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Garcia-Segura LM, Méndez P, Arevalo MA, Azcoitia I. Neuroestradiol and neuronal development: Not an exclusive male tale anymore. Front Neuroendocrinol 2023; 71:101102. [PMID: 37689249 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
The brain synthesizes a variety of neurosteroids, including neuroestradiol. Inhibition of neuroestradiol synthesis results in alterations in basic neurodevelopmental processes, such as neurogenesis, neuroblast migration, neuritogenesis and synaptogenesis. Although the neurodevelopmental actions of neuroestradiol are exerted in both sexes, some of them are sex-specific, such as the well characterized effects of neuroestradiol derived from the metabolism of testicular testosterone during critical periods of male brain development. In addition, recent findings have shown sex-specific actions of neuroestradiol on neuroblast migration, neuritic growth and synaptogenesis in females. Among other factors, the epigenetic regulation exerted by X linked genes, such as Kdm6a/Utx, may determine sex-specific actions of neuroestradiol in the female brain. This review evidences the impact of neuroestradiol on brain formation in both sexes and highlights the interaction of neural steriodogenesis, hormones and sex chromosomes in sex-specific brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis M Garcia-Segura
- Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Avenida Doctor Arce 37, 28002 Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto Nacional de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Pablo Méndez
- Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Avenida Doctor Arce 37, 28002 Madrid, Spain
| | - M Angeles Arevalo
- Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Avenida Doctor Arce 37, 28002 Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto Nacional de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Iñigo Azcoitia
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto Nacional de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Cell Biology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, C José Antonio Nováis 12, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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2
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Boueid MJ, El-Hage O, Schumacher M, Degerny C, Tawk M. Zebrafish as an emerging model to study estrogen receptors in neural development. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1240018. [PMID: 37664862 PMCID: PMC10469878 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1240018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Estrogens induce several regulatory signals in the nervous system that are mainly mediated through estrogen receptors (ERs). ERs are largely expressed in the nervous system, yet the importance of ERs to neural development has only been elucidated over the last decades. Accumulating evidence shows a fundamental role for estrogens in the development of the central and peripheral nervous systems, hence, the contribution of ERs to neural function is now a growing area of research. The conservation of the structure of the ERs and their response to estrogens make the zebrafish an interesting model to dissect the role of estrogens in the nervous system. In this review, we highlight major findings of ER signaling in embryonic zebrafish neural development and compare the similarities and differences to research in rodents. We also discuss how the recent generation of zebrafish ER mutants, coupled with the availability of several transgenic reporter lines, its amenability to pharmacological studies and in vivo live imaging, could help us explore ER function in embryonic neural development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Marcel Tawk
- *Correspondence: Cindy Degerny, ; Marcel Tawk,
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3
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Lutshumba J, Wilcock DM, Monson NL, Stowe AM. Sex-based differences in effector cells of the adaptive immune system during Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Neurobiol Dis 2023; 184:106202. [PMID: 37330146 PMCID: PMC10481581 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD) present with many challenges due to the heterogeneity of the related disease(s), making it difficult to develop effective treatments. Additionally, the progression of ADRD-related pathologies presents differently between men and women. With two-thirds of the population affected with ADRD being women, ADRD has presented itself with a bias toward the female population. However, studies of ADRD generally do not incorporate sex-based differences in investigating the development and progression of the disease, which is detrimental to understanding and treating dementia. Additionally, recent implications for the adaptive immune system in the development of ADRD bring in new factors to be considered as part of the disease, including sex-based differences in immune response(s) during ADRD development. Here, we review the sex-based differences of pathological hallmarks of ADRD presentation and progression, sex-based differences in the adaptive immune system and how it changes with ADRD, and the importance of precision medicine in the development of a more targeted and personalized treatment for this devastating and prevalent neurodegenerative condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Lutshumba
- Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America
| | - Donna M Wilcock
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America; Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America
| | - Nancy L Monson
- Department of Neurology and Immunology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States of America
| | - Ann M Stowe
- Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America; Center for Advanced Translational Stroke Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America.
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4
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Mukherjee D, Kanold PO. Changing subplate circuits: Early activity dependent circuit plasticity. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 16:1067365. [PMID: 36713777 PMCID: PMC9874351 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.1067365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Early neural activity in the developing sensory system comprises spontaneous bursts of patterned activity, which is fundamental for sculpting and refinement of immature cortical connections. The crude early connections that are initially refined by spontaneous activity, are further elaborated by sensory-driven activity from the periphery such that orderly and mature connections are established for the proper functioning of the cortices. Subplate neurons (SPNs) are one of the first-born mature neurons that are transiently present during early development, the period of heightened activity-dependent plasticity. SPNs are well integrated within the developing sensory cortices. Their structural and functional properties such as relative mature intrinsic membrane properties, heightened connectivity via chemical and electrical synapses, robust activation by neuromodulatory inputs-place them in an ideal position to serve as crucial elements in monitoring and regulating spontaneous endogenous network activity. Moreover, SPNs are the earliest substrates to receive early sensory-driven activity from the periphery and are involved in its modulation, amplification, and transmission before the maturation of the direct adult-like thalamocortical connectivity. Consequently, SPNs are vulnerable to sensory manipulations in the periphery. A broad range of early sensory deprivations alters SPN circuit organization and functions that might be associated with long term neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. Here we provide a comprehensive overview of SPN function in activity-dependent development during early life and integrate recent findings on the impact of early sensory deprivation on SPNs that could eventually lead to neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Didhiti Mukherjee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Patrick O. Kanold
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States,Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States,*Correspondence: Patrick O. Kanold ✉
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5
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Kelava I, Chiaradia I, Pellegrini L, Kalinka AT, Lancaster MA. Androgens increase excitatory neurogenic potential in human brain organoids. Nature 2022; 602:112-116. [PMID: 35046577 PMCID: PMC7612328 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04330-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The biological basis of male-female brain differences has been difficult to elucidate in humans. The most notable morphological difference is size, with male individuals having on average a larger brain than female individuals1,2, but a mechanistic understanding of how this difference arises remains unknown. Here we use brain organoids3 to show that although sex chromosomal complement has no observable effect on neurogenesis, sex steroids-namely androgens-lead to increased proliferation of cortical progenitors and an increased neurogenic pool. Transcriptomic analysis and functional studies demonstrate downstream effects on histone deacetylase activity and the mTOR pathway. Finally, we show that androgens specifically increase the neurogenic output of excitatory neuronal progenitors, whereas inhibitory neuronal progenitors are not increased. These findings reveal a role for androgens in regulating the number of excitatory neurons and represent a step towards understanding the origin of sex-related brain differences in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iva Kelava
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK.
| | - Ilaria Chiaradia
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Laura Pellegrini
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Alex T Kalinka
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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6
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Gata-Garcia A, Porat A, Brimberg L, Volpe BT, Huerta PT, Diamond B. Contributions of Sex Chromosomes and Gonadal Hormones to the Male Bias in a Maternal Antibody-Induced Model of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Front Neurol 2021; 12:721108. [PMID: 34721260 PMCID: PMC8548617 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.721108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental conditions that is four times more commonly diagnosed in males than females. While susceptibility genes located in the sex chromosomes have been identified in ASD, it is unclear whether they are sufficient to explain the male bias or whether gonadal hormones also play a key role. We evaluated the sex chromosomal and hormonal influences on the male bias in a murine model of ASD, in which mice are exposed in utero to a maternal antibody reactive to contactin-associated protein-like 2 (Caspr2), which was originally cloned from a mother of a child with ASD (termed C6 mice henceforth). In this model, only male mice are affected. We used the four-core-genotypes (FCG) model in which the Sry gene is deleted from the Y chromosome (Y−) and inserted into autosome 3 (TgSry). Thus, by combining the C6 and FCG models, we were able to differentiate the contributions of sex chromosomes and gonadal hormones to the development of fetal brain and adult behavioral phenotypes. We show that the presence of the Y chromosome, or lack of two X chromosomes, irrespective of gonadal sex, increased the susceptibility to C6-induced phenotypes including the abnormal growth of the developing fetal cerebral cortex, as well as a behavioral pattern of decreased open-field exploration in adult mice. Our results indicate that sex chromosomes are the main determinant of the male bias in the maternal C6-induced model of ASD. The less dominant hormonal effect may be due to modulation by sex chromosome genes of factors involved in gonadal hormone pathways in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Gata-Garcia
- Center for Autoimmune, Musculoskeletal and Hematopoietic Diseases, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, United States.,Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, United States
| | - Amit Porat
- Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, United States
| | - Lior Brimberg
- Center for Autoimmune, Musculoskeletal and Hematopoietic Diseases, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, United States
| | - Bruce T Volpe
- Center for Autoimmune, Musculoskeletal and Hematopoietic Diseases, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, United States
| | - Patricio T Huerta
- Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, United States.,Laboratory of Immune and Neural Networks, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, United States
| | - Betty Diamond
- Center for Autoimmune, Musculoskeletal and Hematopoietic Diseases, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, United States.,Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, United States
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7
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Sellinger EP, Riesgo VR, Brinks AS, Willing J, Juraska JM. Perinatal phthalate exposure increases developmental apoptosis in the rat medial prefrontal cortex. Neurotoxicology 2021; 87:167-173. [PMID: 34599995 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2021.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Phthalates are a class of endocrine disruptors found in a variety of consumer goods, and offspring can be exposed to these compounds during gestation and lactation. Our laboratory has found that perinatal exposure to an environmentally relevant mixture of phthalates resulted in a decrease in cognitive flexibility and in neuron number in the adult rat medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Here, we examine effects of phthalate treatment on prenatal cellular proliferation and perinatal apoptosis in the mPFC. To examine the phthalate effects on cellular proliferation, dams consumed 0, 1, or 5 mg/kg of the phthalate mixture daily from embryonic day 2 (E2) through the day of birth (P0), and on E16 and E17, they were injected with BrdU. The mPFC of offspring was analyzed on P5 and showed a decrease in labelled cells in the phthalate exposed groups. To examine whether changes in BrdU density observed on P5 were due to altered cell survival, cell death was measured on E18, P0, and P5 using a TUNEL assay in a separate cohort of prenatally exposed offspring. There was an increase in TUNEL labelled cells at E18 in the phthalate exposed groups. In the final experiment, dams consumed the phthalate mixture from E2 through P10, at which time mPFC tissue was stained with TUNEL. Phthalate treated subjects showed a higher density of apoptotic cells at P10. These results indicate both pre- and postnatal phthalate exposure increases apoptosis in the male and female rat mPFC. While the impact of phthalates on proliferation cannot be ruled out, these data do not allow for definitive conclusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elli P Sellinger
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 603 E. Daniel Street, Champaign, IL, 61820, United States
| | - Victoria R Riesgo
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, 822 E Merry Ave, Bowling Green, OH, 43403, United States
| | - Amara S Brinks
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 603 E. Daniel Street, Champaign, IL, 61820, United States
| | - Jari Willing
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, 822 E Merry Ave, Bowling Green, OH, 43403, United States
| | - Janice M Juraska
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 603 E. Daniel Street, Champaign, IL, 61820, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 603 E. Daniel Street, Champaign, IL, 61820, United States.
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8
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Libé-Philippot B, Vanderhaeghen P. Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms Linking Human Cortical Development and Evolution. Annu Rev Genet 2021; 55:555-581. [PMID: 34535062 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-071719-020705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The cerebral cortex is at the core of brain functions that are thought to be particularly developed in the human species. Human cortex specificities stem from divergent features of corticogenesis, leading to increased cortical size and complexity. Underlying cellular mechanisms include prolonged patterns of neuronal generation and maturation, as well as the amplification of specific types of stem/progenitor cells. While the gene regulatory networks of corticogenesis appear to be largely conserved among all mammals including humans, they have evolved in primates, particularly in the human species, through the emergence of rapidly divergent transcriptional regulatory elements, as well as recently duplicated novel genes. These human-specific molecular features together control key cellular milestones of human corticogenesis and are often affected in neurodevelopmental disorders, thus linking human neural development, evolution, and diseases. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Genetics, Volume 55 is November 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baptiste Libé-Philippot
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, KU Leuven Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; .,Institut de Recherches Interdisciplinaires en Biologie Humaine et Moléculaire (IRIBHM) and ULB Neuroscience Institute (UNI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 1070 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Pierre Vanderhaeghen
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, KU Leuven Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; .,Institut de Recherches Interdisciplinaires en Biologie Humaine et Moléculaire (IRIBHM) and ULB Neuroscience Institute (UNI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 1070 Brussels, Belgium
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9
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Hernandez Scudder ME, Kunkel MN, Gore AC. Exposure to prenatal PCBs shifts the timing of neurogenesis in the hypothalamus of developing rats. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2020; 333:550-560. [PMID: 32798281 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The developing brain is highly sensitive to the hormonal milieu, with gonadal steroid hormones involved in neurogenesis, neural survival, and brain organization. Limited available evidence suggests that endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may perturb these developmental processes. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that prenatal exposure to a mixture of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Aroclor 1221, would disrupt the normal timing of neurogenesis in two hypothalamic regions: the ventromedial nucleus (VMN) and the preoptic area (POA). These regions were selected because of their important roles in the control of sociosexual behaviors that are perturbed in adulthood by prenatal EDC exposure. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to PCBs from Embryonic Day 8 (E8) to E18, encompassing the period of neurogenesis of all hypothalamic neurons. To determine the birth dates of neurons, bromo-2-deoxy-5-uridine (BrdU) was administered to dams on E12, E14, or E16. On the day after birth, male and female pups were perfused, brains immunolabeled for BrdU, and numbers of cells counted. In the VMN, exposure to PCBs significantly advanced the timing of neurogenesis compared to vehicle-treated pups, without changing the total number of BrdU+ cells. In the POA, PCBs did not change the timing of neurogenesis nor the total number of cells born. This is the first study to show that PCBs can shift the timing of neurogenesis in the hypothalamus, specifically in the VMN but not the POA. This result has implications for functions controlled by the VMN, especially sociosexual behaviors, as well as for sexual selection more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Andrea C Gore
- Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.,Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
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10
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Sellers KJ, Denley MCS, Saito A, Foster EM, Salgarella I, Delogu A, Kamiya A, Srivastava DP. Brain-synthesized oestrogens regulate cortical migration in a sexually divergent manner. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 52:2646-2663. [PMID: 32314480 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Oestrogens play an important role in brain development where they have been implicated in controlling various cellular processes. Several lines of evidence have been presented showing that oestrogens can be synthesized locally within the brain. Studies have demonstrated that aromatase, the enzyme responsible for the conversion of androgens to oestrogens, is expressed during early development in both male and female cortices. Furthermore, 17β-oestradiol has been measured in foetal brain tissue from multiple species. 17β-oestradiol regulates neural progenitor proliferation as well as the development of early neuronal morphology. However, what role locally derived oestrogens play in regulating cortical migration and, moreover, whether these effects are the same in males and females are unknown. Here, we investigated the impact of knockdown expression of Cyp19a1, which encodes aromatase, between embryonic day (E) 14.5 and postnatal day 0 (P0) had on neural migration within the cortex. Aromatase was expressed in the developing cortex of both sexes, but at significantly higher levels in male than female mice. Under basal conditions, no obvious differences in cortical migration between male and female mice were observed. However, knockdown of Cyp19a1 resulted in an increase in cells within the cortical plate, and a concurrent decrease in the subventricular zone/ventricular zone in P0 male mice. Interestingly, the opposite effect was observed in females, who displayed a significant reduction in cells migrating to the cortical plate. Together, these findings indicate that brain-derived oestrogens regulate radial migration through distinct mechanisms in males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine J Sellers
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew C S Denley
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Atsushi Saito
- The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Evangeline M Foster
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Irene Salgarella
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Alessio Delogu
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Atsushi Kamiya
- The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Deepak P Srivastava
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
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11
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Haumann I, Sturm MA, Anstötz M, Rune GM. GPER1 Signaling Initiates Migration of Female V-SVZ-Derived Cells. iScience 2020; 23:101077. [PMID: 32361597 PMCID: PMC7200306 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 12/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In the rodent ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) neurons are generated throughout life. They migrate along the rostral migratory stream (RMS) into the olfactory bulb before their final differentiation into interneurons and integration into local circuits. Estrogen receptors (ERs) are steroid hormone receptors with important functions in neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity. In this study, we show that the ER GPER1 is expressed in subsets of cells within the V-SVZ of female animals and provide evidence for a potential local estrogen source from aromatase-positive astrocytes surrounding the RMS. Blocking of GPER1 in Matrigel cultures of female animals significantly impairs migration of V-SVZ-derived cells. This outgrowth is accompanied by regulation of phosphorylation of the actin-binding protein cofilin by GPER1 signaling including an involvement of the p21-Ras pathway. Our results point to a prominent role of GPER1 in the initiation of neuronal migration from the V-SVZ to the olfactory bulb. GPER1 is expressed within all cell types of the stem cell lineage in the V-SVZ Blocking of GPER1 leads to a decrease in migration of V-SVZ-derived neuroblasts GPER1 signaling in V-SVZ Matrigel cultures involves Ras-induced p21 Blocking of GPER1 signaling leads to an increase in the ratio of p-cofilin/cofilin
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Haumann
- Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Muriel Anne Sturm
- Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Max Anstötz
- Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Gabriele M Rune
- Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany.
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12
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Giatti S, Diviccaro S, Serafini MM, Caruso D, Garcia-Segura LM, Viviani B, Melcangi RC. Sex differences in steroid levels and steroidogenesis in the nervous system: Physiopathological role. Front Neuroendocrinol 2020; 56:100804. [PMID: 31689419 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.100804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The nervous system, in addition to be a target for steroid hormones, is the source of a variety of neuroactive steroids, which are synthesized and metabolized by neurons and glial cells. Recent evidence indicates that the expression of neurosteroidogenic proteins and enzymes and the levels of neuroactive steroids are different in the nervous system of males and females. We here summarized the state of the art of neuroactive steroids, particularly taking in consideration sex differences occurring in the synthesis and levels of these molecules. In addition, we discuss the consequences of sex differences in neurosteroidogenesis for the function of the nervous system under healthy and pathological conditions and the implications of neuroactive steroids and neurosteroidogenesis for the development of sex-specific therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Giatti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Silvia Diviccaro
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Melania Maria Serafini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Donatella Caruso
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Luis Miguel Garcia-Segura
- Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Barbara Viviani
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Roberto C Melcangi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.
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Brocca ME, Garcia-Segura LM. Non-reproductive Functions of Aromatase in the Central Nervous System Under Physiological and Pathological Conditions. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2019; 39:473-481. [PMID: 30084008 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-018-0607-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The modulation of brain function and behavior by steroid hormones was classically associated with their secretion by peripheral endocrine glands. The discovery that the brain expresses the enzyme aromatase, which produces estradiol from testosterone, expanded this traditional concept. One of the best-studied roles of brain estradiol synthesis is the control of reproductive behavior. In addition, there is increasing evidence that estradiol from neural origin is also involved in a variety of non-reproductive functions. These include the regulation of neurogenesis, neuronal development, synaptic transmission, and plasticity in brain regions not directly related with the control of reproduction. Central aromatase is also involved in the modulation of cognition, mood, and non-reproductive behaviors. Furthermore, under pathological conditions aromatase is upregulated in the central nervous system. This upregulation represents a neuroprotective and likely also a reparative response by increasing local estradiol levels in order to maintain the homeostasis of the neural tissue. In this paper, we review the non-reproductive functions of neural aromatase and neural-derived estradiol under physiological and pathological conditions. We also consider the existence of sex differences in the role of the enzyme in both contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Elvira Brocca
- Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
| | - Luis Miguel Garcia-Segura
- Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
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14
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Fontaine R, Ager-Wick E, Hodne K, Weltzien FA. Plasticity of Lh cells caused by cell proliferation and recruitment of existing cells. J Endocrinol 2019; 240:361-377. [PMID: 30594119 DOI: 10.1530/joe-18-0412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Luteinizing hormone (Lh) and follicle-stimulating hormone (Fsh) control reproduction in vertebrates. Using a transgenic line of medaka, in which green fluorescent protein expression is controlled by the endogenous lhb promotor, we studied development and plasticity of Lh cells, comparing juveniles and adults of both genders. Confocal imaging and 3D reconstruction revealed hypertrophy and hyperplasia of Lh cells in both genders from juvenile to adult stages. We show that Lh cell hyperplasia may be caused by recruitment of existing pituitary cells that start to produce lhb, as evidenced by time lapse recordings of primary pituitary cell cultures, and/or through Lh cell proliferation, demonstrated through a combination of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine incubation experiments and proliferating cell nuclear antigen staining. Proliferating Lh cells do not belong to the classical type of multipotent stem cells, as they do not stain with anti-sox2. Estradiol exposure in vivo increased pituitary cell proliferation, particularly Lh cells, whereas pituitary lhb and gpa expression levels decreased. RNA-seq and in situ hybridization showed that Lh cells express two estrogen receptors, esr1 and esr2b, and the aromatase gene cyp19a1b, suggesting a direct effect of estradiol, and possibly androgens, on Lh cell proliferation. In conclusion, our study reveals a high degree of plasticity in the medaka Lh cell population, resulting from a combination of recruitment and cell proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romain Fontaine
- Department of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Eirill Ager-Wick
- Department of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kjetil Hodne
- Department of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Finn-Arne Weltzien
- Department of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
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15
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Shay DA, Vieira-Potter VJ, Rosenfeld CS. Sexually Dimorphic Effects of Aromatase on Neurobehavioral Responses. Front Mol Neurosci 2018; 11:374. [PMID: 30374289 PMCID: PMC6196265 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2018.00374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2018] [Accepted: 09/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Aromatase is the enzyme responsible for converting testosterone to estradiol. In mammals, aromatase is expressed in the testes, ovaries, brain, and other tissues. While estrogen is traditionally associated with reproduction and sexual behavior in females, our current understanding broadens this perspective to include such biological functions as metabolism and cognition. It is now well-recognized that aromatase plays a vital lifetime role in brain development and neurobehavioral function in both sexes. Thus, ongoing investigations seek to highlight potentially vital sex differences in the role of aromatase, particularly regarding its centrally mediated effects. To characterize the role of aromatase in mediating such functions, effects of aromatase inhibitor (AI) treatments on humans and animal models have been determined. Aromatase knockout (ArKO) mice that systemically lack the enzyme have also been employed. Humans possessing mutations in the gene encoding aromatase, CYP19, have also provided critical insight into how aromatase affects brain function in a possible sex-dependent manner. A better understanding of how AIs, used to treat breast cancer and other clinical conditions, may detrimentally affect neurobehavioral responses will likely promote development of future therapies to combat these effects. Herein, we will provide a critical review of the current knowledge of sex differences in aromatase regulation of various neurobehavioral functions. Although many species have been used to better understand the functions of aromatase, this review focuses on rodent models and humans. Critical gaps in our present understanding of this area will be considered, and important future research directions will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dusti A Shay
- Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, University of Missouri Columbia, MO, United States
| | | | - Cheryl S Rosenfeld
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri Columbia, MO, United States.,Thompson Center for Autism and Neurobehavioral Disorders, University of Missouri Columbia, MO, United States.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri Columbia, MO, United States
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16
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Neural-derived estradiol regulates brain plasticity. J Chem Neuroanat 2018; 89:53-59. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2017.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Revised: 03/16/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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17
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Casanova EL, Sharp JL, Edelson SM, Kelly DP, Casanova MF. A Cohort Study Comparing Women with Autism Spectrum Disorder with and without Generalized Joint Hypermobility. Behav Sci (Basel) 2018; 8:bs8030035. [PMID: 29562607 PMCID: PMC5867488 DOI: 10.3390/bs8030035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Revised: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Reports suggest comorbidity between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the connective tissue disorder, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). People with EDS and the broader spectrum of Generalized Joint Hypermobility (GJH) often present with immune- and endocrine-mediated conditions. Meanwhile, immune/endocrine dysregulation is a popular theme in autism research. We surveyed a group of ASD women with/without GJH to determine differences in immune/endocrine exophenotypes. ASD women 25 years or older were invited to participate in an online survey. Respondents completed a questionnaire concerning diagnoses, immune/endocrine symptom history, experiences with pain, and seizure history. ASD women with GJH (ASD/GJH) reported more immune- and endocrine-mediated conditions than their non-GJH counterparts (p = 0.001). Autoimmune conditions were especially prominent in the ASD/GJH group (p = 0.027). Presence of immune-mediated symptoms often co-occurred with one another (p < 0.001–0.020), as did endocrine-mediated symptoms (p < 0.001–0.045), irrespective of the group. Finally, the numbers of immune- and endocrine-mediated symptoms shared a strong inter-relationship (p < 0.001), suggesting potential system crosstalk. While our results cannot estimate comorbidity, they reinforce concepts of an etiological relationship between ASD and GJH. Meanwhile, women with ASD/GJH have complex immune/endocrine exophenotypes compared to their non-GJH counterparts. Further, we discuss how connective tissue regulates the immune system and how the immune/endocrine systems in turn may modulate collagen synthesis, potentially leading to higher rates of GJH in this subpopulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily L Casanova
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, Greenville, SC 29605, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Greenville Health System Children's Hospital, Greenville, SC 29605, USA.
| | - Julia L Sharp
- Department of Statistics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
| | | | - Desmond P Kelly
- Department of Pediatrics, Greenville Health System Children's Hospital, Greenville, SC 29605, USA.
| | - Manuel F Casanova
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, Greenville, SC 29605, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Greenville Health System Children's Hospital, Greenville, SC 29605, USA.
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18
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Diotel N, Charlier TD, Lefebvre d'Hellencourt C, Couret D, Trudeau VL, Nicolau JC, Meilhac O, Kah O, Pellegrini E. Steroid Transport, Local Synthesis, and Signaling within the Brain: Roles in Neurogenesis, Neuroprotection, and Sexual Behaviors. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:84. [PMID: 29515356 PMCID: PMC5826223 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Sex steroid hormones are synthesized from cholesterol and exert pleiotropic effects notably in the central nervous system. Pioneering studies from Baulieu and colleagues have suggested that steroids are also locally-synthesized in the brain. Such steroids, called neurosteroids, can rapidly modulate neuronal excitability and functions, brain plasticity, and behavior. Accumulating data obtained on a wide variety of species demonstrate that neurosteroidogenesis is an evolutionary conserved feature across fish, birds, and mammals. In this review, we will first document neurosteroidogenesis and steroid signaling for estrogens, progestagens, and androgens in the brain of teleost fish, birds, and mammals. We will next consider the effects of sex steroids in homeostatic and regenerative neurogenesis, in neuroprotection, and in sexual behaviors. In a last part, we will discuss the transport of steroids and lipoproteins from the periphery within the brain (and vice-versa) and document their effects on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability and on neuroprotection. We will emphasize the potential interaction between lipoproteins and sex steroids, addressing the beneficial effects of steroids and lipoproteins, particularly HDL-cholesterol, against the breakdown of the BBB reported to occur during brain ischemic stroke. We will consequently highlight the potential anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and neuroprotective properties of sex steroid and lipoproteins, these latest improving cholesterol and steroid ester transport within the brain after insults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Diotel
- Université de La Réunion, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, UMR 1188, Diabète athérothrombose Thérapies Réunion Océan Indien, Saint-Denis de La Réunion, France
| | - Thierry D. Charlier
- Univ Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S 1085, Rennes, France
| | - Christian Lefebvre d'Hellencourt
- Université de La Réunion, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, UMR 1188, Diabète athérothrombose Thérapies Réunion Océan Indien, Saint-Denis de La Réunion, France
| | - David Couret
- Université de La Réunion, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, UMR 1188, Diabète athérothrombose Thérapies Réunion Océan Indien, Saint-Denis de La Réunion, France
- CHU de La Réunion, Saint-Denis, France
| | | | - Joel C. Nicolau
- Univ Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S 1085, Rennes, France
| | - Olivier Meilhac
- Université de La Réunion, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, UMR 1188, Diabète athérothrombose Thérapies Réunion Océan Indien, Saint-Denis de La Réunion, France
- CHU de La Réunion, Saint-Denis, France
| | - Olivier Kah
- Univ Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S 1085, Rennes, France
| | - Elisabeth Pellegrini
- Univ Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S 1085, Rennes, France
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19
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Ulhaq ZS, Kishida M. Brain Aromatase Modulates Serotonergic Neuron by Regulating Serotonin Levels in Zebrafish Embryos and Larvae. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2018; 9:230. [PMID: 29867763 PMCID: PMC5954033 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2018.00230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Teleost fish are known to express two isoforms of P450 aromatase, a key enzyme for estrogen synthesis. One of the isoforms, brain aromatase (AroB), cyp19a1b, is highly expressed during early development of zebrafish, thereby suggesting its role in brain development. On the other hand, early development of serotonergic neuron, one of the major monoamine neurons, is considered to play an important role in neurogenesis. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the role of AroB in development of serotonergic neuron by testing the effects of (1) estradiol (E2) exposure and (2) morpholino (MO)-mediated AroB knockdown. When embryos were exposed to E2, the effects were biphasic. The low dose of E2 (0.005 µM) significantly increased serotonin (5-HT) positive area at 48 hour post-fertilization (hpf) detected by immunohistochemistry and relative mRNA levels of tryptophan hydroxylase isoforms (tph1a, tph1b, and tph2) at 96 hpf measured by semi-quantitative PCR. To test the effects on serotonin transmission, heart rate and thigmotaxis, an indicator of anxiety, were analyzed. The low dose also significantly increased heart rate at 48 hpf and decreased thigmotaxis. The high dose of E2 (1 µM) exhibited opposite effects in all parameters. The effects of both low and high doses were reversed by addition of estrogen receptor (ER) blocker, ICI 182,780, thereby suggesting that the effects were mediated through ER. When AroB MO was injected to fertilized eggs, 5-HT-positive area was significantly decreased, while the significant decrease in relative tph mRNA levels was found only with tph2 but not with two other isoforms. AroB MO also decreased heart rate and increased thigmotaxis. All the effects were rescued by co-injection with AroB mRNA and by exposure to E2. Taken together, this study demonstrates the role of brain aromatase in development of serotonergic neuron in zebrafish embryos and larvae, implying that brain-formed estrogen is an important factor to sustain early development of serotonergic neuron.
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20
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Genes, Gender, Environment, and Novel Functions of Estrogen Receptor Beta in the Susceptibility to Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Brain Sci 2017; 7:brainsci7030024. [PMID: 28241485 PMCID: PMC5366823 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci7030024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Revised: 02/14/2017] [Accepted: 02/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Many neurological disorders affect men and women differently regarding prevalence, progression, and severity. It is clear that many of these disorders may originate from defective signaling during fetal or perinatal brain development, which may affect males and females differently. Such sex-specific differences may originate from chromosomal or sex-hormone specific effects. This short review will focus on the estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) signaling during perinatal brain development and put it in the context of sex-specific differences in neurodevelopmental disorders. We will discuss ERβ’s recent discovery in directing DNA de-methylation to specific sites, of which one such site may bear consequences for the susceptibility to the neurological reading disorder dyslexia. We will also discuss how dysregulations in sex-hormone signaling, like those evoked by endocrine disruptive chemicals, may affect this and other neurodevelopmental disorders in a sex-specific manner through ERβ.
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21
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Levels and actions of neuroactive steroids in the nervous system under physiological and pathological conditions: Sex-specific features. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 67:25-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2015] [Revised: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 09/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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22
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Xing L, Esau C, Trudeau VL. Direct Regulation of Aromatase B Expression by 17β-Estradiol and Dopamine D1 Receptor Agonist in Adult Radial Glial Cells. Front Neurosci 2016; 9:504. [PMID: 26793050 PMCID: PMC4709857 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2015.00504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Aromatase cytochrome P450arom (cyp19) is the only enzyme that has the ability to convert androgens into estrogens. Estrogens, which are produced locally in the vertebrate brain play many fundamental roles in neuroendocrine functions, reproductive functions, socio-sexual behaviors, and neurogenesis. Radial glial cells (RGCs) are neuronal progenitor cells that are abundant in fish brains and are the exclusive site of aromatase B expression and neuroestrogen synthesis. Using a novel in vitro RGC culture preparation we studied the regulation of aromatase B by 17β-estradiol (E2) and dopamine (DA). We have established that activation of the dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) by SKF 38393 up-regulates aromatase B gene expression most likely through the phosphorylation of cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB). This up-regulation can be enhanced by low concentration of E2 (100 nM) through increasing the expression of D1R and the level of p-CREB protein. However, a high concentration of E2 (1 μM) and D1R agonist together failed to up-regulate aromatase B, potentially due to attenuation of esr2b expression and p-CREB levels. Furthermore, we found the up-regulation of aromatase B by E2 and DA both requires the involvement of esr1 and esr2a. The combined effect of E2 and DA agonist indicates that aromatase B in the adult teleost brain is under tight control by both steroids and neurotransmitters to precisely regulate neuroestrogen levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Xing
- Department of Biology, Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Genomics, University of Ottawa Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Crystal Esau
- Department of Biology, Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Genomics, University of Ottawa Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Vance L Trudeau
- Department of Biology, Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Genomics, University of Ottawa Ottawa, ON, Canada
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23
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Mapping of brain lipid binding protein (Blbp) in the brain of adult zebrafish, co-expression with aromatase B and links with proliferation. Gene Expr Patterns 2016; 20:42-54. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gep.2015.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2015] [Revised: 09/25/2015] [Accepted: 11/10/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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24
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Tronnes AA, Koschnitzky J, Daza R, Hitti J, Ramirez JM, Hevner R. Effects of Lipopolysaccharide and Progesterone Exposures on Embryonic Cerebral Cortex Development in Mice. Reprod Sci 2015; 23:771-8. [PMID: 26621965 DOI: 10.1177/1933719115618273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Our objective was to determine if progesterone pretreatment could ameliorate the detrimental effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation on cortical neurogenesis. Timed pregnant mouse dams (n = 8) were given intraperitoneal injections of progesterone (42 mg/kg) or vehicle on embryonic day 17.5. Two hours later, mice were given intraperitoneal LPS (140 μg/kg) or vehicle. Mice were sacrificed 16 hours later on embryonic day 18. Two-color immunofluorescence was performed with primary antibodies T-box transcription factor 2 (Tbr2), ionized calcium binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba1), cleaved caspase 3 (CC3), and 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU). Cells were counted, and statistical analysis was determined using analysis of variance and Tukey-Kramer method. The Tbr2 intermediate neural progenitor cell density decreased after LPS exposure (P = .0022). Pre-exposure to progesterone statistically increased Tbr2 intermediate neural progenitors compared to LPS treatment alone and was similar to controls (P = .0022). After LPS exposure, microglia displayed an activated phenotype, and cell density was increased (P < .001). Cell death rates were low among study groups but was increased in LPS exposure groups compared to progesterone alone (P = .0015). Lipopolysaccharide-induced systemic inflammation reduces prenatal neurogenesis in mice. Pre-exposure with progesterone is associated with increased neurogenesis. Progesterone may protect the preterm brain from defects of neurogenesis induced by inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashlie A Tronnes
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jenna Koschnitzky
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ray Daza
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jane Hitti
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jan Marino Ramirez
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Robert Hevner
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Center for Integrative Brain Research, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA
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25
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Xing L, McDonald H, Da Fonte DF, Gutierrez-Villagomez JM, Trudeau VL. Dopamine D1 receptor activation regulates the expression of the estrogen synthesis gene aromatase B in radial glial cells. Front Neurosci 2015; 9:310. [PMID: 26388722 PMCID: PMC4557113 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2015.00310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Radial glial cells (RGCs) are abundant stem-like non-neuronal progenitors that are important for adult neurogenesis and brain repair, yet little is known about their regulation by neurotransmitters. Here we provide evidence for neuronal-glial interactions via a novel role for dopamine to stimulate RGC function. Goldfish were chosen as the model organism due to the abundance of RGCs and regenerative abilities of the adult central nervous system. A close anatomical relationship was observed between tyrosine hydroxylase-positive catecholaminergic cell bodies and axons and dopamine-D1 receptor expressing RGCs along the ventricular surface of telencephalon, a site of active neurogenesis. A primary cell culture model was established and immunofluorescence analysis indicates that in vitro RGCs from female goldfish retain their major characteristics in vivo, including expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein and brain lipid binding protein. The estrogen synthesis enzyme aromatase B is exclusively found in RGCs, but this is lost as cells differentiate to neurons and other glial types in adult teleost brain. Pharmacological experiments using the cultured RGCs established that specific activation of dopamine D1 receptors up-regulates aromatase B mRNA through a cyclic adenosine monophosphate-dependent molecular mechanism. These data indicate that dopamine enhances the steroidogenic function of this neuronal progenitor cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Xing
- Department of Biology, Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Genomics, University of Ottawa Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Heather McDonald
- Department of Biology, Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Genomics, University of Ottawa Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Dillon F Da Fonte
- Department of Biology, Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Genomics, University of Ottawa Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Juan M Gutierrez-Villagomez
- Department of Biology, Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Genomics, University of Ottawa Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Vance L Trudeau
- Department of Biology, Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Genomics, University of Ottawa Ottawa, ON, Canada
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26
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Yuchi Y, Cai Y, Legein B, De Groef S, Leuckx G, Coppens V, Van Overmeire E, Staels W, De Leu N, Martens G, Van Ginderachter JA, Heimberg H, Van de Casteele M. Estrogen Receptor α Regulates β-Cell Formation During Pancreas Development and Following Injury. Diabetes 2015; 64:3218-28. [PMID: 26015547 DOI: 10.2337/db14-1798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2014] [Accepted: 05/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Identifying pathways for β-cell generation is essential for cell therapy in diabetes. We investigated the potential of 17β-estradiol (E2) and estrogen receptor (ER) signaling for stimulating β-cell generation during embryonic development and in the severely injured adult pancreas. E2 concentration, ER activity, and number of ERα transcripts were enhanced in the pancreas injured by partial duct ligation (PDL) along with nuclear localization of ERα in β-cells. PDL-induced proliferation of β-cells depended on aromatase activity. The activation of Neurogenin3 (Ngn3) gene expression and β-cell growth in PDL pancreas were impaired when ERα was turned off chemically or genetically (ERα(-/-)), whereas in situ delivery of E2 promoted β-cell formation. In the embryonic pancreas, β-cell replication, number of Ngn3(+) progenitor cells, and expression of key transcription factors of the endocrine lineage were decreased by ERα inactivation. The current study reveals that E2 and ERα signaling can drive β-cell replication and formation in mouse pancreas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixing Yuchi
- Diabetes Research Center, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ying Cai
- Diabetes Research Center, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Bart Legein
- Diabetes Research Center, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sofie De Groef
- Diabetes Research Center, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Gunter Leuckx
- Diabetes Research Center, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Violette Coppens
- Diabetes Research Center, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Eva Van Overmeire
- Myeloid Cell Immunology Laboratory, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, Brussels, Belgium Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Willem Staels
- Diabetes Research Center, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Ghent University Hospital, and Department of Pediatrics and Medical Genetics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Nico De Leu
- Diabetes Research Center, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium Department of Endocrinology, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Geert Martens
- Diabetes Research Center, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jo A Van Ginderachter
- Myeloid Cell Immunology Laboratory, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, Brussels, Belgium Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Harry Heimberg
- Diabetes Research Center, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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Komada M, Takahashi M, Ikeda Y. Involvement of SF-1 in neurogenesis and neuronal migration in the developing neocortex. Neurosci Lett 2015; 600:85-90. [PMID: 26067405 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2015.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2015] [Revised: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 06/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The nuclear receptor steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1) plays essential roles in the development and function of the endocrine and reproductive systems. During embryogenesis, SF-1 is expressed in the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH) and regulates the migration and terminal differentiation of the VMH neurons. Additionally, in situ hybridization data indicated SF-1 expression in the dorsal telencephalon at embryonic day (E) 13.5. In this study, we investigated the neocortical development in SF-1 knockout (KO) mouse embryos. The number of neurons was increased in the intermediate/subventricular zones and decreased in the cortical plate in the SF-1 KO embryos. SF-1 KO embryos produced more neural stem/progenitor cells, especially apical progenitor cells, and showed abnormal radial glial fiber morphology. The increase in neural stem/progenitor cells was caused by an increased S-phase fraction in the proliferative cells and the inhibition of cell cycle exit in these cells. The mRNA expression of the estrogen receptor ESRα was up-regulated and that of the estrogen synthetase Cyp19a1 was down-regulated in the dorsal telencephalon of SF-1 KO embryos. We showed that SF-1 is expressed in the dorsal telencephalon at E15.5 and E18.5, but not in adult animals. Our data demonstrated that SF-1 is involved in cell cycle regulation, neurogenesis, and neuronal migration via controlling the estrogen signaling for proper neocortical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Munekazu Komada
- Department of Anatomy, School of Dentistry, Aichi Gakuin University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Mifumi Takahashi
- Department of Anatomy, School of Dentistry, Aichi Gakuin University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Yayoi Ikeda
- Department of Anatomy, School of Dentistry, Aichi Gakuin University, Nagoya, Japan.
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Lin CJ, Fan-Chiang YC, Dufour S, Chang CF. Activation of brain steroidogenesis and neurogenesis during the gonadal differentiation in protandrous black porgy, Acanthopagrus schlegelii. Dev Neurobiol 2015; 76:121-36. [PMID: 25980979 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2014] [Revised: 03/09/2015] [Accepted: 05/07/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The early brain development, at the time of gonadal differentiation was investigated using a protandrous teleost, black porgy. This natural model of monosex juvenile fish avoids the potential complexity of sexual dimorphism. Brain neurogenesis was evaluated by histological analyses of the diencephalon, at the time of testicular differentiation (in fish between 90 and 150 days after hatching). Increases in the number of both Nissl-stained total brain cells, and Pcna-immunostained proliferative brain cells were observed in specific area of the diencephalon, such as ventromedialis thalami and posterior preoptic area, revealing brain cell proliferation. qPCR analyses showed significantly higher expression of the radial glial cell marker blbp and neuron marker bdnf. Strong immunohistochemical staining of Blbp and extended cellular projections were observed. A peak expression of aromatase (cyp19a1b), as well as an increase in estradiol (E2 ) content were also detected in the early brain. These data demonstrate that during gonadal differentiation, the early brain exhibits increased E2 synthesis, cell proliferation, and neurogenesis. To investigate the role of E2 in early brain, undifferentiated fish were treated with E2 or aromatase inhibitor (AI). E2 treatment upregulated brain cyp19a1b and blbp expression, and enhanced brain cell proliferation. Conversely, AI reduced brain cell proliferation. Castration experiment did not influence the brain gene expression patterns and the brain cell number. Our data clearly support E2 biosynthesis in the early brain, and that brain E2 induces neurogenesis. These peak activity patterns in the early brain occur at the time of gonad differentiation but are independent of the gonads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chien-Ju Lin
- Department of Aquaculture, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, 20224, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Chun Fan-Chiang
- Department of Aquaculture, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, 20224, Taiwan
| | - Sylvie Dufour
- Research Unit BOREA, Biology of Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems, CNRS 7208/IRD 207/UPMC/UCBN, Muséum National D'histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Ching-Fong Chang
- Department of Aquaculture, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, 20224, Taiwan.,Center of Excellence for the Oceans, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, 20224, Taiwan
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Kinch CD, Ibhazehiebo K, Jeong JH, Habibi HR, Kurrasch DM. Low-dose exposure to bisphenol A and replacement bisphenol S induces precocious hypothalamic neurogenesis in embryonic zebrafish. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:1475-80. [PMID: 25583509 PMCID: PMC4321238 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1417731112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 352] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA), a ubiquitous endocrine disruptor that is present in many household products, has been linked to obesity, cancer, and, most relevant here, childhood neurological disorders such as anxiety and hyperactivity. However, how BPA exposure translates into these neurodevelopmental disorders remains poorly understood. Here, we used zebrafish to link BPA mechanistically to disease etiology. Strikingly, treatment of embryonic zebrafish with very low-dose BPA (0.0068 μM, 1,000-fold lower than the accepted human daily exposure) and bisphenol S (BPS), a common analog used in BPA-free products, resulted in 180% and 240% increases, respectively, in neuronal birth (neurogenesis) within the hypothalamus, a highly conserved brain region involved in hyperactivity. Furthermore, restricted BPA/BPS exposure specifically during the neurogenic window caused later hyperactive behaviors in zebrafish larvae. Unexpectedly, we show that BPA-mediated precocious neurogenesis and the concomitant behavioral phenotype were not dependent on predicted estrogen receptors but relied on androgen receptor-mediated up-regulation of aromatase. Although human epidemiological results are still emerging, an association between high maternal urinary BPA during gestation and hyperactivity and other behavioral disturbances in the child has been suggested. Our studies here provide mechanistic support that the neurogenic period indeed may be a window of vulnerability and uncovers previously unexplored avenues of research into how endocrine disruptors might perturb early brain development. Furthermore, our results show that BPA-free products are not necessarily safer and support the removal of all bisphenols from consumer merchandise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra D Kinch
- Departments of Biological Sciences and Medical Genetics and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4N1
| | - Kingsley Ibhazehiebo
- Medical Genetics and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4N1
| | - Joo-Hyun Jeong
- Medical Genetics and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4N1
| | | | - Deborah M Kurrasch
- Medical Genetics and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4N1
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Aromatase, estrogen receptors and brain development in fish and amphibians. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2014; 1849:152-62. [PMID: 25038582 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2014.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2014] [Revised: 06/19/2014] [Accepted: 07/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Estrogens affect brain development of vertebrates, not only by impacting activity and morphology of existing circuits, but also by modulating embryonic and adult neurogenesis. The issue is complex as estrogens can not only originate from peripheral tissues, but also be locally produced within the brain itself due to local aromatization of androgens. In this respect, teleost fishes are quite unique because aromatase is expressed exclusively in radial glial cells, which represent pluripotent cells in the brain of all vertebrates. Expression of aromatase in the brain of fish is also strongly stimulated by estrogens and some androgens. This creates a very intriguing positive auto-regulatory loop leading to dramatic aromatase expression in sexually mature fish with elevated levels of circulating steroids. Looking at the effects of estrogens or anti-estrogens in the brain of adult zebrafish showed that estrogens inhibit rather than stimulate cell proliferation and newborn cell migration. The functional meaning of these observations is still unclear, but these data suggest that the brain of fish is experiencing constant remodeling under the influence of circulating steroids and brain-derived neurosteroids, possibly permitting a diversification of sexual strategies, notably hermaphroditism. Recent data in frogs indicate that aromatase expression is limited to neurons and do not concern radial glial cells. Thus, until now, there is no other example of vertebrates in which radial progenitors express aromatase. This raises the question of when and why these new features were gained and what are their adaptive benefits. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Nuclear receptors in animal development.
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Coumailleau P, Kah O. Cyp19a1 (aromatase) expression in the Xenopus brain at different developmental stages. J Neuroendocrinol 2014; 26:226-36. [PMID: 24612124 PMCID: PMC4238815 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2013] [Revised: 02/17/2014] [Accepted: 02/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Cytochrome P450 aromatase (P450arom; aromatase) is a microsomal enzyme involved in the production of endogeneous sex steroids by converting testosterone into oestradiol. Aromatase is the product of the cyp19a1 gene and plays a crucial role in the sexual differentiation of the brain and in the regulation of reproductive functions. In the brain of mammals and birds, expression of cyp19a1 has been demonstrated in neuronal populations of the telencephalon and diencephalon. By contrast, a wealth of evidence established that, in teleost fishes, aromatase expression in the brain is restricted to radial glial cells. The present study investigated the precise neuroanatomical distribution of cyp19a1 mRNA during brain development in Xenopus laevis (late embryonic to juvenile stages). For this purpose, we used in situ hybridisation alone or combined with the detection of a proliferative (proliferating cell nuclear antigen), glial (brain lipid binding protein, Vimentin) or neuronal (acetylated tubulin; HuC/D; NeuroβTubulin) markers. We provide evidence that cyp19a1 expression in the brain is initiated from the very early larval stage and remains strongly detected until the juvenile and adult stages. At all stages analysed, we found the highest expression of cyp19a1 in the preoptic area and the hypothalamus compared to the rest of the brain. In these two brain regions, cyp19a1-positive cells were never detected in the ventricular layers. Indeed, no co-labelling could be observed with radial glial (brain lipid binding protein, Vimentin) or dividing progenitors (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) markers. By contrast, cyp19a1-positive cells perfectly matched with the distribution of post-mitotic neurones as shown by the use of specific markers (HuC/D, acetylated tubulin and NeuroβTubulin). These data suggest that, similar to that found in other tetrapods, aromatase in the brain of amphibians is found in post-mitotic neurones and not in radial glia as reported in teleosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Coumailleau
- Neuroendocrine Effects of Endocrine Disruptors, IRSET, INSERM U1085, SFR Biosit, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
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Willing J, Wagner CK. Sensorimotor development in neonatal progesterone receptor knockout mice. Dev Neurobiol 2013; 74:16-24. [PMID: 23983142 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2012] [Revised: 08/01/2013] [Accepted: 08/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Early exposure to steroid hormones can permanently and dramatically alter neural development. This is best understood in the organizational effects of hormones during development of brain regions involved in reproductive behaviors or neuroendocrine function. However, recent evidence strongly suggests that steroid hormones play a vital role in shaping brain regions involved in cognitive behavior such as the cerebral cortex. The most abundantly expressed steroid hormone receptor in the developing rodent cortex is the progesterone receptor (PR). In the rat, PR is initially expressed in the developmentally-critical subplate at E18, and subsequently in laminas V and II/III through the first three postnatal weeks (Quadros et al. [2007] J Comp Neurol 504:42-56; Lopez & Wagner [2009]: J Comp Neurol 512:124-139), coinciding with significant periods of dendritic maturation, the arrival of afferents and synaptogenesis. In the present study, we investigated PR expression in the neonatal mouse somatosensory cortex. Additionally, to investigate the potential role of PR in developing cortex, we examined sensorimotor function in the first two postnatal weeks in PR knockout mice and their wildtype (WT) and heterozygous (HZ) counterparts. While the three genotypes were similar in most regards, PRKO and HZ mice lost the rooting reflex 2-3 days earlier than WT mice. These studies represent the first developmental behavioral assessment of PRKO mice and suggest PR expression may play an important role in the maturation of cortical connectivity and sensorimotor integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jari Willing
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany - SUNY, Albany, New York
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Takeuchi A, Okubo K. Post-proliferative immature radial glial cells female-specifically express aromatase in the medaka optic tectum. PLoS One 2013; 8:e73663. [PMID: 24019933 PMCID: PMC3760802 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2013] [Accepted: 07/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Aromatase, the key enzyme responsible for estrogen biosynthesis, is present in the brain of all vertebrates. Much evidence has accumulated that aromatase is highly and exclusively expressed in proliferating mature radial glial cells in the brain of teleost fish even in adulthood, unlike in other vertebrates. However, the physiological significance of this expression remains unknown. We recently found that aromatase is female-specifically expressed in the optic tectum of adult medaka fish. In the present study, we demonstrated that, contrary to the accepted view of the teleost brain, female-specific aromatase-expressing cells in the medaka optic tectum represent a transient subset of post-proliferative immature radial glial cells in the neural stem cell lineage. This finding led us to hypothesize that female-specific aromatase expression and consequent estrogen production causes some sex difference in the life cycle of tectal cells. As expected, the female tectum exhibited higher expression of genes indicative of cell proliferation and radial glial maturation and lower expression of an anti-apoptotic gene than did the male tectum, suggesting a female-biased acceleration of the cell life cycle. Complicating the interpretation of this result, however, is the additional observation that estrogen administration masculinized the expression of these genes in the optic tectum, while simultaneously stimulating aromatase expression. Taken together, these results provide evidence that a unique subpopulation of neural stem cells female-specifically express aromatase in the optic tectum and suggest that this aromatase expression and resultant estrogen synthesis have an impact on the life cycle of tectal cells, whether stimulatory or inhibitory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akio Takeuchi
- Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kataaki Okubo
- Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
- * E-mail:
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34
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Rivera P, Pérez-Martín M, Pavón FJ, Serrano A, Crespillo A, Cifuentes M, López-Ávalos MD, Grondona JM, Vida M, Fernández-Llebrez P, de Fonseca FR, Suárez J. Pharmacological administration of the isoflavone daidzein enhances cell proliferation and reduces high fat diet-induced apoptosis and gliosis in the rat hippocampus. PLoS One 2013; 8:e64750. [PMID: 23741384 PMCID: PMC3669353 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2013] [Accepted: 04/17/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Soy extracts have been claimed to be neuroprotective against brain insults, an effect related to the estrogenic properties of isoflavones. However, the effects of individual isoflavones on obesity-induced disruption of adult neurogenesis have not yet been analyzed. In the present study we explore the effects of pharmacological administration of daidzein, a main soy isoflavone, in cell proliferation, cell apoptosis and gliosis in the adult hippocampus of animals exposed to a very high-fat diet. Rats made obese after 12-week exposure to a standard or high-fat (HFD, 60%) diets were treated with daidzein (50 mg kg(-1)) for 13 days. Then, plasma levels of metabolites and metabolic hormones, cell proliferation in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus (SGZ), and immunohistochemical markers of hippocampal cell apoptosis (caspase-3), gliosis (GFAP and Iba-1), food reward factor FosB and estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) were analyzed. Treatment with daidzein reduced food/caloric intake and body weight gain in obese rats. This was associated with glucose tolerance, low levels of HDL-cholesterol, insulin, adiponectin and testosterone, and high levels of leptin and 17β-estradiol. Daidzein increased the number of phospho-histone H3 and 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU)-ir cells detected in the SGZ of standard diet and HFD-fed rats. Daidzein reversed the HFD-associated enhanced immunohistochemical expression of caspase-3, FosB, GFAP, Iba-1 and ERα in the hippocampus, being more prominent in the dentate gyrus. These results suggest that pharmacological treatment with isoflavones regulates metabolic alterations associated with enhancement of cell proliferation and reduction of apoptosis and gliosis in response to high-fat diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Rivera
- Laboratorio de Medicina Regenerativa (UGC Salud Mental), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica (IBIMA), Complejo Hospitalario de Málaga (Hospital Carlos Haya), Pabellón de Gobierno, Málaga, Spain
- CIBER OBN, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Madrid, Spain
| | - Margarita Pérez-Martín
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Francisco J. Pavón
- Laboratorio de Medicina Regenerativa (UGC Salud Mental), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica (IBIMA), Complejo Hospitalario de Málaga (Hospital Carlos Haya), Pabellón de Gobierno, Málaga, Spain
- CIBER OBN, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonia Serrano
- Laboratorio de Medicina Regenerativa (UGC Salud Mental), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica (IBIMA), Complejo Hospitalario de Málaga (Hospital Carlos Haya), Pabellón de Gobierno, Málaga, Spain
- CIBER OBN, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Crespillo
- Laboratorio de Medicina Regenerativa (UGC Salud Mental), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica (IBIMA), Complejo Hospitalario de Málaga (Hospital Carlos Haya), Pabellón de Gobierno, Málaga, Spain
- CIBER OBN, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Cifuentes
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
- CIBER BBN, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Madrid, Spain
| | - María-Dolores López-Ávalos
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Jesús M. Grondona
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Margarita Vida
- Laboratorio de Medicina Regenerativa (UGC Salud Mental), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica (IBIMA), Complejo Hospitalario de Málaga (Hospital Carlos Haya), Pabellón de Gobierno, Málaga, Spain
- CIBER OBN, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pedro Fernández-Llebrez
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Fernando Rodríguez de Fonseca
- Laboratorio de Medicina Regenerativa (UGC Salud Mental), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica (IBIMA), Complejo Hospitalario de Málaga (Hospital Carlos Haya), Pabellón de Gobierno, Málaga, Spain
- CIBER OBN, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Suárez
- Laboratorio de Medicina Regenerativa (UGC Salud Mental), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica (IBIMA), Complejo Hospitalario de Málaga (Hospital Carlos Haya), Pabellón de Gobierno, Málaga, Spain
- CIBER OBN, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Madrid, Spain
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Trickler WJ, Guo X, Cuevas E, Ali SF, Paule MG, Kanungo J. Ketamine attenuates cytochrome p450 aromatase gene expression and estradiol-17β levels in zebrafish early life stages. J Appl Toxicol 2013; 34:480-8. [PMID: 23696345 DOI: 10.1002/jat.2888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2012] [Revised: 01/19/2013] [Accepted: 02/07/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, is a noncompetitive antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate-type glutamate receptors. In rodents and non-human primates as well as in zebrafish embryos, ketamine has been shown to be neurotoxic. In cyclic female rats, ketamine has been shown to decrease serum estradiol-17β (E2) levels. E2 plays critical roles in neurodevelopment and neuroprotection. Cytochrome p450 (CYP) aromatase catalyzes E2 synthesis from androgens. Although ketamine down-regulates a number of CYP enzymes in rodents, its effect on the CYP aromatase (CYP19) is not known. Zebrafish have been used as a model system for examining mechanisms underlying drug effects. Here, using wild-type (WT) zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos, we demonstrate that ketamine significantly reduced E2 levels compared with the control. However, the testosterone level was elevated in ketamine-treated embryos. These results are concordant with data from mammalian studies. Ketamine also attenuated the expression of the ovary form of CYP aromatase (cyp19a1a) at the transcriptional level but not the brain form of aromatase, cyp19a1b. Exogenous E2 potently induced the expression of cyp19a1b and vtg 1, both validated biomarkers of estrogenicity and endocrine disruption, but not cyp19a1a expression. Attenuation of activated ERK/MAPK levels, reportedly responsible for reduced human cyp19 transcription, was also observed in ketamine-treated embryos. These results suggest that reduced E2 levels in ketamine-treated embryos may have resulted from the suppression of cyp19a1a transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J Trickler
- Division of Neurotoxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, US Food and Drug Administration, 3900 NCTR road, Jefferson, AR, 72079, USA; Toxicologic Pathology Associates, National Center for Toxicological Research, US Food and Drug Administration, 3900 NCTR road, Jefferson, AR, 72079, USA
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36
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Diotel N, Vaillant C, Gabbero C, Mironov S, Fostier A, Gueguen MM, Anglade I, Kah O, Pellegrini E. Effects of estradiol in adult neurogenesis and brain repair in zebrafish. Horm Behav 2013; 63:193-207. [PMID: 22521210 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2011] [Revised: 04/03/2012] [Accepted: 04/04/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The brain of the adult teleost fish exhibits intense neurogenic activity and an outstanding capability for brain repair. Remarkably, the brain estrogen-synthesizing enzyme, aromatase B, is strongly expressed, particularly in adult fishes, in radial glial cells, which act as progenitors. Using zebrafish, we tested the hypothesis that estrogens affect adult neurogenesis and brain regeneration by modulating the neurogenic activity of radial glial cells. To investigate this, the estrogenic environment was modified through inhibition of aromatase activity, blockade of nuclear estrogen receptors, or estrogenic treatments. Estrogens significantly decreased cell proliferation and migration at the olfactory bulbs/telencephalon junction and in the mediobasal hypothalamus. It also appears that cell survival is reduced at the olfactory bulbs/telencephalon junction. We also developed a model of telencephalic lesion to assess the role of aromatase and estrogens in brain repair. Proliferation increased rapidly immediately after the lesion in the parenchyma of the injured telencephalon, while proliferation at the ventricular surface appeared after 48 h and peaked at 7 days. At this time, most proliferative cells express Sox2, however, none of these Sox2 positive cells correspond to aromatase B-positive radial glial cells. Interestingly, aromatase B expression was significantly reduced 48 h and 7 days after the injury, but surprisingly, at 72 h after lesion, aromatase B expression appeared de novo expressed in parenchyma cells, suggesting a role for this ectopic expression of aromatase in brain repair mechanisms. Altogether these data suggest that estrogens modulate adult, but not reparative neurogenesis, in zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Diotel
- Neuroendocrine Effects of Endocrine Disruptors, Inserm, IRSET, U1085, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
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Zheng J, Zhang P, Li X, Lei S, Li W, He X, Zhang J, Wang N, Qi C, Chen X, Lu H, Liu Y. Post-stroke estradiol treatment enhances neurogenesis in the subventricular zone of rats after permanent focal cerebral ischemia. Neuroscience 2013; 231:82-90. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.11.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2012] [Revised: 11/21/2012] [Accepted: 11/22/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Jeng SR, Yueh WS, Pen YT, Gueguen MM, Pasquier J, Dufour S, Chang CF, Kah O. Expression of aromatase in radial glial cells in the brain of the Japanese eel provides insight into the evolution of the cyp191a gene in Actinopterygians. PLoS One 2012; 7:e44750. [PMID: 22957105 PMCID: PMC3434150 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0044750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2012] [Accepted: 08/06/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The cyp19a1 gene that encodes aromatase, the only enzyme permitting conversion of C19 aromatizable androgens into estrogens, is present as a single copy in the genome of most vertebrate species, except in teleosts in which it has been duplicated. This study aimed at investigating the brain expression of a cyp19a1 gene expressed in both gonad and brain of Japanese eel, a basal teleost. By means of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, we show that cyp19a1 is expressed only in radial glial cells of the brain and in pituitary cells. Treatments with salmon pituitary homogenates (female) or human chorionic gonadotrophin (male), known to turn on steroid production in immature eels, strongly stimulated cyp19a1 messenger and protein expression in radial glial cells and pituitary cells. Using double staining studies, we also showed that aromatase-expressing radial glial cells exhibit proliferative activity in both the brain and the pituitary. Altogether, these data indicate that brain and pituitary expression of Japanese eel cyp19a1 exhibits characteristics similar to those reported for the brain specific cyp19a1b gene in teleosts having duplicated cyp19a1 genes. This supports the hypothesis that, despite the fact that eels also underwent the teleost specific genome duplication, they have a single cyp19a1 expressed in both brain and gonad. Such data also suggest that the intriguing features of brain aromatase expression in teleost fishes were not gained after the whole genome duplication and may reflect properties of the cyp19a1 gene of ancestral Actinopterygians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan-Ru Jeng
- Department of Aquaculture, National Kaohsiung Marine University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Team NEED, Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail, INSERM U1085, IFR140, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
| | - Wen-Shiun Yueh
- Department of Aquaculture, National Kaohsiung Marine University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ting Pen
- Department of Aquaculture, National Kaohsiung Marine University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Marie-Madeleine Gueguen
- Team NEED, Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail, INSERM U1085, IFR140, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
| | - Jérémy Pasquier
- Research Unit BOREA, Biology of Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems, CNRS 7208/IRD 207/UPMC, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Sylvie Dufour
- Research Unit BOREA, Biology of Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems, CNRS 7208/IRD 207/UPMC, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Ching-Fong Chang
- Research Unit BOREA, Biology of Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems, CNRS 7208/IRD 207/UPMC, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
- Department of Aquaculture, Center of Excellence for Marine Bioenvironment and Biotechnology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan
| | - Olivier Kah
- Team NEED, Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail, INSERM U1085, IFR140, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
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Nicotine alters the expression of molecular markers of endocrine disruption in zebrafish. Neurosci Lett 2012; 526:133-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2012.08.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2012] [Revised: 08/01/2012] [Accepted: 08/13/2012] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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Expression of aromatase P450(AROM) in the human fetal and early postnatal cerebral cortex. Brain Res 2012; 1475:11-8. [PMID: 22902617 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2012.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2012] [Revised: 07/20/2012] [Accepted: 08/05/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Aromatase (P450(AROM)), the enzyme responsible for the conversion of testosterone (T) into 17-β estradiol (E(2)), plays a crucial role in the sexual differentiation of specific hypothalamic nuclei. Moreover, recent findings indicate that local E(2) synthesis has an impact on other brain areas including hippocampus, temporal cortex and cerebellum, and may thus influence also cognitive functions. Numerous studies have described the expression and the distribution of P450(AROM) throughout ontogenesis and postnatal development of the central nervous system in several mammals, but data referring to humans are scarce. In the adult human brain, P450(AROM) has been detected in the hypothalamus, limbic areas, and in the basal forebrain, and described in glial cells of the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. In this study we report the expression, distribution and cellular localization of P450(AROM) in the human fetal and early postnatal cerebral cortex. In our series of fetal brains of the second trimester, P450(AROM) expression appeared at gestational week (GW) 17 and resulted limited to groups of cells localized close to the growing neuroepithelium in the ventricular and subventricular zones. At GWs 20-24, scattered P450(AROM) immunoreactive (-ir) neural cells were identified in the intermediate plate and subplate, and in the parietal cortical plate. In perinatal and early postnatal individuals the quantity of P450(AROM)-ir elements increased, and revealed the morphology typical of glial cells. Double labeling immunostaining with anti-GFAP and anti-P450(AROM) antisera, and subsequent confocal analysis, confirmed this observation. Our data show that the expression of P450(AROM) in the fetal cortex starts approx at the end of the fourth gestational month, but increases steadily only in the last trimester or in the early postnatal period. This temporal trend may suggest that P450(AROM) could act as a differentiation-promoting factor, based on timing of the steroid actions.
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Anthoni H, Sucheston LE, Lewis BA, Tapia-Páez I, Fan X, Zucchelli M, Taipale M, Stein CM, Hokkanen ME, Castrén E, Pennington BF, Smith SD, Olson RK, Tomblin JB, Schulte-Körne G, Nöthen M, Schumacher J, Müller-Myhsok B, Hoffmann P, Gilger JW, Hynd GW, Nopola-Hemmi J, Leppanen PHT, Lyytinen H, Schoumans J, Nordenskjöld M, Spencer J, Stanic D, Boon WC, Simpson E, Mäkelä S, Gustafsson JÅ, Peyrard-Janvid M, Iyengar S, Kere J. The aromatase gene CYP19A1: several genetic and functional lines of evidence supporting a role in reading, speech and language. Behav Genet 2012; 42:509-27. [PMID: 22426781 PMCID: PMC3375077 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-012-9532-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2011] [Accepted: 02/11/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Inspired by the localization, on 15q21.2 of the CYP19A1 gene in the linkage region of speech and language disorders, and a rare translocation in a dyslexic individual that was brought to our attention, we conducted a series of studies on the properties of CYP19A1 as a candidate gene for dyslexia and related conditions. The aromatase enzyme is a member of the cytochrome P450 super family, and it serves several key functions: it catalyzes the conversion of androgens into estrogens; during early mammalian development it controls the differentiation of specific brain areas (e.g. local estrogen synthesis in the hippocampus regulates synaptic plasticity and axonal growth); it is involved in sexual differentiation of the brain; and in songbirds and teleost fishes, it regulates vocalization. Our results suggest that variations in CYP19A1 are associated with dyslexia as a categorical trait and with quantitative measures of language and speech, such as reading, vocabulary, phonological processing and oral motor skills. Variations near the vicinity of its brain promoter region altered transcription factor binding, suggesting a regulatory role in CYP19A1 expression. CYP19A1 expression in human brain correlated with the expression of dyslexia susceptibility genes such as DYX1C1 and ROBO1. Aromatase-deficient mice displayed increased cortical neuronal density and occasional cortical heterotopias, also observed in Robo1-/- mice and human dyslexic brains, respectively. An aromatase inhibitor reduced dendritic growth in cultured rat neurons. From this broad set of evidence, we propose CYP19A1 as a candidate gene for human cognitive functions implicated in reading, speech and language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi Anthoni
- Department of Medical Genetics, Biomedicum, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Lara E. Sucheston
- Department of Biostatistics, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214-3000 USA
| | - Barbara A. Lewis
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106 USA
| | - Isabel Tapia-Páez
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, 141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Xiaotang Fan
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, 141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Marco Zucchelli
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, 141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Mikko Taipale
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Nine Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142-1479 USA
| | - Catherine M. Stein
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106 USA
| | | | - Eero Castrén
- Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Shelley D. Smith
- Munroe Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5450 USA
| | - Richard K. Olson
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO USA
| | - J. Bruce Tomblin
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 USA
| | - Gerd Schulte-Körne
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Markus Nöthen
- Department of Genomics, Life and Brain Centre, University of Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
- Institute of Human Genetics, Biomedical Centre, University of Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Johannes Schumacher
- Institute of Human Genetics, Biomedical Centre, University of Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Per Hoffmann
- Department of Genomics, Life and Brain Centre, University of Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
- Institute of Human Genetics, Biomedical Centre, University of Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Jeffrey W. Gilger
- Psychological Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA 95343 USA
| | - George W. Hynd
- Department of Psychology, College of Charleston, 66 George Street, Charleston, SC 29424 USA
| | - Jaana Nopola-Hemmi
- Division of Child Neurology, Department of Gynecology and Pediatrics, HUCH, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Heikki Lyytinen
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Jacqueline Schoumans
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet at Karolinska University Hospital, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Magnus Nordenskjöld
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet at Karolinska University Hospital, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jason Spencer
- Howard Florey Institute, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Davor Stanic
- Howard Florey Institute, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
- Centre for Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
| | - Wah Chin Boon
- Howard Florey Institute, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800 Australia
- Centre for Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
- Prince Henry’s Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, VIC 3168 Australia
| | - Evan Simpson
- Prince Henry’s Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, VIC 3168 Australia
| | - Sari Mäkelä
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Jan-Åke Gustafsson
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, 141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
- Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-5056 USA
| | - Myriam Peyrard-Janvid
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, 141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Sudha Iyengar
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106 USA
| | - Juha Kere
- Department of Medical Genetics, Biomedicum, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, 141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Research Center, Karolinska Institutet, 141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
- Science for Life Laboratory, Karolinska Institutet, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
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42
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Screening estrogenic activities of chemicals or mixtures in vivo using transgenic (cyp19a1b-GFP) zebrafish embryos. PLoS One 2012; 7:e36069. [PMID: 22586461 PMCID: PMC3346763 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0036069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2012] [Accepted: 03/30/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The tg(cyp19a1b-GFP) transgenic zebrafish expresses GFP (green fluorescent protein) under the control of the cyp19a1b gene, encoding brain aromatase. This gene has two major characteristics: (i) it is only expressed in radial glial progenitors in the brain of fish and (ii) it is exquisitely sensitive to estrogens. Based on these properties, we demonstrate that natural or synthetic hormones (alone or in binary mixture), including androgens or progestagens, and industrial chemicals induce a concentration-dependent GFP expression in radial glial progenitors. As GFP expression can be quantified by in vivo imaging, this model presents a very powerful tool to screen and characterize compounds potentially acting as estrogen mimics either directly or after metabolization by the zebrafish embryo. This study also shows that radial glial cells that act as stem cells are direct targets for a large panel of endocrine disruptors, calling for more attention regarding the impact of environmental estrogens and/or certain pharmaceuticals on brain development. Altogether these data identify this in vivo bioassay as an interesting alternative to detect estrogen mimics in hazard and risk assessment perspective.
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Trotter A, Steinmacher J, Kron M, Pohlandt F. Neurodevelopmental follow-up at five years corrected age of extremely low birth weight infants after postnatal replacement of 17β-estradiol and progesterone. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2012; 97:1041-7. [PMID: 22259065 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2011-2612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants are prone to impaired neurodevelopment. OBJECTIVE The aim was to determine long-term neurodevelopmental outcome in ELBW infants after postnatal 17β-estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) replacement. DESIGN At 5-yr corrected age, ELBW infants were assessed for standardized cognitive and neurological outcome after postnatal randomized E2 and P replacement or placebo administration. SETTING The follow-up examination was performed in a neuropediatric ambulatory care center. PATIENTS Sixty-one of 71 surviving infants (86%) were available for follow-up. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Cognitive and neurological outcome was evaluated using the Kaufmann Assessment Battery for Children, the Gross Motor Function Classification Scale, and clinical neurological examination. RESULTS No significant differences were found between the replacement and placebo groups for the Gross Motor Function Classification Scale, presence of paresis, cerebral palsy, spasticity, and ametropia. However, a significant time-response relationship was found with E2 and P replacement. Every day of treatment reduced the risk for cerebral palsy (P=0.03), spasticity (P=0.01), and ametropia (P=0.01). CONCLUSION Postnatal E2 and P replacement may have potential in improving neurodevelopmental outcome in ELBW infants. Larger trials are needed to test this new hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Trotter
- Centre for Perinatal Medicine, Children's Hospital, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freudstrasse 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany.
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Stolp H, Neuhaus A, Sundramoorthi R, Molnár Z. The Long and the Short of it: Gene and Environment Interactions During Early Cortical Development and Consequences for Long-Term Neurological Disease. Front Psychiatry 2012; 3:50. [PMID: 22701439 PMCID: PMC3372875 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2012.00050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2011] [Accepted: 05/01/2012] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Cortical development is a complex amalgamation of proliferation, migration, differentiation, and circuit formation. These processes follow defined timescales and are controlled by a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. It is currently unclear how robust and flexible these processes are and whether the developing brain has the capacity to recover from disruptions. What is clear is that there are a number of cognitive disorders or conditions that are elicited as a result of disrupted cortical development, although it may take a long time for the full pathophysiology of the conditions to be realized clinically. The critical window for the manifestation of a neurodevelopmental disorder is prolonged, and there is the potential for a complex interplay between genes and environment. While there have been extended investigations into the genetic basis of a number of neurological and mental disorders, limited definitive associations have been discovered. Many environmental factors, including inflammation and stress, have been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders, and it may be that a better understanding of the interplay between genes and environment will speed progress in this field. In particular, the development of the brain needs to be considered in the context of the whole materno-fetal unit as the degree of the metabolic, endocrine, or inflammatory responses, for example, will greatly influence the environment in which the brain develops. This review will emphasize the importance of extending neurodevelopmental studies to the contribution of the placenta, vasculature, cerebrospinal fluid, and to maternal and fetal immune response. These combined investigations are more likely to reveal genetic and environmental factors that influence the different stages of neuronal development and potentially lead to the better understanding of the etiology of neurological and mental disorders such as autism, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Stolp
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford Oxford, UK
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Lecanu L. Sex, the Underestimated Potential Determining Factor in Brain Tissue Repair Strategy. Stem Cells Dev 2011; 20:2031-5. [DOI: 10.1089/scd.2011.0188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Lecanu
- The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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46
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Nagarajan G, Tsai YJ, Chen CY, Chang CF. Developmental expression of genes involved in neural estrogen biosynthesis and signaling in the brain of the orange-spotted grouper Epinephelus coioides during gonadal sex differentiation. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2011; 127:155-66. [PMID: 21513797 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2011.03.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2010] [Revised: 03/22/2011] [Accepted: 03/25/2011] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
In the brain, the synthesis of neurosteroids and receptor activation during gonadal sex differentiation in teleosts are poorly understood. In the present study, the protogynous orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) was selected as a model fish, and we hypothesized that de novo synthesis of neural estrogen may play a role in the female grouper brain during gonadal sex differentiation. We investigated the temporal expression of the genes StAR, cyp19a1b and pcna and the sex steroid nuclear receptors for estrogen (ERα, ERβ1 and ERβ2), androgen (AR) and the plasma membrane-associated estrogen receptor (GPR30) in the brain during early developmental ages from 90 days after hatching (dah) to 180dah after gonadal sex differentiation. Our results revealed that mRNA for ERs and GPR30 but not AR was significantly increased at 110dah (a time close to gonadal sex differentiation) in the forebrain and midbrain and for cyp19a1b at 110dah in the forebrain. Brain aromatase activity and estradiol (E2) levels, but not testosterone (T), were increased in the forebrain at 110 and 120dah, respectively. Furthermore, exogenous E2 stimulated cyp19a1b transcripts in the forebrain and hypothalamus and immunoreactive (ir)Cyp19a1b (aromatase enzyme) in the forebrain. irCyp19a1b localized in the glial cells of the forebrain regions. Therefore, we identified a peak of functional aromatase activity and estrogen signaling in the early grouper brain during gonadal sex differentiation. Moreover, pcna transcripts (a marker for cell proliferation activity) were higher in the early brain at 110-150dah. Thus, a peak time of development in the brain is suggested to occur during gonadal sex differentiation in the grouper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ganesan Nagarajan
- Department of Aquaculture, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 20224, Taiwan
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47
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48
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Azcoitia I, Yague JG, Garcia-Segura LM. Estradiol synthesis within the human brain. Neuroscience 2011; 191:139-47. [PMID: 21320576 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 159] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2011] [Revised: 02/02/2011] [Accepted: 02/05/2011] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Estradiol biosynthesis is catalyzed by the enzyme aromatase, the product of the CYP19A1 gene. Aromatase is expressed in the brain, where it is involved not only in the control of neuroendocrine events and reproduction, but also in the regulation of neural development, synaptic plasticity and cell survival. In this review we summarize the existing data related with the detection of aromatase in human brain, with particular emphasis in the so-called "non-primary reproductive" areas. Besides hypothalamus, amygdala and preoptic/septal areas, aromatase is expressed in certain regions of basal forebrain, cerebral cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, cerebellum and brainstem of the human brain. Aromatase in human brain is produced by neurons, but there is also an astrocyte subpopulation that constitutively expresses the enzyme. The use of different methodological approaches, including the in vivo analysis by positron emission tomography of human subjects, has permitted to draw a general map of human brain aromatase, but the detailed distribution map is still far to be completed. On the other hand, despite the fact that there is only one aromatase protein, there are multiple mRNA transcripts that differ in the 5'-untranslated region, where regulatory elements reside. To date, some of the aromatase transcripts characteristic of cerebral cortex, as well as of human cell lines of neural origin, have been identified. This characteristic may confer tissue or even region-specific regulation of the expression and therefore it is conceivable to develop selective aromatase modulators to regulate the expression of the enzyme in the human brain. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Neuroactive Steroids: Focus on Human Brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Azcoitia
- Biología Celular, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, E-28040 Madrid, Spain.
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Rees S, Loeliger M, Shields A, Shaul PW, McCurnin D, Yoder B, Inder T. The effects of postnatal estrogen therapy on brain development in preterm baboons. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2011; 204:177.e8-14. [PMID: 21074139 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2010.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2010] [Revised: 09/08/2010] [Accepted: 09/22/2010] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Estrogen receptors are present within the fetal brain, suggesting that estrogens may exert an influence on cerebral development. Loss of placentally derived estrogen in preterm birth may impair development. STUDY DESIGN Baboons were delivered at 125 days of gestation (term approximately 185 days), randomly allocated to receive estradiol (n = 10) or placebo (n = 8), and ventilated for 14 days. Brains were assessed for developmental and neuropathological parameters. RESULTS Body and brain weights were not different between groups, but the brain/body weight ratio was increased (P < .05) in estradiol-treated animals. There were no differences (P > .05) between groups in any neuropathological measure in either the forebrain or cerebellum. There were no intraventricular hemorrhages; 1 estradiol animal displayed ectactic vessels in the subarachnoid space. CONCLUSION Brief postnatal estradiol administration to primates does not pose an increased risk of injury or impaired brain development.
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50
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Arevalo MA, Ruiz-Palmero I, Simon-Areces J, Acaz-Fonseca E, Azcoitia I, Garcia-Segura LM. Estradiol meets notch signaling in developing neurons. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2011; 2:21. [PMID: 22654797 PMCID: PMC3356013 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2011.00021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2011] [Accepted: 07/31/2011] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The transmembrane receptor Notch, a master developmental regulator, controls gliogenesis, neurogenesis, and neurite development in the nervous system. Estradiol, acting as a hormonal signal or as a neurosteroid, also regulates these developmental processes. Here we review recent evidence indicating that estradiol and Notch signaling interact in developing hippocampal neurons by a mechanism involving the putative membrane receptor G protein-coupled receptor 30. This interaction is relevant for the control of neuronal differentiation, since the downregulation of Notch signaling by estradiol results in the upregulation of neurogenin 3, which in turn promotes dendritogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Isabel Ruiz-Palmero
- Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasMadrid, Spain
| | - Julia Simon-Areces
- Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasMadrid, Spain
| | | | - Iñigo Azcoitia
- Facultad de Biología, Biología Celular, Universidad Complutense de MadridMadrid, Spain
| | - Luis Miguel Garcia-Segura
- Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasMadrid, Spain
- *Correspondence: Luis Miguel Garcia-Segura, Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Avenida Doctor Arce 37, E-28002 Madrid, Spain. e-mail:
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