1
|
Ogawa S, Parhar IS. Functions of habenula in reproduction and socio-reproductive behaviours. Front Neuroendocrinol 2022; 64:100964. [PMID: 34793817 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2021.100964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Habenula is an evolutionarily conserved structure in the brain of vertebrates. Recent reports have drawn attention to the habenula as a processing centre for emotional decision-making and its role in psychiatric disorders. Emotional decision-making process is also known to be closely associated with reproductive conditions. The habenula receives innervations from reproductive centres within the brain and signals from key reproductive neuroendocrine regulators such as gonadal sex steroids, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), and kisspeptin. In this review, based on morphological, biochemical, physiological, and pharmacological evidence we discuss an emerging role of the habenula in reproduction. Further, we discuss the modulatory role of reproductive endocrine factors in the habenula and their association with socio-reproductive behaviours such as mating, anxiety and aggression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Ogawa
- Brain Research Institute, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, 47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Ishwar S Parhar
- Brain Research Institute, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, 47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Milesi MM, Durando M, Lorenz V, Gastiazoro MP, Varayoud J. Postnatal exposure to endosulfan affects uterine development and fertility. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2020; 511:110855. [PMID: 32437785 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2020.110855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Endosulfan is an organochlorine pesticide (OCP) used in large-scale agriculture for controlling a variety of insects and mites that attack food and non-food crops. Although endosulfan has been listed in the Stockholm Convention as a persistent organic pollutant to be worldwide banned, it is still in use in some countries. Like other OCPs, endosulfan is bioaccumulative, toxic and persistent in the environment. Human unintentional exposure may occur through air inhalation, dietary, skin contact, as well as, via transplacental route and breast feeding. Due to its lipophilic nature, endosulfan is rapidly absorbed into the gastrointestinal tract and bioaccumulates in the fatty tissues. Similar to other OCPs, endosulfan has been classified as an endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC). Endocrine action of endosulfan on development and reproductive function of males has been extensively discussed; however, endosulfan effects on the female reproductive tract have received less attention. This review provides an overview of: i) the fate and levels of endosulfan in the environment and human population, ii) the potential estrogenic properties of endosulfan in vitro and in vivo, iii) its effects on uterine development, and iv) the long-term effects on female fertility and uterine functional differentiation during early gestation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M M Milesi
- Instituto de Salud y Ambiente del Litoral (ISAL), Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Casilla de Correo 242, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina; Cátedra de Fisiología Humana, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL), Santa Fe, Argentina.
| | - M Durando
- Instituto de Salud y Ambiente del Litoral (ISAL), Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Casilla de Correo 242, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina; Cátedra de Fisiología Humana, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL), Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - V Lorenz
- Instituto de Salud y Ambiente del Litoral (ISAL), Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Casilla de Correo 242, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - M P Gastiazoro
- Instituto de Salud y Ambiente del Litoral (ISAL), Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Casilla de Correo 242, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina; Cátedra de Fisiología Humana, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL), Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - J Varayoud
- Instituto de Salud y Ambiente del Litoral (ISAL), Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Casilla de Correo 242, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina; Cátedra de Fisiología Humana, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL), Santa Fe, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lorenz V, Milesi MM, Schimpf MG, Luque EH, Varayoud J. Epigenetic disruption of estrogen receptor alpha is induced by a glyphosate-based herbicide in the preimplantation uterus of rats. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2019; 480:133-141. [PMID: 30391669 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2018.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Revised: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Previously, we have shown that perinatal exposure to a glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH) induces implantation failures in rats. Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) is critical for successful implantation. ERα transcription is under the control of five promoters (E1, OT, O, ON, and OS), which yield different transcripts. Here, we studied whether perinatal exposure to a GBH alters uterine ERα gene expression and prompts epigenetic modifications in its regulatory regions during the preimplantation period. Pregnant rats (F0) were orally treated with 350 mg glyphosate/kg bw/day through food from gestational day (GD) 9 until weaning. F1 females were bred, and uterine samples were collected on GD5 (preimplantation period). ERα mRNA levels and its transcript variants were evaluated by RT-qPCR. Enzyme-specific restriction sites and predicted transcription factors were searched in silico in the ERα promoter regions to assess the methylation status using the methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes-PCR technique. Post-translational modifications of histones were studied by the chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. GBH upregulated the expression of total ERα mRNA by increasing the abundance of the ERα-O transcript variant. In addition, different epigenetic changes were detected in the O promoter. A decrease in DNA methylation was observed in one of the three sites evaluated in the O promoter. Moreover, histone H4 acetylation and histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) were enriched in the O promoter in GBH-exposed rats, whereas H3K27me3 was decreased. All these alterations could account for the increase in ERα gene expression. Our findings show that perinatal exposure to a GBH causes long-term epigenetic disruption of the uterine ERα gene, which could be associated with the GBH-induced implantation failures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Virginia Lorenz
- Instituto de Salud y Ambiente del Litoral (ISAL), Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - María M Milesi
- Instituto de Salud y Ambiente del Litoral (ISAL), Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Marlise Guerrero Schimpf
- Instituto de Salud y Ambiente del Litoral (ISAL), Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Enrique H Luque
- Instituto de Salud y Ambiente del Litoral (ISAL), Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Jorgelina Varayoud
- Instituto de Salud y Ambiente del Litoral (ISAL), Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Santa Fe, Argentina.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Milesi MM, Varayoud J, Ramos JG, Luque EH. Uterine ERα epigenetic modifications are induced by the endocrine disruptor endosulfan in female rats with impaired fertility. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2017; 454:1-11. [PMID: 28559116 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2017.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Revised: 05/24/2017] [Accepted: 05/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
High ERα activity may disrupt the window of uterine receptivity, causing defective implantation. We investigated whether implantation failures prompted by endosulfan are associated with aberrant ERα uterine expression and DNA methylation status during the pre-implantation period. ERα-dependent target genes that play a crucial role in the uterine receptivity for embryo attachment and implantation were also investigated. Newborn female rats received corn oil (vehicle, Control), 6 μg/kg/d of endosulfan (Endo6) or 600 μg/kg/d of endosulfan (Endo600) on postnatal days (PND) 1, 3, 5, and 7. On PND90, females were made pregnant and on gestational day 5 (GD5, pre-implantation period) uterine samples were collected. ERα expression was assessed at protein and mRNA levels by immunohistochemistry and real time RT-PCR, respectively. ERα transcript variants mRNA containing alternative 5'-untranslated regions (5'UTRs) were also evaluated. We searched for predicted transcription factors binding sites in ERα regulatory regions and assessed their methylation status by Methylation-Sensitive Restriction Enzymes-PCR technique (MSRE-PCR). The expression of the ERα-dependent uterine target genes, i.e. mucin-1 (MUC-1), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), was assessed by real time RT-PCR. Both doses of endosulfan increased the expression of ERα and its transcript variants ERα-OS, ERα-O, ERα-OT and ERα-E1. Moreover, a decreased DNA methylation levels were detected in some ERα regulatory regions, suggesting an epigenetic up-regulation of it transcription. ERα overexpression was associated with an induction of its downstream genes, MUC-1 and IGF-1, suggesting that endosulfan might alter the uterine estrogenic pathway compromising uterine receptivity. These alterations could account, at least in part, for the endosulfan-induced implantation failures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- María M Milesi
- Instituto de Salud y Ambiente del Litoral (ISAL), Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Santa Fe, Argentina.
| | - Jorgelina Varayoud
- Instituto de Salud y Ambiente del Litoral (ISAL), Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Jorge G Ramos
- Instituto de Salud y Ambiente del Litoral (ISAL), Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Enrique H Luque
- Instituto de Salud y Ambiente del Litoral (ISAL), Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Santa Fe, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Saito K, He Y, Yan X, Yang Y, Wang C, Xu P, Hinton AO, Shu G, Yu L, Tong Q, Xu Y. Visualizing estrogen receptor-α-expressing neurons using a new ERα-ZsGreen reporter mouse line. Metabolism 2016; 65:522-32. [PMID: 26975544 PMCID: PMC4794642 DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2015.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2015] [Revised: 12/18/2015] [Accepted: 12/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A variety of biological functions of estrogens, including regulation of energy metabolism, are mediated by neurons expressing estrogen receptor-α (ERα) in the brain. However, complex intracellular processes in these ERα-expressing neurons are difficult to unravel, due to the lack of strategy to visualize ERα-expressing neurons, especially in unfixed brain tissues. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Here we generated a novel ERα-ZsGreen reporter mouse line in which expression of a green fluorescent reporter protein, ZsGreen, is driven by a 241kb ERα gene promoter. We validated that ZsGreen is highly colocalized with endogenous ERα in the brain. Native ZsGreen signals were visualized in unfixed brain tissue, and were used to assist single cell collection and electrophysiological recordings. Finally, we demonstrated that this ERα-ZsGreen mouse allele can be used in combination with other genetic reporter alleles to allow experiments in highly selective neural populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Saito
- Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Yanlin He
- Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Xiaofeng Yan
- Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Yongjie Yang
- Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Chunmei Wang
- Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Pingwen Xu
- Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Antentor Othrell Hinton
- Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Gang Shu
- Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Likai Yu
- Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Qingchun Tong
- Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Yong Xu
- Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Kyi-Tha-Thu C, Okoshi K, Ito H, Matsuda KI, Kawata M, Tsukahara S. Sex differences in cells expressing green fluorescent protein under the control of the estrogen receptor-α promoter in the hypothalamus of mice. Neurosci Res 2015; 101:44-52. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2015.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2015] [Revised: 06/26/2015] [Accepted: 07/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
|
7
|
Variation in Use of Estrogen Receptor-α Gene Promoters in Breast Cancer Compared by Quantification of Promoter-Specific Messenger RNA. Clin Breast Cancer 2014; 14:249-57. [DOI: 10.1016/j.clbc.2013.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2013] [Revised: 09/29/2013] [Accepted: 10/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
|
8
|
Shimogawa Y, Maekawa F, Yamanouchi K. Unilateral lesion increases oestrogen receptor α expression in the intact side of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus in ovariectomised rats. J Neuroendocrinol 2014; 26:258-66. [PMID: 24629021 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2013] [Revised: 03/07/2014] [Accepted: 03/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
To determine the relationship between the right and left sides of the ventrolateral ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (vlVMN) in regulating the expression of oestrogen receptor (ER)α, the unilateral vlVMN was lesioned and the number of ERα-immunoreactive cells and the ERα mRNA level in the intact side of the vlVMN and arcuate nucleus (ARC) were measured in ovariectomised rats. Twenty-four hours after lesioning, brain samples were collected for analysis of ERα expression by immunohistochemistry and the real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The number of ERα-immunoreactive cells in the intact side of the vlVMN but not the ARC in the unilateral lesioned group was significantly higher than that in the control or sham-lesioned group. Expression levels of ERα mRNA in the intact side of the vlVMN but not the ARC in unilateral lesioned rats were significantly higher than those in the sham-lesioned group. Of transcript variants with alternative 5'-untranslated regions (0S, 0N, 0, 0T and E1), the ERα 0 transcript level was significantly increased. These results indicate that unilateral damage of vlVMN induces an increase in ERα in the intact side by increasing ERα transcription in a promoter-specific manner. The findings also suggest the existence of new neuroendocrine control system between the right and left sides for the expression of ERα in the vlVMN.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Y Shimogawa
- Neuroendocrinology, Department of Human Behaviour and Environment Sciences, Faculty of Human Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Matsuda KI, Yanagisawa M, Sano K, Ochiai I, Musatov S, Okoshi K, Tsukahara S, Ogawa S, Kawata M. Visualisation and characterisation of oestrogen receptor α-positive neurons expressing green fluorescent protein under the control of the oestrogen receptor α promoter. Eur J Neurosci 2013; 38:2242-9. [PMID: 23601009 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2011] [Accepted: 03/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Oestrogen receptor (ER)α plays important roles in the development and function of various neuronal systems through activation by its ligands, oestrogens. To visualise ERα-positive neurons, we generated transgenic (tg) mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) under the control of the ERα promoter. In three independent tg lines, GFP-positive neurons were observed in areas previously reported to express ERα mRNA, including the lateral septum, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, medial preoptic nucleus (MPO), hypothalamus, and amygdala. In these areas, GFP signals mostly overlapped with ERα immunoreactivity. GFP fluorescence was seen in neurites and cell bodies of neurons. In addition, the network and detailed structure of neurites were visible in dissociated and slice cultures of hypothalamic neurons. We examined the effect of oestrogen deprivation by ovariectomy on the structure of the GFP-positive neurons. The area of ERα-positive cell bodies in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and MPO was measured by capturing the GFP signal and was found to be significantly smaller in ovariectomy mice than in control mice. When neurons in the MPO were infected with an adeno-associated virus that expressed small hairpin RNA targeting the ERα gene, an apparent induction of GFP was observed in this area, suggesting a negative feedback mechanism in which ERα controls expression of the ERα gene itself. Thus, the ERα promoter-GFP tg mice will be useful to analyse the development and plastic changes of the structure of ERα-expressing neurons and oestrogen and its receptor-mediated neuronal responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ken Ichi Matsuda
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine Graduate School of Medical Science, 465 Kawaramachi Hirokoji, Kamigyoku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Zhang C, Hamada T. Sex differences in estrogen receptor promoter expression in the area postrema. Neural Regen Res 2013; 8:149-55. [PMID: 25206485 PMCID: PMC4107514 DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2012] [Accepted: 11/05/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Estrogen receptor α is widely distributed in the rat brain, but the tissue- or target-specificity of the estrogen receptor α gene promoters remains unknown. In the present study, we used transgenic rats expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein under the control of the estrogen receptor α 0/B promoter to examine expression driven by this promoter in two significant nuclei that regulate cardiovascular activity, the area postrema and the nucleus tractus solitarius. Immunohistochemistry showed that enhanced green fluorescent protein-labeled cells were distributed in the area postrema and the nucleus tractus solitarius of both female and male transgenic rats, and a neural network of enhanced green fluorescent protein-positive fibers was seen between the area postrema and the nucleus tractus solitarius. The number of enhanced green fluorescent protein-labeled cells in the area postrema of female rats was significantly higher than in the males, but no significant difference was found in the number of enhanced green fluorescent protein-labeled cells in the nucleus tractus solitarius. The sex differences in the number of enhanced green fluorescent protein-labeled cells in the area postrema was not affected after ovariectomy or 17β-estradiol benzoate treatment in adult rats. Our results suggest that the effects of estrogen in the area postrema are related to the expression of estrogen receptor α under the control of the 0/B promoter, and changes in the sex hormone environment in the adult period do not affect estrogen receptor α expression in the area postrema or the nucleus tractus solitarius.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chunxiao Zhang
- Department of Physiology, Norman Bethune College of Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin Province, China
| | - Tomohiro Hamada
- Department of Physiology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Imamura T. Epigenetic setting for long-term expression of estrogen receptor α and androgen receptor in cells. Horm Behav 2011; 59:345-52. [PMID: 20619266 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2010.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2010] [Revised: 05/20/2010] [Accepted: 05/22/2010] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic regulation of the nuclear estrogen and androgen receptors, ER and AR, constitutes the molecular basis for the long-lasting effects of sex steroids on gene expression in cells. The effects prevail at hundreds of gene loci in the proximity of estrogen- and androgen-responsive elements and many more such loci through intra- and even inter-chromosomal level regulation. Such a memory system should be active in a flexible manner during the early development of vertebrates, and later replaced to establish more stable marks on genomic DNA. In mammals, DNA methylation is utilized as a very stable mark for silencing of the ERα and AR isoform expression during cancer cell and normal brain development. The factors affecting the DNA methylation of the ERα and AR genes in cells include estrogen and androgen. Since testosterone induces brain masculinization through its aromatization to estradiol in a narrow time window of the perinatal stage in rodents, the autoregulation of estrogen receptors, especially the predominant form of ERα, at the level of DNA methylation to set up the "cell memory" affecting the sexually differentiated status of brain function has been attracting increasing attention. The alternative usage of the androgen-AR system for brain masculinization and estrogenic regulation of AR expression in some species imply that the DNA methylation pattern of the AR gene can be established by closely related but different systems for sex steroid-induced phenomena, including brain masculinization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Takuya Imamura
- Laboratory for Biodiversity, Global COE Program, Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Hamada T, Sakuma Y. Estrogen receptor {alpha} gene promoter 0/B usage in the rat sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area. Endocrinology 2010; 151:1923-8. [PMID: 20185767 DOI: 10.1210/en.2009-1022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The volume of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) is two to four times larger in male rats than in females; however, the mechanism for the establishment of sexual dimorphism and the function of this nucleus is almost unknown. Perinatal estrogen can cause sexual dimorphism via the estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha). Recently, transgenic rats were generated that express enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) under the control of the ERalpha gene promoter 0/B to tag ERalpha-positive neurons in the brain. In the present study, we examined whether this EGFP expression could be a marker for the SDN-POA in adults. EGFP-labeled cells were distributed in the core of the SDN-POA (0/B-SDN) of male and female transgenic rats, in accordance with the Nissl staining and immunoreactivity for the SDN marker, calbindin. They were also immunoreactive for ERalpha. The core was bigger in volume and contained more 0/B-SDN neurons in males than in females. The EGFP-tagged cells were packed more densely in the female core than that in males. Subcutaneous injection of 100 mug 17beta-estradiol to females on the day of birth, or orchidectomy of male neonates, reversed the sexually dimorphic phenotype of the volume of the 0/B-SDN, despite not affecting the cell number. We suggest that this EGFP expression in the SDN-POA could be a useful marker to clarify the sexual differentiation and function of the SDN-POA. Moreover, the ERalpha gene promoter 0/B plays a key role in the organization of the sexual differentiation of the SDN-POA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Hamada
- Department of Physiology, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5, Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan
| | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Neonatal oxytocin alters subsequent estrogen receptor alpha protein expression and estrogen sensitivity in the female rat. Behav Brain Res 2009; 205:154-61. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2009.08.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2009] [Revised: 06/06/2009] [Accepted: 08/19/2009] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
|
14
|
Abstract
Gonadal steroids that establish sexually dimorphic characteristics of brain morphology and physiology act at a particular stage of ontogeny. Testosterone secreted by the testes during late gestational and neonatal periods causes significant brain sexual dimorphism in the rat. This results in both sex-specific behaviour and endocrinology in adults. Sexual differentiation may be due to neurogenesis, migration or survival. Each mechanism appears to be uniquely regulated in a site-specific manner. Thus, the volume of an aggregate of neurones in the rat medial preoptic area (POA), termed the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the POA (SDN-POA), is larger in males than in females. The anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV) is packed with neurones containing oestrogen receptor (ER)beta in female rats but, in males, ERbeta-positive neurones scatter into the more lateral portion of the POA. POA neurones are born up to embryonic days 16-17 and not after parturition. Therefore, neurogenesis is unlikely to contribute to the larger SDN-POA in males. DNA microarray analysis for oestrogen-responsive genes and western blotting demonstrated site-specific regulation of apoptosis- and migration-related genes in the SDN-POA and AVPV.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Y Sakuma
- Department of Physiology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Wilson ME, Westberry JM, Prewitt AK. Dynamic regulation of estrogen receptor-alpha gene expression in the brain: a role for promoter methylation? Front Neuroendocrinol 2008; 29:375-85. [PMID: 18439661 PMCID: PMC2460564 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2008.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2007] [Revised: 02/29/2008] [Accepted: 03/04/2008] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Estrogen has long been known to play an important role in coordinating the neuroendocrine events that control sexual development, sexual behavior and reproduction. Estrogen actions in other, non-reproductive areas of the brain have also been described. It is now known that estrogen can also influence learning, memory, and emotion and has neurotrophic and neuroprotective properties. The actions of estrogen are largely mediated through at least two intracellular estrogen receptors. Both estrogen receptor-alpha and estrogen receptor-beta are expressed in a wide variety of brain regions. Estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha), however, undergoes developmental and brain region-specific changes in expression. The precise molecular mechanisms that regulate its expression at the level of gene transcription are not well understood. Adding to the complexity of its regulation, the estrogen receptor gene contains multiple promoters that drive its expression. In the cortex in particular, the ERalpha mRNA expression is dynamically regulated during postnatal development and again following neuronal injury. Epigenetic modification of chromatin is increasingly being understood as a mechanism of neuronal gene regulation. This review examines the potential regulation of the ERalpha gene by such epigenetic mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melinda E Wilson
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, 800 Rose Street, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
16
|
Lee AW, Pfaff DW. Hormone effects on specific and global brain functions. J Physiol Sci 2008; 58:213-20. [PMID: 18505601 DOI: 10.2170/physiolsci.rv007008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2008] [Accepted: 05/24/2008] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The first demonstration of how biochemical changes in neurons in specific parts of the brain direct a complete mammalian behavior derived from the effects of estrogens in hypothalamic neurons that facilitate lordosis behavior, the primary reproductive behavior of female quadrupeds (Pfaff. Estrogens and Brain Function. 1980; Pfaff. Drive: Neurobiological and Molecular Mechanisms of Sexual Motivation. 1999). Sex behaviors depend on sexual arousal that in turn depends on a primitive function: generalized CNS arousal (Pfaff. Brain Arousal and Information Theory. 2006). Here we summarize one of the ways in which a generalized arousal transmitter, norepinephrine, can influence the electrical excitability of ventromedial hypothalamic cells in a way that will foster female sex behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A W Lee
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
Trainor BC, Rowland MR, Nelson RJ. Photoperiod affects estrogen receptor alpha, estrogen receptor beta and aggressive behavior. Eur J Neurosci 2007; 26:207-18. [PMID: 17614949 PMCID: PMC2071923 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2007.05654.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Estrogens have important effects on male and female social behavior. Despite growing knowledge of the anatomy and behavioral effects of the two predominant estrogen receptor subtypes in mammals (ERalpha and ERbeta), relatively little is known about how these receptors respond to salient environmental stimuli. Many seasonally breeding species respond to changing photoperiods that predict seasonal changes in resource availability. We characterized the effects of photoperiod on aggressive behavior in two species of Peromyscus that exhibit gonadal regression in short days. P. polionotus (old field mice) were more aggressive than P. maniculatus (deer mice) and both species were more aggressive in short days. We used immunocytochemistry and real-time polymerase chain reaction to characterize the effects of photoperiod on ERalpha and ERbeta expression. In both species ERalpha-immunoreactive staining in the posterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) was increased in short vs. long days. Both species had reduced ERbeta-immunoreactive expression in the posterior BNST in short days. In the medial amygdala ERbeta immunoreactivity was increased in long days for both species. Using real-time polymerase chain reaction on punch samples that included the BNST, we observed that ERalpha mRNA was increased and ERbeta mRNA was decreased in short days. These data suggest that the effects of photoperiod on ERalpha and ERbeta expression may thus have important behavioral consequences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brian C Trainor
- Department of Psychology, Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
18
|
Carter D. Cellular transcriptomics -- the next phase of endocrine expression profiling. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2006; 17:192-8. [PMID: 16730453 DOI: 10.1016/j.tem.2006.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2006] [Revised: 04/24/2006] [Accepted: 05/12/2006] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Transcriptome analysis, or global gene expression profiling, has become a commonly used and valuable tool in both basic and clinical endocrine research. Novel endocrine regulators have 'surfaced' and greater consideration is now given to understanding function at the level of gene networks. Recent developments have shown that the transcriptome is considerably larger and more divergently expressed than was previously thought. Endocrine cells express a great variety of coding and noncoding RNAs in a highly cell-specific manner. If further value is to be taken from this research area, then steps towards defined cellular transcriptomics must be taken. New sampling techniques that utilize novel genetic models are a key first step.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Carter
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3US, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Hamada T, Sakuma Y. In vivo visualization of estrogen receptor alpha gene promoter activity. J NIPPON MED SCH 2006; 73:114-5. [PMID: 16790976 DOI: 10.1272/jnms.73.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Hamada
- Department of Physiology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
| | | |
Collapse
|