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Yu ZX, Zha X, Xu XH. Estrogen-responsive neural circuits governing male and female mating behavior in mice. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 81:102749. [PMID: 37421660 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
Decades of knockout analyses have highlighted the crucial involvement of estrogen receptors and downstream genes in controlling mating behaviors. More recently, advancements in neural circuit research have unveiled a distributed subcortical network comprising estrogen-receptor or estrogen-synthesis-enzyme-expressing cells that transforms sensory inputs into sex-specific mating actions. This review provides an overview of the latest discoveries on estrogen-responsive neurons in various brain regions and the associated neural circuits that govern different aspects of male and female mating actions in mice. By contextualizing these findings within previous knockout studies of estrogen receptors, we emphasize the emerging field of "circuit genetics", where identifying mating behavior-related neural circuits may allow for a more precise evaluation of gene functions within these circuits. Such investigations will enable a deeper understanding of how hormone fluctuation, acting through estrogen receptors and downstream genes, influences the connectivity and activity of neural circuits, ultimately impacting the manifestation of innate mating actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Xian Yu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xi Zha
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Xiao-Hong Xu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai 200031, China.
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Xia Q, Chu M, He X, Liu Q, Zhang X, Zhang J, Guo X, Di R. Identification of Photoperiod-Induced LncRNAs and mRNAs in Pituitary Pars Tuberalis of Sheep. Front Vet Sci 2021; 8:644474. [PMID: 34414222 PMCID: PMC8369575 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.644474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The pituitary pars tuberalis (PT) is the regulating center of seasonal reproduction, which can sense the melatonin signal and eventually cause downstream changes of GnRH secretion through TSHβ. Recently, lncRNAs have been identified in animal reproductive-related tissues, and they play important roles in reproductive regulation. Therefore, in this study, we expect to identify photoperiod-induced lncRNAs and genes in pituitary PT of sheep by comparison of expression profiles between short photoperiod (SP) and long photoperiod (LP). Through RNA-Seq, a total of 55,472 lncRNAs were identified in pituitary PT of Sunite ewes. The number of differentially expressed (DE) genes and lncRNAs between SP and LP increased gradually with the extension of LP (from LP7 to LP42). The notable LP-induced candidate genes included EYA3, TSHB, SIX1, DCT, VMO1, AREG, SUV39H2, and EZH2, and SP-induced genes involved ENSOARG00000012585, CHGA, FOS, SOCS3, and TH. In enriched pathways for DE genes and lncRNA target genes between SP and LP, the reproduction- and circadian-related pathways were highlighted. In addition, the interactome analysis of lncRNAs and their targets implied that MSTRG.209166 and its trans-target TSHB, MSTRG.288068 and its cis-target SIX1, and ENSOARG00000026131 and its cis-target TH might participate in regulation of seasonal reproduction. Together, these results will help to determine important photoperiod-induced lncRNAs and genes and give us some new insights into the epigenetic regulation of seasonal reproduction in sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Xia
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Mingxing Chu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoyun He
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qiuyue Liu
- Tianjin Institute of Animal Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | | | - Jinlong Zhang
- Tianjin Institute of Animal Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiaofei Guo
- Tianjin Institute of Animal Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Ran Di
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
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Abstract
Gonadal hormones contribute to the sexual differentiation of brain and behavior throughout the lifespan, from initial neural patterning to "activation" of adult circuits. Sexual behavior is an ideal system in which to investigate the mechanisms underlying hormonal activation of neural circuits. Sexual behavior is a hormonally regulated, innate social behavior found across species. Although both sexes seek out and engage in sexual behavior, the specific actions involved in mating are sexually dimorphic. Thus, the neural circuits mediating sexual motivation and behavior in males and females are overlapping yet distinct. Furthermore, sexual behavior is strongly dependent on circulating gonadal hormones in both sexes. There has been significant recent progress on elucidating how gonadal hormones modulate physiological properties within sexual behavior circuits with consequences for behavior. Therefore, in this mini-review we review the neural circuits of male and female sexual motivation and behavior, from initial sensory detection of pheromones to the extended amygdala and on to medial hypothalamic nuclei and reward systems. We also discuss how gonadal hormones impact the physiology and functioning of each node within these circuits. By better understanding the myriad of ways in which gonadal hormones impact sexual behavior circuits, we can gain a richer and more complete appreciation for the neural substrates of complex behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly J Jennings
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Luis de Lecea
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California
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Williams CM, Ragland GJ, Betini G, Buckley LB, Cheviron ZA, Donohue K, Hereford J, Humphries MM, Lisovski S, Marshall KE, Schmidt PS, Sheldon KS, Varpe Ø, Visser ME. Understanding Evolutionary Impacts of Seasonality: An Introduction to the Symposium. Integr Comp Biol 2018; 57:921-933. [PMID: 29045649 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icx122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Seasonality is a critically important aspect of environmental variability, and strongly shapes all aspects of life for organisms living in highly seasonal environments. Seasonality has played a key role in generating biodiversity, and has driven the evolution of extreme physiological adaptations and behaviors such as migration and hibernation. Fluctuating selection pressures on survival and fecundity between summer and winter provide a complex selective landscape, which can be met by a combination of three outcomes of adaptive evolution: genetic polymorphism, phenotypic plasticity, and bet-hedging. Here, we have identified four important research questions with the goal of advancing our understanding of evolutionary impacts of seasonality. First, we ask how characteristics of environments and species will determine which adaptive response occurs. Relevant characteristics include costs and limits of plasticity, predictability, and reliability of cues, and grain of environmental variation relative to generation time. A second important question is how phenological shifts will amplify or ameliorate selection on physiological hardiness. Shifts in phenology can preserve the thermal niche despite shifts in climate, but may fail to completely conserve the niche or may even expose life stages to conditions that cause mortality. Considering distinct environmental sensitivities of life history stages will be key to refining models that forecast susceptibility to climate change. Third, we must identify critical physiological phenotypes that underlie seasonal adaptation and work toward understanding the genetic architectures of these responses. These architectures are key for predicting evolutionary responses. Pleiotropic genes that regulate multiple responses to changing seasons may facilitate coordination among functionally related traits, or conversely may constrain the expression of optimal phenotypes. Finally, we must advance our understanding of how changes in seasonal fluctuations are impacting ecological interaction networks. We should move beyond simple dyadic interactions, such as predator prey dynamics, and understand how these interactions scale up to affect ecological interaction networks. As global climate change alters many aspects of seasonal variability, including extreme events and changes in mean conditions, organisms must respond appropriately or go extinct. The outcome of adaptation to seasonality will determine responses to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline M Williams
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, 3040 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94705, USA
| | - Gregory J Ragland
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Gustavo Betini
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lauren B Buckley
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Zachary A Cheviron
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | | | - Joe Hereford
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Murray M Humphries
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada
| | - Simeon Lisovski
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | | | - Paul S Schmidt
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kimberly S Sheldon
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Øystein Varpe
- Department of Arctic Biology, The University Centre in Svalbard, Longyearbyen, Norway.,Akvaplan-niva, Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Marcel E Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), P.O. Box 50, 6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands
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