference in ORx males at 2 weeks after the placement. The feminine preference for males was observed at 2-3 weeks after removal of T or EB capsules, but not by the removal of DHT and CH capsules. The results suggest that either exogenous androgen or estrogen maintains the masculine typical odor preference. Estrogen itself or produced through aromatization of circulating T, induces a transient feminine typical preference at a certain decreased titer during its disappearance from the circulation. Estrogen at different titers might determine appearance of masculine or feminine typical olfactory preference in adult ORx rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Xiao
- Department of Physiology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan
| | - Atsuhiko Chiba
- Department of Material and Life Sciences, Sophia University, Tokyo 102-8554, Japan
| | - Yasuo Sakuma
- Department of Physiology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan
| | - Yasuhiko Kondo
- Department of Physiology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan; Department of Animal Sciences, Teikyo University of Science, Tokyo 120-0045, Japan.
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12
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Ervin KSJ, Lymer JM, Matta R, Clipperton-Allen AE, Kavaliers M, Choleris E. Estrogen involvement in social behavior in rodents: Rapid and long-term actions. Horm Behav 2015; 74:53-76. [PMID: 26122289 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2015] [Revised: 05/16/2015] [Accepted: 05/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue ("Estradiol and cognition"). Estrogens have repeatedly been shown to influence a wide array of social behaviors, which in rodents are predominantly olfactory-mediated. Estrogens are involved in social behavior at multiple levels of processing, from the detection and integration of socially relevant olfactory information to more complex social behaviors, including social preferences, aggression and dominance, and learning and memory for social stimuli (e.g. social recognition and social learning). Three estrogen receptors (ERs), ERα, ERβ, and the G protein-coupled ER 1 (GPER1), differently affect these behaviors. Social recognition, territorial aggression, and sexual preferences and mate choice, all requiring the integration of socially related olfactory information, seem to primarily involve ERα, with ERβ playing a lesser, modulatory role. In contrast, social learning consistently responds differently to estrogen manipulations than other social behaviors. This suggests differential ER involvement in brain regions important for specific social behaviors, such as the ventromedial and medial preoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus in social preferences and aggression, the medial amygdala and hippocampus in social recognition, and the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in social learning. While the long-term effects of ERα and ERβ on social behavior have been extensively investigated, our knowledge of the rapid, non-genomic, effects of estrogens is more limited and suggests that they may mediate some social behaviors (e.g. social learning) differently from long-term effects. Further research is required to compare ER involvement in regulating social behavior in male and female animals, and to further elucidate the roles of the more recently described G protein-coupled ERs, both the GPER1 and the Gq-mER.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsy S J Ervin
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jennifer M Lymer
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Richard Matta
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Martin Kavaliers
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elena Choleris
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
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13
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Li Y, Li X, Fan H, Li X, Zhong Y, Cao J, Yu D, Zhang M, Wen JG, Geng L, Suo Z. Age-Dependent Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin Expression in Male Rat. Ultrastruct Pathol 2015; 39:121-30. [DOI: 10.3109/01913123.2015.1009222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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14
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Ploß VM, Gebhart VM, Gisder D, Dölz W, Jirikowski GF. Localization of sex hormone binding globulin in the rat vomeronasal organ. J Chem Neuroanat 2014; 61-62:120-3. [PMID: 25154024 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2014.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2014] [Revised: 08/06/2014] [Accepted: 08/06/2014] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Volatile and non-volatile derivates of gonadal steroids are known to act as pheromones in many mammalian species. Pheromones have multiple effects on the brain via the olfactory system. Their primary port of entry seems to be the vomeronasal organ (VNO) but the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms are unclear so far. Recently we localized sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) in both the main and the accessory olfactory system of rat with immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR. The accessory olfactory system consisting of VNO and accessory olfactory bulb showed high expression of SHBG. In the present paper we studied SHBG expression in the VNO in greater detail. In semithin sections we found SHBG immunostaining in the perinuclear cytoplasm of some of the sensory neurons, in sensory cilia and in their axons. A portion of the basal cells and some of the goblet cells in the non-sensory epithelium showed intense SHBG staining. SHBG was abundant in exocrine cells of the vomeronasal glands, perhaps compartimentalized in secretory vesicles. In situ hybridization revealed specific signals in sensory and non-sensory cells of the VNO. Our findings indicate that SHBG expressed in the VNO may be liberated into nasal secretions to bind aerosolic steroids. SHBG in sensory cells may be involved in signaling actions of pheromones.
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Affiliation(s)
- V M Ploß
- Department of Anatomy II, University Hospital Jena, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
| | - V M Gebhart
- Department of Anatomy II, University Hospital Jena, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
| | - D Gisder
- Department of Anatomy II, University Hospital Jena, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
| | - W Dölz
- Department of Anatomy II, University Hospital Jena, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
| | - G F Jirikowski
- Department of Anatomy II, University Hospital Jena, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany.
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