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Shankey NT, Cohen RE. Neural control of reproduction in reptiles. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 341:307-321. [PMID: 38247297 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Reptiles display considerable diversity in reproductive behavior, making them great models to study the neuroendocrine control of reproductive behavior. Many reptile species are seasonally breeding, such that they become reproductively active during their breeding season and regress to a nonreproductive state during their nonbreeding season, with this transition often prompted by environmental cues. In this review, we will focus on summarizing the neural and neuroendocrine mechanisms controlling reproductive behavior. Three major areas of the brain are involved in reproductive behavior: the preoptic area (POA), amygdala, and ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH). The POA and VMH are sexually dimorphic areas, regulating behaviors in males and females respectively, and all three areas display seasonal plasticity. Lesions to these areas disrupt the onset and maintenance of reproductive behaviors, but the exact roles of these regions vary between sexes and species. Different hormones influence these regions to elicit seasonal transitions. Circulating testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) peak during the breeding season and their influence on reproduction is well-documented across vertebrates. The conversion of T into E2 and 5α-dihydrotestosterone can also affect behavior. Melatonin and corticosterone have generally inhibitory effects on reproductive behavior, while serotonin and other neurohormones seem to stimulate it. In general, there is relatively little information on the neuroendocrine control of reproduction in reptiles compared to other vertebrate groups. This review highlights areas that should be considered for future areas of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas T Shankey
- Department of Biological Sciences, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Mankato, Minnesota, USA
| | - Rachel E Cohen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Mankato, Minnesota, USA
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2
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Schuppe ER, Fuxjager MJ. Phenotypic variation reveals sites of evolutionary constraint in the androgenic signaling pathway. Horm Behav 2019; 115:104538. [PMID: 31211944 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Revised: 05/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Steroid hormone systems play an important role in shaping the evolution of vertebrate sexual traits, but several aspects of this relationship remain unclear. For example, we currently know little about how steroid signaling complexes are adapted to accommodate the emergence of behavior in response to sexual selection. We use downy woodpeckers (Dryobates pubescens) to evaluate how the machinery underlying androgen action can evolve to accommodate this bird's main territorial signal, the drum. We focus specifically on modifications to androgenic mechanisms in the primary neck muscle that actuates the hammering movements underlying this signal. Of the signaling components we examine, we find that levels of circulating testosterone (T) and androgen receptor (AR) expression are consistently increased in a way that likely enhances androgenic regulation of drumming. By contrast, the expression of nuclear receptor co-factors-the 'molecular rheostats' of steroid action-show no such relationship in our analyses. If anything, co-factors are expressed in directions that would presumably hinder androgenic regulation of the drum. These findings therefore collectively point to T levels and AR as the more evolutionarily labile components of the androgenic system, in that they are likely more apt to change over time to support sexual selection for territorial signaling in woodpeckers. Yet the signaling elements that fine-tune AR's functional effects on the genome-namely the receptor's transcriptional co-factors-do not change in such a manner, and thus may be under tighter evolutionary constraint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric R Schuppe
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, 455 Vine Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, United States of America
| | - Matthew J Fuxjager
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, United States of America.
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3
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Ogino Y, Tohyama S, Kohno S, Toyota K, Yamada G, Yatsu R, Kobayashi T, Tatarazako N, Sato T, Matsubara H, Lange A, Tyler CR, Katsu Y, Iguchi T, Miyagawa S. Functional distinctions associated with the diversity of sex steroid hormone receptors ESR and AR. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2018; 184:38-46. [PMID: 29885351 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2018.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [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: 11/01/2017] [Revised: 05/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Sex steroid hormones including estrogens and androgens play fundamental roles in regulating reproductive activities and they act through estrogen and androgen receptors (ESR and AR). These steroid receptors have evolved from a common ancestor in association with several gene duplications. In most vertebrates, this has resulted in two ESR subtypes (ESR1 and ESR2) and one AR, whereas in teleost fish there are at least three ESRs (ESR1, ESR2a and ESR2b) and two ARs (ARα and ARβ) due to a lineage-specific whole genome duplication. Functional distinctions have been suggested among these receptors, but to date their roles have only been characterized in a limited number of species. Sexual differentiation and the development of reproductive organs are indispensable for all animal species and in vertebrates these events depend on the action of sex steroid hormones. Here we review the recent progress in understanding of the functions of the ESRs and ARs in the development and expression of sexually dimorphic characteristics associated with steroid hormone signaling in vertebrates, with representative fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukiko Ogino
- Attached Promotive Centre for International Education and Research of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan
| | - Saki Tohyama
- Graduate School of Nutritional and Environmental Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Shizuoka 422-8526, Japan
| | - Satomi Kohno
- Department of Biology, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN 56301, USA
| | - Kenji Toyota
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kanagawa University, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa 259-1293, Japan; Faculty of Industrial Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, 6-3-1 Niijuku, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo 125-8585, Japan
| | - Gen Yamada
- Institute of Advanced Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Wakayama 641-8509, Japan
| | - Ryohei Yatsu
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - Tohru Kobayashi
- Graduate School of Nutritional and Environmental Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Shizuoka 422-8526, Japan
| | | | - Tomomi Sato
- Graduate School of Nanobioscience, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-0027, Japan
| | - Hajime Matsubara
- Department of Aquatic Biology, Faculty of Bioindustry, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Abashiri, Hokkaido 099-2493, Japan
| | - Anke Lange
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Charles R Tyler
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Yoshinao Katsu
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0809, Japan
| | - Taisen Iguchi
- Graduate School of Nanobioscience, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-0027, Japan.
| | - Shinichi Miyagawa
- Faculty of Industrial Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, 6-3-1 Niijuku, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo 125-8585, Japan; Institute of Advanced Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Wakayama 641-8509, Japan.
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4
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Tollis M, Hutchins ED, Stapley J, Rupp SM, Eckalbar WL, Maayan I, Lasku E, Infante CR, Dennis SR, Robertson JA, May CM, Crusoe MR, Bermingham E, DeNardo DF, Hsieh STT, Kulathinal RJ, McMillan WO, Menke DB, Pratt SC, Rawls JA, Sanjur O, Wilson-Rawls J, Wilson Sayres MA, Fisher RE, Kusumi K. Comparative Genomics Reveals Accelerated Evolution in Conserved Pathways during the Diversification of Anole Lizards. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 10:489-506. [PMID: 29360978 PMCID: PMC5798147 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evy013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Squamates include all lizards and snakes, and display some of the most diverse and extreme morphological adaptations among vertebrates. However, compared with birds and mammals, relatively few resources exist for comparative genomic analyses of squamates, hampering efforts to understand the molecular bases of phenotypic diversification in such a speciose clade. In particular, the ∼400 species of anole lizard represent an extensive squamate radiation. Here, we sequence and assemble the draft genomes of three anole species-Anolis frenatus, Anolis auratus, and Anolis apletophallus-for comparison with the available reference genome of Anolis carolinensis. Comparative analyses reveal a rapid background rate of molecular evolution consistent with a model of punctuated equilibrium, and strong purifying selection on functional genomic elements in anoles. We find evidence for accelerated evolution in genes involved in behavior, sensory perception, and reproduction, as well as in genes regulating limb bud development and hindlimb specification. Morphometric analyses of anole fore and hindlimbs corroborated these findings. We detect signatures of positive selection across several genes related to the development and regulation of the forebrain, hormones, and the iguanian lizard dewlap, suggesting molecular changes underlying behavioral adaptations known to reinforce species boundaries were a key component in the diversification of anole lizards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Tollis
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University
- Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University
| | - Elizabeth D Hutchins
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University
- Neurogenomics Division, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, Arizona
| | - Jessica Stapley
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá, República de Panamá
| | - Shawn M Rupp
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University
| | | | - Inbar Maayan
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University
| | - Eris Lasku
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University
| | - Carlos R Infante
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona
| | - Stuart R Dennis
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá, República de Panamá
| | | | | | | | - Eldredge Bermingham
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá, República de Panamá
- Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, Miami, Florida
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Oris Sanjur
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá, República de Panamá
| | | | - Melissa A Wilson Sayres
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University
- The Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University
| | - Rebecca E Fisher
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine–Phoenix
| | - Kenro Kusumi
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University
- Neurogenomics Division, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, Arizona
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine–Phoenix
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5
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Androgen receptors and muscle: a key mechanism underlying life history trade-offs. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2017; 204:51-60. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-017-1222-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Revised: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 10/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Xiao J, Zhang J, Zhao Y, Huang W, Guo Z, Su B, Guo Q. Sex differences of steroid receptor coactivator-1 expression after spinal cord injury in mice. Neurol Res 2017; 39:1022-1027. [DOI: 10.1080/01616412.2017.1367077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jiayu Xiao
- Student Brigade, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jiqiang Zhang
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurobiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yangang Zhao
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurobiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Wenjie Huang
- Student Brigade, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zhikai Guo
- Student Brigade, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Bingyin Su
- Development and Regeneration Key Lab of Sichuan Province, Department of Anatomy and Histology and Embryology, Department of Pathology, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, China
| | - Qiang Guo
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurobiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
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7
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Qiu L, Zhao Y, Guo Q, Zhang Y, He L, Li W, Zhang J. Dose-dependent regulation of steroid receptor coactivator-1 and steroid receptors by testosterone propionate in the hippocampus of adult male mice. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2016; 156:23-31. [PMID: 26607693 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2015.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [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: 08/18/2015] [Revised: 11/13/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Androgens have been proposed to play important roles in the regulation of hippocampus function either directly, through the androgen receptor (AR), or indirectly, through estrogen receptors (ERs), after aromatization into estradiol. Steroid receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1) is present in the hippocampus of several species, and its expression is regulated by development and aging, as well as by orchidectomy and aromatase inhibitor letrozole administration, while ovariectomy only transiently downregulated hippocampal SRC-1. However, whether the expression of hippocampal SRC-1 can be directly regulated by testosterone, the principal male sex hormone, remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the expression of hippocampal SRC-1 after orchidectomy and testosterone treatment using immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. We found that while hippocampal SRC-1 was significantly downregulated by orchidectomy (ORX), its expression was rescued by treatment with testosterone in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, we noticed that the decreased expression of hippocampal AR, ERs and the synaptic proteins GluR-1 and PSD-95 induced by ORX was also rescued by testosterone treatment in a dose-dependent manner. However, we found that hippocampal membrane estrogen receptor GPR30 and dendritic spine marker spinophilin were not altered by ORX or testosterone treatment. Together, the above results provided the first direct evidence for the androgenic regulation on hippocampal SRC-1, indicating that SRC-1 may be a direct target of androgenic regulation on the hippocampus. Furthermore, because AR and ERs can be differentially regulated by testosterone, and the transcriptional activity requires the involvement of local SRC-1, and considering the complicated regulatory pathway of each individual receptor, the converged hub regulator SRC-1 of these nuclear receptor networks is worthy of further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linli Qiu
- Department of Neurobiology, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China; Department of Filed Nursing, School of Nursing, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Yangang Zhao
- Department of Neurobiology, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Qiang Guo
- Department of Neurobiology, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Yuanyuan Zhang
- Department of Neurobiology, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Li He
- Department of Neurobiology, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China; Department of Filed Nursing, School of Nursing, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Filed Nursing, School of Nursing, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
| | - Jiqiang Zhang
- Department of Neurobiology, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
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8
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Wade J. Genetic regulation of sex differences in songbirds and lizards. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 371:20150112. [PMID: 26833833 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0112] [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] [Accepted: 09/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Sex differences in the morphology of neural and peripheral structures related to reproduction often parallel the frequency of particular behaviours displayed by males and females. In a variety of model organisms, these sex differences are organized in development by gonadal steroids, which also act in adulthood to modulate behavioural expression and in some cases to generate parallel anatomical changes on a seasonal basis. Data collected from diverse species, however, suggest that changes in hormone availability are not sufficient to explain sex and seasonal differences in structure and function. This paper pulls together some of this literature from songbirds and lizards and considers the information in the broader context of taking a comparative approach to investigating genetic mechanisms associated with behavioural neuroendocrinology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juli Wade
- Departments of Psychology and Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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9
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Kerver HN, Wade J. Hormonal regulation of steroid receptor coactivator-1 mRNA in the male and female green anole brain. J Neuroendocrinol 2015; 27:223-33. [PMID: 25557947 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [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: 10/17/2014] [Revised: 12/10/2014] [Accepted: 12/12/2014] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Green anole lizards are seasonal breeders, with male sexual behaviour primarily regulated by an annual increase in testosterone. Morphological, biochemical and behavioural changes associated with reproduction are activated by testosterone, generally with a greater effect in the breeding season (BS) than in the nonbreeding season (NBS). The present study investigates the possibility that differences in a steroid receptor coactivator may regulate this seasonal difference in responsiveness to testosterone. In situ hybridisation was used to examine the expression of steroid receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1) in the brains of gonadally intact male and female green anoles across breeding states. A second experiment examined gonadectomised animals with and without testosterone treatment. Gonadally intact males had more SRC-1 expressing cells in the preoptic area and larger volumes of this region as defined by these cells than females. Main effects of both sex and season (males > females and BS > NBS) were present in cell number and volume of the ventromedial hypothalamus. An interaction between sex and season suggested that high expression in BS males was driving these effects. In hormone-manipulated animals, testosterone treatment increased both the number of SRC-1 expressing cells in and volumes of the preoptic area and amygdala. These results suggest that testosterone selectively regulates SRC-1, and that this coactivator may play a role in facilitating reproductive behaviours across both sexes. However, changes in SRC-1 expression are not likely responsible for the seasonal change in responsiveness to testosterone.
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Affiliation(s)
- H N Kerver
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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Kerver HN, Wade J. Relationships among sex, season and testosterone in the expression of androgen receptor mRNA and protein in the green anole forebrain. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2014; 84:303-14. [PMID: 25471151 DOI: 10.1159/000368388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2014] [Accepted: 09/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Sexual behavior in male green anole lizards is regulated by a seasonal increase in testosterone (T). However, T is much more effective at activating behavioral, morphological and biochemical changes related to reproduction in the breeding season (BS; spring) compared to nonbreeding season (NBS; fall). An increase in androgen receptor (AR) during the BS is one potential mechanism for this differential responsiveness. AR expression has not been investigated in specific brain regions across seasons in anoles. The present studies were designed to determine relative AR expression in areas important for male (preoptic area, ventromedial amygdala) and female (ventromedial hypothalamus) sexual behavior, as well as whether T upregulates AR in the anole brain. In situ hybridization and Western blot analyses were performed in unmanipulated animals across sex and season, as well as in gonadectomized animals with and without T treatment. Among hormone-manipulated animals, more cells expressing AR mRNA were detected in females than males in the amygdala. T treatment increased the volume of the ventromedial hypothalamus of gonadectomized animals in the BS, but not the NBS. AR protein in dissections of the hypothalamus and preoptic area was increased in males compared to females specifically in the BS. Additionally, among females, it was increased in the NBS compared to the BS. Collectively, these results indicate that differences in central AR expression probably do not facilitate a seasonal responsiveness to T. However, they are consistent with a role for AR in regulating some differences between sexes in the display of reproductive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Halie N Kerver
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., USA
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