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Torres T, Adam N, Mhaouty-Kodja S, Naulé L. Reproductive function and behaviors: an update on the role of neural estrogen receptors alpha and beta. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2024; 15:1408677. [PMID: 38978624 PMCID: PMC11228153 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1408677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Infertility is becoming a major public health problem, with increasing frequency due to medical, environmental and societal causes. The increasingly late age of childbearing, growing exposure to endocrine disruptors and other reprotoxic products, and increasing number of medical reproductive dysfunctions (endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, etc.) are among the most common causes. Fertility relies on fine-tuned control of both neuroendocrine function and reproductive behaviors, those are critically regulated by sex steroid hormones. Testosterone and estradiol exert organizational and activational effects throughout life to establish and activate the neural circuits underlying reproductive function. This regulation is mediated through estrogen receptors (ERs) and androgen receptor (AR). Estradiol acts mainly via nuclear estrogen receptors ERα and ERβ. The aim of this review is to summarize the genetic studies that have been undertaken to comprehend the specific contribution of ERα and ERβ in the neural circuits underlying the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and the expression of reproductive behaviors, including sexual and parental behavior. Particular emphasis will be placed on the neural role of these receptors and the underlying sex differences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Lydie Naulé
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR8246, INSERM U1130, Neuroscience Paris Seine – Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Paris, France
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2
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Constantin S, Quignon C, Pizano K, Shostak DM, Wray S. Vasoactive intestinal peptide excites GnRH neurons via KCa3.1, a potential player in the slow afterhyperpolarization current. Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1354095. [PMID: 38633445 PMCID: PMC11021707 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1354095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is an important component of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) which relays circadian information to neuronal populations, including GnRH neurons. Human and animal studies have shown an impact of disrupted daily rhythms (chronic shift work, temporal food restriction, clock gene disruption) on both male and female reproduction and fertility. To date, how VIP modulates GnRH neurons remains unknown. Calcium imaging and electrophysiology on primary GnRH neurons in explants and adult mouse brain slice, respectively, were used to address this question. We found VIP excites GnRH neurons via the VIP receptor, VPAC2. The downstream signaling pathway uses both Gs protein/adenylyl cyclase/protein kinase A (PKA) and phospholipase C/phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) depletion. Furthermore, we identified a UCL2077-sensitive target, likely contributing to the slow afterhyperpolarization current (IAHP), as the PKA and PIP2 depletion target, and the KCa3.1 channel as a specific target. Thus, VIP/VPAC2 provides an example of Gs protein-coupled receptor-triggered excitation in GnRH neurons, modulating GnRH neurons likely via the slow IAHP. The possible identification of KCa3.1 in the GnRH neuron slow IAHP may provide a new therapeutical target for fertility treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Susan Wray
- Cellular and Developmental Neurobiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke/National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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3
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Panda SP, Kesharwani A, Singh GD, Prasanth D, Vatchavai BR, Kumari PVK, Panda SK, Mallick SP. Impose of KNDy/GnRH neural circuit in PCOS, ageing, cancer and Alzheimer's disease: StAR actions in prevention of neuroendocrine dysfunction. Ageing Res Rev 2023; 92:102086. [PMID: 37821047 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.102086] [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: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
The Kisspeptin1 (KISS1)/neurokinin B (NKB)/Dynorphin (Dyn) [KNDy] neurons in the hypothalamus regulate the reproduction stage in human beings and rodents. KNDy neurons co-expressed all KISS1, NKB, and Dyn peptides, and hence commonly regarded as KISS1 neurons. KNDy neurons contribute to the "GnRH pulse generator" and are implicated in the regulation of pulsatile GnRH release. The estradiol (E2)-estrogen receptor (ER) interactions over GnRH neurons in the hypothalamus cause nitric oxide (NO) discharge, in addition to presynaptic GABA and glutamate discharge from respective neurons. The released GABA and glutamate facilitate the activity of GnRH neurons via GABAA-R and AMPA/kainate-R. The KISS1 stimulates MAPK/ERK1/2 signaling and cause the release of Ca2+ from intracellular store, which contribute to neuroendocrine function, increase apoptosis and decrease cell proliferation and metastasis. The ageing in women deteriorates KISS1/KISS1R interaction in the hypothalamus which causes lower levels of GnRH. Because examining the human brain is so challenging, decades of clinical research have failed to find the causes of KNDy/GnRH dysfunction. The KISS1/KISS1R interactions in the brain have a neuroprotective effect against Alzheimer's disease (AD). These findings modulate the pathophysiological role of the KNDy/GnRH neural network in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) associated with ageing and, its protective role in cancer and AD. This review concludes with protecting effect of the steroid-derived acute regulatory enzyme (StAR) against neurotoxicity in the hippocampus, and hypothalamus, and these measures are fundamental for delaying ageing with PCOS. StAR could serve as novel diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for the most prevalent hormone-sensitive breast cancers (BCs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Siva Prasad Panda
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, GLA University, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India.
| | - Adarsh Kesharwani
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, GLA University, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | | | - Dsnbk Prasanth
- KVSR Siddhartha College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vijayawada, Andhrapradesh, India
| | - Bhaskara Raju Vatchavai
- Sri Vasavi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pedatadepalli, Tadepalligudem, Andhrapradesh, India
| | - P V Kamala Kumari
- Vignan Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology, Duvvada, Visakhapatnam, Andhrapradesh, India
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4
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Wang J, Pratap UP, Lu Y, Sareddy GR, Tekmal RR, Vadlamudi RK, Brann DW. Development and Characterization of Inducible Astrocyte-Specific Aromatase Knockout Mice. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:621. [PMID: 37106821 PMCID: PMC10135694 DOI: 10.3390/biology12040621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
17β-estradiol (E2) is produced in the brain as a neurosteroid, in addition to being an endocrine signal in the periphery. The current animal models for studying brain-derived E2 include global and conditional non-inducible knockout mouse models. The aim of this study was to develop a tamoxifen (TMX)-inducible astrocyte-specific aromatase knockout mouse line (GFAP-ARO-iKO mice) to specifically deplete the E2 synthesis enzymes and aromatase in astrocytes after their development in adult mice. The characterization of the GFAP-ARO-iKO mice revealed a specific and robust depletion in the aromatase expressions of their astrocytes and a significant decrease in their hippocampal E2 levels after a GCI. The GFAP-ARO-iKO animals were alive and fertile and had a normal general brain anatomy, with a normal astrocyte shape, intensity, and distribution. In the hippocampus, after a GCI, the GFAP-ARO-iKO animals showed a major deficiency in their reactive astrogliosis, a dramatically increased neuronal loss, and increased microglial activation. These findings indicate that astrocyte-derived E2 (ADE2) regulates the ischemic induction of reactive astrogliosis and microglial activation and is neuroprotective in the ischemic brain. The GFAP-ARO-iKO mouse models thus provide an important new model to help elucidate the roles and functions of ADE2 in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Uday P. Pratap
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Health, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Yujiao Lu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Gangadhara R. Sareddy
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Health, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Rajeshwar R. Tekmal
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Health, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Ratna K. Vadlamudi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Health, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Darrell W. Brann
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
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5
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McQuillan HJ, Clarkson J, Kauff A, Han SY, Yip SH, Cheong I, Porteous R, Heather AK, Herbison AE. Definition of the estrogen negative feedback pathway controlling the GnRH pulse generator in female mice. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7433. [PMID: 36460649 PMCID: PMC9718805 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35243-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms underlying the homeostatic estrogen negative feedback pathway central to mammalian fertility have remained unresolved. Direct measurement of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) pulse generator activity in freely behaving mice with GCaMP photometry demonstrated striking estradiol-dependent plasticity in the frequency, duration, amplitude, and profile of pulse generator synchronization events. Mice with Cre-dependent deletion of ESR1 from all kisspeptin neurons exhibited pulse generator activity identical to that of ovariectomized wild-type mice. An in vivo CRISPR-Cas9 approach was used to knockdown ESR1 expression selectively in arcuate nucleus (ARN) kisspeptin neurons. Mice with >80% deletion of ESR1 in ARN kisspeptin neurons exhibited the ovariectomized pattern of GnRH pulse generator activity and high frequency LH pulses but with very low amplitude due to reduced responsiveness of the pituitary. Together, these studies demonstrate that estrogen utilizes ESR1 in ARN kisspeptin neurons to achieve estrogen negative feedback of the GnRH pulse generator in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- H James McQuillan
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand.,Department of Physiology, University of Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Jenny Clarkson
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand.,Department of Physiology, University of Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Alexia Kauff
- Department of Physiology, University of Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Su Young Han
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand.,Department of Physiology, University of Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand.,Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EG, UK
| | - Siew Hoong Yip
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand.,Department of Physiology, University of Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Isaiah Cheong
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand.,Department of Physiology, University of Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Robert Porteous
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand.,Department of Physiology, University of Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Alison K Heather
- Department of Physiology, University of Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Allan E Herbison
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand. .,Department of Physiology, University of Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand. .,Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EG, UK.
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6
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Constantin S. Targeting KNDy neurons to control GnRH pulses. Curr Opin Pharmacol 2022; 67:102316. [PMID: 36347163 PMCID: PMC9772270 DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2022.102316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is the final output of the central nervous system that drives fertility. A characteristic of GnRH secretion is its pulsatility, which is driven by a pulse generator. Each GnRH pulse triggers a luteinizing hormone (LH) pulse. However, the puzzle has been to reconcile the synchronicity of GnRH neurons with the scattered hypothalamic distribution of their cell bodies. A leap toward understanding GnRH pulses was the discovery of kisspeptin neurons near the distal processes of GnRH neurons, which secrete kisspeptins, potent excitatory neuropeptides on GnRH neurons, and equipped with dual, but opposite, self-modulatory neuropeptides, neurokinin B and dynorphin. Over the last decade, this cell-to-cell communication has been dissected in animal models. Today the 50-year quest for the basic mechanism of GnRH pulse generation may be over, but questions about its physiological tuning remain. Here is an overview of recent basic research that frames translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Constantin
- Section on Cellular Signaling, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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7
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Zorrilla Veloz RI, McKenzie T, Palacios BE, Hu J. Nuclear hormone receptors in demyelinating diseases. J Neuroendocrinol 2022; 34:e13171. [PMID: 35734821 PMCID: PMC9339486 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Demyelination results from the pathological loss of myelin and is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases. Despite the prevalence of demyelinating diseases, there are no disease modifying therapies that prevent the loss of myelin or promote remyelination. This review aims to summarize studies in the field that highlight the importance of nuclear hormone receptors in the promotion and maintenance of myelination and the relevance of nuclear hormone receptors as potential therapeutic targets for demyelinating diseases. These nuclear hormone receptors include the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, androgen receptor, vitamin D receptor, thyroid hormone receptor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, liver X receptor, and retinoid X receptor. Pre-clinical studies in well-established animal models of demyelination have shown a prominent role of these nuclear hormone receptors in myelination through their promotion of oligodendrocyte maturation and development. The activation of the nuclear hormone receptors by their ligands also promotes the synthesis of myelin proteins and lipids in mouse models of demyelination. There are limited clinical studies that focus on how the activation of these nuclear hormone receptors could alleviate demyelination in patients with diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the completed clinical trials have reported improved clinical outcome in MS patients treated with the ligands of some of these nuclear hormone receptors. Together, the positive results from both clinical and pre-clinical studies point to nuclear hormone receptors as promising therapeutic targets to counter demyelination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocío I Zorrilla Veloz
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Cancer Biology Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Takese McKenzie
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Neuroscience Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Bridgitte E Palacios
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Cancer Biology Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, USA
- Neuroscience Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jian Hu
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Cancer Biology Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, USA
- Neuroscience Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, USA
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8
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Dardente H, Simonneaux V. GnRH and the photoperiodic control of seasonal reproduction: Delegating the task to kisspeptin and RFRP-3. J Neuroendocrinol 2022; 34:e13124. [PMID: 35384117 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Synchronization of mammalian breeding activity to the annual change of photoperiod and environmental conditions is of the utmost importance for individual survival and species perpetuation. Subsequent to the early 1960s, when the central role of melatonin in this adaptive process was demonstrated, our comprehension of the mechanisms through which light regulates gonadal activity has increased considerably. The current model for the photoperiodic neuroendocrine system points to pivotal roles for the melatonin-sensitive pars tuberalis (PT) and its seasonally-regulated production of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), as well as for TSH-sensitive hypothalamic tanycytes, radial glia-like cells located in the basal part of the third ventricle. Tanycytes respond to TSH through increased expression of thyroid hormone (TH) deiodinase 2 (Dio2), which leads to heightened production of intrahypothalamic triiodothyronine (T3) during longer days of spring and summer. There is strong evidence that this local, long-day driven, increase in T3 links melatonin input at the PT to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) output, to align breeding with the seasons. The mechanism(s) through which T3 impinges upon GnRH remain(s) unclear. However, two distinct neuronal populations of the medio-basal hypothalamus, which express the (Arg)(Phe)-amide peptides kisspeptin and RFamide-related peptide-3, appear to be well-positioned to relay this seasonal T3 message towards GnRH neurons. Here, we summarize our current understanding of the cellular, molecular and neuroendocrine players, which keep track of photoperiod and ultimately govern GnRH output and seasonal breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugues Dardente
- CNRS, IFCE, INRAE, Université de Tours, PRC, Nouzilly, France
| | - Valérie Simonneaux
- Institute for Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
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9
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Trouillet AC, Ducroq S, Naulé L, Capela D, Parmentier C, Radovick S, Hardin-Pouzet H, Mhaouty-Kodja S. Deletion of neural estrogen receptor alpha induces sex differential effects on reproductive behavior in mice. Commun Biol 2022; 5:383. [PMID: 35444217 PMCID: PMC9021208 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03324-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Estrogen receptor (ER) α is involved in several estrogen-modulated neural and peripheral functions. To determine its role in the expression of female and male reproductive behavior, a mouse line lacking the ERα in the nervous system was generated. Mutant females did not exhibit sexual behavior despite normal olfactory preference, and had a reduced number of progesterone receptor-immunoreactive neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus. Mutant males displayed a moderately impaired sexual behavior and unaffected fertility, despite evidences of altered organization of sexually dimorphic populations in the preoptic area. In comparison, males deleted for both neural ERα and androgen receptor (AR) displayed greater sexual deficiencies. Thus, these data highlight a predominant role for neural ERα in females and a complementary role with the AR in males in the regulation of sexual behavior, and provide a solid background for future analyses of neuronal versus glial implication of these signaling pathways in both sexes. Neural deletion of the estrogen receptor, ERα, inhibits sexual behavior in female mice, but only has moderately effect in male mice. These results contrast with previous studies using global ERα knockouts, which found that ERα is mandatory for reproductive behavior in both sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Charlotte Trouillet
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INSERM, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Suzanne Ducroq
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INSERM, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Lydie Naulé
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INSERM, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Daphné Capela
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INSERM, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Caroline Parmentier
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INSERM, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Sally Radovick
- Unit of Pediatric Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Hélène Hardin-Pouzet
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INSERM, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Sakina Mhaouty-Kodja
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INSERM, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, 75005, Paris, France.
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10
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Silva MSB, Campbell RE. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and the Neuroendocrine Consequences of Androgen Excess. Compr Physiol 2022; 12:3347-3369. [PMID: 35578968 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c210025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a major endocrine disorder strongly associated with androgen excess and frequently leading to female infertility. Although classically considered an ovarian disease, altered neuroendocrine control of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons in the brain and abnormal gonadotropin secretion may underpin PCOS presentation. Defective regulation of GnRH pulse generation in PCOS promotes high luteinizing hormone (LH) pulsatile secretion, which in turn overstimulates ovarian androgen production. Early and emerging evidence from preclinical models suggests that maternal androgen excess programs abnormalities in developing neuroendocrine circuits that are associated with PCOS pathology, and that these abnormalities are sustained by postpubertal elevation of endogenous androgen levels. This article will discuss experimental evidence, from the clinic and in preclinical animal models, that has significantly contributed to our understanding of how androgen excess influences the assembly and maintenance of neuroendocrine impairments in the female brain. Abnormal central gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) signaling has been identified in both patients and preclinical models as a possible link between androgen excess and elevated GnRH/LH secretion. Enhanced GABAergic innervation and drive to GnRH neurons is suspected to contribute to the pathogenesis and early manifestation of neuroendocrine derangement in PCOS. Accordingly, this article also provides an overview of GABA regulation of GnRH neuron function from prenatal development to adulthood to discuss possible avenues for future discovery research and therapeutic interventions. © 2022 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 12:3347-3369, 2022.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauro S B Silva
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rebecca E Campbell
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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11
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Xu XL, Huang ZY, Yu K, Li J, Fu XW, Deng SL. Estrogen Biosynthesis and Signal Transduction in Ovarian Disease. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:827032. [PMID: 35299973 PMCID: PMC8921451 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.827032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Estrogen mainly binds to estrogen receptors (ERs) to regulate menstrual cycles and reproduction. The expression of ERalpha (ERα), ERbeta (ERβ), and G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) mRNA could be detected in ovary, suggesting that they play an important role in estrogen signal transduction in ovary. And many studies have revealed that abnormal expression of estrogen and its receptors is closely related to ovarian disease or malignant tumors. With the continuous development and research of animal models, tissue-specific roles of both ERα and ERβ have been demonstrated in animals, which enable people to have a deeper understanding of the potential role of ER in regulating female reproductive diseases. Nevertheless, our current understanding of ERs expression and function in ovarian disease is, however, incomplete. To elucidate the biological mechanism behind ERs in the ovary, this review will focus on the role of ERα and ERβ in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), ovarian cancer and premature ovarian failure (POF) and discuss the major challenges of existing therapies to provide a reference for the treatment of estrogen target tissue ovarian diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue-Ling Xu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Beijing Key Laboratory for Animal Genetic Improvement, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Zheng-Yuan Huang
- Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kun Yu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Beijing Key Laboratory for Animal Genetic Improvement, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Xiang-Wei Fu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Beijing Key Laboratory for Animal Genetic Improvement, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Shou-Long Deng
- National Health Commission of China (NHC) Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Center, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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12
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Lee EB, Chakravarthi VP, Wolfe MW, Rumi MAK. ERβ Regulation of Gonadotropin Responses during Folliculogenesis. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms221910348. [PMID: 34638689 PMCID: PMC8508937 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221910348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Gonadotropins are essential for regulating ovarian development, steroidogenesis, and gametogenesis. While follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) promotes the development of ovarian follicles, luteinizing hormone (LH) regulates preovulatory maturation of oocytes, ovulation, and formation of corpus luteum. Cognate receptors of FSH and LH are G-protein coupled receptors that predominantly signal through cAMP-dependent and cAMP-independent mechanisms that activate protein kinases. Subsequent vital steps in response to gonadotropins are mediated through activation or inhibition of transcription factors required for follicular gene expression. Estrogen receptors, classical ligand-activated transcriptional regulators, play crucial roles in regulating gonadotropin secretion from the hypothalamic-pituitary axis as well as gonadotropin function in the target organs. In this review, we discuss the role of estrogen receptor β (ERβ) regulating gonadotropin response during folliculogenesis. Ovarian follicles in Erβ knockout (ErβKO) mutant female mice and rats cannot develop beyond the antral state, lack oocyte maturation, and fail to ovulate. Theca cells (TCs) in ovarian follicles express LH receptor, whereas granulosa cells (GCs) express both FSH receptor (FSHR) and LH receptor (LHCGR). As oocytes do not express the gonadotropin receptors, the somatic cells play a crucial role during gonadotropin induced oocyte maturation. Somatic cells also express high levels of estrogen receptors; while TCs express ERα and are involved in steroidogenesis, GCs express ERβ and are involved in both steroidogenesis and folliculogenesis. GCs are the primary site of ERβ-regulated gene expression. We observed that a subset of gonadotropin-induced genes in GCs, which are essential for ovarian follicle development, oocyte maturation and ovulation, are dependent on ERβ. Thus, ERβ plays a vital role in regulating the gonadotropin responses in ovary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun B. Lee
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA; (E.B.L.); (V.P.C.)
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA;
| | - V. Praveen Chakravarthi
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA; (E.B.L.); (V.P.C.)
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA;
- Institute for Reproduction and Perinatal Research, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Michael W. Wolfe
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA;
- Institute for Reproduction and Perinatal Research, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - M. A. Karim Rumi
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA; (E.B.L.); (V.P.C.)
- Institute for Reproduction and Perinatal Research, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-913-588-8059
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Amiresmaili S, Shahrokhi N, Khaksari M, AsadiKaram G, Aflatoonian MR, Shirazpour S, Amirkhosravi L, Mortazaeizadeh A. The Hepatoprotective mechanisms of 17β-estradiol after traumatic brain injury in male rats: Classical and non-classical estrogen receptors. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2021; 213:111987. [PMID: 33582408 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.111987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Protective effects of estrogen (E2) on traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been determined. In this study, the hepatoprotective effects of E2 after TBI through its receptors and oxidative stress regulation have been evaluated. Diffuse TBI induced by the Marmarou method in male rats. G15, PHTPP, MPP, and ICI182-780 as selective antagonists of E2 were injected before TBI. The results indicated that TBI induces a significant increase in liver enzymes [Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Glutamyl transferase (GGT)], and oxidants levels [Malondialdehyde (MDA), Nitric oxide (NO)] and decreases in antioxidant biomarkers [Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and Superoxide dismutase (SOD)] in the brain and liver, and plasma. We also found that E2 significantly preserved levels of these biomarkers and enzymatic activity. All antagonists inhibited the effects of E2 on increasing SOD and GPx. Also, the effects of E2 on brain MDA levels were inhibited by all antagonists, but in the liver, only ICI + G15 + E2 + TBI group was affected. The impacts of E2 on brain and liver and plasma NO levels were inhibited by all antagonists. The current findings demonstrated that E2 probably improved liver injury after TBI by modulating oxidative stress. Also, both classic (ERβ, ERα) and non-classic [G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER)] receptors are affected in the protective effects of E2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sedigheh Amiresmaili
- Department of Physiology, Bam University of Medical Sciences, Bam, Iran; Physiology Research Center, Institute of Basic and Clinical Physiology Science, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Nader Shahrokhi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
| | - Mohammad Khaksari
- Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Institute of Basic and Clinical Physiology Science, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Gholamreza AsadiKaram
- Physiology Research Center, Institute of Basic and Clinical Physiology Science, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | | | - Sara Shirazpour
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Ladan Amirkhosravi
- Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Institute of Basic and Clinical Physiology Science, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Abbas Mortazaeizadeh
- Researcher, Pathology and Stem Cells Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
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Li S, Zhai J, Xu B, Liu J, Chu W, Wang D, Geng X, Chen ZJ, Du Y. Erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular receptor A7 restrains estrogen negative feedback of luteinizing hormone via ephrin A5 in the hypothalamus of female rats. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2020; 319:E81-E90. [PMID: 32396496 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00046.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [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] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
We have previously shown that systemic injection of erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular receptor A7 (EPHA7)-Fc raises serum luteinizing hormone (LH) levels before ovulation in female rats, indicating the induction of EPHA7 in ovulation. In this study, we aimed to identify the mechanism and hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary (HPO) axis level underlying the promotion of LH secretion by EPHA7. Using an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model, in conjunction with low-dose 17β-estradiol (E2) treatment, we investigated the association between EPHA7-ephrin (EFN)A5 signaling and E2 negative feedback. Various rat models (OVX, E2-treated OVX, and abarelix treated) were injected with the recombinant EPHA7-Fc protein through the caudal vein to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the promotion of LH secretion by EPHA7. Efna5 was observed strongly expressed in the arcuate nucleus of the female rat by using RNAscope in situ hybridization. Our results indicated that E2, combined with estrogen receptor (ER)α, but not ERβ, inhibited Efna5 and gonadotropin-releasing hormone 1 (Gnrh1) expressions in the hypothalamus. In addition, the systemic administration of EPHA7-Fc restrained the inhibition of Efna5 and Gnrh1 by E2, resulting in increased Efna5 and Gnrh1 expressions in the hypothalamus as well as increased serum LH levels. Collectively, our findings demonstrated the involvement of EPHA7-EFNA5 signaling in the regulation of LH and the E2 negative feedback pathway in the hypothalamus, highlighting the functional role of EPHA7 in female reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shang Li
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai, Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Shanghai, China
| | - Junyu Zhai
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai, Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Shanghai, China
| | - Bing Xu
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai, Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiansheng Liu
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai, Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Shanghai, China
| | - Weiwei Chu
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai, Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Shanghai, China
| | - Dongshuang Wang
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai, Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Shanghai, China
| | - Xueying Geng
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai, Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Shanghai, China
| | - Zi-Jiang Chen
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai, Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Shanghai, China
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- National Research Center for Assisted Reproductive Technology and Reproductive Genetics, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Key laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology of Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Yanzhi Du
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai, Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Shanghai, China
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Sandhu KV, Demiray YE, Yanagawa Y, Stork O. Dietary phytoestrogens modulate aggression and activity in social behavior circuits of male mice. Horm Behav 2020; 119:104637. [PMID: 31783026 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [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: 10/18/2018] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Phytoestrogens comprise biologically active constituents of human and animal diet that can impact on systemic and local estrogen functions in the brain. Here we report on the importance of dietary phytoestrogens for maintaining activity in a brain circuit controlling aggressive and social behavior of male mice. After six weeks of low-phytoestrogen chronic diet (diadzein plus genistein <20 μg/g) a reduction of intermale aggression and altered territorial marking behavior could be observed, compared to littermates on a standard soy-bean based diet (300 μg/g). Further, mice on low-phyto diet displayed a decrease in sociability and a reduced preference for social odors, indicating a general disturbance of social behavior. Underlying circuits were investigated by analysing the induction of the activity marker c-Fos upon social encounter. Low-phyto diet led to a markedly reduced c-Fos induction in the medial as well as the cortical amygdala, the lateral septum, medial preoptic area and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. No difference between groups was observed in the olfactory bulb. Together our data suggest that dietary phytoestrogens critically modulate social behavior circuits in the male mouse brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiran Veer Sandhu
- Department of Genetics & Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Yunus Emre Demiray
- Department of Genetics & Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Yuchio Yanagawa
- Department of Genetic and Behavioural Neuroscience, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine and JST, CREST, Maebashi 371-8511, Japan
| | - Oliver Stork
- Department of Genetics & Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioural Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany.
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16
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Porteous R, Herbison AE. Genetic Deletion of Esr1 in the Mouse Preoptic Area Disrupts the LH Surge and Estrous Cyclicity. Endocrinology 2019; 160:1821-1829. [PMID: 31145462 DOI: 10.1210/en.2019-00284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Estrogen receptor α (ESR1) is critical for the generation of the preovulatory LH surge. Experiments in rodents have indicated a role for neurons located in the anteroventral periventricular area and preoptic periventricular nucleus [termed the rostral periventricular area of the third ventricle (RP3V)] in surge generation. In the current study, we aimed to examine whether ESR1 expressed by RP3V neurons was necessary for the LH surge. The estrous cycles of mice with estrogen receptor α (Esr1) exon 3 flanked by LoxP sites (Esr1 flox) and controls were monitored before and after bilateral stereotactic injection of adeno-associated virus encoding Cre recombinase into the RP3V. This resulted in 84% and 72% decreases in ESR1-immunoreactive cell numbers in the anteroventral periventricular area and preoptic periventricular nucleus, respectively, with no changes in the arcuate nucleus. Beginning three weeks after the adeno-associated virus injection, Esr1 flox mice began to show a loss of estrous cyclicity going, primarily, into constant estrus. Wild-type mice and Esr1 flox mice with injections outside the RP3V or unilateral ablations of ESR1 continued to exhibit normal estrous cycles. Mice were then gonadectomized and given an estradiol replacement regimen to generate the LH surge. This resulted in an absence of cFOS expression in GnRH neurons (1 ± 1% vs 28 ± 4% of GnRH neurons; P < 0.01) and markedly reduced LH surge levels (2.5 ± 0.6 vs 9.1 ± 1.0 ng/mL; P < 0.01) in Esr1 flox mice compared with controls. These results demonstrate that neurons expressing ESR1 within the RP3V are critical for the generation of the LH surge and estrous cyclicity in the mouse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Porteous
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology and Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Allan E Herbison
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology and Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Arao Y, Hamilton KJ, Wu SP, Tsai MJ, DeMayo FJ, Korach KS. Dysregulation of hypothalamic-pituitary estrogen receptor α-mediated signaling causes episodic LH secretion and cystic ovary. FASEB J 2019; 33:7375-7386. [PMID: 30866655 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201802653rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis disorder. PCOS symptoms most likely result from a disturbance in the complex feedback regulation system of the HPG axis, which involves gonadotrophic hormones and ovarian steroid hormones. However, the nature of this complex and interconnecting feedback regulation makes it difficult to dissect the molecular mechanisms responsible for PCOS phenotypes. Global estrogen receptor α (ERα) knockout (KO) mice exhibit a disruption of the HPG axis, resulting in hormonal dysregulation in which female ERα KO mice have elevated levels of serum estradiol (E2), testosterone, and LH. The ERα KO females are anovulatory and develop cystic hemorrhagic ovaries that are thought to be due to persistently high circulating levels of LH from the pituitary. However, the role of ERα in the pituitary is still controversial because of the varied phenotypes reported in pituitary-specific ERα KO mouse models. Therefore, we developed a mouse model where ERα is reintroduced to be exclusively expressed in the pituitary on the background of a global ERα-null (PitERtgKO) mouse. Serum E2 and LH levels were normalized in PitERtgKO females and were comparable to wild-type serum levels. However, the ovaries of PitERtgKO adult mice displayed a more overt cystic and hemorrhagic phenotype when compared with ERα KO littermates. We determined that anomalous sporadic LH secretion caused the severe ovarian phenotype of PitERtgKO females. Our observations suggest that pituitary ERα is involved in the estrogen negative feedback regulation, whereas hypothalamic ERα is necessary for the precise control of LH secretion. Uncontrolled, irregular LH secretion may be the root cause of the cystic ovarian phenotype with similarities to PCOS.-Arao, Y., Hamilton, K. J., Wu, S.-P., Tsai, M.-J., DeMayo, F. J., Korach, K. S. Dysregulation of hypothalamic-pituitary estrogen receptor α-mediated signaling causes episodic LH secretion and cystic ovary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukitomo Arao
- Receptor Biology Group, Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Katherine J Hamilton
- Receptor Biology Group, Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - San-Pin Wu
- Pregnancy and Female Reproduction Group, Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA; and
| | | | - Francesco J DeMayo
- Pregnancy and Female Reproduction Group, Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA; and
| | - Kenneth S Korach
- Receptor Biology Group, Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
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Angelopoulou E, Quignon C, Kriegsfeld LJ, Simonneaux V. Functional Implications of RFRP-3 in the Central Control of Daily and Seasonal Rhythms in Reproduction. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2019; 10:183. [PMID: 31024442 PMCID: PMC6467943 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2019.00183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Adaptation of reproductive activity to environmental changes is essential for breeding success and offspring survival. In mammals, the reproductive system displays regular cycles of activation and inactivation which are synchronized with seasonal and/or daily rhythms in environmental factors, notably light intensity and duration. Thus, most species adapt their breeding activity along the year to ensure that birth and weaning of the offspring occur at a time when resources are optimal. Additionally, female reproductive activity is highest at the beginning of the active phase during the period of full oocyte maturation, in order to improve breeding success. In reproductive physiology, it is therefore fundamental to delineate how geophysical signals are integrated in the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis, notably by the neurons expressing gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH). Several neurochemicals have been reported to regulate GnRH neuronal activity, but recently two hypothalamic neuropeptides belonging to the superfamily of (Arg)(Phe)-amide peptides, RFRP-3 and kisspeptin, have emerged as critical for the integration of environmental cues within the reproductive axis. The goal of this review is to survey the current understanding of the role played by RFRP-3 in the temporal regulation of reproduction, and consider how its effect might combine with that of kisspeptin to improve the synchronization of reproduction to environmental challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Angelopoulou
- Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives (CNRS UPR 3212), Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN), Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Clarisse Quignon
- Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives (CNRS UPR 3212), Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Lance J. Kriegsfeld
- Department of Psychology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Valérie Simonneaux
- Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives (CNRS UPR 3212), Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- *Correspondence: Valérie Simonneaux
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Simonneaux V. A Kiss to drive rhythms in reproduction. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 51:509-530. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Revised: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Valérie Simonneaux
- Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et IntégrativesCNRSUniversité de Strasbourg Strasbourg France
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20
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Novaira HJ, Negron AL, Graceli JB, Capellino S, Schoeffield A, Hoffman GE, Levine JE, Wolfe A, Wondisford FE, Radovick S. Impairments in the reproductive axis of female mice lacking estrogen receptor β in GnRH neurons. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2018; 315:E1019-E1033. [PMID: 30040478 PMCID: PMC6293171 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00173.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2018] [Revised: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The effect of estrogen on the differentiation and maintenance of reproductive tissues is mediated by two nuclear estrogen receptors (ERs), ERα, and ERβ. Lack of functional ERα and ERβ genes in vivo significantly affects reproductive function; however, the target tissues and signaling pathways in the hypothalamus are not clearly defined. Here, we describe the generation and reproductive characterization of a complete-ERβ KO (CERβKO) and a GnRH neuron-specific ERβKO (GERβKO) mouse models. Both ERβKO mouse models displayed a delay in vaginal opening and first estrus. Hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) mRNA expression levels in both ERβKO mice were similar to control mice; however female CERβKO and GERβKO mice had lower basal and surge serum gonadotropin levels. Although a GnRH stimulation test in both female ERβKO models showed preserved gonadotropic function in the same animals, a kisspeptin stimulation test revealed an attenuated response by GnRH neurons, suggesting a role for ERβ in normal GnRH neuron function. No alteration in estrogen-negative feedback was observed in either ERβKO mouse models after ovariectomy and estrogen replacement. Further, abnormal development of ovarian follicles with low serum estradiol levels and impairment of fertility were observed in both ERβKO mouse models. In male ERβKO mice, no differences in the timing of pubertal onset or serum luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels were observed as compared with controls. Taken together, these data provide in vivo evidence for a role of ERβ in GnRH neurons in modulating puberty and reproduction, specifically through kisspeptin responsiveness in the female hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Horacio J Novaira
- Department of Pediatrics, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School , New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Ariel L Negron
- Department of Pediatrics, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School , New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Jones B Graceli
- Department of Morphology, Federal University of Espirito Santo , Vitoria , Brazil
| | - Silvia Capellino
- IfADo-Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Department of Immunology , Dortmund , Germany
| | | | - Gloria E Hoffman
- Department of Biology, Morgan State University , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Jon E Levine
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin , Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Andrew Wolfe
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Fredric E Wondisford
- Department of Medicine, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School , New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Sally Radovick
- Department of Pediatrics, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School , New Brunswick, New Jersey
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Spergel DJ. Neuropeptidergic modulation of GnRH neuronal activity and GnRH secretion controlling reproduction: insights from recent mouse studies. Cell Tissue Res 2018; 375:179-191. [DOI: 10.1007/s00441-018-2893-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2018] [Accepted: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Marraudino M, Martini M, Trova S, Farinetti A, Ponti G, Gotti S, Panzica G. Kisspeptin system in ovariectomized mice: Estradiol and progesterone regulation. Brain Res 2018; 1688:8-14. [PMID: 29555237 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2018.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2017] [Revised: 02/12/2018] [Accepted: 03/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The kisspeptin system is clustered in two main groups of cell bodies (the periventricular region, RP3V and the arcuate nucleus, ARC) that send fibers mainly to the GnRH neurons and in a few other locations, including the paraventricular nucleus, PVN. In physiological conditions, gonadal hormones modulate the kisspeptin system with expression changes according to different phases of the estrous cycle: the highest being in estrus phase in RP3V and PVN (positive feedback), and in ARC during the diestrus phase (negative feedback). In this work we wanted to study these hormonal fluctuations during the estrous cycle, investigating the role played by progesterone (P) or estradiol (E2), alone or together, on the kisspeptin system. Gonadectomized CD1 female mice were treated with P, E2 or both (E2 + P), following a timing of administration that emulates the different phases of estrous cycle, for two cycles of 4 days. As expected, the two cell groups were differentially affected by E2; the RP3V group was positively influenced by E2 (alone or with the P), whereas in the ARC the administration of E2 did not affect the system. However P (alone) induced a rise in the kisspeptin immunoreactivity. All the treatments significantly affected the kisspeptin innervation of the PVN, with regional differences, suggesting that these fibers arrive from both RP3V and ARC nuclei.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilena Marraudino
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano, Torino, Italy; Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Department of Neuroscience, Rita Levi Montalcini, University of Torino, Via Cherasco 15, Torino, Italy.
| | - Mariangela Martini
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7614, United States
| | - Sara Trova
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano, Torino, Italy
| | - Alice Farinetti
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano, Torino, Italy; Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Department of Neuroscience, Rita Levi Montalcini, University of Torino, Via Cherasco 15, Torino, Italy
| | - Giovanna Ponti
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano, Torino, Italy; Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Torino, Largo Braccini 2, Grugliasco, Torino, Italy
| | - Stefano Gotti
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano, Torino, Italy; Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Department of Neuroscience, Rita Levi Montalcini, University of Torino, Via Cherasco 15, Torino, Italy
| | - GianCarlo Panzica
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano, Torino, Italy; Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Department of Neuroscience, Rita Levi Montalcini, University of Torino, Via Cherasco 15, Torino, Italy
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Mhaouty-Kodja S, Naulé L, Capela D. Sexual Behavior: From Hormonal Regulation to Endocrine Disruption. Neuroendocrinology 2018; 107:400-416. [PMID: 30326485 DOI: 10.1159/000494558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Sexual behavior constitutes a chain of behavioral responses beginning with courtship and leading to copulation. These responses, which are exhibited in a sexually dimorphic manner by the two partners, are tightly regulated by sex steroid hormones as early as the perinatal period. Hormonal changes or exposure to exogenous factors exhibiting hormone-mimetic activities, such as endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC), can therefore interfere with their expression. Here we review the experimental studies in rodents performed to address the potential effects of exposure to EDC on sexual behavior and underlying mechanisms, with particular attention to molecules with estrogenic and/or anti-androgenic activities.
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Maney DL. Polymorphisms in sex steroid receptors: From gene sequence to behavior. Front Neuroendocrinol 2017; 47:47-65. [PMID: 28705582 PMCID: PMC6312198 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2017.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2017] [Revised: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Sex steroid receptors have received much interest as potential mediators of human behaviors and mental disorders. Candidate gene association studies have identified about 50 genetic variants of androgen and estrogen receptors that correlate with human behavioral phenotypes. Because most of these polymorphisms lie outside coding regions, discerning their effect on receptor function is not straightforward. Thus, although discoveries of associations improve our ability to predict risk, they have not greatly advanced our understanding of underlying mechanisms. This article is intended to serve as a starting point for psychologists and other behavioral biologists to consider potential mechanisms. Here, I review associations between polymorphisms in sex steroid receptors and human behavioral phenotypes. I then consider ways in which genetic variation can affect processes such as mRNA transcription, splicing, and stability. Finally, I suggest ways that hypotheses about mechanism can be tested, for example using in vitro assays and/or animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donna L Maney
- Department of Psychology, 36 Eagle Row, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
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Abstract
Female ovulation depends on a surge in circulating luteinizing hormone (LH) which occurs at the end of the resting period and requests high circulating estradiol. This fine tuning involves both an estradiol feedback as an indicator of oocyte maturation, and the master circadian clock of the suprachiasmatic nuclei as an indicator of the time of the day. This review describes the mechanisms through which daily time cues are conveyed to reproductive hypothalamic neurons to time the pre-ovulatory surge. In female rodents, neurotransmitters released by the suprachiasmatic nuclei activate the stimulatory kisspeptin neurons and reduce the inhibitory RFRP neurons precisely at the end of the afternoon of proestrus to allow a full surge in LH secretion. From these findings, the impact of circadian disruptions (during shift or night work) on female reproductive performance and fertility should now being investigated in both animal models and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valérie Simonneaux
- Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, UPR CNRS 3212, 5 rue Blaise Pascal, 67084 Strasbourg, France.
| | - Thibault Bahougne
- Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, UPR CNRS 3212, 5 rue Blaise Pascal, 67084 Strasbourg, France; Service d'Endocrinologie et Diabète, Hôpital Civil, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
| | - Eleni Angelopoulou
- Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, UPR CNRS 3212, 5 rue Blaise Pascal, 67084 Strasbourg, France; Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Academic Medical Center (AMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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Niu X, Tyasi TL, Qin N, Liu D, Zhu H, Chen X, Zhang F, Yuan S, Xu R. Sequence variations in estrogen receptor 1 and 2 genes and their association with egg production traits in Chinese Dagu chickens. J Vet Med Sci 2017; 79:927-934. [PMID: 28420808 PMCID: PMC5447984 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.17-0014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Estrogen receptors α (ESR1) and β (ESR2) play central roles in folliculogenesis and therefore in reproductive biology. In the present study, two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were
identified in the ESR1 and ESR2 genes using PCR-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and DNA sequencing. One of the identified SNPs, a T1101C transition located within exon 4 of the
ESR1 gene, was significantly associated with hen-housed egg production (HHEP) at 30, 43, 57 and 66 weeks of age (P<0.05), and egg weight (EW) at 30 weeks (P<0.05). Another
SNP, a G1755A transition leading to a non-synonymous substitution (valine 459-to-isoleucine) located within exon 8 of the ESR2 gene, was also markedly correlated with the HHEP at 30, 43, 57 and 66 weeks of age
(P<0.05), and EW at 30 weeks (P<0.05). A greater proportion of the additive variance was explained by the SNPs for most of the associated egg production traits (>1%). Furthermore, the
results of the combined genotype-based association analysis supported the finding that the two SNPs were associated with the traits under a study. Taken together, our findings suggest that the two sequence variations in the
ESR1 and ESR2 genes may provide promising genetic markers for the early selection and prediction of advantageous phenotypes in chicken breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaotian Niu
- Department of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, Jilin, China
| | - Thobela Louis Tyasi
- Department of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, Jilin, China
| | - Ning Qin
- Department of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, Jilin, China
| | - Dehui Liu
- Department of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, Jilin, China
| | - Hongyan Zhu
- Department of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, Jilin, China
| | - Xiaoxia Chen
- Department of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, Jilin, China
| | - Fengwei Zhang
- Department of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, Jilin, China
| | - Shuguo Yuan
- Jilin Grain Group Agriculture and Livestock Co., Ltd., Changchun 130062, Jilin, China
| | - Rifu Xu
- Department of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, Jilin, China
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Constantin S. Progress and Challenges in the Search for the Mechanisms of Pulsatile Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Secretion. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2017; 8:180. [PMID: 28790978 PMCID: PMC5523686 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2017.00180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Fertility relies on the proper functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. The hormonal cascade begins with hypothalamic neurons secreting gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) into the hypophyseal portal system. In turn, the GnRH-activated gonadotrophs in the anterior pituitary release gonadotropins, which then act on the gonads to regulate gametogenesis and sex steroidogenesis. Finally, sex steroids close this axis by feeding back to the hypothalamus. Despite this seeming straightforwardness, the axis is orchestrated by a complex neuronal network in the central nervous system. For reproductive success, GnRH neurons, the final output of this network, must integrate and translate a wide range of cues, both environmental and physiological, to the gonadotrophs via pulsatile GnRH secretion. This secretory profile is critical for gonadotropic function, yet the mechanisms underlying these pulses remain unknown. Literature supports both intrinsically and extrinsically driven GnRH neuronal activity. However, the caveat of the techniques supporting either one of the two hypotheses is the gap between events recorded at a single-cell level and GnRH secretion measured at the population level. This review aims to compile data about GnRH neuronal activity focusing on the physiological output, GnRH secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Constantin
- Cellular and Developmental Neurobiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Stephanie Constantin,
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Constantin S, Wray S. Galanin Activates G Protein Gated Inwardly Rectifying Potassium Channels and Suppresses Kisspeptin-10 Activation of GnRH Neurons. Endocrinology 2016; 157:3197-212. [PMID: 27359210 PMCID: PMC4967115 DOI: 10.1210/en.2016-1064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2016] [Accepted: 06/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
GnRH neurons are regulated by hypothalamic kisspeptin neurons. Recently, galanin was identified in a subpopulation of kisspeptin neurons. Although the literature thoroughly describes kisspeptin activation of GnRH neurons, little is known about the effects of galanin on GnRH neurons. This study investigated whether galanin could alter kisspeptin signaling to GnRH neurons. GnRH cells maintained in explants, known to display spontaneous calcium oscillations, and a long-lasting calcium response to kisspeptin-10 (kp-10), were used. First, transcripts for galanin receptors (GalRs) were examined. Only GalR1 was found in GnRH neurons. A series of experiments was then performed to determine the action of galanin on kp-10 activated GnRH neurons. Applied after kp-10 activation, galanin 1-16 (Gal1-16) rapidly suppressed kp-10 activation. Applied with kp-10, Gal1-16 prevented kp-10 activation until its removal. To determine the mechanism by which galanin inhibited kp-10 activation of GnRH neurons, Gal1-16 and galanin were applied to spontaneously active GnRH neurons. Both inhibited GnRH neuronal activity, independent of GnRH neuronal inputs. This inhibition was mimicked by a GalR1 agonist but not by GalR2 or GalR2/3 agonists. Although Gal1-16 inhibition relied on Gi/o signaling, it was independent of cAMP levels but sensitive to blockers of G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium channels. A newly developed bioassay for GnRH detection showed Gal1-16 decreased the kp-10-evoked GnRH secretion below detection threshold. Together, this study shows that galanin is a potent regulator of GnRH neurons, possibly acting as a physiological break to kisspeptin excitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Constantin
- Cellular and Developmental Neurobiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke/National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-3703
| | - Susan Wray
- Cellular and Developmental Neurobiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke/National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-3703
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Bálint F, Liposits Z, Farkas I. Estrogen Receptor Beta and 2-arachidonoylglycerol Mediate the Suppressive Effects of Estradiol on Frequency of Postsynaptic Currents in Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neurons of Metestrous Mice: An Acute Slice Electrophysiological Study. Front Cell Neurosci 2016; 10:77. [PMID: 27065803 PMCID: PMC4809870 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2016.00077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2015] [Accepted: 03/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons are controlled by 17β-estradiol (E2) contributing to the steroid feedback regulation of the reproductive axis. In rodents, E2 exerts a negative feedback effect upon GnRH neurons throughout the estrus-diestrus phase of the ovarian cycle. The present study was undertaken to reveal the role of estrogen receptor subtypes in the mediation of the E2 signal and elucidate the downstream molecular machinery of suppression. The effect of E2 administration at low physiological concentration (10 pM) on GnRH neurons in acute brain slices obtained from metestrous GnRH-green fluorescent protein (GFP) mice was studied under paradigms of blocking or activating estrogen receptor subtypes and interfering with retrograde 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) signaling. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings revealed that E2 significantly diminished the frequency of spontaneous postsynaptic currents (sPSCs) in GnRH neurons (49.62 ± 7.6%) which effect was abolished by application of the estrogen receptor (ER) α/β blocker Faslodex (1 μM). Pretreatment of the brain slices with cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) inverse agonist AM251 (1 μM) and intracellularly applied endocannabinoid synthesis blocker THL (10 μM) significantly attenuated the effect of E2 on the sPSCs. E2 remained effective in the presence of tetrodotoxin (TTX) indicating a direct action of E2 on GnRH cells. The ERβ specific agonist DPN (10 pM) also significantly decreased the frequency of miniature postsynaptic currents (mPSCs) in GnRH neurons. In addition, the suppressive effect of E2 was completely blocked by the selective ERβ antagonist PHTPP (1 μM) indicating that ERβ is required for the observed rapid effect of the E2. In contrast, the ERα agonist PPT (10 pM) or the membrane-associated G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPR30) agonist G1 (10 pM) had no significant effect on the frequency of mPSCs in these neurons. AM251 and tetrahydrolipstatin (THL) significantly abolished the effect of E2 whereas AM251 eliminated the action of DPN on the mPSCs. These data suggest the involvement of the retrograde endocannabinoid mechanism in the rapid direct effect of E2. These results collectively indicate that estrogen receptor beta and 2-AG/CB1 signaling mechanisms are coupled and play an important role in the mediation of the negative estradiol feedback on GnRH neurons in acute slice preparation obtained from intact, metestrous mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flóra Bálint
- Laboratory of Endocrine Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of SciencesBudapest, Hungary; Roska Tamás Doctoral School of Sciences and Technology, Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics, Pázmány Péter Catholic UniversityBudapest, Hungary
| | - Zsolt Liposits
- Laboratory of Endocrine Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of SciencesBudapest, Hungary; Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics, Pázmány Péter Catholic UniversityBudapest, Hungary
| | - Imre Farkas
- Laboratory of Endocrine Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Budapest, Hungary
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Expression of ESR1 in Glutamatergic and GABAergic Neurons Is Essential for Normal Puberty Onset, Estrogen Feedback, and Fertility in Female Mice. J Neurosci 2016; 35:14533-43. [PMID: 26511244 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1776-15.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Circulating estradiol exerts a profound influence on the activity of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neuronal network controlling fertility. Using genetic strategies enabling neuron-specific deletion of estrogen receptor α (Esr1), we examine here whether estradiol-modulated GABA and glutamate transmission are critical for the functioning of the GnRH neuron network in the female mouse. Using Vgat- and Vglut2-ires-Cre knock-in mice and ESR1 immunohistochemistry, we demonstrate that subpopulations of GABA and glutamate neurons throughout the limbic forebrain express ESR1, with ESR1-GABAergic neurons being more widespread and numerous than ESR1-glutamatergic neurons. We crossed Vgat- and Vglut2-ires-Cre mice with an Esr1(lox/lox) line to generate animals with GABA-neuron-specific or glutamate-neuron-specific deletion of Esr1. Vgat-ires-Cre;Esr1(lox/lox) mice were infertile, with abnormal estrous cycles, and exhibited a complete failure of the estrogen positive feedback mechanism responsible for the preovulatory GnRH surge. However, puberty onset and estrogen negative feedback were normal. Vglut2-ires-Cre;Esr1(lox/lox) mice were also infertile but displayed a wider range of deficits, including advanced puberty onset, abnormal negative feedback, and abolished positive feedback. Whereas <25% of preoptic kisspeptin neurons expressed Cre in Vgat- and Vglut2-ires-Cre lines, ∼70% of arcuate kisspeptin neurons were targeted in Vglut2-ires-Cre;Esr1(lox/lox) mice, possibly contributing to their advanced puberty phenotype. These observations show that, unexpectedly, ESR1-GABA neurons are only essential for the positive feedback mechanism. In contrast, we reveal the key importance of ESR1 in glutamatergic neurons for multiple estrogen feedback loops within the GnRH neuronal network required for fertility in the female mouse.
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Treen AK, Luo V, Chalmers JA, Dalvi PS, Tran D, Ye W, Kim GL, Friedman Z, Belsham DD. Divergent Regulation of ER and Kiss Genes by 17β-Estradiol in Hypothalamic ARC Versus AVPV Models. Mol Endocrinol 2016; 30:217-33. [PMID: 26726951 DOI: 10.1210/me.2015-1189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Kisspeptin (Kiss) and G-protein-coupled receptor (Gpr)54 have emerged as key regulators of reproduction. 17β-estradiol (E2)-mediated regulation of these neurons is nuclei specific, where anteroventral periventricular (AVPV) Kiss neurons are positively regulated by E2, whereas arcuate nucleus (ARC) neurons are inhibited. We have generated immortalized Kiss cell lines from male and female adult-derived murine hypothalamic primary culture, as well as cell lines from microdissected AVPV and ARC from female Kiss-green fluorescent protein (GFP) mice. All exhibit endogenous Kiss-1 expression, estrogen receptors (ER)s (ERα, ERβ, and Gpr30), as well as known markers of AVPV Kiss neurons in the mHypoA-50 and mHypoA-Kiss/GFP-4, vs markers of ARC Kiss neurons in the mHypoA-55 and the mHypoA-Kiss/GFP-3 lines. There was an increase in Kiss-1 mRNA expression at 24 hours in the AVPV lines and a repression of Kiss-1 mRNA at 4 hours in the ARC lines. An E2-mediated decrease in ERα mRNA expression at 24 hours in the AVPV cell lines was detected, and a significant decrease in Gpr30, ERα, and ERβ mRNA levels at 4 hours in the ARC cell lines was evident. ER agonists and antagonists determined the specific ERs responsible for mediating changes in gene expression. In the AVPV, ERα is required but not ERβ or GPR30, vs the ARC Kiss-expressing cell lines that require GPR30, and either ERα and/or ERβ. We determined cAMP response element-binding protein 1 was necessary for the down-regulation of Kiss-1 mRNA expression using small interfering RNA knockdown in the ARC cell model. These studies elucidate some of the molecular events involved in the differential E2-mediated regulation of unique and specific Kiss neuronal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice K Treen
- Departments of Physiology (A.K.T., V.L., J.A.C., P.S.D., D.T., W.Y., G.L.K., Z.F., D.D.B.), Medicine (D.D.B.), and Obstetrics and Gynaecology (D.D.B.), University of Toronto, and Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology (D.D.B.), Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8
| | - Vicky Luo
- Departments of Physiology (A.K.T., V.L., J.A.C., P.S.D., D.T., W.Y., G.L.K., Z.F., D.D.B.), Medicine (D.D.B.), and Obstetrics and Gynaecology (D.D.B.), University of Toronto, and Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology (D.D.B.), Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8
| | - Jennifer A Chalmers
- Departments of Physiology (A.K.T., V.L., J.A.C., P.S.D., D.T., W.Y., G.L.K., Z.F., D.D.B.), Medicine (D.D.B.), and Obstetrics and Gynaecology (D.D.B.), University of Toronto, and Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology (D.D.B.), Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8
| | - Prasad S Dalvi
- Departments of Physiology (A.K.T., V.L., J.A.C., P.S.D., D.T., W.Y., G.L.K., Z.F., D.D.B.), Medicine (D.D.B.), and Obstetrics and Gynaecology (D.D.B.), University of Toronto, and Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology (D.D.B.), Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8
| | - Dean Tran
- Departments of Physiology (A.K.T., V.L., J.A.C., P.S.D., D.T., W.Y., G.L.K., Z.F., D.D.B.), Medicine (D.D.B.), and Obstetrics and Gynaecology (D.D.B.), University of Toronto, and Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology (D.D.B.), Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8
| | - Wenqing Ye
- Departments of Physiology (A.K.T., V.L., J.A.C., P.S.D., D.T., W.Y., G.L.K., Z.F., D.D.B.), Medicine (D.D.B.), and Obstetrics and Gynaecology (D.D.B.), University of Toronto, and Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology (D.D.B.), Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8
| | - Ginah L Kim
- Departments of Physiology (A.K.T., V.L., J.A.C., P.S.D., D.T., W.Y., G.L.K., Z.F., D.D.B.), Medicine (D.D.B.), and Obstetrics and Gynaecology (D.D.B.), University of Toronto, and Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology (D.D.B.), Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8
| | - Zoey Friedman
- Departments of Physiology (A.K.T., V.L., J.A.C., P.S.D., D.T., W.Y., G.L.K., Z.F., D.D.B.), Medicine (D.D.B.), and Obstetrics and Gynaecology (D.D.B.), University of Toronto, and Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology (D.D.B.), Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8
| | - Denise D Belsham
- Departments of Physiology (A.K.T., V.L., J.A.C., P.S.D., D.T., W.Y., G.L.K., Z.F., D.D.B.), Medicine (D.D.B.), and Obstetrics and Gynaecology (D.D.B.), University of Toronto, and Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology (D.D.B.), Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8
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Bowlby DA, Brown TJ, Hochberg RB, MacLusky NJ. In vitro Autoradiographic Analysis of Regional Changes in Estrogen Receptor Alpha in the Brains of Cycling Female Rats. Neuroendocrinology 2016; 103:538-51. [PMID: 26422138 DOI: 10.1159/000441077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2015] [Accepted: 09/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS The contributions of the three principal ovarian steroid hormones (estradiol, progesterone and testosterone) to the regulation of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) levels in the rat brain were examined during the estrous cycle. METHODS Receptor concentrations were measured using an in vitro autoradiographic technique designed to separately quantify free, unoccupied receptors and receptors 'occupied' by (bound to) endogenous hormone. RESULTS ERα occupation increased at proestrus and declined at estrus, reflecting changes in circulating estradiol and testosterone levels. Total ERα content followed a pattern that was the inverse of the occupation data, falling over the night of proestrus. Between 2.00 and 10.00 a.m. on the day of estrus, total ERα concentrations recovered in all brain regions except the ventromedial nucleus (VMN), in which ERα binding remained depressed at estrus. Administration of the progesterone antagonist mifepristone on the afternoon of proestrus resulted in recovery of ERα levels in the VMN by the morning of estrus, consistent with the hypothesis that the preovulatory progesterone surge selectively inhibits VMN ERα expression. Residual ERα occupation observed at estrus, when estradiol is not detectable in the serum, likely reflects intracranial aromatization of circulating androgens, since the pattern of receptor occupation observed at this stage of the cycle could be reproduced in ovariectomized rats by replacement with testosterone. CONCLUSION These findings indicate that ERα binding in the brain fluctuates during the rat estrous cycle in a region-specific manner and suggest that local aromatization of testosterone may contribute significantly to ERα occupation when circulating estradiol levels are low.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah A Bowlby
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ont., Canada
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Kalil B, Ribeiro AB, Leite CM, Uchôa ET, Carolino RO, Cardoso TSR, Elias LLK, Rodrigues JA, Plant TM, Poletini MO, Anselmo-Franci JA. The Increase in Signaling by Kisspeptin Neurons in the Preoptic Area and Associated Changes in Clock Gene Expression That Trigger the LH Surge in Female Rats Are Dependent on the Facilitatory Action of a Noradrenaline Input. Endocrinology 2016; 157:323-35. [PMID: 26556532 DOI: 10.1210/en.2015-1323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
In rodents, kisspeptin neurons in the rostral periventricular area of the third ventricle (RP3V) of the preoptic area are considered to provide a major stimulatory input to the GnRH neuronal network that is responsible for triggering the preovulatory LH surge. Noradrenaline (NA) is one of the main modulators of GnRH release, and NA fibers are found in close apposition to kisspeptin neurons in the RP3V. Our objective was to interrogate the role of NA signaling in the kisspeptin control of GnRH secretion during the estradiol induced LH surge in ovariectomized rats, using prazosin, an α1-adrenergic receptor antagonist. In control rats, the estradiol-induced LH surge at 17 hours was associated with a significant increase in GnRH and kisspeptin content in the median eminence with the increase in kisspeptin preceding that of GnRH and LH. Prazosin, administered 5 and 3 hours prior to the predicted time of the LH surge truncated the LH surge and abolished the rise in GnRH and kisspeptin in the median eminence. In the preoptic area, prazosin blocked the increases in Kiss1 gene expression and kisspeptin content in association with a disruption in the expression of the clock genes, Per1 and Bmal1. Together these findings demonstrate for the first time that NA modulates kisspeptin synthesis in the RP3V through the activation of α1-adrenergic receptors prior to the initiation of the LH surge and indicate a potential role of α1-adrenergic signaling in the circadian-controlled pathway timing of the preovulatory LH surge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruna Kalil
- Departamento de Fisiologia (B.K., A.B.R., E.T.U., L.L.K.E., J.A.R.), Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, and Departamento de Morfologia, Fisiologia, e Patologia Básica (C.M.L., R.O.C., J.A.A.-F.), Faculdade de Odontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 14049-900 São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences (T.M.P.), University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213; Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica (T.S.R.C., M.O.P.), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; and Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas (E.T.U.), Universidade Estadual de Londrina, 86051-990 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Aline B Ribeiro
- Departamento de Fisiologia (B.K., A.B.R., E.T.U., L.L.K.E., J.A.R.), Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, and Departamento de Morfologia, Fisiologia, e Patologia Básica (C.M.L., R.O.C., J.A.A.-F.), Faculdade de Odontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 14049-900 São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences (T.M.P.), University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213; Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica (T.S.R.C., M.O.P.), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; and Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas (E.T.U.), Universidade Estadual de Londrina, 86051-990 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Cristiane M Leite
- Departamento de Fisiologia (B.K., A.B.R., E.T.U., L.L.K.E., J.A.R.), Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, and Departamento de Morfologia, Fisiologia, e Patologia Básica (C.M.L., R.O.C., J.A.A.-F.), Faculdade de Odontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 14049-900 São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences (T.M.P.), University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213; Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica (T.S.R.C., M.O.P.), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; and Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas (E.T.U.), Universidade Estadual de Londrina, 86051-990 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Ernane T Uchôa
- Departamento de Fisiologia (B.K., A.B.R., E.T.U., L.L.K.E., J.A.R.), Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, and Departamento de Morfologia, Fisiologia, e Patologia Básica (C.M.L., R.O.C., J.A.A.-F.), Faculdade de Odontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 14049-900 São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences (T.M.P.), University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213; Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica (T.S.R.C., M.O.P.), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; and Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas (E.T.U.), Universidade Estadual de Londrina, 86051-990 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Ruither O Carolino
- Departamento de Fisiologia (B.K., A.B.R., E.T.U., L.L.K.E., J.A.R.), Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, and Departamento de Morfologia, Fisiologia, e Patologia Básica (C.M.L., R.O.C., J.A.A.-F.), Faculdade de Odontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 14049-900 São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences (T.M.P.), University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213; Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica (T.S.R.C., M.O.P.), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; and Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas (E.T.U.), Universidade Estadual de Londrina, 86051-990 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Thais S R Cardoso
- Departamento de Fisiologia (B.K., A.B.R., E.T.U., L.L.K.E., J.A.R.), Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, and Departamento de Morfologia, Fisiologia, e Patologia Básica (C.M.L., R.O.C., J.A.A.-F.), Faculdade de Odontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 14049-900 São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences (T.M.P.), University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213; Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica (T.S.R.C., M.O.P.), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; and Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas (E.T.U.), Universidade Estadual de Londrina, 86051-990 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Lucila L K Elias
- Departamento de Fisiologia (B.K., A.B.R., E.T.U., L.L.K.E., J.A.R.), Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, and Departamento de Morfologia, Fisiologia, e Patologia Básica (C.M.L., R.O.C., J.A.A.-F.), Faculdade de Odontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 14049-900 São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences (T.M.P.), University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213; Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica (T.S.R.C., M.O.P.), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; and Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas (E.T.U.), Universidade Estadual de Londrina, 86051-990 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - José A Rodrigues
- Departamento de Fisiologia (B.K., A.B.R., E.T.U., L.L.K.E., J.A.R.), Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, and Departamento de Morfologia, Fisiologia, e Patologia Básica (C.M.L., R.O.C., J.A.A.-F.), Faculdade de Odontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 14049-900 São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences (T.M.P.), University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213; Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica (T.S.R.C., M.O.P.), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; and Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas (E.T.U.), Universidade Estadual de Londrina, 86051-990 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Tony M Plant
- Departamento de Fisiologia (B.K., A.B.R., E.T.U., L.L.K.E., J.A.R.), Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, and Departamento de Morfologia, Fisiologia, e Patologia Básica (C.M.L., R.O.C., J.A.A.-F.), Faculdade de Odontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 14049-900 São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences (T.M.P.), University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213; Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica (T.S.R.C., M.O.P.), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; and Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas (E.T.U.), Universidade Estadual de Londrina, 86051-990 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Maristela O Poletini
- Departamento de Fisiologia (B.K., A.B.R., E.T.U., L.L.K.E., J.A.R.), Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, and Departamento de Morfologia, Fisiologia, e Patologia Básica (C.M.L., R.O.C., J.A.A.-F.), Faculdade de Odontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 14049-900 São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences (T.M.P.), University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213; Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica (T.S.R.C., M.O.P.), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; and Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas (E.T.U.), Universidade Estadual de Londrina, 86051-990 Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Janete A Anselmo-Franci
- Departamento de Fisiologia (B.K., A.B.R., E.T.U., L.L.K.E., J.A.R.), Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, and Departamento de Morfologia, Fisiologia, e Patologia Básica (C.M.L., R.O.C., J.A.A.-F.), Faculdade de Odontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 14049-900 São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences (T.M.P.), University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213; Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica (T.S.R.C., M.O.P.), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; and Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas (E.T.U.), Universidade Estadual de Londrina, 86051-990 Londrina, PR, Brazil
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Naulé L, Robert V, Parmentier C, Martini M, Keller M, Cohen-Solal M, Hardin-Pouzet H, Grange-Messent V, Franceschini I, Mhaouty-Kodja S. Delayed pubertal onset and prepubertal Kiss1 expression in female mice lacking central oestrogen receptor beta. Hum Mol Genet 2015; 24:7326-38. [PMID: 26464488 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddv430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Accepted: 10/07/2015] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Ovarian oestradiol is essential for pubertal maturation and adult physiology of the female reproductive axis. It acts at central and peripheral sites through two main oestrogen receptors (ER) α and β. Here we investigate the role of ERβ on central effects of oestradiol, by generating a mouse line specifically lacking the ERβ gene in neuronal and glial cells. Central ERβ deletion delays the age at vaginal opening and first oestrous and reduces uterine weight without affecting body growth. Analysis of factors necessary for pubertal progression shows reduced levels of Kiss1 transcripts at postnatal (P) day 25 in the preoptic area, but not in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) of mutant females. In agreement with these data, the number of kisspeptin-immunoreactive neurons was decreased by 57-72% in the three subdivisions of the rostral periventricular area of the third ventricle (RP3V), whereas the density of kisspeptin-immunoreactive fibres was unchanged in the arcuate nucleus of mutant mice. These alterations do not involve changes in ERα mRNAs in the preoptic area and protein levels in the RP3V. The number and distribution of GnRH-immunoreactive cells were unaffected, but gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) transcript levels were higher in the P25 preoptic area of mutants. At adulthood, mutant females have normal oestrous cyclicity, kisspeptin system and exhibit unaltered sexual behaviour. They display, however, reduced ovary weight and increased anxiety-related behaviour during the follicular phase. This argues for the specific involvement of central ERβ in the regulation of pubertal onset in female reproduction, possibly through prepubertal induction of kisspeptin expression in the RP3V.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydie Naulé
- Neuroscience Paris Seine, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) S1130, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 8246, Université P. et M. Curie, Paris, France, Sorbonne Universités, Université P. et M. Curie UM CR18, Université Paris 06, Paris, France
| | - Vincent Robert
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, UMR 85, Nouzilly, France, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 7247, Nouzilly, France, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France, Institut Français du Cheval et de l'Equitation, Nouzilly, France and
| | - Caroline Parmentier
- Neuroscience Paris Seine, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) S1130, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 8246, Université P. et M. Curie, Paris, France, Sorbonne Universités, Université P. et M. Curie UM CR18, Université Paris 06, Paris, France
| | - Mariangela Martini
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, UMR 85, Nouzilly, France, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 7247, Nouzilly, France, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France, Institut Français du Cheval et de l'Equitation, Nouzilly, France and
| | - Matthieu Keller
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, UMR 85, Nouzilly, France, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 7247, Nouzilly, France, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France, Institut Français du Cheval et de l'Equitation, Nouzilly, France and
| | - Martine Cohen-Solal
- Inserm U1132 and university Paris-Diderot, Hospital Lariboisière, Paris, France
| | - Hélène Hardin-Pouzet
- Neuroscience Paris Seine, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) S1130, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 8246, Université P. et M. Curie, Paris, France, Sorbonne Universités, Université P. et M. Curie UM CR18, Université Paris 06, Paris, France
| | - Valérie Grange-Messent
- Neuroscience Paris Seine, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) S1130, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 8246, Université P. et M. Curie, Paris, France, Sorbonne Universités, Université P. et M. Curie UM CR18, Université Paris 06, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Franceschini
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, UMR 85, Nouzilly, France, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 7247, Nouzilly, France, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France, Institut Français du Cheval et de l'Equitation, Nouzilly, France and
| | - Sakina Mhaouty-Kodja
- Neuroscience Paris Seine, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) S1130, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 8246, Université P. et M. Curie, Paris, France, Sorbonne Universités, Université P. et M. Curie UM CR18, Université Paris 06, Paris, France,
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Kenealy BP, Keen KL, Garcia JP, Richter DJ, Terasawa E. Prolonged infusion of estradiol benzoate into the stalk median eminence stimulates release of GnRH and kisspeptin in ovariectomized female rhesus macaques. Endocrinology 2015; 156:1804-14. [PMID: 25734362 PMCID: PMC4398774 DOI: 10.1210/en.2014-1979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Our recent study indicates that a brief infusion (20 min) of estradiol (E2) benzoate (EB) into the stalk-median eminence (S-ME) stimulates GnRH release with a latency of approximately 10 minutes. In contrast to the effect induced by a brief infusion of EB, it has previously been shown that systemic EB administration suppresses release of GnRH, kisspeptin, and LH with a latency of several hours, which is known as the negative feedback action of E2. We speculated that the differential results by these 2 modes of EB administration are due to the length of E2 exposure. Therefore, in the present study, the effects of EB infusion for periods of 20 minutes, 4 hours, or 7 hours into the S-ME of ovariectomized female monkeys on the release of GnRH and kisspeptin were examined using a microdialysis method. To assess the effects of the EB infusion on LH release, serum samples were also collected. The results show that similar to the results with 20-minute infusion, both 4- and 7-hour infusions of EB consistently stimulated release of GnRH and kisspeptin from the S-ME accompanied by LH release in the general circulation. In contrast, sc injection of EB suppressed all 3 hormones (GnRH, kisspeptin, and LH) measured. It is concluded that regardless of the exposure period, direct E2 action on GnRH and kisspeptin neurons in the S-ME, where their neuroterminals are present, is stimulatory, and the E2-negative feedback effects do not occur at the S-ME level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian P Kenealy
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (B.P.K., K.L.K., J.P.G., D.J.R., E.T.) and Department of Pediatrics (E.T.), University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53715-1299
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36
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Estrogen receptor β exon 3-deleted mouse: The importance of non-ERE pathways in ERβ signaling. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:5135-40. [PMID: 25848008 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1504944112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In 1998, an estrogen receptor β (ERβ) knockout (KO) mouse was created by interrupting the gene at the DNA binding domain (DBD) with a neocassette. The mutant females were subfertile and there were abnormalities in the brain, prostate, lung, colon, and immune system. In 2008, another ERβ mutant mouse was generated by deleting ERβ exon 3 which encodes the first zinc finger in the DBD. The female mice of this strain were unable to ovulate but were otherwise normal. The differences in the phenotypes of the two KO strains, have led to questions about the physiological function of ERβ. In the present study, we created an ERβ exon 3-deleted mouse (ERβ-Δex3) and confirmed that the only observable defect was anovulation. Despite the two in-frame stop codons introduced by splicing between exons 2 and 4, an ERβ protein was expressed in nuclei of prostate epithelial cells. Using two different anti-ERβ antibodies, we showed that an in-frame ligand binding domain and C terminus were present in the ERβ-Δex3 protein. Moreover, with nuclear extracts from ERβ-Δex3 prostates, there was an ERβ-dependent retardation of migration of activator protein-1 response elements in EMSA. Unlike the original knockout mouse, expression of Ki67, androgen receptor, and Dachshund-1 in prostate epithelium was not altered in the ERβ-Δex3 mouse. We conclude that very little of ERβ transcriptional activity depends on binding to classical estrogen response elements (EREs).
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Chason RJ, Kang JH, Gerkowicz SA, Dufau ML, Catt KJ, Segars JH. GnRH agonist reduces estrogen receptor dimerization in GT1-7 cells: evidence for cross-talk between membrane-initiated estrogen and GnRH signaling. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2015; 404:67-74. [PMID: 25619861 PMCID: PMC4590284 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2015.01.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2014] [Revised: 01/18/2015] [Accepted: 01/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
17β-estradiol (E2), a key participant on the initiation of the LH surge, exerts both positive and negative feedback on GnRH neurons. We sought to investigate potential interactions between estrogen receptors alpha (ERα) and beta (ERβ) and gonadotropin releasing hormone receptor (GnRH-R) in GT1-7 cells. Radioligand binding studies demonstrated a significant decrease in saturation E2 binding in cells treated with GnRH agonist. Conversely, there was a significant reduction in GnRH binding in GT1-7 cells treated with E2. In BRET(1) experiments, ERα-ERα dimerization was suppressed in GT1-7 cells treated with GnRH agonist (p < 0.05). There was no evidence of direct interaction between ERs and GnRH-R. This study provides the first evidence of reduced ERα homodimerization by GnRH agonist. Collectively, these findings demonstrate significant cross-talk between membrane-initiated GnRH and E2 signaling in GT1-7 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J Chason
- Program in Reproductive and Adult Endocrinology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, 10 CRC, Room 1E-3140, 10 Center Drive, MSC 1109, Bethesda, MD 20892-1109, USA
| | - Jung-Hoon Kang
- Section on Molecular Endocrinology, Program on Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-4510, USA
| | - Sabrina A Gerkowicz
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Miami, 1611 NW 12th Ave, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Maria L Dufau
- Section on Molecular Endocrinology, Program on Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-4510, USA
| | - Kevin J Catt
- Endocrinology and Reproduction Research Branch, Section on Hormonal Regulation, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - James H Segars
- Program in Reproductive and Adult Endocrinology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, 10 CRC, Room 1E-3140, 10 Center Drive, MSC 1109, Bethesda, MD 20892-1109, USA.
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Simonneaux V, Bahougne T. A Multi-Oscillatory Circadian System Times Female Reproduction. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2015; 6:157. [PMID: 26539161 PMCID: PMC4611855 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2015.00157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhythms in female reproduction are critical to insure that timing of ovulation coincides with oocyte maturation and optimal sexual arousal. This fine tuning of female reproduction involves both the estradiol feedback as an indicator of oocyte maturation, and the master circadian clock of the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) as an indicator of the time of the day. Herein, we are providing an overview of the state of knowledge regarding the differential inhibitory and stimulatory effects of estradiol at different stages of the reproductive axis, and the mechanisms through which the two main neurotransmitters of the SCN, arginine vasopressin, and vasoactive intestinal peptide, convey daily time cues to the reproductive axis. In addition, we will report the most recent findings on the putative functions of peripheral clocks located throughout the reproductive axis [kisspeptin (Kp) neurons, gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons, gonadotropic cells, the ovary, and the uterus]. This review will point to the critical position of the Kp neurons of the anteroventral periventricular nucleus, which integrate both the stimulatory estradiol signal, and the daily arginine vasopressinergic signal, while displaying a circadian clock. Finally, given the critical role of the light/dark cycle in the synchronization of female reproduction, we will discuss the impact of circadian disruptions observed during shift-work conditions on female reproductive performance and fertility in both animal model and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valérie Simonneaux
- Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, CNRS (UPR 3212), Strasbourg, France
- *Correspondence: Valérie Simonneaux, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, CNRS (UPR 3212), 5 rue Blaise Pascal, Strasbourg 67084, France,
| | - Thibault Bahougne
- Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, CNRS (UPR 3212), Strasbourg, France
- Service d’Endocrinologie et Diabète, Hôpital Civil, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
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Enhancement of a robust arcuate GABAergic input to gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons in a model of polycystic ovarian syndrome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 112:596-601. [PMID: 25550522 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1415038112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), the leading cause of female infertility, is associated with an increase in luteinizing hormone (LH) pulse frequency, implicating abnormal steroid hormone feedback to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons. This study investigated whether modifications in the synaptically connected neuronal network of GnRH neurons could account for this pathology. The PCOS phenotype was induced in mice following prenatal androgen (PNA) exposure. Serial blood sampling confirmed that PNA elicits increased LH pulse frequency and impaired progesterone negative feedback in adult females, mimicking the neuroendocrine abnormalities of the clinical syndrome. Imaging of GnRH neurons revealed greater dendritic spine density that correlated with increased putative GABAergic but not glutamatergic inputs in PNA mice. Mapping of steroid hormone receptor expression revealed that PNA mice had 59% fewer progesterone receptor-expressing cells in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARN). To address whether increased GABA innervation to GnRH neurons originates in the ARN, a viral-mediated Cre-lox approach was taken to trace the projections of ARN GABA neurons in vivo. Remarkably, projections from ARN GABAergic neurons heavily contacted and even bundled with GnRH neuron dendrites, and the density of fibers apposing GnRH neurons was even greater in PNA mice (56%). Additionally, this ARN GABA population showed significantly less colocalization with progesterone receptor in PNA animals compared with controls. Together, these data describe a robust GABAergic circuit originating in the ARN that is enhanced in a model of PCOS and may underpin the neuroendocrine pathophysiology of the syndrome.
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40
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Fergani C, Routly J, Jones D, Pickavance L, Smith R, Dobson H. Co-expression of c-Fos with oestradiol receptor α or somatostatin in the arcuate nucleus, ventromedial nucleus and medial preoptic area in the follicular phase of intact ewes: alteration after insulin-induced hypoglycaemia. Reprod Domest Anim 2014; 50:68-75. [PMID: 25399917 DOI: 10.1111/rda.12450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2014] [Accepted: 10/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate how acute insulin-induced hypoglycaemia (IIH) alters the activity of cells containing oestradiol receptor α (ERα) or somatostatin (SST) in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) and ventromedial nucleus (VMN), and ERα cells in the medial preoptic area (mPOA) of intact ewes. Follicular phases were synchronized with progesterone vaginal pessaries. Control animals were killed at 0 h or 31 h (n = 5 and 6, respectively) after progesterone withdrawal (PW; time zero). At 28 h, five other animals received insulin (INS; 4 iu/kg) and were subsequently killed at 31 h. Hypothalamic sections were immunostained for ERα or SST each with c-Fos, a marker of neuronal transcriptional activation. Insulin did not alter the percentage of activated ERα cells in the ARC; however, it appeared visually that two insulin-treated animals (INS responders, with no LH surge) had an increase in the VMN (from 32 to 78%) and a decrease in the mPOA (from 40 to 12%) compared to no increase in the two INS non-responders (with an LH surge). The percentage of activated SST cells in the ARC was greater in all four insulin-treated animals (from 10 to 60%), whereas it was visually estimated that activated SST cells in the VMN increased only in the two insulin responders (from 10 to 70%). From these results, we suggest that IIH stimulates SST activation in the ARC as part of the glucose-sensing mechanism but ERα activation is unaffected in this region. We present evidence to support a hypothesis that disruption of the GnRH/LH surge may occur in insulin responders via a mechanism that involves, at least in part, SST cell activation in the VMN along with decreased ERα cell activation in the mPOA.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Fergani
- School of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, Wirral, UK
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Yeo SH, Herbison AE. Estrogen-negative feedback and estrous cyclicity are critically dependent upon estrogen receptor-α expression in the arcuate nucleus of adult female mice. Endocrinology 2014; 155:2986-95. [PMID: 24905671 DOI: 10.1210/en.2014-1128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The location and characteristics of cells within the brain that suppress GnRH neuron activity to contribute to the estrogen-negative feedback mechanism are poorly understood. Using adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated Cre-LoxP recombination in estrogen receptor-α (ERα) floxed mice (ERα(flox/flox)), we aimed to examine the role of ERα-expressing neurons located in the arcuate nucleus (ARN) in the estrogen-negative feedback mechanism. Bilateral injection of AAV-Cre into the ARN of ERα(flox/flox) mice (n = 14) resulted in the time-dependent ablation of up to 99% of ERα-immunoreactive cell numbers throughout the rostrocaudal length of the ARN. These mice were all acyclic by 5 weeks after AAV-Cre injections with most mice in constant estrous. Control wild-type mice injected with AAV-Cre (n = 13) were normal. Body weight was not altered in ERα(flox/flox) mice. After ovariectomy, a significant increment in LH secretion was observed in all genotypes, although its magnitude was reduced in ERα(flox/flox) mice. Acute and chronic estrogen-negative feedback were assessed by administering 17β-estradiol to mice as a bolus (LH measured 3 h later) or SILASTIC brand capsule implant (LH measured 5 d later). This demonstrated that chronic estrogen feedback was absent in ERα(flox/flox) mice, whereas the acute feedback was normal. These results reveal a critical role for ERα-expressing cells within the ARN in both estrous cyclicity and the chronic estrogen negative feedback mechanism in female mice. This suggests that ARN cells provide a key indirect, transsynpatic route through which estradiol suppresses the activity of GnRH neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shel-Hwa Yeo
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology and Department of Physiology, University of Otago School of Medical Sciences, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
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Naugle MM, Gore AC. GnRH neurons of young and aged female rhesus monkeys co-express GPER but are unaffected by long-term hormone replacement. Neuroendocrinology 2014; 100:334-46. [PMID: 25428637 PMCID: PMC4329056 DOI: 10.1159/000369820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2014] [Accepted: 11/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Menopause is caused by changes in the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis that controls reproduction. Hypophysiotropic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons in the hypothalamus orchestrate the activity of this axis and are regulated by hormonal feedback loops. The mechanisms by which GnRH responds to the primary regulatory sex steroid hormone, estradiol (E2), are still poorly understood in the context of menopause. Our goal was to determine whether the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) is co-expressed in adult primate GnRH neurons and whether this changes with aging and/or E2 treatment. We used immunofluorescence double-labeling to characterize the co-expression of GPER in GnRH perikarya and terminals in the hypothalamus. Young and aged rhesus macaques were ovariectomized and given long-term (~2-year) hormone treatments (E2, E2 + progesterone, or vehicle) selected to mimic currently prescribed hormone replacement therapies used for the alleviation of menopausal symptoms in women. We found that about half of GnRH perikarya co-expressed GPER, while only about 12% of GnRH processes and terminals in the median eminence (ME) were double-labeled. Additionally, many GPER-labeled processes were in direct contact with GnRH neurons, often wrapped around the perikarya and processes and in close proximity in the ME. These results extend prior work by showing robust co-localization of GPER in GnRH in a clinically relevant model, and they support the possibility that GPER-mediated E2 regulation of GnRH occurs both in the soma and terminals in nonhuman primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle M. Naugle
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712
| | - Andrea C. Gore
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712
- Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712
- Institute for Cellular & Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712
- Correspondence: Andrea C Gore, PhD, The University of Texas at Austin, 107 West Dean Keeton, C0875, Austin, TX, 78712, USA, ; Tel: +1-512-471-3669; Fax: +1-512-471-5002
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Yeo SH, Clarkson J, Herbison AE. Kisspeptin-gpr54 signaling at the GnRH neuron is necessary for negative feedback regulation of luteinizing hormone secretion in female mice. Neuroendocrinology 2014; 100:191-7. [PMID: 25301053 DOI: 10.1159/000368608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2014] [Accepted: 09/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Kisspeptin-Gpr54 signaling is critical for regulating the activity of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons in mammals. Previous studies have shown that the negative feedback mechanism is disrupted in global Gpr54-null mutants. The present investigation aimed to determine (1) if a lack of cyclical estrogen exposure of the GnRH neuronal network in the life-long hypogonadotropic Gpr54-null mice contributed to their failed negative feedback mechanism and (2) the cellular location of disrupted kisspeptin-Gpr54 signaling. Plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations were determined in individual adult female mice when intact, following ovariectomy (OVX) and in response to an acute injection of 17β-estradiol (E2). Control mice exhibited a characteristic rise in LH after OVX that was suppressed by acute E2. Global Gpr54-null mice failed to exhibit any post-OVX increase in LH or response to E2. Adult female global Gpr54-null mice given a cyclical regimen of estradiol for three cycles prior to OVX also failed to exhibit any post-OVX increase in LH or response to E2. To address whether Gpr54 signaling at the GnRH neuron itself was necessary for the failed response to OVX in global Gpr54-null animals, adult female mice with a GnRH neuron-selective deletion of Gpr54 were examined. These mice also failed to exhibit any post-OVX increase in LH or response to E2. These experiments demonstrate defective negative feedback in global Gpr54-null mice that cannot be attributed to a lack of prior exposure of the GnRH neuronal network to cyclical estradiol. The absence of negative feedback in GnRH neuron-selective Gpr54-null mice demonstrates the necessity of direct kisspeptin signaling at the GnRH neuron for this mechanism to occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shel-Hwa Yeo
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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