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Tsutsui K, Ubuka T. Gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH): A new key neurohormone controlling reproductive physiology and behavior. Front Neuroendocrinol 2021; 61:100900. [PMID: 33450199 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2021.100900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of novel neurohormones is important for the advancement of neuroendocrinology. In early 1970s, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), a hypothalamic neuropeptide that promotes gonadotropin release, was identified to be an endogenous neurohormone in mammals. In 2000, thirty years later, another hypothalamic neuropeptide, gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH), that inhibits gonadotropin release, was found in quail. GnIH acts via GPR147 and inhibits gonadotropin release and synthesis and reproductive function in birds through actions on GnRH neurons in the hypothalamus and pituitary gonadotrophs. Later, GnIH was found in other vertebrates including humans. GnIH studies have advanced the progress of reproductive neuroendocrinology. Furthermore, recent GnIH studies have indicated that abnormal changes in GnIH expression may cause pubertal disorder and reproductive dysfunction. Here, we describe GnIH discovery and its impact on the progress of reproductive neuroendocrinology. This review also highlights advancement and perspective of GnIH studies on drug development for pubertal disorder and reproductive dysfunction. (149/150).
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuyoshi Tsutsui
- Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8480, Japan; Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Kagamiyama 1-7-1, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8521, Japan.
| | - Takayoshi Ubuka
- Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8480, Japan
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Tsutsui K, Ubuka T. Discovery of gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH), progress in GnIH research on reproductive physiology and behavior and perspective of GnIH research on neuroendocrine regulation of reproduction. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2020; 514:110914. [PMID: 32535039 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2020.110914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Based on extensive studies on gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) it was assumed that GnRH is the only hypothalamic neurohormone regulating gonadotropin release in vertebrates. In 2000, however, Tsutsui's group discovered gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH), a novel hypothalamic neuropeptide that inhibits gonadotropin release, in quail. Subsequent studies by Tsutsui's group demonstrated that GnIH is conserved among vertebrates, acting as a new key neurohormone regulating reproduction. GnIH inhibits gonadotropin synthesis and release through actions on gonadotropes and GnRH neurons via GnIH receptor, GPR147. Thus, GnRH is not the sole hypothalamic neurohormone controlling vertebrate reproduction. The following studies by Tsutsui's group have further demonstrated that GnIH has several important functions in addition to the control of reproduction. Accordingly, GnIH has drastically changed our understanding about reproductive neuroendocrinology. This review summarizes the discovery of GnIH, progress in GnIH research on reproductive physiology and behavior and perspective of GnIH research on neuroendocrine regulation of reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuyoshi Tsutsui
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Sciences, Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Tokyo, 162-8480, Japan.
| | - Takayoshi Ubuka
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Sciences, Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Tokyo, 162-8480, Japan
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Kelly AM, Wilson LC. Aggression: Perspectives from social and systems neuroscience. Horm Behav 2020; 123:104523. [PMID: 31002771 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2019] [Revised: 04/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Exhibiting behavioral plasticity in order to mount appropriate responses to dynamic and novel social environments is crucial to the survival of all animals. Thus, how animals regulate flexibility in the timing, duration, and intensity of specific behaviors is of great interest to biologists. In this review, we discuss how animals rapidly respond to social challenges, with a particular focus on aggression. We utilize a conceptual framework to understand the neural mechanisms of aggression that is grounded in Wingfield and colleagues' Challenge Hypothesis, which has profoundly influenced how scientists think about aggression and the mechanisms that allow animals to exhibit flexible responses to social instability. Because aggressive behavior is rooted in social interactions, we propose that mechanisms modulating prosocial behavior may be intricately tied to mechanisms of aggression. Therefore, in order to better understand how aggressive behavior is mediated, we draw on perspectives from social neuroscience and discuss how social context, species-typical behavioral phenotype, and neural systems commonly studied in relation to prosocial behavior (i.e., neuropeptides) contribute to organizing rapid responses to social challenges. Because complex behaviors are not the result of one mechanism or a single neural system, we consider how multiple neural systems important for prosocial and aggressive behavior (i.e., neuropeptides and neurosteroids) interact in the brain to produce behavior in a rapid, context-appropriate manner. Applying a systems neuroscience perspective and seeking to understand how multiple systems functionally integrate to rapidly modulate behavior holds great promise for expanding our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying social behavioral plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aubrey M Kelly
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
| | - Leah C Wilson
- Department of Biology, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME 04011, USA
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Tsutsui K, Haraguchi S. Neuroprotective actions of cerebellar and pineal allopregnanolone on Purkinje cells. FASEB Bioadv 2020; 2:149-159. [PMID: 32161904 PMCID: PMC7059624 DOI: 10.1096/fba.2019-00055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The brain produces steroids de novo from cholesterol, so‐called “neurosteroids.” The Purkinje cell, a cerebellar neuron, was discovered as a major site of the biosynthesis of neurosteroids including sex steroids, such as progesterone, from cholesterol in the brain. Allopregnanolone, a progesterone metabolite, is also synthesized in the cerebellum and acts on the Purkinje cell to prevent cell death of this neuron. Recently, the pineal gland was discovered as an important site of the biosynthesis of neurosteroids. Allopregnanolone, a major pineal neurosteroid, acts on the Purkinje cell for the survival of this neuron by suppressing the expression of caspase‐3, a crucial mediator of apoptosis. This review summarizes the discovery of cerebellar and pineal allopregnanolone and its neuroprotective action on Purkinje cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuyoshi Tsutsui
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Sciences Department of Biology Waseda University Center for Medical Life Science of Waseda University Tokyo Japan
| | - Shogo Haraguchi
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Sciences Department of Biology Waseda University Center for Medical Life Science of Waseda University Tokyo Japan.,Department of Biochemistry Showa University School of Medicine Tokyo Japan
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Tsutsui K. Kobayashi award: Discovery of cerebellar and pineal neurosteroids and their biological actions on the growth and survival of Purkinje cells during development (review). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019; 284:113051. [PMID: 30339808 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Revised: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The brain has traditionally been considered to be a target site of peripheral steroid hormones. On the other hand, extensive studies over the past thirty years have demonstrated that the brain is a site of biosynthesis of several steroids. Such steroids synthesized de novo from cholesterol in the brain are called neurosteroids. To investigate the biosynthesis and biological actions of neurosteroids in the brain, data on the regio- and temporal-specific synthesis of neurosteroids are needed. In the mid 1990s, the Purkinje cell, an important cerebellar neuron, was discovered as a major cell producing neurosteroids in the brain of vertebrates. It was the first demonstration of de novo neuronal biosynthesis of neurosteroids in the brain. Subsequently, neuronal biosynthesis of neurosteroids and biological actions of neurosteroids have become clear by the follow-up studies using the Purkinje cell as an excellent cellular model. Progesterone and estradiol, which are known as sex steroid hormones, are actively synthesized de novo from cholesterol in the Purkinje cell during development, when cerebellar neuronal circuit formation occurs. Importantly, progesterone and estradiol synthesized in the Purkinje cell promote dendritic growth, spinogenesis and synaptogenesis via their cognate nuclear receptors in the Purkinje cell. Neurotrophic factors may mediate these neurosteroid actions. Futhermore, allopregnanolone (3α,5α-tetrahydroprogesterone), a progesterone metabolite, is also synthesized in the cerebellum and acts on the survival of Purkinje cells. On the other hand, at the beginning of 2010s, the pineal gland, an endocrine organ located close to the cerebellum, was discovered as an important site of the biosynthesis of neurosteroids. Allopregnanolone, a major pineal neurosteroid, acts on the Purkinje cell for the survival of Purkinje cells by suppressing the expression of caspase-3, a crucial mediator of apoptosis. I as a recipient of Kobayashi Award from the Japan Society for Comparative Endocrinology in 2016 summarize the discovery of cerebellar and pineal neurosteroids and their biological actions on the growth and survival of Purkinje cells during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuyoshi Tsutsui
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Sciences, Department of Biology, Waseda University, and Center for Medical Life Science of Waseda University, 2-2 Wakamatsu-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8480, Japan.
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Tsutsui K, Ubuka T. How to Contribute to the Progress of Neuroendocrinology: Discovery of GnIH and Progress of GnIH Research. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2018; 9:662. [PMID: 30483217 PMCID: PMC6241250 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2018.00662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
It is essential to discover novel neuropeptides that regulate the functions of pituitary, brain and peripheral secretory glands for the progress of neuroendocrinology. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), a hypothalamic neuropeptide stimulating gonadotropin release was isolated and its structure was determined by Schally's and Guillemin's groups at the beginning of the 1970s. It was subsequently shown that GnRH is highly conserved among vertebrates. GnRH was assumed the sole hypothalamic neuropeptide that regulates gonadotropin release in vertebrates based on extensive studies of GnRH over the following three decades. However, in 2000, Tsutsui's group isolated and determined the structure of a novel hypothalamic neuropeptide, which inhibits gonadotropin release, in quail, an avian species, and named it gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH). Following studies by Tsutsui's group demonstrated that GnIH is highly conserved among vertebrates, from humans to agnathans, and acts as a key neuropeptide inhibiting reproduction. Intensive research on GnIH demonstrated that GnIH inhibits gonadotropin synthesis and release by acting on gonadotropes and GnRH neurons via GPR147 in birds and mammals. Fish GnIH also regulates gonadotropin release according to its reproductive condition, indicating the conserved role of GnIH in the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in vertebrates. Therefore, we can now say that GnRH is not the only hypothalamic neuropeptide controlling vertebrate reproduction. In addition, recent studies by Tsutsui's group demonstrated that GnIH acts in the brain to regulate behaviors, including reproductive behavior. The 18 years of GnIH research with leading laboratories in the world have significantly advanced our knowledge of the neuroendocrine control mechanism of reproductive physiology and behavior as well as interactions of the HPG, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axes. This review describes how GnIH was discovered and GnIH research progressed in this new research era of reproductive neuroendocrinology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuyoshi Tsutsui
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Sciences, Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takayoshi Ubuka
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Sciences, Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
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Tsutsui K, Haraguchi S, Vaudry H. 7α-Hydroxypregnenolone regulating locomotor behavior identified in the brain and pineal gland across vertebrates. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 265:97-105. [PMID: 28919448 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2017.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Revised: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The brain synthesizes steroids de novo from cholesterol, which are called neurosteroids. Based on extensive studies on neurosteroids over the past thirty years, it is now accepted that neurosteroidogenesis in the brain is a conserved property across vertebrates. However, the formation of bioactive neurosteroids in the brain is still incompletely elucidated in vertebrates. In fact, we recently identified 7α-hydroxypregnenolone (7α-OH PREG) as a novel bioactive neurosteroid stimulating locomotor behavior in the brain of several vertebrates. The follow-up studies have demonstrated that the stimulatory action of brain 7α-OH PREG on locomotor behavior is mediated by the dopaminergic system across vertebrates. More recently, we have further demonstrated that the pineal gland, an endocrine organ located close to the brain, is a major site of the formation of bioactive neurosteroids. In addition to the brain, the pineal gland actively produces 7α-OH PREG de novo from cholesterol as a major pineal neurosteroid that acts on the brain to control locomotor rhythms. This review summarizes the identification, biosynthesis and mode of action of brain and pineal 7α-OH PREG, a new bioactive neurosteroid regulating locomotor behavior, across vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuyoshi Tsutsui
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Sciences, Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Tokyo 162-8480, Japan.
| | - Shogo Haraguchi
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Sciences, Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Tokyo 162-8480, Japan; Department of Biochemistry, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo 142-8555, Japan
| | - Hubert Vaudry
- INSERM U1239, Laboratory of Neuronal and Neuroendocrine Differentiation and Communication, Normandy University, 76000 Rouen, France
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Hojo Y, Kawato S. Neurosteroids in Adult Hippocampus of Male and Female Rodents: Biosynthesis and Actions of Sex Steroids. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2018; 9:183. [PMID: 29740398 PMCID: PMC5925962 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2018.00183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The brain is not only the target of steroid hormones but also is able to locally synthesize steroids de novo. Evidence of the local production of steroids in the brain has been accumulating in various vertebrates, including teleost fish, amphibia, birds, rodents, non-human primates, and humans. In this review, we mainly focus on the local production of sex steroids in the hippocampal neurons of adult rodents (rats and mice), a center for learning and memory. From the data of the hippocampus of adult male rats, hippocampal principal neurons [pyramidal cells in CA1-CA3 and granule cells in dentate gyrus (DG)] have a complete system for biosynthesis of sex steroids. Liquid chromatography with tandem-mass-spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) enabled us to accurately determine the levels of hippocampal sex steroids including 17β-estradiol (17β-E2), testosterone (T), and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which are much higher than those in blood. Next, we review the steroid synthesis in the hippocampus of female rats, since previous knowledge had been biased toward the data from males. Recently, we clarified that the levels of hippocampal steroids fluctuate in adult female rats across the estrous cycle. Accurate determination of hippocampal steroids at each stage of the estrous cycle is of importance for providing the account for the fluctuation of female hippocampal functions, including spine density, long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD), and learning and memory. These functional fluctuations in female had been attributed to the level of circulation-derived steroids. LC-MS/MS analysis revealed that the dendritic spine density in CA1 of adult female hippocampus correlates with the levels of hippocampal progesterone and 17β-E2. Finally, we introduce the direct evidence of the role of hippocampus-synthesized steroids in hippocampal function including neurogenesis, LTP, and memory consolidation. Mild exercise (2 week of treadmill running) elevated synthesis of DHT in the hippocampus, but not in the testis, of male rats, resulting in enhancement of neurogenesis in DG. Concerning synaptic plasticity, hippocampus-synthesized E2 is required for LTP induction, whereas hippocampus-synthesized DHT is required for LTD induction. Furthermore, hippocampus-synthesized E2 is involved in memory consolidation tested by object recognition and object placement tasks, both of which are hippocampus-dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasushi Hojo
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Saitama Medical University, Moroyama, Saitama, Japan
- *Correspondence: Yasushi Hojo,
| | - Suguru Kawato
- Department of Biophysics and Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Urology, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Pharma-Science, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan
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Weng JH, Chung BC. Nongenomic actions of neurosteroid pregnenolone and its metabolites. Steroids 2016; 111:54-59. [PMID: 26844377 DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2016.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2016] [Revised: 01/25/2016] [Accepted: 01/25/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Steroids have been widely used in the clinical setting. They bind and activate nuclear receptors to regulate gene expression. In addition to activating genomic transcription, steroids also exert nongenomic actions. The current article focuses on the nongenomic actions of neurosteroids, including pregnenolone (P5), 7α-hydroxypregnenolone, pregnenolone sulfate and allopregnanolone. Pregnenolone and its derivatives promote neuronal activity by enhancing learning and memory, relieving depression, enhancing locomotor activity, and promoting neuronal cell survival. They exert these effects by activating various target proteins located in the cytoplasm or cell membrane. Pregnenolone and its metabolites bind to receptors such as microtubule-associated proteins and neurotransmitter receptors to elicit a series of reactions including stabilization of microtubules, increase of ion flux into cells, and dopamine release. The wide actions of neurosteroids indicate that pregnenolone derivatives have great potential in future treatment of neurological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jui-Hsia Weng
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan; Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bon-Chu Chung
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan.
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Chemical derivatization of neurosteroids for their trace determination in sea lamprey by UPLC-MS/MS. Talanta 2016; 149:326-334. [DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2015.11.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2015] [Revised: 11/21/2015] [Accepted: 11/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Tsutsui K. How to contribute to the progress of neuroendocrinology: New insights from discovering novel neuropeptides and neurosteroids regulating pituitary and brain functions. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2016; 227:3-15. [PMID: 26145291 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2015] [Revised: 04/28/2015] [Accepted: 05/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Obtaining new insights by discovering novel neuropeptides and neurosteroids regulating pituitary and brain functions is essential for the progress of neuroendocrinology. At the beginning of 1970s, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) was discovered in mammals. Since then, it was generally accepted that GnRH is the only hypothalamic neuropeptide regulating gonadotropin release in vertebrates. In 2000, however, gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH), a novel hypothalamic neuropeptide that actively inhibits gonadotropin release, was discovered in quail. The follow-up studies demonstrated that GnIH acts as a new key player for regulation of reproduction across vertebrates. It now appears that GnIH acts on the pituitary and the brain to serve a number of behavioral and physiological functions. On the other hand, a new concept has been established that the brain synthesizes steroids, called neurosteroids. The formation of neurosteroids in the brain was originally demonstrated in mammals and subsequently in other vertebrates. Recently, 7α-hydroxypregnenolone was discovered as a novel bioactive neurosteroid inducing locomotor behavior of vertebrates, indicating that neurosteroidogenesis in the brain is still incompletely elucidated in vertebrates. At the beginning of 2010s, it was further found that the pineal gland actively produces neurosteroids. Pineal neurosteroids act on the brain to regulate locomotor rhythms and neuronal survival. Furthermore, the interaction of neuropeptides and neurosteroids is becoming clear. GnIH decreases aggressive behavior by regulating neuroestrogen synthesis in the brain. This review summarizes these new insights by discovering novel neuropeptides and neurosteroids in the field of neuroendocrinology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuyoshi Tsutsui
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Sciences, Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Tokyo 162-8480, Japan.
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12
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Baranowski T, Lytle L. Should the IDEFICS outcomes have been expected? Obes Rev 2015; 16 Suppl 2:162-72. [PMID: 26707025 DOI: 10.1111/obr.12359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2015] [Accepted: 10/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The Identification and prevention of Dietary- and lifestyle-induced health EFfects In Children and infantS (IDEFICS) study evaluated with a large sample a comprehensive carefully planned obesity prevention intervention targeting multiple levels of influence that were culturally adapted to the situations in eight European countries. Despite the great effort and attention to detail, the IDEFICS study did not achieve its targeted adiposity or behaviour change objectives. Should we be surprised that the IDEFICS trial did not have its intended effects? We think not, and would have been surprised if it did. Recent research has revealed the lack of consistent meaningful relationships between several apparently obesogenic behaviours and adiposity, weak or no relationships among behavioural change procedures, mediating variables and targeted behaviours and inadequate attention to moderating effects. Future obesity prevention interventions would benefit from a more thorough understanding of the complex relationships that have been hypothesized and the interrelationships with biological factors. While systems modelling has been proposed as providing the solution, important less complex identification of new constructs, new relationships and community interventions are still needed, both to find innovative solutions and to provide input into the systems models. We should question results from cross-sectional studies and be satisfied only with longitudinal or experimental tests of relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Baranowski
- USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - L Lytle
- Department of Health Behavior, School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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Haraguchi S, Yamamoto Y, Suzuki Y, Hyung Chang J, Koyama T, Sato M, Mita M, Ueda H, Tsutsui K. 7α-Hydroxypregnenolone, a key neuronal modulator of locomotion, stimulates upstream migration by means of the dopaminergic system in salmon. Sci Rep 2015. [PMID: 26220247 PMCID: PMC4518220 DOI: 10.1038/srep12546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Salmon migrate upstream against an opposing current in their natal river. However, the molecular mechanisms that stimulate upstream migratory behavior are poorly understood. Here, we show that 7α-hydroxypregnenolone (7α-OH PREG), a newly identified neuronal modulator of locomotion, acts as a key factor for upstream migration in salmon. We first identified 7α-OH PREG and cytochrome P450 7α-hydroxylase (P4507α), a steroidogenic enzyme producing 7α-OH PREG, in the salmon brain and then found that 7α-OH PREG synthesis in the brain increases during upstream migration. Subsequently, we demonstrated that 7α-OH PREG increases upstream migratory behavior of salmon. We further found that 7α-OH PREG acts on dopamine neurons in the magnocellular preoptic nucleus during upstream migration. Thus, 7α-OH PREG stimulates upstream migratory behavior through the dopaminergic system in salmon. These findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of fish upstream migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shogo Haraguchi
- 1] Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan [2] Department of Biology, Tokyo Gakugei University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuzo Yamamoto
- 1] Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan [2] Current address: Demonstration Laboratory, Marine Ecology Research Institute, Niigata, Japan
| | - Yuko Suzuki
- Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Joon Hyung Chang
- Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Teppei Koyama
- Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Miku Sato
- Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masatoshi Mita
- Department of Biology, Tokyo Gakugei University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Ueda
- Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Kazuyoshi Tsutsui
- Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
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Tsutsui K, Ubuka T, Son YL, Bentley GE, Kriegsfeld LJ. Contribution of GnIH Research to the Progress of Reproductive Neuroendocrinology. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2015; 6:179. [PMID: 26635728 PMCID: PMC4655308 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2015.00179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2015] [Accepted: 11/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the discovery of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in mammals at the beginning of the 1970s, it was generally accepted that GnRH is the only hypothalamic neuropeptide regulating gonadotropin release in mammals and other vertebrates. In 2000, however, gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH), a novel hypothalamic neuropeptide that actively inhibits gonadotropin release, was discovered in quail. Numerous studies over the past decade and a half have demonstrated that GnIH serves as a key player regulating reproduction across vertebrates, acting on the brain and pituitary to modulate reproductive physiology and behavior. In the latter case, recent evidence indicates that GnIH can regulate reproductive behavior through changes in neurosteroid, such as neuroestrogen, biosynthesis in the brain. This review summarizes the discovery of GnIH, and the contributions to GnIH research focused on its mode of action, regulation of biosynthesis, and how these findings advance our understanding of reproductive neuroendocrinology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuyoshi Tsutsui
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Sciences, Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
- *Correspondence: Kazuyoshi Tsutsui,
| | - Takayoshi Ubuka
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Sciences, Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
- Brain Research Institute Monash Sunway of the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
| | - You Lee Son
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Sciences, Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - George E. Bentley
- Department of Integrative Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Lance J. Kriegsfeld
- Department of Psychology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
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Soma KK, Rendon NM, Boonstra R, Albers HE, Demas GE. DHEA effects on brain and behavior: insights from comparative studies of aggression. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2015; 145:261-72. [PMID: 24928552 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2014.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2014] [Revised: 05/09/2014] [Accepted: 05/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Historically, research on the neuroendocrinology of aggression has been dominated by the paradigm that the brain receives sex steroid hormones, such as testosterone (T), from the gonads, and then these gonadal hormones modulate behaviorally relevant neural circuits. While this paradigm has been extremely useful for advancing the field, recent studies reveal important alternatives. For example, most vertebrate species are seasonal breeders, and many species show aggression outside of the breeding season, when the gonads are regressed and circulating levels of gonadal steroids are relatively low. Studies in diverse avian and mammalian species suggest that adrenal dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), an androgen precursor and prohormone, is important for the expression of aggression when gonadal T synthesis is low. Circulating DHEA can be converted into active sex steroids within the brain. In addition, the brain can synthesize sex steroids de novo from cholesterol, thereby uncoupling brain steroid levels from circulating steroid levels. These alternative mechanisms to provide sex steroids to specific neural circuits may have evolved to avoid the costs of high circulating T levels during the non-breeding season. Physiological indicators of season (e.g., melatonin) may allow animals to switch from one neuroendocrine mechanism to another across the year. DHEA and neurosteroids are likely to be important for the control of multiple behaviors in many species, including humans. These studies yield fundamental insights into the regulation of DHEA secretion, the mechanisms by which DHEA affects behavior, and the brain regions and neural processes that are modulated by DHEA. It is clear that the brain is an important site of DHEA synthesis and action. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Essential role of DHEA'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiran K Soma
- Departments of Psychology and Zoology, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, and the Brain Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4.
| | - Nikki M Rendon
- Department of Biology, Program in Neuroscience, and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Rudy Boonstra
- Centre for Neurobiology of Stress, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada M1C 1A4
| | - H Elliott Albers
- Neuroscience Institute, and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Gregory E Demas
- Department of Biology, Program in Neuroscience, and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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Tsutsui K, Haraguchi S. Breakthrough in neuroendocrinology by discovering novel neuropeptides and neurosteroids: 2. Discovery of neurosteroids and pineal neurosteroids. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2014; 205:11-22. [PMID: 24704561 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Bargmann-Scharrer's discovery of "neurosecretion" in the first half of the 20th century has since matured into the scientific discipline of neuroendocrinology. Identification of novel neurohormones, such as neuropeptides and neurosteroids, is essential for the progress of neuroendocrinology. Our studies over the past two decades have significantly broadened the horizons of this field of research by identifying novel neuropeptides and neurosteroids in vertebrates that have opened new lines of scientific investigation in neuroendocrinology. We have established de novo synthesis and functions of neurosteroids in the brain of various vertebrates. Recently, we discovered 7α-hydroxypregnenolone (7α-OH PREG), a novel bioactive neurosteroid that acts as a key regulator for inducing locomotor behavior by means of the dopaminergic system. We further discovered that the pineal gland, an endocrine organ located close to the brain, is an important site of production of neurosteroids de novo from cholesterol (CHOL). The pineal gland secretes 7α-OH PREG and 3α,5α-tetrahydroprogesterone (3α,5α-THP; allopregnanolone) that are involved in locomotor rhythms and neuronal survival, respectively. Subsequently, we have demonstrated their mode of action and functional significance. This review summarizes the discovery of these novel neurosteroids and its contribution to the progress of neuroendocrinology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuyoshi Tsutsui
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Sciences, Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Tokyo 162-8480, Japan.
| | - Shogo Haraguchi
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Sciences, Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University, Tokyo 162-8480, Japan
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Tsutsui K, Haraguchi S. Biosynthesis and biological action of pineal allopregnanolone. Front Cell Neurosci 2014; 8:118. [PMID: 24834027 PMCID: PMC4017145 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2014.00118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2014] [Accepted: 04/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The pineal gland transduces photoperiodic changes to the neuroendocrine system by rhythmic secretion of melatonin. We recently provided new evidence that the pineal gland is a major neurosteroidogenic organ and actively produces a variety of neurosteroids de novo from cholesterol in birds. Notably, allopregnanolone is a major pineal neurosteroid that is far more actively produced in the pineal gland than the brain and secreted by the pineal gland in juvenile birds. Subsequently, we have demonstrated the biological action of pineal allopregnanolone on Purkinje cells in the cerebellum during development in juvenile birds. Pinealectomy (Px) induces apoptosis of Purkinje cells, whereas allopregnanolone administration to Px chicks prevents cell death. Furthermore, Px increases the number of Purkinje cells that express active caspase-3, a crucial mediator of apoptosis, and allopregnanolone administration to Px chicks decreases the number of Purkinje cells expressing active caspase-3. It thus appears that pineal allopregnanolone prevents cell death of Purkinje cells by suppressing the activity of caspase-3 during development. This paper highlights new aspects of the biosynthesis and biological action of pineal allopregnanolone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuyoshi Tsutsui
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Sciences, Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shogo Haraguchi
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Sciences, Department of Biology and Center for Medical Life Science, Waseda University Tokyo, Japan
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