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Li H, Chen X, Dong J, Liu R, Duan J, Huang M, Hu S, Lu J. A direct estrogenic involvement in the expression of human hypocretin. Life Sci 2024; 344:122581. [PMID: 38514004 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2024.122581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Hypocretin is synthesized exclusively in the hypothalamus and distributes inputs to several areas of the brain, which may play an important role in depression. Our previous study showed that hypocretin-1 was increased in the lateral hypothalamus in female patients with depression compared to female controls. Estrogen acts through estrogen receptor (ER)α and ERβ. We studied the possibility of a direct action of estrogen receptors on the expression of human hypocretin. We found that hypocretin-1 plasma levels were significantly higher in female patients with depression than in female controls. Female depression estrogen receptors and hypocretin are colocalized in the human lateral hypothalamus, PC12, and SK-N-SH cells. The estrogen receptor response elements (ERE) that exist in the hypocretin promoter region may directly regulate the gene expression of hypocretin. The synchronicity of change of hypocretin and estradiol both in hypothalamus and plasma was verified in female rats. In the presence of estradiol, specific binding occurs between the recombinant human ER and hypocretin-ERE. Expression of ER combined with estradiol repressed hypocretin promoter activity via the ERE. In conclusion, we found that estradiol may directly affect hypocretin neurons in the human hypothalamus via ER binding to the hypocretin-ERE, which may lead to the sex-specific pathogenesis of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haimei Li
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Precision Psychiatry, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China
| | - Xinlu Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, East Qingchun Road 3#, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310016, China
| | - Jingyi Dong
- College of Life Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ripeng Liu
- College of First Clinical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, 548 Binwen Road, Binjiang District, Hangzhou 310053, China
| | - Jinfeng Duan
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Precision Psychiatry, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China
| | - Manli Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Precision Psychiatry, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China
| | - Shaohua Hu
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Precision Psychiatry, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China.
| | - Jing Lu
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Precision Psychiatry, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China.
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Choi PP, Wang Q, Brenner LA, Li AJ, Ritter RC, Appleyard SM. Lesion of NPY Receptor-expressing Neurons in Perifornical Lateral Hypothalamus Attenuates Glucoprivic Feeding. Endocrinology 2024; 165:bqae021. [PMID: 38368624 PMCID: PMC11043786 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqae021] [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: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Glucoprivic feeding is one of several counterregulatory responses (CRRs) that facilitates restoration of euglycemia following acute glucose deficit (glucoprivation). Our previous work established that glucoprivic feeding requires ventrolateral medullary (VLM) catecholamine (CA) neurons that coexpress neuropeptide Y (NPY). However, the connections by which VLM CA/NPY neurons trigger increased feeding are uncertain. We have previously shown that glucoprivation, induced by an anti-glycolygic agent 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG), activates perifornical lateral hypothalamus (PeFLH) neurons and that expression of NPY in the VLM CA/NPY neurons is required for glucoprivic feeding. We therefore hypothesized that glucoprivic feeding and possibly other CRRs require NPY-sensitive PeFLH neurons. To test this, we used the ribosomal toxin conjugate NPY-saporin (NPY-SAP) to selectively lesion NPY receptor-expressing neurons in the PeFLH of male rats. We found that NPY-SAP destroyed a significant number of PeFLH neurons, including those expressing orexin, but not those expressing melanin-concentrating hormone. The PeFLH NPY-SAP lesions attenuated 2DG-induced feeding but did not affect 2DG-induced increase in locomotor activity, sympathoadrenal hyperglycemia, or corticosterone release. The 2DG-induced feeding response was also significantly attenuated in NPY-SAP-treated female rats. Interestingly, PeFLH NPY-SAP lesioned male rats had reduced body weights and decreased dark cycle feeding, but this effect was not seen in female rats. We conclude that a NPY projection to the PeFLH is necessary for glucoprivic feeding, but not locomotor activity, hyperglycemia, or corticosterone release, in both male and female rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pique P Choi
- Neuroscience Program, Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Qing Wang
- Neuroscience Program, Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Lynne A Brenner
- Neuroscience Program, Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Ai-Jun Li
- Neuroscience Program, Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Robert C Ritter
- Neuroscience Program, Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Suzanne M Appleyard
- Neuroscience Program, Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
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Faesel N, Koch M, Fendt M. Orexin deficiency modulates the dipsogenic effects of angiotensin II in a sex-dependent manner. Peptides 2024; 171:171127. [PMID: 38043589 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2023.171127] [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: 08/12/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
The orexin (hypocretin) neuropeptide system is an important regulator of ingestive behaviors, i.e., it promotes food and water intake. Here, we investigated the role of orexin in drinking induced by the potent dipsogen angiotensin II (ANG II). Specifically, male and female orexin-deficient mice received intracerebroventricular (ICV) injections of ANG II, followed by measuring their water intake within 15 min. We found that lower doses of ANG II (100 ng) significantly stimulated drinking in males but not in females, indicating a general sex-dependent effect that was not affected by orexin deficiency. However, higher doses of ANG II (500 ng) were sufficient to induce drinking in female wild-type mice, while female orexin-deficient mice still did not respond to the dipsogenic properties of ANG II. In conclusion, these results suggest sex-dependent effects in ANG II-induced drinking and further support the sexual dimorphism of orexin system functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Faesel
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Straße 44, D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Department of Neuropharmacology, Brain Research Institute, University of Bremen, Hochschulring 18, D-28359 Bremen, Germany.
| | - Michael Koch
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Brain Research Institute, University of Bremen, Hochschulring 18, D-28359 Bremen, Germany.
| | - Markus Fendt
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Straße 44, D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Straße 44, D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany.
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4
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Kolmos MG, Arribas AP, Kornum BR, Justinussen JL. Experimental sickness reduces hypocretin receptor 1 expression in the lateral hypothalamus and ventral tegmental area of female mice. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 58:4002-4010. [PMID: 37818927 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have focused on how sickness behaviours, including lethargy, are coordinated in the brain in response to peripheral infections. Decreased hypocretin (orexin) signalling is associated with lethargy and previous research suggests that hypocretin signalling is downregulated during sickness. However, there are studies that find increases or no change in hypocretin signalling during sickness. It is further unknown whether hypocretin receptor expression changes during sickness. Using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce sickness in female mice, we investigated how LPS-injection affects gene expression of hypocretin receptors and prepro-hypocretin as well as hypocretin-1 peptide concentrations in brain tissue. We found that hypocretin receptor 1 gene expression was downregulated during sickness in the lateral hypothalamus and ventral tegmental area, but not in the dorsal raphe nucleus or locus coeruleus. We found no changes in hypocretin receptor 2 expression. Using a gene expression calculation that accounts for primer efficiencies and multiple endogenous controls, we were unable to detect changes in prepro-hypocretin expression. Using radioimmunoassay, we found no change in hypocretin-1 peptide in rostral brain tissue. Our results indicate that hypocretin receptor expression can fluctuate during sickness, adding an additional level of complexity to understanding hypocretin signalling during sickness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mie Gunni Kolmos
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Alba Pérez Arribas
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Birgitte Rahbek Kornum
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jessica Lauren Justinussen
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Estradiol-dependent hypocretinergic/orexinergic behaviors throughout the estrous cycle. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:15-25. [PMID: 36571628 PMCID: PMC9816302 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06296-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The female menstrual or estrous cycle and its associated fluctuations in circulating estradiol (E2), progesterone, and other gonadal hormones alter orexin or hypocretin peptide production and receptor activity. Depending on the estrous cycle phase, the transcription of prepro-orexin mRNA, post-translational modification of orexin peptide, and abundance of orexin receptors change in a brain region-specific manner. The most dramatic changes occur in the hypothalamus, which is considered the starting point of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis as well as the hub of orexin-producing neurons. Thus, hypothalamus-regulated behaviors, including arousal, feeding, reward processing, and the stress response depend on coordinated efforts between E2, progesterone, and the orexin system. Given the rise of orexin therapeutics for various neuropsychiatric conditions including insomnia and affective disorders, it is important to delineate the behavioral outcomes of this drug class in both sexes, as well as within different time points of the female reproductive cycle. OBJECTIVES Summarize how the menstrual or estrous cycle affects orexin system functionality in animal models in order to predict how orexin pharmacotherapies exert varying degrees of behavioral effects across the dynamic hormonal milieu.
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Carrera-Cañas C, de Andrés I, Callejo M, Garzón M. Plasticity of the hypocretinergic/orexinergic system after a chronic treatment with suvorexant in rats. Role of the hypocretinergic/orexinergic receptor 1 as an autoreceptor. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:1013182. [PMID: 36277486 PMCID: PMC9581150 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.1013182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The hypothalamic hypocretinergic/orexinergic (Hcrt/Ox) system is involved in many physiological and pathophysiological processes. Malfunction of Hcrt/Ox transmission results in narcolepsy, a sleep disease caused in humans by progressive neurodegeneration of hypothalamic neurons containing Hcrt/Ox. To explore the Hcrt/Ox system plasticity we systemically administered suvorexant (a dual Hcrt/Ox receptor antagonist) in rats to chronically block Hcrt/Ox transmission without damaging Hcrt/Ox cells. Three groups of eight rats (four males and four females) received daily i.p. injections of suvorexant (10 or 30 mg/kg) or vehicle (DMSO) over a period of 7 days in which the body weight was monitored. After the treatments cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Hcrt1/OxA concentration was measured by ELISA, and hypothalamic Hcrt/OxR1 and Hcrt/OxR2 levels by western blot. The systemic blockade of the Hcrt/Ox transmission with the suvorexant high dose produced a significant increase in body weight at the end of the treatment, and a significant decrease in CSF Hcrt1/OxA levels, both features typical in human narcolepsy type 1. Besides, a significant overexpression of hypothalamic Hcrt/OxR1 occurred. For the Hcrt/OxR2 two very close bands were detected, but they did not show significant changes with the treatment. Thus, the plastic changes observed in the Hcrt/Ox system after the chronic blockade of its transmission were a decrease in CSF Hcrt1/OXA levels and an overexpression of hypothalamic Hcrt/OxR1. These findings support an autoregulatory role of Hcrt/OxR1 within the hypothalamus, which would induce the synthesis/release of Hcrt/Ox, but also decrease its own availability at the plasma membrane after binding Hcrt1/OxA to preserve Hcrt/Ox system homeostasis.
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Gao XB, Horvath TL. From Molecule to Behavior: Hypocretin/orexin Revisited From a Sex-dependent Perspective. Endocr Rev 2022; 43:743-760. [PMID: 34792130 PMCID: PMC9277634 DOI: 10.1210/endrev/bnab042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt/Orx) system in the perifornical lateral hypothalamus has been recognized as a critical node in a complex network of neuronal systems controlling both physiology and behavior in vertebrates. Our understanding of the Hcrt/Orx system and its array of functions and actions has grown exponentially in merely 2 decades. This review will examine the latest progress in discerning the roles played by the Hcrt/Orx system in regulating homeostatic functions and in executing instinctive and learned behaviors. Furthermore, the gaps that currently exist in our knowledge of sex-related differences in this field of study are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Bing Gao
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Tamas L Horvath
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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The effect of prostaglandins E2 and F2α on orexin system expression in the porcine uterus during the peri-implantation period. ANNALS OF ANIMAL SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.2478/aoas-2022-0018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of prostaglandins E2 (PGE2) and F2α (PGF2α) on orexins (OXA and OXB) secretion (ELISA), prepro-orexin (PPO) gene expression and the content of orexin receptors (OX1R, OX2R) mRNA (qPCR) and proteins (Western blot) in porcine endometrial and myometrial tissue slices during early pregnancy (days 10–28) and on days 10–11 of the oestrous cycle. On days 10–11 of pregnancy, prostaglandins (PGs) decreased the expression of the PPO gene and OXR gene and protein in the endometrium. On days 12– 13, PGs increased OXB secretion, PGE2 enhanced OXA secretion, and PGF2α suppressed PPO expression. On days 15–16, both PGs inhibited PPO expression and OXB secretion, and PGF2α increased OXA release. On days 27–28, PGs decreased PPO mRNA and OX1R protein levels, PGE2 decreased OX2R protein content, and PGF2α decreased OXB secretion. On days 10-11 of the cycle PGs increased the expression of PPO mRNA and OX2R protein, whereas PGE2 increased OX1R protein content. The effect of PGs on orexin system expression in the porcine myometrium was dependent on the animal physiological status and the concentrations of specific PGs. The study demonstrated that PGs exert regulatory effects on orexin system expression in the porcine uterus, which suggests that a local regulatory mechanism could be responsible for modulating uterine metabolism. The observed differences in PGs’ influence on orexin system expression could be attributed to changes in the sensitivity of the studied tissues, associated with the phase of the oestrous cycle, the stage of early pregnancy or PGs concentration.
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New Aspects of Corpus Luteum Regulation in Physiological and Pathological Conditions: Involvement of Adipokines and Neuropeptides. Cells 2022; 11:cells11060957. [PMID: 35326408 PMCID: PMC8946127 DOI: 10.3390/cells11060957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The corpus luteum is a small gland of great importance because its proper functioning determines not only the appropriate course of the estrous/menstrual cycle and embryo implantation, but also the subsequent maintenance of pregnancy. Among the well-known regulators of luteal tissue functions, increasing attention is focused on the role of neuropeptides and adipose tissue hormones—adipokines. Growing evidence points to the expression of these factors in the corpus luteum of women and different animal species, and their involvement in corpus luteum formation, endocrine function, angiogenesis, cells proliferation, apoptosis, and finally, regression. In the present review, we summarize the current knowledge about the expression and role of adipokines, such as adiponectin, leptin, apelin, vaspin, visfatin, chemerin, and neuropeptides like ghrelin, orexins, kisspeptin, and phoenixin in the physiological regulation of the corpus luteum function, as well as their potential involvement in pathologies affecting the luteal cells that disrupt the estrous cycle.
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Effects of orexin A on PTGS2, PTGES, CBR1 and PGFS mRNA transcript abundances and prostaglandin E2 and F2α concentrations in culture medium of pig uterine explants collected during early gestation and the estrogenic cycle. Anim Reprod Sci 2022; 237:106910. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2021.106910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Orexin-A Regulates Follicular Growth, Proliferation, Cell Cycle and Apoptosis in Mouse Primary Granulosa Cells via the AKT/ERK Signaling Pathway. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26185635. [PMID: 34577105 PMCID: PMC8467508 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26185635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Granulosa cells (GCs) are essential for follicular growth, development, and atresia. The orexin-A (OXA) neuropeptide is widely involved in the regulation of various biological functions. OXA selectively binds to orexin receptor type 1 (OX1R) and mediates all its biological actions via OX1R. This study aimed to explore the expression of OXA and OX1R and their regulatory role in GCs proliferation, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, oocyte maturation, and underlying molecular mechanisms of these processes and elucidate its novel signaling pathway. Western blotting and RT-qPCR showed that OXA and OX1R were expressed during different developmental stages of GCs, and siRNA transfection successfully inhibited the expression of OX1R at the translational and transcriptional levels. Flow cytometry revealed that OX1R knockdown upregulated GCs apoptosis and triggered S-phase arrest in cell cycle progression. RT-qPCR and Western blotting showed significantly reduced expression of Bcl-2 and elevated expression of Bax, caspase-3, TNF-α, and P21 in OX1R-silenced GCs. Furthermore, the CCK-8 assay showed that knockdown of OX1R suppressed GCs proliferation by downregulating the expression of PCNA, a proliferation marker gene, at the translational and transcriptional levels. Western blotting revealed that knockdown of OX1R resulted in a considerable decrease of the phosphorylation level of the AKT and ERK1/2 proteins, indicating that the AKT/ERK1/2 pathway is involved in regulating GCs proliferation and apoptosis. In addition, OX1R silencing enhanced the mRNA expression of GDF9 and suppressed the mRNA expression of BMP15 in mouse GCs. Collectively, these results reveal a novel regulatory role of OXA in the development of GCs and folliculogenesis by regulating proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle progression. Therefore, OXA can be a promising therapeutic agent for female infertility.
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Dorsey A, de Lecea L, Jennings KJ. Neurobiological and Hormonal Mechanisms Regulating Women's Sleep. Front Neurosci 2021; 14:625397. [PMID: 33519372 PMCID: PMC7840832 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.625397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Sleep is crucial for optimal well-being, and sex differences in sleep quality have significant implications for women's health. We review the current literature on sex differences in sleep, such as differences in objective and subjective sleep measures and their relationship with aging. We then discuss the convincing evidence for the role of ovarian hormones in regulating female sleep, and survey how these hormones act on a multitude of brain regions and neurochemicals to impact sleep. Lastly, we identify several important areas in need of future research to narrow the knowledge gap and improve the health of women and other understudied populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kimberly J. Jennings
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
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13
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Yaeger JD, Krupp KT, Gale JJ, Summers CH. Counterbalanced microcircuits for Orx1 and Orx2 regulation of stress reactivity. MEDICINE IN DRUG DISCOVERY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.medidd.2020.100059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
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14
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Abstract
Gonadal hormones contribute to the sexual differentiation of brain and behavior throughout the lifespan, from initial neural patterning to "activation" of adult circuits. Sexual behavior is an ideal system in which to investigate the mechanisms underlying hormonal activation of neural circuits. Sexual behavior is a hormonally regulated, innate social behavior found across species. Although both sexes seek out and engage in sexual behavior, the specific actions involved in mating are sexually dimorphic. Thus, the neural circuits mediating sexual motivation and behavior in males and females are overlapping yet distinct. Furthermore, sexual behavior is strongly dependent on circulating gonadal hormones in both sexes. There has been significant recent progress on elucidating how gonadal hormones modulate physiological properties within sexual behavior circuits with consequences for behavior. Therefore, in this mini-review we review the neural circuits of male and female sexual motivation and behavior, from initial sensory detection of pheromones to the extended amygdala and on to medial hypothalamic nuclei and reward systems. We also discuss how gonadal hormones impact the physiology and functioning of each node within these circuits. By better understanding the myriad of ways in which gonadal hormones impact sexual behavior circuits, we can gain a richer and more complete appreciation for the neural substrates of complex behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly J Jennings
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Luis de Lecea
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California
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15
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Brown AMC, Gervais NJ. Role of Ovarian Hormones in the Modulation of Sleep in Females Across the Adult Lifespan. Endocrinology 2020; 161:5879359. [PMID: 32735650 PMCID: PMC7450669 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqaa128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Ovarian hormones, including 17β-estradiol, are implicated in numerous physiological processes, including sleep. Beginning at puberty, girls report more sleep complaints than boys, which is maintained throughout the reproductive life stage. Sleep problems are exacerbated during the menopausal transition, evidenced by greater risk for sleep disorders. There is emerging evidence that menopause-associated hormone loss contributes to this elevated risk, but age is also an important factor. The extent to which menopause-associated sleep disturbance persists into postmenopause above and beyond the effects of age remains unknown. Untreated sleep disturbances have important implications for cognitive health, as they are emerging as risk factors for dementia. Given that sleep loss impairs memory, an important knowledge gap concerns the role played by menopause-associated hormone loss in exacerbating sleep disturbance and, ultimately, cognitive function in aging women. In this review, we take a translational approach to illustrate the contribution of ovarian hormones in maintaining the sleep-wake cycle in younger and middle-aged females, with evidence implicating 17β-estradiol in supporting the memory-promoting effects of sleep. Sleep physiology is briefly reviewed before turning to behavioral and neural evidence from young females linking 17β-estradiol to sleep-wake cycle maintenance. Implications of menopause-associated 17β-estradiol loss is also reviewed before discussing how ovarian hormones may support the memory-promoting effects of sleep, and why menopause may exacerbate pathological aging via effects on sleep. While still in its infancy, this research area offers a new sex-based perspective on aging research, with a focus on a modifiable risk factor for pathological aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alana M C Brown
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nicole J Gervais
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Correspondence: Nicole J. Gervais, University of Toronto, Department of Psychology, 100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 3G3. E-mail:
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16
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Sex- and Age-dependent Differences in Sleep-wake Characteristics of Fisher-344 Rats. Neuroscience 2019; 427:29-42. [PMID: 31846749 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.11.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Aging is a well-recognized risk factor for sleep disruption. The characteristics of sleep in aging include its disruption by frequent awakenings, a decline in both non-rapid eye movement (nonREM) and REM sleep amounts, and a weaker homeostatic response to sleep loss. Evidence also suggests that sleep in females is more sensitive to changes in the ovarian steroidal milieu. The Fischer-344 rats are commonly used experimental subjects in behavioral and physiological studies, including sleep and aging. Most sleep studies in Fischer-344 rats have used male subjects to avoid interactions between the estrus and sleep-waking cycles. The changes in the sleep-wake organization of female Fischer-344 rats, especially with advancing age, are not well-characterized. We determined sleep-waking features of cycling females across estrus stages. We also compared spontaneous and homeostatic sleep response profiles of young (3-4 months) and old (24-25 months) male and female Fischer-344 rats. The results suggest that: i) sleep-wake architectures across stages of estrus cycle in young females were largely comparable except for a significant suppression of REM sleep at proestrus night and an increase in REM sleep the following day; ii) despite hormonal differences, sleep-wake architecture in male and female rats of corresponding ages were comparable except for the suppression of REM sleep at proestrus night and higher nonREM delta power in recovery sleep; and iii) aging significantly affected sleep-wake amounts, sleep-wake stability, and homeostatic response to sleep loss in both male and female rats and that the adverse effects of aging were largely comparable in both sexes.
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Kiezun M, Dobrzyn K, Rytelewska E, Kisielewska K, Gudelska M, Szeszko K, Zaobidna E, Bors K, Wyrebek J, Mykytiuk A, Kaminski T, Smolinska N. The effect of estrone and estradiol on the expression of the orexin/hypocretin system in the porcine uterus during early pregnancy. Domest Anim Endocrinol 2019; 68:11-24. [PMID: 30784944 DOI: 10.1016/j.domaniend.2018.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Orexin A and B (OXA, OXB) are hypothalamic neuropeptides acting via two receptors, type 1 (OX1R) and 2 (OX2R). Orexins, also known as hypocretins, take part in a common endocrine system regulating metabolism and reproductive functions. Changes in the orexin system expression during the estrous cycle and pregnancy suggest dependence on the local hormonal milieu. Estrogens are the key hormones controlling reproductive functions, including maternal recognition of pregnancy and implantation. We hypothesize that estrogens may affect orexin system expression in the early pregnant uterus. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of estrogens on prepro-orexin (PPO), OX1R, and OX2R gene expression, OX1R and OX2R protein content in the porcine uterine tissue, as well as OXA and OXB secretion on days 10-11, 12-13, 15-16, and 27-28 of pregnancy and on days 10-12 of the estrous cycle (n = 5 per group). The expression of PPO, OX1R, and OX2R genes was examined using qPCR, OX1R and OX2R protein content was evaluated using western blotting, and orexins secretion was determined with ELISA. This is the first study to describe the influence of estrogens on orexin system expression in the porcine uterus. Obtained results revealed that estrogens significantly affect the expression of orexin system and orexins secretion. The influence of estrogens varied between different stages of early pregnancy and the estrous cycle. The steroids showed a tissue-specific and dose-dependent effect. Our findings suggest that orexins could act as a "molecular switch" for estrogen activation in the processes of endometrial decidualization and rapid uterine enlargement during early pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Kiezun
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - K Dobrzyn
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - E Rytelewska
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - K Kisielewska
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - M Gudelska
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - K Szeszko
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - E Zaobidna
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - K Bors
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - J Wyrebek
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - A Mykytiuk
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - T Kaminski
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - N Smolinska
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland.
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Kisielewska K, Rytelewska E, Gudelska M, Kiezun M, Dobrzyn K, Szeszko K, Bors K, Wyrebek J, Kaminski T, Smolinska N. The effect of orexin B on steroidogenic acute regulatory protein, P450 side-chain cleavage enzyme, and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase gene expression, and progesterone and androstenedione secretion by the porcine uterus during early pregnancy and the estrous cycle. J Anim Sci 2019; 97:851-864. [PMID: 30508170 DOI: 10.1093/jas/sky458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of orexin B (OXB) on progesterone (P4) and androstenedione (A4) secretion by porcine endometrial and myometrial tissue explants and on the expression of key steroidogenic proteins and enzymes involved in steroid production. The hormones secretion and the expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), P450 side-chain cleavage enzyme (CYP11A1), and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD3B1) were analyzed on days 10 to 11, 12 to 13, 15 to 16, and 27 to 28 of pregnancy and during the luteal phase of the estrous cycle (days 10 to 11). Endometrial and myometrial explants were cultured in vitro in the presence of OXB (1, 10, or 100 nM) and OXB (1, 10, or 100 nM) with 1 µM of JNJ (OX2R antagonist). Gene expression was examined by real-time PCR, and steroid secretion was determined by radioimmunoassay. Orexin B modulated StAR, CYP11A1, HSD3B1 mRNA content depending on the type of uterine tissue, the applied OXB dose, and the stage of pregnancy or the estrous cycle (P < 0.05). Orexin B increased P4 secretion in all stages of early gestation (P < 0.05). Orexin B enhanced the release of A4 on days 12 to 13, 15 to 16, and 27 to 28 of gestation, whereas on days 10 to 11 of early pregnancy, A4 secretion decreased in the endometrium and increased in the myometrium (P < 0.05). These results indicate that OXB affects the expression of key steroidogenic regulators and the secretion of steroid hormones in the porcine uterus during early pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Kisielewska
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Edyta Rytelewska
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Marlena Gudelska
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Marta Kiezun
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Kamil Dobrzyn
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Karol Szeszko
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Kinga Bors
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Joanna Wyrebek
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Tadeusz Kaminski
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Nina Smolinska
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland
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Fuentes N, Cabello N, Nicoleau M, Chroneos ZC, Silveyra P. Modulation of the lung inflammatory response to ozone by the estrous cycle. Physiol Rep 2019; 7:e14026. [PMID: 30848106 PMCID: PMC6405886 DOI: 10.14814/phy2.14026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that sex differences exist in the control of lung innate immunity; however, the specific roles of sex hormones in the inflammatory response, and the mechanisms involved are unclear. Here, we investigated whether fluctuations in circulating hormone levels occurring in the mouse estrous cycle could affect the inflammatory response to air pollution exposure. For this, we exposed female mice (C57BL/6J, 8 weeks old) at different phases of the estrous cycle to 2 ppm of ozone or filtered air (FA) for 3 h. Following exposure, we collected lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL), and performed lung function measurements to evaluate inflammatory responses and respiratory mechanics. We found a differential inflammatory response to ozone in females exposed in the luteal phase (metestrus, diestrus) versus the follicular phase (proestrus, estrus). Females exposed to ozone in the follicular phase had significantly higher expression of inflammatory genes, including Ccl2, Cxcl2, Ccl20, and Il6, compared to females exposed in the luteal phase (P < 0.05), and displayed differential activation of regulatory pathways. Exposure to ozone in the follicular phase also resulted in higher BAL neutrophilia, lipocalin levels, and airway resistance than exposure in the luteal phase (P < 0.05). Together, these results show that the effects of ozone exposure in the female lung are affected by the estrous cycle phase, and potentially hormonal status. Future studies investigating air pollution effects and inflammation in women should consider the menstrual cycle phase and/or circulating hormone levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Fuentes
- Department of PediatricsThe Pennsylvania State University College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvania
| | - Noe Cabello
- Department of PediatricsThe Pennsylvania State University College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvania
| | - Marvin Nicoleau
- Department of PediatricsThe Pennsylvania State University College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvania
| | - Zissis C. Chroneos
- Department of PediatricsThe Pennsylvania State University College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvania
| | - Patricia Silveyra
- Department of PediatricsThe Pennsylvania State University College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvania
- Biobehavioral LaboratoryThe University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel HillNorth Carolina
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Noise-induced sleep disruption increases weight gain and decreases energy metabolism in female rats. Int J Obes (Lond) 2018; 43:1759-1768. [PMID: 30568267 PMCID: PMC6584067 DOI: 10.1038/s41366-018-0293-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Revised: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Background/objectives: Inadequate sleep increases obesity and environmental noise contributes to poor sleep. However, women may be more vulnerable to noise and hence more susceptible to sleep disruption-induced weight gain than men. In male rats, exposure to environmental (i.e. ambient) noise disrupts sleep and increases feeding and weight gain. However, the effects of environmental noise on sleep and weight gain in female rats are unknown. Thus, this study was designed to determine whether noise exposure would disturb sleep, increase feeding and weight gain and alter the length of the estrous cycle in female rats. Subjects/methods: Female rats (12-weeks old) were exposed to noise for 17d (8h/d during the light period) to determine the effects of noise on weight gain and food intake. In a separate set of females, estrous cycle phase and length, EEG, EMG, spontaneous physical activity and energy expenditure were recorded continuously for 27d during baseline (control, 9d), noise exposure (8h/d, 9d) and recovery (9d) from sleep disruption. Results: Noise exposure significantly increased weight gain and food intake compared to females that slept undisturbed. Noise also significantly increased wakefulness, reduced sleep and resulted in rebound sleep during the recovery period. Total energy expenditure was significantly lower during both noise exposure and recovery due to lower energy expenditure during spontaneous physical activity and sleep. Notably, noise did not alter the estrous cycle length. Conclusions: As previously observed in male rats, noise exposure disrupted sleep and increased weight gain in females but did not alter the length of the estrous cycle. This is the first demonstration of weight gain in female rats during sleep disruption. We conclude that the sleep disruption caused by exposure to environmental noise is a significant tool for determining how sleep loss contributes to obesity in females.
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Dobrzyn K, Smolinska N, Kiezun M, Szeszko K, Rytelewska E, Kisielewska K, Gudelska M, Kaminski T. The in vitro effect of progesterone on the orexin system in porcine uterine tissues during early pregnancy. Acta Vet Scand 2018; 60:76. [PMID: 30477546 PMCID: PMC6258494 DOI: 10.1186/s13028-018-0430-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Accepted: 11/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Orexin A (OXA) and orexin B (OXB) are hypothalamic-derived peptides that participate in the regulation of energy metabolism, food intake and reproductive function by influencing the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis. Orexins are also produced in the endometrium, myometrium and placenta, which suggests that they could act as a link between energy metabolism and the reproductive system. Changes in the expression of orexin and the orexin receptor genes and proteins during the oestrous cycle and early gestation in pigs imply that orexin activity may be regulated by local factors within the uterus. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of progesterone (P4) on the expression of orexin system genes, and proteins in the porcine uterus during early gestation. Gene expression was analyzed by real-time PCR. Adiponectin secretion was determined by ELISA, and the receptors proteins content was defined using western blot analysis. Results In the endometrium, P4 enhanced OXA secretion on days 10 to 11 of gestation and OXB secretion on days 12 to 13. In the myometrium, P4 inhibited the secretion of both orexins on days 15 to 16 and OXB secretion also on days 12 to 13. In the endometrium, P4 inhibited the expression of orexin receptor 1 (OX1R) protein at nearly all times analyzed, whereas the expression of orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) protein was inhibited only on days 15 to 16 of gestation. In the myometrium, P4 stimulated OX1R protein expression on days 12 to 13 and 15 to 16 of gestation and inhibited OX1R protein expression on days 27 to 28. The expression of OX2R protein in the myometrium increased on days 12 to 13 and decreased on days 10 to 11 and 15 to 16. Conclusions The results indicate that P4 could regulate the expression of the orexin system in the porcine uterus during early pregnancy, which suggests the presence of a local feedback loop that could play an important role in the regulation of maternal metabolism during pregnancy. The findings may contribute to the existing knowledge of the mechanisms linking maternal energy metabolism with the regulation of the reproductive system during pregnancy.
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22
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Kamesh A, Black EAE, Ferguson AV. The subfornical organ: A novel site for prolactin action. J Neuroendocrinol 2018; 30:e12613. [PMID: 29862587 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2017] [Revised: 05/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Prolactin (PRL) is a peptide hormone that performs over 300 biological functions, including those that require binding to prolactin receptor (PRL-R) in neurones within the central nervous system (CNS). To enter the CNS, circulating PRL must overcome the blood-brain barrier. Accordingly, areas of the brain that do not possess a blood-brain barrier, such as the subfornical organ (SFO), are optimally positioned to interact with systemic PRL. The SFO has been classically implicated in energy and fluid homeostasis but has the potential to influence oestrous cyclicity and gonadotrophin release, which are also functions of PRL. We aimed to confirm and characterise the expression of PRL-R in the SFO, as well as identify the effects of PRL application on membrane excitability of dissociated SFO neurones. Using a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, we found that PRL-R mRNA in the SFO of male and female Sprague Dawley rats did not significantly differ between juvenile and sexually mature rats (P = .34), male and female rats (P = .97) or across the oestrous cycle (P = .54). Patch-clamp recordings were obtained in juvenile male rats to further investigate the actions of PRL at the SFO. Dissociated SFO neurones perfused with 1 μmol L-1 PRL resulted in 2 responsive subpopulations of neurones; 40% depolarised (n = 15/43, 11.3 ± 1.7 mV) and 14% hyperpolarised (n = 6/43, -6.7 ± 1.4 mV) to PRL application. Within the range of 10 pmol L-1 to 1 μmol L-1 , the concentrations of PRL were not significantly different in either the magnitude (P = .53) or proportion (P = .19) of response. Furthermore, PRL application significantly reduced the transient K+ current in 67% of SFO neurones in voltage-clamp configuration (n = 6/9, P = .02). The stability in response to PRL and expression of PRL-R in the SFO suggests that PRL function is conserved across physiological states and circulating PRL concentrations, prompting further investigations aiming to clarify the nature of PRL function in the SFO.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Kamesh
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - E A E Black
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - A V Ferguson
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
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Grafe LA, Bhatnagar S. The contribution of orexins to sex differences in the stress response. Brain Res 2018; 1731:145893. [PMID: 30081036 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2018.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Revised: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/12/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from stress-related psychiatric disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), however, the biological basis of these sex differences is not fully understood. Interestingly, orexins are known to be dysregulated in these disorders. This review first discusses the important role of orexins regulating the response to stress. Next, we review the evidence for sex differences in the orexin system, in which the majority of both preclinical and clinical studies have reported higher orexin system expression in females. Finally, we discuss the functional consequences of these sex differences in orexin expression. Most importantly, the preclinical literature reveals that higher orexin system activity in females contributes to exaggerated neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to stress. In sum, the available data suggests that orexins may be important in the etiology of stress-related psychiatric disorders that present differently in men and women. Thus, targeting orexins could potentially ameliorate many phenotypes of stress-related illness in a sex-specific way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A Grafe
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Seema Bhatnagar
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; The University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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Fujita S, Hasegawa T, Nishiyama Y, Fujisawa S, Nakano Y, Nada T, Iwata N, Kamada Y, Masuyama H, Otsuka F. Interaction between orexin A and bone morphogenetic protein system on progesterone biosynthesis by rat granulosa cells. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2018; 181:73-79. [PMID: 29545164 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2018.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2017] [Revised: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The involvement of orexins in reproductive function has been gradually uncovered. However, the functional role of orexins in ovarian steroidogenesis remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the effects of orexin A on ovarian steroidogenesis by using rat primary granulosa cells that express both OX1 and OX2 receptors for orexins. Treatment with orexin A enhanced progesterone, but not estradiol, biosynthesis induced by FSH, whereas it did not affect basal levels of progesterone or estradiol. In accordance with the effects on steroidogenesis, orexin A increased the mRNA levels of progesterogenic enzymes, including StAR, P450scc and 3βHSD, but not P450arom, and cellular cAMP synthesis induced by FSH. Under the condition of blockage of endogenous BMP actions by noggin or BMP-signaling inhibitors, orexin A failed to increase levels of progesterone synthesis induced by FSH treatment, suggesting that endogenous BMP activity in granulosa cells might be involved in the enhancement of progesterone synthesis by orexin A. Treatment with orexin A impaired Smad1/5/9 activation as well as Id-1 mRNA expression stimulated by BMP-6 and BMP-7, the latter of which was reversed by treatment with an OX1 antagonist. It was also found that orexin A suppressed the mRNA expression of both type-I and -II receptors for BMPs and increased that of inhibitory Smad6 and Smad7 in granulosa cells. On the other hand, treatments with BMP-6 and -7 suppressed the expression of OX1 and OX2. Collectively, the results indicated that orexin A enhances FSH-induced progesterone production, at least in part, by downregulating BMP signaling in granulosa cells. Thus, a new role of orexin A in facilitating progesterone synthesis and functional interaction between the orexin and BMP systems in granulosa cells were revealed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiho Fujita
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kitaku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
| | - Toru Hasegawa
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kitaku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
| | - Yuki Nishiyama
- Department of Medicine and Clinical Science, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kitaku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
| | - Satoshi Fujisawa
- Department of Medicine and Clinical Science, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kitaku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Nakano
- Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kitaku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
| | - Takahiro Nada
- Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kitaku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
| | - Nahoko Iwata
- Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kitaku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
| | - Yasuhiko Kamada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kitaku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
| | - Hisashi Masuyama
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kitaku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
| | - Fumio Otsuka
- Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kitaku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan.
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25
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Fuentes N, Roy A, Mishra V, Cabello N, Silveyra P. Sex-specific microRNA expression networks in an acute mouse model of ozone-induced lung inflammation. Biol Sex Differ 2018; 9:18. [PMID: 29739446 PMCID: PMC5941588 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-018-0177-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sex differences in the incidence and prognosis of respiratory diseases have been reported. Studies have shown that women are at increased risk of adverse health outcomes from air pollution than men, but sex-specific immune gene expression patterns and regulatory networks have not been well studied in the lung. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are environmentally sensitive posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression that may mediate the damaging effects of inhaled pollutants in the lung, by altering the expression of innate immunity molecules. METHODS Male and female mice of the C57BL/6 background were exposed to 2 ppm of ozone or filtered air (control) for 3 h. Female mice were also exposed at different stages of the estrous cycle. Following exposure, lungs were harvested and total RNA was extracted. We used PCR arrays to study sex differences in the expression of 84 miRNAs predicted to target inflammatory and immune genes. RESULTS We identified differentially expressed miRNA signatures in the lungs of male vs. female exposed to ozone. In silico pathway analyses identified sex-specific biological networks affected by exposure to ozone that ranged from direct predicted gene targeting to complex interactions with multiple intermediates. We also identified differences in miRNA expression and predicted regulatory networks in females exposed to ozone at different estrous cycle stages. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that both sex and hormonal status can influence lung miRNA expression in response to ozone exposure, indicating that sex-specific miRNA regulation of inflammatory gene expression could mediate differential pollution-induced health outcomes in men and women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Fuentes
- Pulmonary, Immunology and Physiology Laboratory, Department of Pediatrics, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, H085, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA
| | - Arpan Roy
- Department of Life Sciences, Presidency University, Kolkata, India
| | - Vikas Mishra
- Pulmonary, Immunology and Physiology Laboratory, Department of Pediatrics, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, H085, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA
| | - Noe Cabello
- Pulmonary, Immunology and Physiology Laboratory, Department of Pediatrics, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, H085, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA
| | - Patricia Silveyra
- Pulmonary, Immunology and Physiology Laboratory, Department of Pediatrics, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, H085, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.
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Joshi D, Singh SK. The neuropeptide orexin A - search for its possible role in regulation of steroidogenesis in adult mice testes. Andrology 2018; 6:465-477. [DOI: 10.1111/andr.12475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2017] [Revised: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- D. Joshi
- Department of Zoology; Institute of Science; Banaras Hindu University; Varanasi India
| | - S. K. Singh
- Department of Zoology; Institute of Science; Banaras Hindu University; Varanasi India
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Affiliation(s)
- Olaf Jöhren
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562, Lübeck, Germany.
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Cataldi NI, Lux-Lantos VA, Libertun C. Perinatal programming of the orexinergic (hypocretinergic) system in hypothalamus and anterior pituitary by testosterone. Peptides 2018; 99:117-127. [PMID: 28442349 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2017.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2016] [Revised: 04/18/2017] [Accepted: 04/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Orexins A/B derived from hypothalamic prepro-orexin (PPO) are agonists for orexin receptors 1 (OX1) and 2 (OX2). Previously, we showed clear sex differences in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal orexinergic system in adult rodents. Here, we studied the effect of sexual brain differentiation on the orexinergic system in neuroendocrine structures regulating reproduction. We evaluated: a: proestrous and neonatally androgenized female rats; b: adult males, untreated or gonadectomized in adulthood and injected with oil or estradiol and progesterone (E2/P4); c: control and demasculinized males (perinatally treated with flutamide and later castration) injected either with oil or E2/P4 in adulthood. Rats were sacrificed at 12:00 and 18:00h; blood samples and brains were collected. Hormones were measured using radioimmunoassay. PPO, OX1 and OX2 mRNAs were quantified by qPCR in medial basal hypothalamus, anterior hypothalamus, adenohypophysis, and cortex. Western blots for OX1 were done in the same structures. In normal females, gonadotropins surged at 18:00h coinciding with significant elevations of PPO, OX1 and OX2 mRNAs and OX1 protein in hypothalamus and pituitary; no increases were observed at noon. Afternoon changes were absent in masculinized females. Demasculinized males when treated with E2/P4 showed high PPO, OX1 and OX2 mRNAs and OX1 protein expression in hypothalamus and pituitary at 12:00 and 18:00h compared vehicle-treated controls. The same steroid treatment was ineffective in males with normal brain masculinization. Here we show that neonatal testosterone shapes the sexual differences in the hypothalamic-pituitary orexinergic system in synchronicity to establishing the brain sex differences of the reproductive axis. The female brain controls gonadotropin surges and concurrent elevations of all studied components of the orexinergic system, suggesting its participation as a possible link between food intake, behavior and hormonal control of reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Carlos Libertun
- Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental-CONICET, Argentina; Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Fisiología y Biofísica, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Prepro-orexin and orexin expression in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal and hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axes of free-living Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber L.) depends on season. J Mammal 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyx041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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Grafe LA, Cornfeld A, Luz S, Valentino R, Bhatnagar S. Orexins Mediate Sex Differences in the Stress Response and in Cognitive Flexibility. Biol Psychiatry 2017; 81:683-692. [PMID: 27955897 PMCID: PMC5359079 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2016.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Revised: 09/12/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Women are twice as likely as men to experience stress-related psychiatric disorders. The biological basis of these sex differences is poorly understood. Orexins are altered in anxious and depressed patients. Using a rat model of repeated stress, we examined whether orexins contribute to sex differences in outcomes relevant to stress-related psychiatric diseases. METHODS Behavioral, neural, and endocrine habituation to repeated restraint stress and subsequent cognitive flexibility was examined in adult male and female rats. In parallel, orexin expression and activation were determined in both sexes, and chromatin immunoprecipitation was used to determine transcription factors acting at the orexin promoter. Designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs were used to inhibit orexin activation throughout repeated restraint to determine if the stress-related impairments in female rats could be reduced. RESULTS Female rats exhibited impaired habituation to repeated restraint with subsequent deficits in cognitive flexibility compared with male rats. Increased orexin expression and activation were observed in female rats compared with male rats. The higher expression of orexin messenger RNA in female rats was due to actions of glucocorticoid receptors on the orexin promoter, as determined by chromatin immunoprecipitation. Inhibition of orexins using designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs in female rats throughout repeated restraint abolished their heightened hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal responsivity and reduced stress-induced cognitive impairments. CONCLUSIONS Orexins mediate the impairments in adaptations to repeated stress and in subsequent cognitive flexibility exhibited by female rats and provide evidence for a broader role for orexins in mediating functions relevant to stress-related psychiatric diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A. Grafe
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Children’s
Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA 19104
| | - Amanda Cornfeld
- University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA 19104
| | - Sandra Luz
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Children’s
Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA 19104
| | - Rita Valentino
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Children’s
Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA 19104,University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA 19104
| | - Seema Bhatnagar
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Smolinska N, Kiezun M, Dobrzyn K, Szeszko K, Maleszka A, Kaminski T. Adiponectin, orexin A and orexin B concentrations in the serum and uterine luminal fluid during early pregnancy of pigs. Anim Reprod Sci 2017; 178:1-8. [PMID: 28089263 DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2017.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2016] [Revised: 12/22/2016] [Accepted: 01/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Adiponectin is the most abundant adipose-released protein that circulates in human plasma at high concentrations. The neuropeptides orexin A (OXA, hypocretin-1) and orexin B (OXB, hypocretin-2) are derived from a common precursor peptide, prepro-orexin and are produced mainly by neurons located in the lateral hypothalamus. It has been demonstrated that the peptides such as adiponectin and orexins have an important role in the regulation of energy metabolism and neuroendocrine functions. These hormones appear to be implicated in both normal and disturbed pregnancy. The objectives of this study were to determine adiponectin and orexin concentrations in the plasma and uterine luminal fluid (ULF) of pigs during early gestation and to explore the relationships between hormone concentrations and stages of pregnancy. The greatest plasma concentrations of adiponectin were observed on days 15-16 and 27-28 of pregnancy, and the least concentrations were on days 30-32 of gestation and on days 10-11 of the oestrous cycle. In ULF, adiponectin concentrations were greater on days 15-16 of pregnancy and on days 10-11 of the oestrous cycle than on days 10-11 and days 12-13 of pregnancy. The greatest OXA concentrations in the blood plasma were noted on days 10-16 of gestation, and the least OXA concentrations were on days 27-32 of pregnancy and on days 10-11 of the oestrous cycle. Orexin A concentrations in ULF were greater on days 10-11 of the cycle than throughout pregnancy. Serum OXB concentrations were greatest on days 10-11 and 30-32 of pregnancy, and least on days 12-28 of gestation. The greatest OXB concentrations in ULF were on days 10-13 of gestation, and the least OXB concentrations were on days 15-16 of pregnancy. This is first study to demonstrate the presence of adiponectin and orexins in the serum and ULF during early pregnancy of pigs as well as the relationships between adiponectin and orexin concentrations and the stage of pregnancy. The fluctuations in adiponectin and orexin concentrations in the plasma and ULF suggest that the hormones present in ULF are mostly of local origin and that these hormones participate in the processes that accompany early pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Smolinska
- Department of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowski Street 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland.
| | - Marta Kiezun
- Department of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowski Street 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland.
| | - Kamil Dobrzyn
- Department of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowski Street 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland.
| | - Karol Szeszko
- Department of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowski Street 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland.
| | - Anna Maleszka
- Department of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowski Street 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland.
| | - Tadeusz Kaminski
- Department of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowski Street 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland.
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Czerwinska J, Chojnowska K, Kaminski T, Bogacka I, Smolinska N, Kaminska B. Orexin receptor expression in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axes of free-living European beavers (Castor fiber L.) in different periods of the reproductive cycle. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2017; 240:103-113. [PMID: 27664717 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2016] [Revised: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 09/21/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Orexins are hypothalamic neuropeptides acting via two G protein-coupled receptors in mammals: orexin receptor 1 (OX1R) and orexin receptor 2 (OX2R). In European beavers, which are seasonally breeding animals, the presence and functions of orexins and their receptors remain unknown. Our study aimed to determine the expression of OXR mRNAs and the localization of OXR proteins in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal/gonadal (HPA/HPG) axes in free-living beavers. The expression of OXR genes (OX1R, OX2R) and proteins was found in all analysed tissues during three periods of beavers' reproductive cycle (April, July, November). The expression of OXR mRNAs in the beaver HPA axis varied seasonally (P<0.05). The levels of OX1R mRNA also differed between the sexes (P<0.05). In the mediobasal hypothalamus, OX1R transcript content increased in pregnant females in April (P<0.05) and OX2R expression increased in males in July (P<0.05). In the pituitary and adrenals, OX1R mRNA levels were relatively constant in females and peaked in July in males (P<0.05), whereas the OX2R was most highly expressed in males in November and in females in April (P<0.05). In gonads, OX1R expression did not fluctuate between seasons or sexes, but transcript levels were elevated in the testes in November and in the ovaries in July (P<0.05). In turn, OX2R mRNA levels varied between the sexes (P<0.05) and were higher in females (July and November) than in males (P<0.05). The circannual variations in OXR mRNA levels in HPA and HPG axes suggest that the expression of these receptors is associated with sex-specific changes in beavers' reproductive activity and their environmental adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Czerwinska
- University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Animal Physiology, Oczapowskiego 1A Street, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland.
| | - Katarzyna Chojnowska
- University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Animal Physiology, Oczapowskiego 1A Street, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Tadeusz Kaminski
- University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Animal Physiology, Oczapowskiego 1A Street, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Iwona Bogacka
- University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Animal Physiology, Oczapowskiego 1A Street, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Nina Smolinska
- University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Animal Physiology, Oczapowskiego 1A Street, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Barbara Kaminska
- University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Animal Physiology, Oczapowskiego 1A Street, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
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The effect of orexin A on CYP17A1 and CYP19A3 expression and on oestradiol, oestrone and testosterone secretion in the porcine uterus during early pregnancy and the oestrous cycle. Theriogenology 2016; 90:129-140. [PMID: 28166959 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2016.11.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Revised: 11/20/2016] [Accepted: 11/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Orexin A (OXA) is a hypothalamic neuropeptide known for its role in the regulation of food intake and arousal. It is also considered as a link between energy homeostasis and reproduction. Nevertheless, very little is known on the role of this peptide in the uterus. The objective of this study was to investigate OXA effect on oestradiol (E2), oestrone (E1), and testosterone (T) secretion by porcine endometrial and myometrial explants and gene expression of key steroidogenic enzymes involved in steroid production, namely cytochrome P450c17 (CYP17A1) and cytochrome P450 aromatase (CYP19A3), on days 10-11, 12 to 13, 15 to 16 and 27 to 28 of pregnancy and on days 10-11 of the cycle. In endometrium, OXA increased E1 secretion on days 10-11 and 15 to 27 of gestation, and T release on days 12-13. A decrease in E2, E1 and T secretion was noted on days 27-28, 12 to 13 and 10 to 11 of gestation, respectively. OXA enhanced CYP17A1 and CYP19A3 expression on days 15-28 of pregnancy, whereas decreased their expression on days 10-13. In the myometrium, OXA increased E1 secretion on days 10-16 of pregnancy, whereas inhibited the release of E2 and T on days 10-11. CYP17A1 and CYP19A3 genes expression was enhanced on days 27-28 and 12 to 13 of pregnancy, respectively. The expression of both genes was suppressed on days 10-11 and 15 to 16 of pregnancy (P < 0.05). Our findings suggest that OXA, via its influence on steroidogenesis, may play a regulatory role in the uterus.
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Beom J, Lee JC, Paeng JC, Han TR, Bang MS, Oh BM. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to the Unilateral Hemisphere of Rat Brain. J Vis Exp 2016. [PMID: 27805583 DOI: 10.3791/54217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous rodent models of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) adopted whole-brain stimulation instead of unilateral hemispheric rTMS, which is unlike the protocols used for human subjects. We report a successful application of rTMS to the unilateral hemisphere of rat brain. The rTMS was delivered with a low-frequency (1 Hz), high-frequency (20 Hz), or sham stimulation protocol to one side of the brain by using a small 25-mm figure-8 coil. We placed the center of the coil 1 cm lateral to the vertex on the biauricular line and angulated the coil 45° to the ground to minimize a potential direct effect of rTMS on the contralateral cortex. We also used an in-house water cooling system to enable repetitive magnetic stimulation for more than 20 min, even at a 20-Hz stimulation frequency. Increases in the transcriptions of immediate early genes (Arc, Junb, and Egr2) were greater after rTMS than after sham stimulation. After 5 consecutive days of 20-min 1-Hz rTMS, bdnf mRNA expression was significantly higher in stimulated cortex than in contralateral side. The model presented herein will elucidate the molecular mechanisms of rTMS by allowing analysis of the inter-hemispheric difference in its effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaewon Beom
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Chungnam National University Hospital, Daejeon; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Seoul National University College of Medicine
| | - Jung Chan Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Seoul National University College of Medicine; Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Seoul National University Hospital
| | - Jin Chul Paeng
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine
| | - Tai Ryoon Han
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Gangwon Do Rehabilitation Hospital
| | - Moon Suk Bang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine
| | - Byung-Mo Oh
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine;
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Messina A, De Fusco C, Monda V, Esposito M, Moscatelli F, Valenzano A, Carotenuto M, Viggiano E, Chieffi S, De Luca V, Cibelli G, Monda M, Messina G. Role of the Orexin System on the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Thyroid Axis. Front Neural Circuits 2016; 10:66. [PMID: 27610076 PMCID: PMC4997012 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2016.00066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypocretin/orexin (ORX) are two hypothalamic neuropeptides discovered in 1998. Since their discovery, they have been one of the most studied neuropeptide systems because of their projecting fields innervating various brain areas. The orexinergic system is tied to sleep-wakefulness cycle, and narcolepsy is a consequence of their system hypofunction. Orexinergic system is also involved in many other autonomic functions such as feeding, thermoregulation, cardiovascular and neuroendocrine regulation. The main aim of this mini review article is to investigate the relationship between ORX and thyroid system regulation. Although knowledge about the ORX system is evolving, its putative effects on hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis still appear unclear. We analyzed some studies about ORX control of HPT axis to know better the relationship between them. The studies that were analyzed suggest Hypocretin/ORX to modulate the thyroid regulation, but the nature (excitatory or inhibitory) of this possible interaction remains actually unclear and needs to be confirmed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonietta Messina
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology and Unit of Dietetic and Sport Medicine, Second University of Naples Naples, Italy
| | - Carolina De Fusco
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology and Unit of Dietetic and Sport Medicine, Second University of Naples Naples, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Monda
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology and Unit of Dietetic and Sport Medicine, Second University of Naples Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Esposito
- Neapolitan Brain Group (NBG), Clinic of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Department of Mental, Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, Second University of Naples Naples, Italy
| | - Fiorenzo Moscatelli
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia Foggia, Italy
| | - Anna Valenzano
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia Foggia, Italy
| | - Marco Carotenuto
- Neapolitan Brain Group (NBG), Clinic of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Department of Mental, Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, Second University of Naples Naples, Italy
| | - Emanuela Viggiano
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology and Unit of Dietetic and Sport Medicine, Second University of Naples Naples, Italy
| | - Sergio Chieffi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology and Unit of Dietetic and Sport Medicine, Second University of Naples Naples, Italy
| | - Vincenzo De Luca
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Giuseppe Cibelli
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia Foggia, Italy
| | - Marcellino Monda
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology and Unit of Dietetic and Sport Medicine, Second University of Naples Naples, Italy
| | - Giovanni Messina
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology and Unit of Dietetic and Sport Medicine, Second University of NaplesNaples, Italy; Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of FoggiaFoggia, Italy
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Mishra V, DiAngelo SL, Silveyra P. Sex-specific IL-6-associated signaling activation in ozone-induced lung inflammation. Biol Sex Differ 2016; 7:16. [PMID: 26949510 PMCID: PMC4779258 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-016-0069-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Acute ozone (O3) exposure has known deleterious effects on the respiratory system and has been linked with respiratory disease and infection. Inflammatory lung disease induced by air pollution has demonstrated greater severity and poorer prognosis in women vs. men. Both severe damage to the bronchial-alveolar epithelium and malfunctioning of bronchial-blood barrier have been largely attributed to the pathobiology of O3-induced inflammatory response, but the associated mechanisms in the male and female lung remain unknown. Methods Here, we investigated sex-based differential regulation of lung interleukin-6 (IL-6) and its downstream signaling pathways JAK2/STAT3 and AKT1/NF-κB in response to O3 exposure in a mouse model. We exposed male and female mice (in different stages of the estrous cycle) to 2 ppm of O3 or filtered air (FA) for 3 h, and we harvested lung tissue for protein expression analysis by Western blot. Results We found significant up-regulation of IL-6 and IL-6R in females and IL-6 in males in response to O3 vs. FA. Ozone exposure induced a significant increase in STAT3-Y705 phosphorylation in both females and males. Males exposed to O3 had decreased levels of JAK2, but increased JAK2 (Y1007+Y1008) phosphorylation, while females exposed to O3 showed significant up-regulation of both proteins. Both NF-κB (p105/p50) and AKT1 protein levels were significantly increased only in females exposed to O3. In addition, females exposed to O3 during proestrus displayed increased expression of selected genes when compared to females exposed to O3 in other estrous cycle stages. Conclusions Together, our observations indicate a sex-based and estrous cycle-dependent differential lung inflammatory response to O3 and involvement of two converging JAK2/STAT3 and AKT1/NF-κB pathways. To our knowledge, this is the first study specifically addressing the impact of the estrous cycle in O3-associated lung inflammatory pathways. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13293-016-0069-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikas Mishra
- Department of Pediatrics, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, H085, Hershey, PA 17033 USA
| | - Susan L DiAngelo
- Department of Pediatrics, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, H085, Hershey, PA 17033 USA
| | - Patricia Silveyra
- Department of Pediatrics, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, H085, Hershey, PA 17033 USA ; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033 USA
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Mong JA, Cusmano DM. Sex differences in sleep: impact of biological sex and sex steroids. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 371:20150110. [PMID: 26833831 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 290] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Men and women sleep differently. While much is known about the mechanisms that drive sleep, the reason for these sex differences in sleep behaviour is unknown and understudied. Historically, women and female animals are underrepresented in studies of sleep and its disorders. Nevertheless, there is a growing recognition of sex disparities in sleep and rhythm disorders. Women typically report poorer quality and more disrupted sleep across various stages of life. Findings from clinical and basic research studies strongly implicate a role for sex steroids in sleep modulation. Understanding how neuroendocrine mediators and sex differences influence sleep is central to advancing our understanding of sleep-related disorders. The investigation into sex differences and sex steroid modulation of sleep is in its infancy. Identifying the mechanisms underlying sex and gender differences in sleep will provide valuable insights leading to tailored therapeutics that benefit each sex. The goal of this review is to discuss our current understanding of how biological sex and sex steroids influence sleep behaviour from both the clinical and pre-clinical perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Mong
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Danielle M Cusmano
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
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Abstract
Cortical electroencephalographic activity arises from corticothalamocortical interactions, modulated by wake-promoting monoaminergic and cholinergic input. These wake-promoting systems are regulated by hypothalamic hypocretin/orexins, while GABAergic sleep-promoting nuclei are found in the preoptic area, brainstem and lateral hypothalamus. Although pontine acetylcholine is critical for REM sleep, hypothalamic melanin-concentrating hormone/GABAergic cells may "gate" REM sleep. Daily sleep-wake rhythms arise from interactions between a hypothalamic circadian pacemaker and a sleep homeostat whose anatomical locus has yet to be conclusively defined. Control of sleep and wakefulness involves multiple systems, each of which presents vulnerability to sleep/wake dysfunction that may predispose to physical and/or neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Schwartz
- Biosciences Division, Center for Neuroscience, SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Thomas S Kilduff
- Biosciences Division, Center for Neuroscience, SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.
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Skrapits K, Kanti V, Savanyú Z, Maurnyi C, Szenci O, Horváth A, Borsay BÁ, Herczeg L, Liposits Z, Hrabovszky E. Lateral hypothalamic orexin and melanin-concentrating hormone neurons provide direct input to gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons in the human. Front Cell Neurosci 2015; 9:348. [PMID: 26388735 PMCID: PMC4559643 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00348] [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: 07/11/2015] [Accepted: 08/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypophysiotropic projections of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-synthesizing neurons form the final common output way of the hypothalamus in the neuroendocrine control of reproduction. Several peptidergic neuronal systems of the medial hypothalamus innervate human GnRH cells and mediate crucially important hormonal and metabolic signals to the reproductive axis, whereas much less is known about the contribution of the lateral hypothalamic area to the afferent control of human GnRH neurons. Orexin (ORX)- and melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH)-synthesizing neurons of this region have been implicated in diverse behavioral and autonomic processes, including sleep and wakefulness, feeding and other functions. In the present immunohistochemical study, we addressed the anatomical connectivity of these neurons to human GnRH cells in post-mortem hypothalamic samples obtained from autopsies. We found that 38.9 ± 10.3% and 17.7 ± 3.3% of GnRH-immunoreactive (IR) perikarya in the infundibular nucleus of human male subjects received ORX-IR and MCH-IR contacts, respectively. On average, each 1 mm segment of GnRH dendrites received 7.3 ± 1.1 ORX-IR and 3.7 ± 0.5 MCH-IR axo-dendritic appositions. Overall, the axo-dendritic contacts dominated over the axo-somatic contacts and represented 80.5 ± 6.4% of ORX-IR and 76.7 ± 4.6% of MCH-IR inputs to GnRH cells. Based on functional evidence from studies of laboratory animals, the direct axo-somatic and axo-dendritic input from ORX and MCH neurons to the human GnRH neuronal system may convey critical metabolic and other homeostatic signals to the reproducive axis. In this study, we also report the generation and characterization of new antibodies for immunohistochemical detection of GnRH neurons in histological sections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katalin Skrapits
- Laboratory of Endocrine Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Budapest, Hungary
| | - Vivien Kanti
- Laboratory of Endocrine Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zsófia Savanyú
- Laboratory of Endocrine Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Budapest, Hungary
| | - Csilla Maurnyi
- Laboratory of Endocrine Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ottó Szenci
- Department and Clinic for Production Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University Üllő, Hungary ; MTA-SZIE Large Animal Clinical Research Group, Dóra major Üllő, Hungary
| | - András Horváth
- Department and Clinic for Production Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University Üllő, Hungary
| | - Beáta Á Borsay
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Debrecen Debrecen, Hungary
| | - László Herczeg
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Debrecen Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Zsolt Liposits
- Laboratory of Endocrine Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Budapest, Hungary ; Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics, Pázmány Péter Catholic University Budapest, Hungary
| | - Erik Hrabovszky
- Laboratory of Endocrine Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Budapest, Hungary
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Expression of the orexin system in the porcine uterus, conceptus and trophoblast during early pregnancy. Animal 2015; 9:1820-31. [DOI: 10.1017/s1751731115001020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
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Martynska L, Wolinska-Witort E, Chmielowska M, Kalisz M, Baranowska B, Bik W. Effect of orexin A on the release of GnRH-stimulated gonadotrophins from cultured pituitary cells of immature and mature female rats. Neuropeptides 2014; 48:199-205. [PMID: 24931296 DOI: 10.1016/j.npep.2014.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2013] [Revised: 04/27/2014] [Accepted: 05/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Orexin A (OxA), also known as hypocretin 1, is a regulatory neuropeptide involved in the control of various autonomic and neuroendocrine functions. It appears to have a significant impact on the regulation of trophic hormones secretion by influencing the hypothalamus and the pituitary. Orexin A acts through two types of receptor found in the pituitary. This suggests the possibility of direct action of OxA at the adenohypophysis level. The aim of this study was to investigate the direct effect of OxA on GnRH (gonadotrophin-releasing hormone)-stimulated LH and FSH secretion from cultured pituitary cells of sexually immature and mature female rats. Anterior pituitary cells obtained from immature and mature female rats (ovariectomized, and ovariectomized and treated with estradiol) were incubated with 10(-10)M or 10(-7)M orexin A for 1 hour and 4h and the effect on GnRH-stimulated (10(-9)M or 10(-6)M) LH and FSH release was examined. The concentrations of secreted gonadotrophins in the culture media were determined by RIA methods. Orexin A significantly inhibited GnRH-stimulated FSH release from pituitary cells isolated from immature female rats, whereas in cells of mature ovariectomized animals, the effect of OxA was dependent on the stimulatory dose of GnRH. When the cells were stimulated with a low dose of GnRH, orexin A inhibited the secretion of gonadotrophins, but when a high dose of GnRH was used, orexin A increased mainly the release of LH. In cultured pituitary cells from ovariectomized, estrogenized mature rats, orexin A inhibited the secretion of LH if the cells were stimulated with a high dose of GnRH. In conclusion, the results of this study revealed that orexin A may modify the sensitivity of gonadotrophic cells to GnRH, and its effect depends on the maturity and estrogen status of the rats from which the cells are isolated.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Martynska
- Department of Clinical Neuroendocrinology, The Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland
| | - E Wolinska-Witort
- Department of Clinical Neuroendocrinology, The Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland
| | - M Chmielowska
- Department of Clinical Neuroendocrinology, The Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland
| | - M Kalisz
- Department of Clinical Neuroendocrinology, The Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland
| | - B Baranowska
- Department of Clinical Physiology, The Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland
| | - W Bik
- Department of Clinical Neuroendocrinology, The Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland.
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Donlin M, Cavanaugh BL, Spagnuolo OS, Yan L, Lonstein JS. Effects of sex and reproductive experience on the number of orexin A-immunoreactive cells in the prairie vole brain. Peptides 2014; 57:122-8. [PMID: 24874707 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2014.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2014] [Revised: 05/07/2014] [Accepted: 05/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Large populations of cells synthesizing the neuropeptide orexin (OX) exist in the caudal hypothalamus of all species examined and are implicated in physiological and behavioral processes including arousal, stress, anxiety and depression, reproduction, and goal-directed behaviors. Hypothalamic OX expression is sexually dimorphic in different directions in laboratory rats (F>M) and mice (M>F), suggesting different roles in male and female physiology and behavior that are species-specific. We here examined if the number of hypothalamic cells immunoreactive for orexin A (OXA) differs between male and female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), a socially monogamous species that pairbonds after mating and in which both sexes care for offspring, and if reproductive experience influences their number of OXA-immunoreactive (OXA-ir) cells. It was found that the total number of OXA-ir cells did not differ between the sexes, but females had more OXA-ir cells than males in anterior levels of the caudal hypothalamus, while males had more OXA-ir cells posteriorly. Sexually experienced females sacrificed 12 days after the birth of their first litter, or one day after birth of a second litter, had more OXA-ir cells in anterior levels but not posterior levels of the caudal hypothalamus compared to females housed with a brother (incest avoidance prevents sibling mating). Male prairie voles showed no effect of reproductive experience but showed an unexpected effect of cohabitation duration regardless of mating. The sex difference in the distribution of OXA-ir cells, and their increased number in anterior levels of the caudal hypothalamus of reproductively experienced female prairie voles, may reflect a sex-specific mechanism involved in pairbonding, parenting, or lactation in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Donlin
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States
| | - Breyanna L Cavanaugh
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States
| | - Olivia S Spagnuolo
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States
| | - Lily Yan
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States
| | - Joseph S Lonstein
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States.
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Ferraris J, Zárate S, Jaita G, Boutillon F, Bernadet M, Auffret J, Seilicovich A, Binart N, Goffin V, Pisera D. Prolactin induces apoptosis of lactotropes in female rodents. PLoS One 2014; 9:e97383. [PMID: 24859278 PMCID: PMC4032245 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0097383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2014] [Accepted: 04/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Anterior pituitary cell turnover occurring during female sexual cycle is a poorly understood process that involves complex regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis by multiple hormones. In rats, the prolactin (PRL) surge that occurs at proestrus coincides with the highest apoptotic rate. Since anterior pituitary cells express the prolactin receptor (PRLR), we aimed to address the actual role of PRL in the regulation of pituitary cell turnover in cycling females. We showed that acute hyperprolactinemia induced in ovariectomized rats using PRL injection or dopamine antagonist treatment rapidly increased apoptosis and decreased proliferation specifically of PRL producing cells (lactotropes), suggesting a direct regulation of these cell responses by PRL. To demonstrate that apoptosis naturally occurring at proestrus was regulated by transient elevation of endogenous PRL levels, we used PRLR-deficient female mice (PRLRKO) in which PRL signaling is totally abolished. According to our hypothesis, no increase in lactotrope apoptotic rate was observed at proestrus, which likely contributes to pituitary tumorigenesis observed in these animals. To decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying PRL effects, we explored the isoform-specific pattern of PRLR expression in cycling wild type females. This analysis revealed dramatic changes of long versus short PRLR ratio during the estrous cycle, which is particularly relevant since these isoforms exhibit distinct signaling properties. This pattern was markedly altered in a model of chronic PRLR signaling blockade involving transgenic mice expressing a pure PRLR antagonist (TGΔ1-9-G129R-hPRL), providing evidence that PRL regulates the expression of its own receptor in an isoform-specific manner. Taken together, these results demonstrate that i) the PRL surge occurring during proestrus is a major proapoptotic signal for lactotropes, and ii) partial or total deficiencies in PRLR signaling in the anterior pituitary may result in pituitary hyperplasia and eventual prolactinoma development, as observed in TGΔ1-9-G129R-hPRL and PRLRKO mice, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimena Ferraris
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, UBA-CONICET, Paraguay, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sandra Zárate
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, UBA-CONICET, Paraguay, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gabriela Jaita
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, UBA-CONICET, Paraguay, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Florence Boutillon
- INSERM, Unit 1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades (INEM), Team “PRL/GH Pathophysiology”, University Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculty of Medicine, Bâtiment LERICHE, 14 Rue Maria Helena Vieira Da Silva, CS61431, 75993 Paris Cedex 14, France
| | - Marie Bernadet
- INSERM, Unit 1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades (INEM), Team “PRL/GH Pathophysiology”, University Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculty of Medicine, Bâtiment LERICHE, 14 Rue Maria Helena Vieira Da Silva, CS61431, 75993 Paris Cedex 14, France
| | - Julien Auffret
- INSERM U693 and Université Paris-Sud, Faculté de Médecine Paris-Sud, UMR-S693, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, F-94276 France
| | - Adriana Seilicovich
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, UBA-CONICET, Paraguay, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Nadine Binart
- INSERM U693 and Université Paris-Sud, Faculté de Médecine Paris-Sud, UMR-S693, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, F-94276 France
| | - Vincent Goffin
- INSERM, Unit 1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades (INEM), Team “PRL/GH Pathophysiology”, University Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculty of Medicine, Bâtiment LERICHE, 14 Rue Maria Helena Vieira Da Silva, CS61431, 75993 Paris Cedex 14, France
| | - Daniel Pisera
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, UBA-CONICET, Paraguay, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- * E-mail:
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Cusmano DM, Hadjimarkou MM, Mong JA. Gonadal steroid modulation of sleep and wakefulness in male and female rats is sexually differentiated and neonatally organized by steroid exposure. Endocrinology 2014; 155:204-14. [PMID: 24189140 PMCID: PMC3868804 DOI: 10.1210/en.2013-1624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The paucity of clinical and preclinical studies investigating sex differences in sleep has resulted in mixed findings as to the exact nature of these differences. Although gonadal steroids are known to modulate sleep in females, less is known about males. Moreover, little evidence exists concerning the origin of these sex differences in sleep behavior. Thus, the goal of this study was to directly compare the sensitivity of sleep behavior in male and female Sprague Dawley rats to changes in the gonadal steroid milieu and to test whether the sex differences in sleep are the result of brain sexual differentiation or differences in circulating gonadal steroids. Here we report the magnitude of change in sleep behavior induced by either estradiol (E2) or testosterone (T) was greater in females compared with males, suggesting that sleep behavior in females is more sensitive to the suppressive effects of gonadal steroids. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the organizational effects of early gonadal steroid exposure result in male-like responsivity to gonadal steroids and directly alter the activity of the ventrolateral preoptic area (VLPO), an established sleep-promoting nucleus, in adult masculinized females. Moreover, the nonaromatizable androgen dihydrotestosterone did not suppress sleep in either males or females, suggesting that the T-mediated effect in females was due to the aromatization of T into E2. Together our data suggest that, like sex behavior, sex differences in sleep follow the classical organizational/activational effects of gonadal steroids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle M Cusmano
- Program in Neuroscience (D.M.C., J.A.M.) and Department of Pharmacology (D.M.C., M.M.H., J.A.M.), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201; and Department of Psychology (M.M.H.), University of Nicosia, 1700 Nicosia, Cyprus
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The effect of the estrous cycle on the expression of prepro-orexin gene and protein and the levels of orexin A and B in the porcine pituitary. Animal 2014; 8:300-7. [DOI: 10.1017/s1751731113002152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
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Orexin A and B in vitro modify orexins receptors expression and gonadotropins secretion of anterior pituitary cells of proestrous rats. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 188:25-30. [PMID: 24333629 DOI: 10.1016/j.regpep.2013.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2013] [Revised: 11/27/2013] [Accepted: 12/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
AIM Orexin A and orexin B (hypocretins) are neuropeptides synthesized mainly by neurons located in the lateral hypothalamus and projections throughout the brain. They are agonists at both the orexin 1 and orexin 2G protein-coupled receptors. They have been related to arousal, sleep and feeding, autonomic and neuroendocrine functions. Their role in the brain control of gonadotropins secretion was postulated in rodents and humans. Previously, we demonstrated the participation of the orexinergic system in attaining successful reproduction in in vivo studies. METHODS We studied in vitro the effects of both neuropeptides, in the presence or absence of selective antagonists, on the mRNA expression of orexin 1 and orexin 2 receptors in anterior pituitary cells of proestrous rats, as well as the direct effects on FSH and LH secretion. RESULTS Both orexin A and orexin B increased FSH and LH secretion; these effects were suppressed by the orexin 1 receptor blocking agent SB-334867 and the orexin 2 receptor antagonists JNJ-10397049. Orexin A and orexin B decreased OX1 receptor mRNA expression and this effect was modified only when both blocking agents were present. Neither orexin A nor the blocking drugs by themselves modified OX2 receptor mRNA expression. Orexin B treatment increased the mRNA expression of OX2 receptor. The effect was abolished only by the OX2 receptor antagonist. CONCLUSION In an in vitro model, we demonstrated a direct effect of orexins on gonadotropins release and orexins receptors expression, underlining the hypothesis that orexins participate in the brain control of pituitary functions.
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Schwartz MD, Mong JA. Estradiol modulates recovery of REM sleep in a time-of-day-dependent manner. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2013; 305:R271-80. [PMID: 23678032 PMCID: PMC3743004 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00474.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2012] [Accepted: 05/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Ovarian hormones are thought to modulate sleep and fluctuations in the hormonal milieu are coincident with sleep complaints in women. In female rats, estradiol increases waking and suppresses sleep. In this study, we asked whether this effect is mediated via circadian or homeostatic regulatory mechanisms. Ovariectomized female rats received daily injections of estradiol benzoate (EB) or sesame oil that mimicked the rapid increase and subsequent decline of circulating estradiol at proestrus. In one experiment, animals were sleep deprived for 6 h starting at lights-on, so that recovery began in the mid-light phase; in the second experiment, animals were sleep deprived starting in the mid-light phase, so that recovery began at lights-off. EB suppressed baseline rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep and increased waking in the dark phase. In both experiments, EB enhanced REM recovery in the light phase while suppressing it in the dark compared with oil; this effect was most pronounced in the first 6 h of recovery. By contrast, NREM recovery was largely unaffected by EB. In summary, EB enhanced waking and suppressed sleep, particularly REM sleep, in the dark under baseline and recovery conditions. These strong temporally dependent effects suggest that EB consolidates circadian sleep-wake rhythms in female rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Schwartz
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI international, 333 Ravenswood Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.
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Steiner MA, Sciarretta C, Brisbare-Roch C, Strasser DS, Studer R, Jenck F. Examining the role of endogenous orexins in hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis endocrine function using transient dual orexin receptor antagonism in the rat. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2013; 38:560-71. [PMID: 22917622 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2012] [Revised: 07/24/2012] [Accepted: 07/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The orexin neuropeptide system regulates wakefulness and contributes to physiological and behavioral stress responses. Moreover, a role for orexins in modulating hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity has been proposed. Brain penetrating dual orexin receptor (OXR) antagonists such as almorexant decrease vigilance and have emerged as a novel therapeutic class for the treatment of insomnia. Almorexant was used here as a pharmacological tool to examine the role of endogenous orexin signaling in HPA axis endocrine function under natural conditions. After confirming the expression of prepro-orexin and OXR-1 and OXR-2 mRNA in hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands, the effects of systemic almorexant were investigated on peripheral HPA axis hormone release in the rat under baseline, stress and pharmacological challenge conditions. Almorexant did not alter basal or stress-induced corticosterone release despite affecting wake and sleep stages (detected by radiotelemetric electroencephalography/electromyography) during the stress exposure. Moreover, almorexant did not affect the release of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and corticosterone at different time points along the diurnal rhythm, nor corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH)- and ACTH-stimulated neuroendocrine responses, measured in vivo under stress-free conditions. These results illustrate that dual OXR antagonists, despite modulating stress-induced wakefulness, do not interfere with endocrine HPA axis function in the rat. They converge to suggest that endogenous orexin signaling plays a minor role in stress hormone release under basal conditions and under challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel A Steiner
- Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Gewerbestrasse 16, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland.
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Nitkiewicz A, Smolinska N, Maleszka A, Kiezun M, Kaminski T. Localization of orexin A and orexin B in the porcine uterus. Reprod Biol 2012; 12:135-55. [PMID: 22850467 DOI: 10.1016/s1642-431x(12)60082-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The presence of orexins and their receptors in gonads indicate that these hormones participate in the control of reproductive functions. The aim of the study was to compare the expression of the prepro-orexin (PPO) gene in porcine endometrium and myometrium and the intensity of OXA- and OXB-immunoreactivity in the following uterine structures: endometrial glandular and luminal epithelium and stroma as well as the myometrial longitudinal and circular muscles during the four stages (days 2-3, 10-12, 14-16, 17-19) of the estrous cycle. The highest expression of PPO mRNA was observed in the endometrium and the myometrium on days 14-16 of the cycle. The expression of the PPO gene on days 2-3 was more pronounced in the myometrium than in the endometrium, whereas on days 17-19 the gene expression was markedly higher in the endometrium. The OXA signal intensity was highest on days 2-3 in the luminal epithelium and on days 2-3 and 10-12 in the stroma. In circular muscles of the myometrium, the highest immunoreactivity was found on days 2-3 and 10-12, while in longitudinal muscles on days 2-3. OXB-immunoreactivity was highest on days 10-12 in longitudinal muscles, on days 17-19 in glandular epithelium and stroma, and on days 10-12 and 14-16 in luminal epithelium. Our results suggest that orexin A and B are produced in the porcine uterus and that their release is dependent on the hormonal status of animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Nitkiewicz
- Department of Animal Physiology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland
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Effects of orexins A and B on expression of orexin receptors and progesterone release in luteal and granulosa ovarian cells. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 178:56-63. [PMID: 22749989 DOI: 10.1016/j.regpep.2012.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2011] [Revised: 03/29/2012] [Accepted: 06/22/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Orexin-A and orexin-B are neuropeptides controlling sleep-wakefulness, feeding and neuroendocrine functions via their G protein-coupled receptors, orexin-1R and orexin-2R. They are synthesized in the lateral hypothalamus and project throughout the brain. Orexins and orexin receptors have also been described outside the brain. Previously we demonstrated the presence of both receptors in the ovary, their increased expression during proestrous afternoon and the dependence on the gonadotropins. Here we studied the effects of orexins on the mRNA expression of both receptors, by quantitative real-time PCR, on luteal cells from superovulated rat ovaries and granulosa cells from diethylstilbestrol-treated rat ovaries. Effects on progesterone secretion were also measured. In luteal cells, 1 nM of either orexin-A or orexin-B decreased progesterone secretion. Orexin-A treatment increased expression of both orexin-1R and orexin-2R mRNA. The effect on orexin-1R mRNA expression was abolished by an orexin-1R selective receptor antagonist SB-334867 and the effect on orexin-2R mRNA expression was abolished by a selective orexin-2R antagonist JNJ-10397049. Orexin-B did not modify orexin-1R mRNA expression, but increased orexin-2R mRNA expression. The effect of orexin-B on orexin-2R was abolished by a selective orexin-2R antagonist. Neither the expression of orexin receptors nor progesterone secretions by granulosa cells were affected by orexins. FSH, as positive control, increased both steroid hormones secretion, but did not induce the expression of OX receptors in granulosa cells isolated from late preantral/early antral follicles. Finally in ovaries obtained immediately after sacrifice, the expression of orexin-1R and orexin-2R was higher in superovulated rat ovaries compared to control or diethylstilbestrol treated rat ovaries. A selective presence and function of both orexinergic receptors in luteal and granulosa cells is described, suggesting that the orexinergic system may have a functional role in the ovary.
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