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Chen Y, Liu Y, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Xie W, Zhang H, Weng Q, Xu M. Expression of cholesterol synthesis and steroidogenic markers in females of the Chinese brown frog ( Rana dybowskii) during prespawning and prehibernation. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2023; 325:R750-R758. [PMID: 37867473 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00296.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
The oviduct of the Chinese brown frog (Rana dybowskii) expands in prehibernation rather than in prespawning, which is one of the physiological phenomena that occur in the preparation for hibernation. Steroid hormones are known to regulate oviductal development. Cholesterol synthesis and steroidogenesis may play an important role in the expansion of the oviduct before hibernation. In this study, we investigated the expression patterns of the markers that are involved in the de novo steroid synthesis pathway in the oviduct of R. dybowskii during prespawning and prehibernation. According to histological analysis, the oviduct of R. dybowskii contains epithelial cells, glandular cells, and tubule lumens. During prehibernation, oviductal pipe diameter and weight were significantly larger than during prespawning. 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMGCR), low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), cytochrome P450 cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme (P450scc), and steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1) were detected in epithelial cells in prehibernation and glandular cells during prespawning. HMGCR, LDLR, StAR, and P450scc protein expression levels were higher in prehibernation than during prespawning, but the SF-1 protein expression level did not significantly differ. HMGCR, LDLR, StAR, P450scc (CYP11A1), and SF-1 (NR5A1) mRNA expression levels were significantly higher in prehibernation compared with prespawning. The transcriptome results showed that the steroid synthesis pathway was highly expressed during prehibernation. Existing results indicate that the oviduct is able to synthesize steroid hormones using cholesterol, and that steroid hormones may affect the oviductal functions of R. dybowskii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Chen
- Laboratory of Animal Physiology, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Food Processing and Safety in Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuning Liu
- Laboratory of Animal Physiology, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Yankun Wang
- Laboratory of Animal Physiology, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Food Processing and Safety in Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Yue Zhang
- Laboratory of Animal Physiology, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Food Processing and Safety in Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenqian Xie
- Laboratory of Animal Physiology, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Haolin Zhang
- Laboratory of Animal Physiology, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiang Weng
- Laboratory of Animal Physiology, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Meiyu Xu
- Laboratory of Animal Physiology, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Food Processing and Safety in Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
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2
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Regueira E, O'Donohoe MEA, Pavón Novarin M, Michou Etcheverría GC, Tropea C, Hermida GN. Integrating morphology and physiology of the key endocrine organ during tadpole development: The interrenal gland. J Anat 2022; 241:1357-1370. [PMID: 36056596 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Indirect development is widespread in anurans and is considered an ancestral condition. The metamorphosis of larvae into juveniles involves highly coordinated morphological, physiological, biochemical, and behavioral changes, promoted by the thyroid hormone and interrenal corticosteroids. Stress response to environmental changes is also mediated by corticosteroids, affecting the timing and rate of metamorphosis and leading to great developmental plasticity in tadpoles. Given the potential effect of interrenal gland ontogeny alterations on metamorphosis and the lack of studies addressing both the morphology and endocrinology of this gland in tadpoles, we present corticosterone (CORT) production and histological changes through the ontogeny of interrenal gland in the generalized pond-type tadpole of Rhinella arenarum (Anura, Bufonidae). This species shows the highest concentration of whole-body CORT by the early climax when drastic metamorphic changes begin. This is coincident with the morphological differentiation of steroidogenic cells and the formation of interrenal cords. By this stage, steroidogenic cells have a shrunken cytoplasm, with a significantly higher nucleus-to-cell diameter ratio. The lowest CORT concentration during premetamorphosis and late climax is associated with small undifferentiated cells with lipid inclusions surrounding large blood vessels between kidneys, and with cords of differentiated steroidogenic cells with a significantly lower nucleus-to-cell diameter ratio, respectively. Our study characterizes the morphological and physiological pattern of interrenal gland development, showing an association between certain histological and morphometric characteristics and CORT levels. Variations in this morpho-physiological pattern should be considered when studying the phenotypic plasticity or variable growth rates of tadpoles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Regueira
- Laboratorio Biología de Anfibios - Histología Animal, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CABA, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, CABA, Argentina
| | - M E Ailín O'Donohoe
- Laboratorio Biología de Anfibios - Histología Animal, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CABA, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, CABA, Argentina
| | - Mariela Pavón Novarin
- Laboratorio Biología de Anfibios - Histología Animal, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CABA, Argentina
| | - Gabriela C Michou Etcheverría
- Laboratorio Biología de Anfibios - Histología Animal, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CABA, Argentina
| | - Carolina Tropea
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, CABA, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción y el Crecimiento de Crustáceos Decápodos, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada (IBBEA), Universidad de Buenos Aires, CABA, Argentina
| | - Gladys N Hermida
- Laboratorio Biología de Anfibios - Histología Animal, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CABA, Argentina
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3
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Wang X, Wen H, Li Y, Lyu L, Song M, Zhang Y, Li J, Yao Y, Li J, Qi X. Characterization of CYP11A1 and its potential role in sex asynchronous gonadal development of viviparous black rockfish Sebastes schlegelii (Sebastidae). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2021; 302:113689. [PMID: 33301756 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2020.113689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 11/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Mitochondrial cytochrome P450 side-chain cleavage (P450scc), encoded by the cyp11a1 gene, initiates the first step of steroid biosynthesis. In this study, a 1554-bp open reading frame (ORF) of black rockfish (Sebastes schlegelii) cyp11a1 was cloned. The cyp11a1 gene is located on chromosome 5 and has 9 exons. The ORF encodes a putative precursor protein of 517 amino acids, and the predicted cleavable mitochondrial targeting peptide is located at amino acids 1-39. P450scc shares homology with other teleosts and tetrapods, which have relatively conserved binding regions with heme, cholesterol and adrenodoxin. Tissue distribution analysis revealed that the highest expression levels of cyp11a1 were detected in mature gonads and head kidney but that low levels were detected in gestational/regressed ovaries, regressed testes and other tissues. Immunostaining of P450scc was observed in testicular Leydig cells, ovarian theca cells, interrenal glands of head kidney, pituitary and multiple regions of brain. Particularly, two kinds of fish-specific P450scc-positive cells, including coronet cells of brain saccus vasculosus and hypophyseal somatolactin cells, were identified in black rockfish. Our results provide novel evidence for the potential role played by P450scc in reproduction behavior by mediating steroidogenesis in viviparous teleost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojie Wang
- Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, PR China
| | - Haishen Wen
- Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, PR China
| | - Yun Li
- Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, PR China
| | - Likang Lyu
- Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, PR China
| | - Min Song
- College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, PR China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, PR China
| | - Jianshuang Li
- Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, PR China
| | - Yijia Yao
- Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, PR China
| | - Jifang Li
- Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, PR China
| | - Xin Qi
- Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, PR China.
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4
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Loveland JL, Giraldo-Deck LM, Lank DB, Goymann W, Gahr M, Küpper C. Functional differences in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis are associated with alternative reproductive tactics based on an inversion polymorphism. Horm Behav 2021; 127:104877. [PMID: 33186586 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [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: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of social behavior depends on genetic changes, yet, how genomic variation manifests itself in behavioral diversity is still largely unresolved. Chromosomal inversions can play a pivotal role in producing distinct behavioral phenotypes, in particular, when inversion genes are functionally associated with hormone synthesis and signaling. Male ruffs exhibit alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) with an autosomal inversion determining two alternative morphs with clear behavioral and hormonal differences from the ancestral morph. We investigated hormonal and transcriptomic differences in the pituitary and gonads. Using a GnRH challenge, we found that the ability to synthesize testosterone in inversion carriers is severely constrained, whereas the synthesis of androstenedione, a testosterone precursor, is not. Inversion morphs were able to produce a transient increase in androstenedione following the GnRH injection, supporting the view that pituitary sensitivity to GnRH is comparable to that of the ancestral morph. We then performed gene expression analyses in a second set of untreated birds and found no evidence of alterations to pituitary sensitivity, gonadotropin production or gonad sensitivity to luteinizing hormone or follicle-stimulating hormone across morphs. Inversion morphs also showed reduced progesterone receptor expression in the pituitary. Strikingly, in the gonads, inversion morphs over-expressed STAR, a gene that is located outside of the inversion and responsible for providing the cholesterol substrate required for the synthesis of sex hormones. In conclusion, our results suggest that the gonads determine morph-specific differences in hormonal regulation.
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MESH Headings
- Androstenedione/metabolism
- Animals
- Charadriiformes/genetics
- Charadriiformes/physiology
- Follicle Stimulating Hormone, beta Subunit/genetics
- Follicle Stimulating Hormone, beta Subunit/metabolism
- Gene Expression/drug effects
- Gonadal Steroid Hormones/biosynthesis
- Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone/pharmacology
- Gonads/drug effects
- Gonads/metabolism
- Gonads/physiology
- Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System/drug effects
- Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System/metabolism
- Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System/physiology
- Male
- Pituitary Gland/drug effects
- Pituitary Gland/metabolism
- Polymorphism, Genetic
- Receptors, FSH/genetics
- Receptors, FSH/metabolism
- Receptors, LH/genetics
- Receptors, LH/metabolism
- Receptors, LHRH/genetics
- Receptors, LHRH/metabolism
- Reproduction/drug effects
- Reproduction/genetics
- Sequence Inversion
- Sexual Behavior, Animal/drug effects
- Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology
- Signal Transduction/drug effects
- Signal Transduction/genetics
- Testosterone/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- J L Loveland
- Behavioural Genetics and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.
| | - L M Giraldo-Deck
- Behavioural Genetics and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - D B Lank
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
| | - W Goymann
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - M Gahr
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - C Küpper
- Behavioural Genetics and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
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Himmelstein R, Spahija A, Fokidis HB. Evidence for fasting induced extra-adrenal steroidogenesis in the male brown anole, Anolis sagrei. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2020; 253:110544. [PMID: 33338607 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2020.110544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids (GCs) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) are steroids secreted by the adrenal glands into circulation to effect distant target tissues and coordinate physiological processes. This classic systemic view of steroids has been challenged by evidence that other tissues can independently synthesize their own steroids. Little is known however regarding circumstances that can promote this extra-adrenal steroidogenesis. Here we tested if fasting can induce tissues to increase GC and DHEA synthesis in the brown anole lizard Anolis sagrei. Lizards fasted for eight days lost body mass and increased fatty acid oxidation. Fasting also increased plasma concentrations of DHEA and corticosterone, but not cortisol. Corticosterone concentration within the adrenals, heart, intestines, lungs and liver exceeded that in plasma, with the latter two increasing with fasting. Levels of DHEA in the adrenals and heart were higher than in plasma, but no significant effect of fasting was observed, expect for a noticeable increase in intestinal DHEA. Two steroidogenic genes, the steroidogenic acute regulatory (Star) protein and Cyp17a1, a cytochrome P450 enzyme, were expressed in several tissues including the liver, lungs and intestines, which were increased with fasting. Continued research should aim to test for expression of additional enzymes further along the steroidogenic pathway. Nonetheless these data document potential extra-adrenal steroidogenesis as a possible mechanism for coping with energy shortages, although much work remains to be done to determine the specific roles of locally synthesized steroids in each tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ada Spahija
- Department of Biology, Rollins College, Winter Park, FL, USA
| | - H Bobby Fokidis
- Department of Biology, Rollins College, Winter Park, FL, USA.
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6
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Di Fiore MM, Santillo A, Falvo S, Pinelli C. Celebrating 50+ years of research on the reproductive biology and endocrinology of the green frog: An overview. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2020; 298:113578. [PMID: 32739437 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2020.113578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
This issue is dedicated to the late Professor Giovanni Chieffi, and this article is an overview of the research on Comparative Endocrinology of reproduction using Rana esculenta (alias Pelophylax esculentus) as a model system. Starting from the early 1970s till today, a large quantity of work have been conducted both in the fields of experimental endocrinology and in the definition of the diffuse neuroendocrine system, with a major focus on the increasing role of regulatory peptides. The various aspects investigated concerned the histological descriptions of principal endocrine glands of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, the localization and distribution in the HPG of several different substances (i.e. neurosteroids, hypothalamic peptide hormones, pituitary gonadotropins, gonadal sex steroids, and other molecules), the determination of sex hormone concentrations in both serum and tissues, the hormone manipulations, as well as the gene and protein expression of steroidogenic enzymes and their respective receptors. All together these researches, often conducted considering different periods of the annual reproductive cycle of the green frog, allowed to understand the mechanism of cascade control/regulation of the HPG axis of R. esculenta, characterizing the role of different hormones in the two sexes, and testing the hypotheses about the function of single hormones in different target organs. It becomes evident from the review that, in their simplest form, several features of this species are specular as compared to those of other vertebrate species and that reproduction in this frog species is either under endogenous multi-hormonal control or by a wide array of different factors. Our excursus of this research, spanning almost five decades, shows that R. esculenta has been intensively and successfully used as an animal model in reproductive endocrinology as well as several field studies such as those involving environmental concerns that focus on the effects of endocrine disruptors and other environmental contaminants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Maddalena Di Fiore
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences & Technologies, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Alessandra Santillo
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences & Technologies, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Sara Falvo
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences & Technologies, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Claudia Pinelli
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences & Technologies, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy.
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7
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Tonon MC, Vaudry H, Chuquet J, Guillebaud F, Fan J, Masmoudi-Kouki O, Vaudry D, Lanfray D, Morin F, Prevot V, Papadopoulos V, Troadec JD, Leprince J. Endozepines and their receptors: Structure, functions and pathophysiological significance. Pharmacol Ther 2020; 208:107386. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2019.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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8
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Understanding how Age-Related Decline in Testosterone Affects Male Sexual Behavior: Neurosteroids as the Missing Piece. CURRENT SEXUAL HEALTH REPORTS 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s11930-018-0175-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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9
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Ovid D, Hayes TB, Bentley GE. Melatonin Administration Methods for Research in Mammals and Birds. J Biol Rhythms 2018; 33:567-588. [PMID: 30246597 DOI: 10.1177/0748730418795802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Endocrine research in animals often entails exogenous hormone administration. Special issues arise when developing administration protocols for hormones with circadian and seasonal periodicity. This article reviews various methods for the exogenous administration of hormones with such periodicities by focusing on melatonin. We discuss that methodological variations across studies can affect experimental results. Melatonin administration techniques used in vertebrates includes infusion pumps, beeswax pellets, oral administration, injections, SILASTIC capsules, osmotic pumps, transdermal delivery, beads, and sponges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dax Ovid
- University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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10
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González SL, Meyer L, Raggio MC, Taleb O, Coronel MF, Patte-Mensah C, Mensah-Nyagan AG. Allopregnanolone and Progesterone in Experimental Neuropathic Pain: Former and New Insights with a Translational Perspective. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2018; 39:523-537. [DOI: 10.1007/s10571-018-0618-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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11
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Weger M, Diotel N, Weger BD, Beil T, Zaucker A, Eachus HL, Oakes JA, do Rego JL, Storbeck KH, Gut P, Strähle U, Rastegar S, Müller F, Krone N. Expression and activity profiling of the steroidogenic enzymes of glucocorticoid biosynthesis and the fdx1 co-factors in zebrafish. J Neuroendocrinol 2018; 30:e12586. [PMID: 29486070 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2016] [Revised: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The spatial and temporal expression of steroidogenic genes in zebrafish has not been fully characterised. Because zebrafish are increasingly employed in endocrine and stress research, a better characterisation of steroidogenic pathways is required to target specific steps in the biosynthetic pathways. In the present study, we have systematically defined the temporal and spatial expression of steroidogenic enzymes involved in glucocorticoid biosynthesis (cyp21a2, cyp11c1, cyp11a1, cyp11a2, cyp17a1, cyp17a2, hsd3b1, hsd3b2), as well as the mitochondrial electron-providing ferredoxin co-factors (fdx1, fdx1b), during zebrafish development. Our studies showed an early expression of all these genes during embryogenesis. In larvae, expression of cyp11a2, cyp11c1, cyp17a2, cyp21a2, hsd3b1 and fdx1b can be detected in the interrenal gland, which is the zebrafish counterpart of the mammalian adrenal gland, whereas the fdx1 transcript is mainly found in the digestive system. Gene expression studies using quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR and whole-mount in situ hybridisation in the adult zebrafish brain revealed a wide expression of these genes throughout the encephalon, including neurogenic regions. Using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, we were able to demonstrate the presence of the glucocorticoid cortisol in the adult zebrafish brain. Moreover, we demonstrate de novo biosynthesis of cortisol and the neurosteroid tetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone in the adult zebrafish brain from radiolabelled pregnenolone. Taken together, the present study comprises a comprehensive characterisation of the steroidogenic genes and the fdx co-factors facilitating glucocorticoid biosynthesis in zebrafish. Furthermore, we provide additional evidence of de novo neurosteroid biosynthesising in the brain of adult zebrafish facilitated by enzymes involved in glucocorticoid biosynthesis. Our study provides a valuable source for establishing the zebrafish as a translational model with respect to understanding the roles of the genes for glucocorticoid biosynthesis and fdx co-factors during embryonic development and stress, as well as in brain homeostasis and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Weger
- College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - N Diotel
- INSERM, UMR 1188, Diabète athérothrombose Thérapies Réunion Océan Indien (DéTROI), Université de La Réunion, Saint-Denis de La Réunion, France
| | - B D Weger
- Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences SA, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - T Beil
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - A Zaucker
- College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - H L Eachus
- Department of Oncology and Metabolism, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Department of Biomedical Science, The Bateson Centre, Sheffield, UK
| | - J A Oakes
- Department of Oncology and Metabolism, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Department of Biomedical Science, The Bateson Centre, Sheffield, UK
| | - J L do Rego
- Plateforme d'Analyse Comportementale (SCAC), Institut de Recherche et d'Innovation Biomédicale, Inserm U1234, Université de Rouen, Rouen Cedex, France
| | - K-H Storbeck
- Department of Biochemistry, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - P Gut
- Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences SA, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - U Strähle
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - S Rastegar
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - F Müller
- College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - N Krone
- College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Department of Oncology and Metabolism, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Department of Biomedical Science, The Bateson Centre, Sheffield, UK
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12
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Belelli D, Brown AR, Mitchell SJ, Gunn BG, Herd MB, Phillips GD, Seifi M, Swinny JD, Lambert JJ. Endogenous neurosteroids influence synaptic GABA A receptors during postnatal development. J Neuroendocrinol 2018; 30. [PMID: 28905487 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2017] [Revised: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 09/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
GABA plays a key role in both embryonic and neonatal brain development. For example, during early neonatal nervous system maturation, synaptic transmission, mediated by GABAA receptors (GABAA Rs), undergoes a temporally specific form of synaptic plasticity to accommodate the changing requirements of maturing neural networks. Specifically, the duration of miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs), resulting from vesicular GABA activating synaptic GABAA Rs, is reduced, permitting neurones to appropriately influence the window for postsynaptic excitation. Conventionally, programmed expression changes to the subtype of synaptic GABAA R are primarily implicated in this plasticity. However, it is now evident that, in developing thalamic and cortical principal- and inter-neurones, an endogenous neurosteroid tone (eg, allopregnanolone) enhances synaptic GABAA R function. Furthermore, a cessation of steroidogenesis, as a result of a lack of substrate, or a co-factor, appears to be primarily responsible for early neonatal changes to GABAergic synaptic transmission, followed by further refinement, which results from subsequent alterations of the GABAA R subtype. The timing of this cessation of neurosteroid influence is neurone-specific, occurring by postnatal day (P)10 in the thalamus but approximately 1 week later in the cortex. Neurosteroid levels are not static and change dynamically in a variety of physiological and pathophysiological scenarios. Given that GABA plays an important role in brain development, abnormal perturbations of neonatal GABAA R-active neurosteroids may have not only a considerable immediate, but also a longer-term impact upon neural network activity. Here, we review recent evidence indicating that changes in neurosteroidogenesis substantially influence neonatal GABAergic synaptic transmission. We discuss the physiological relevance of these findings and how the interference of neurosteroid-GABAA R interaction early in life may contribute to psychiatric conditions later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Belelli
- Division of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Ninewells Hospital, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - A R Brown
- Division of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Ninewells Hospital, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - S J Mitchell
- Division of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Ninewells Hospital, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - B G Gunn
- Division of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Ninewells Hospital, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - M B Herd
- Division of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Ninewells Hospital, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - G D Phillips
- Division of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Ninewells Hospital, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - M Seifi
- Institute for Biomedical & Biomolecular Sciences, School of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - J D Swinny
- Institute for Biomedical & Biomolecular Sciences, School of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - J J Lambert
- Division of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Ninewells Hospital, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
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13
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Abstract
Astrocytes are neural cells of ectodermal, neuroepithelial origin that provide for homeostasis and defense of the central nervous system (CNS). Astrocytes are highly heterogeneous in morphological appearance; they express a multitude of receptors, channels, and membrane transporters. This complement underlies their remarkable adaptive plasticity that defines the functional maintenance of the CNS in development and aging. Astrocytes are tightly integrated into neural networks and act within the context of neural tissue; astrocytes control homeostasis of the CNS at all levels of organization from molecular to the whole organ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexei Verkhratsky
- The University of Manchester , Manchester , United Kingdom ; Achúcarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science , Bilbao , Spain ; Department of Neuroscience, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU and CIBERNED, Leioa, Spain ; Center for Basic and Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark ; and Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester Medical Center , Rochester, New York
| | - Maiken Nedergaard
- The University of Manchester , Manchester , United Kingdom ; Achúcarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science , Bilbao , Spain ; Department of Neuroscience, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU and CIBERNED, Leioa, Spain ; Center for Basic and Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark ; and Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester Medical Center , Rochester, New York
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14
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Verkhratsky A, Nedergaard M. Physiology of Astroglia. Physiol Rev 2018; 98:239-389. [PMID: 29351512 PMCID: PMC6050349 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00042.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 899] [Impact Index Per Article: 149.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2016] [Revised: 03/22/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Astrocytes are neural cells of ectodermal, neuroepithelial origin that provide for homeostasis and defense of the central nervous system (CNS). Astrocytes are highly heterogeneous in morphological appearance; they express a multitude of receptors, channels, and membrane transporters. This complement underlies their remarkable adaptive plasticity that defines the functional maintenance of the CNS in development and aging. Astrocytes are tightly integrated into neural networks and act within the context of neural tissue; astrocytes control homeostasis of the CNS at all levels of organization from molecular to the whole organ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexei Verkhratsky
- The University of Manchester , Manchester , United Kingdom ; Achúcarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science , Bilbao , Spain ; Department of Neuroscience, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU and CIBERNED, Leioa, Spain ; Center for Basic and Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark ; and Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester Medical Center , Rochester, New York
| | - Maiken Nedergaard
- The University of Manchester , Manchester , United Kingdom ; Achúcarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science , Bilbao , Spain ; Department of Neuroscience, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU and CIBERNED, Leioa, Spain ; Center for Basic and Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark ; and Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester Medical Center , Rochester, New York
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15
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Di Fiore MM, Santillo A, Falvo S, Chieffi Baccari G, Venditti M, Di Giacomo Russo F, Lispi M, D'Aniello A. Sex hormone levels in the brain of d-aspartate-treated rats. C R Biol 2017; 341:9-15. [PMID: 29203165 DOI: 10.1016/j.crvi.2017.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Revised: 11/13/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
d-Aspartate (d-Asp) is an endogenous amino acid present in the central nervous system and endocrine glands of various animal taxa. d-Asp is implicated in neurotransmission, physiology of learning, and memory processes. In gonads, it plays a crucial role in sex hormone synthesis. We have investigated the effects of chronic (30 days d-Asp drinking solution) and acute (i.p. injection of 2μmol/g bw d-Asp) treatments on sex steroid synthesis in rat brain. Furthermore, to verify the direct effect of d-Asp on neurosteroidogenic enzyme activities, brain homogenates were incubated with different substrates (cholesterol, progesterone, or testosterone) with or without the addition of d-Asp. Enzyme activities were measured by evaluating the in vitro conversion rate of (i) cholesterol to progesterone, testosterone, and 17β-estradiol, (ii) progesterone to testosterone and 17β-estradiol, (iii) testosterone to 17β-estradiol. We found that d-Asp oral administration produced an increase of approximately 40% in progesterone, 110% in testosterone, and 35% in 17β-estradiol. Similarly, the results of the acute experiment showed that at 30min after d-Asp treatment, the progesterone, testosterone, and 17β-estradiol levels increased by 29-35%, and at 8h they further increased by a 100% increment. In vitro experiments demonstrate that the addition of d-Asp to brain homogenate+substrate induces a significant increase in progesterone, testosterone and 17β-estradiol suggesting that the amino acid upregulates the local activity of steroidogenic enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Maddalena Di Fiore
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie ambientali, biologiche e farmaceutiche, Università della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Alessandra Santillo
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie ambientali, biologiche e farmaceutiche, Università della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy.
| | - Sara Falvo
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie ambientali, biologiche e farmaceutiche, Università della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Gabriella Chieffi Baccari
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie ambientali, biologiche e farmaceutiche, Università della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Massimo Venditti
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Federica Di Giacomo Russo
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie ambientali, biologiche e farmaceutiche, Università della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Monica Lispi
- Medical Affair Department Fertility TA, Merck-Serono SAS, Rome, Italy
| | - Antimo D'Aniello
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie ambientali, biologiche e farmaceutiche, Università della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy; Department of Neurobiology and Comparative Physiology, Zoological Station "Anthon Dohrn", Naples, Italy.
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16
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Santillo A, Falvo S, Di Fiore MM, Chieffi Baccari G. Seasonal changes and sexual dimorphism in gene expression of StAR protein, steroidogenic enzymes and sex hormone receptors in the frog brain. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2017; 246:226-232. [PMID: 28027903 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2016] [Revised: 12/20/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The brain of amphibians contains all the key enzymes of steroidogenesis and has a high steroidogenic activity. In seasonally-breeding amphibian species brain steroid levels fluctuate synchronously with the reproductive cycle. Here we report a study of gene expression of StAR protein, key steroidogenic enzymes and sex hormone receptors in the telencephalon (T) and diencephalon-mesencephalon (D-M) of male and female reproductive and post-reproductive Pelophylax esculentus, a seasonally breeding anuran amphibian. Significant differences in gene expression were observed between (a) the reproductive and post-reproductive phase, (b) the two brain regions and (c) male and female frogs. During the reproductive phase, star gene expression increased in the male (both T and D-M) but not in the female brain. Seasonal fluctuations in expression levels of hsd3b1, hsd17b1, srd5a1 and cyp19a1 genes for neurosteroidogenic enzymes occurred in D-M region of both sexes, with the higher levels in reproductive period. Moreover, the D-M region generally showed higher levels of gene expression than the T region in both sexes. Gene expression was higher in females than males for most genes, suggesting higher neurosteroid production in female brain. Seasonal and sex-linked changes were also observed in gene expression for androgen (ar) and estrogen (esr1, esr2) receptors, with the males showing the highest ar levels in reproductive phase and the highest esr1 and esr2 levels in post-reproductive phase; in contrast, females showed the maximum expression for all three genes in reproductive phase. The results are the first evidence for seasonal changes and sexual dimorphism of gene expression of the neurosteroidogenic pathway in amphibians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Santillo
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, via Vivaldi, 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy.
| | - Sara Falvo
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, via Vivaldi, 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Maria Maddalena Di Fiore
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, via Vivaldi, 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Gabriella Chieffi Baccari
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, via Vivaldi, 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
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17
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Rendon NM, Amez AC, Proffitt MR, Bauserman ER, Demas GE. Aggressive behaviours track transitions in seasonal phenotypes of female Siberian hamsters. Funct Ecol 2017; 31:1071-1081. [PMID: 28757672 PMCID: PMC5526640 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Seasonally breeding animals exhibit profound physiological and behavioural responses to changes in ambient day length (photoperiod), including changes in reproductive function and territorial aggression.Species where aggression persists when gonads are regressed and circulating levels of gonadal hormones are low, such as Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) and song sparrows (Melospiza melodia), challenge the well-established framework that gonadal hormones are important mediators of aggression.A solution to this apparent paradox is that a season-specific increase in sensitivity to hormones in brain areas associated with aggression offsets low levels of gonadal hormones during periods of reproductive quiescence.To test this hypothesis, we manipulated photoperiod to induce natural fluctuations in seasonal phenotype across multiple stages of the annual reproductive cycle in female Siberian hamsters that display increased aggression during short-day reproductive quiescence, suggesting that behaviour persists independent of gonadal steroids.Females were housed in long "summer" days or short "winter" days for 10, 24 or 30 weeks to capture gonadal regression, transition back to a reproductively functional state and full gonadal recrudescence, respectively.Long-day animals maintained reproductive functionality and displayed low aggression across all time points. By week 10, short-day reproductively responsive females underwent gonadal regression and displayed increased aggression; non-responsive animals showed no such changes. At week 24, animals were in a transitional period and displayed an intermediate phenotype with respect to reproduction and aggression. By week 30, short-day females were fully recrudesced and returned to long-day-like levels of aggression.Consistent with our hypothesis, gonadally regressed females displayed decreases in 17β-oestradiol (oestradiol) levels, but site-specific increases in the abundance of brain oestrogen receptor-alpha (ERα) in regions associated with aggression, but not reproduction. Increased site-specific ERα may function as a compensatory mechanism to allow increased responsiveness to oestradiol in regulating aggression in lieu of high circulating concentrations of hormones.Collectively, these results broaden our understanding of how breeding phenology maps onto social behaviour and the mechanisms that have evolved to coordinate behaviours that occur in non-breeding contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikki M Rendon
- Department of Biology, Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Andrea C Amez
- Department of Biology, Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Melissa R Proffitt
- Department of Biology, Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Elizabeth R Bauserman
- Department of Biology, Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Gregory E Demas
- Department of Biology, Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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18
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Rosenfeld CS, Denslow ND, Orlando EF, Gutierrez-Villagomez JM, Trudeau VL. Neuroendocrine disruption of organizational and activational hormone programming in poikilothermic vertebrates. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART B, CRITICAL REVIEWS 2017; 20:276-304. [PMID: 28895797 PMCID: PMC6174081 DOI: 10.1080/10937404.2017.1370083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
In vertebrates, sexual differentiation of the reproductive system and brain is tightly orchestrated by organizational and activational effects of endogenous hormones. In mammals and birds, the organizational period is typified by a surge of sex hormones during differentiation of specific neural circuits; whereas activational effects are dependent upon later increases in these same hormones at sexual maturation. Depending on the reproductive organ or brain region, initial programming events may be modulated by androgens or require conversion of androgens to estrogens. The prevailing notion based upon findings in mammalian models is that male brain is sculpted to undergo masculinization and defeminization. In absence of these responses, the female brain develops. While timing of organizational and activational events vary across taxa, there are shared features. Further, exposure of different animal models to environmental chemicals such as xenoestrogens such as bisphenol A-BPA and ethinylestradiol-EE2, gestagens, and thyroid hormone disruptors, broadly classified as neuroendocrine disrupting chemicals (NED), during these critical periods may result in similar alterations in brain structure, function, and consequently, behaviors. Organizational effects of neuroendocrine systems in mammals and birds appear to be permanent, whereas teleost fish neuroendocrine systems exhibit plasticity. While there are fewer NED studies in amphibians and reptiles, data suggest that NED disrupt normal organizational-activational effects of endogenous hormones, although it remains to be determined if these disturbances are reversible. The aim of this review is to examine how various environmental chemicals may interrupt normal organizational and activational events in poikilothermic vertebrates. By altering such processes, these chemicals may affect reproductive health of an animal and result in compromised populations and ecosystem-level effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl S. Rosenfeld
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
- Thompson Center for Autism and Neurobehavioral Disorders, Columbia, MO, USA
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Nancy D. Denslow
- Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Edward F. Orlando
- Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | | | - Vance L. Trudeau
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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19
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Uryu O, Ameku T, Niwa R. Recent progress in understanding the role of ecdysteroids in adult insects: Germline development and circadian clock in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. ZOOLOGICAL LETTERS 2015; 1:32. [PMID: 26605077 PMCID: PMC4657291 DOI: 10.1186/s40851-015-0031-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2015] [Accepted: 09/27/2015] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Steroid hormones are one of the major bioactive molecules responsible for the coordinated regulation of biological processes in multicellular organisms. In insects, the principal steroid hormones are ecdysteroids, including 20-hydroxyecdysone. A great deal of research has investigated the roles played by ecdysteroids during insect development, especially the regulatory role in inducing molting and metamorphosis. However, little attention has been paid to the roles of these hormones in post-developmental processes, despite their undisputed presence in the adult insect body. Recently, molecular genetics of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has revealed that ecdysteroid biosynthesis and signaling are indeed active in adult insects, and involved in diverse processes, including oogenesis, stress resistance, longevity, and neuronal activity. In this review, we focus on very recent progress in the understanding of two adult biological events that require ecdysteroid biosynthesis and/or signaling in Drosophila at the molecular level: germline development and the circadian clock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Outa Uryu
- />Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tennoudai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572 Japan
| | - Tomotsune Ameku
- />Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tennoudai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572 Japan
| | - Ryusuke Niwa
- />Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tennoudai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572 Japan
- />Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tennoudai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572 Japan
- />PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Honcho 4-1-8, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012 Japan
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